Irish Foreign Uniform Airmail Rates
? ? Airmail cover with a few questions ? ?
Posted during the longest running rate period was from
July 6, 1953 to May 31, 1964
Letters - 1/3 (1st 1/2 oz, addtl 1/2 oz 1/-) | Printed Papers - 9d (1st 1/2 oz, addtl 1/2 oz 6d)
Postcards - 6d | Air Letters - 8d
We assumed that the Irish Post Office increased their rates for both
Registration (6d to 9d) & Express Fee (6d to 1/-) on the same date: April 1, 1959.
This cover has an Express Fee of 1/- more than 1 year prior to this date.
When was the new Express Fee introduced?
The envelope measures 7.25 "x 4.25"
The flap has never been stuck down and has obviously been tucked in and though possibly
philatelicaly inspired it might therefore have been sent at letter rates but open.
Was this sent as Letter Rate or Printed Paper Rate?
LUIMNEACH DEIMHNITHE (Limerick Registered) cds on reverse is dated 21 Feb 58 and timed 3.15 P.M.
This means the cover, posted at Shannon Airport earlier that day (8:15 A.M.), was sent to and sorted in the
Registration Section of Limerick Post Office before being returned to Shannon for its flight to the U.S.A.
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My initial rate calculation is: |
My alternate calculation is: |
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|
Letter Rate: |
1/3 |
Printed Paper Rate: |
9d |
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|
Express Fee |
1/ - |
Express Fee |
1/ - |
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|
Late Fee |
|
1/2d |
Late Fee |
1/2d |
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TOTAL FEE PAID |
3/3 |
1/2d |
TOTAL FEE PAID |
3/3 |
1/2d |
I could suggest Printer Paper Rate due to the size and type of envelope
but the Letter Rate works too, so it would be an up to 1 oz. letter as
opposed to 2 oz. Printed Paper letter packet.
Comments from Stan Challis
Date: Monday, March 23, 1998 3:31:51 PM
From: challis
Subj: Your Express Fee Cover
To: kfw
Karl,
I have no express item from between 1956 and 1961 (or if I have, it is not correctly filed!) 1956 has 6d express fee and 1961 1/- which tells us nothing.
PO Guide for 1955 shows 6d and that for 1959 1/-, the latter appearing to have been printed in Sept. 1959 so that doesn't help either.
Are you absolutely sure that the item was printed paper rate? Suppose it had been first class airmail (who would send something by second class airmail express - that in itself is a contradiction!) 3/3d would cover treble weight - i.e.: over 1oz and the extra halfpenny was added for late fee and the express label was put on to signify late fee paid - not very convincing but it's hard to guess without seeing the item.
Where was it posted? I hope these limited comments may be of some help.
Best wishes
Stan
Date: Wednesday, March 25, 1998 6:12:16 PM
From: challis
Subj: your cover
To: kfw
I think the rate is probably meaningless. The stamps affixed are a philatelic franking - even worse than some of mine!!! The item is posted at Shannon Airport - yes - I know someone could have rushed down to Shannon to post express - something very urgent - but if the rate of 3/3 1/2d was genuine the franking would probably have been something like 1 x 2/6d plus 1 x 9d plus 1/2d or at worst say 3 x 1/- plus 3 x 1d plus 1/2d etc.
I suspect the sender was just passing through Shannon and had been asked by a US collector to send some stamps from Ireland, this is what he bought and asked the counter clerk to rush it to the States so it got sent express. The #1 in the address looks American, not Irish.
OK that said, the express fee charged of 1/- was clearly the right express charge at the time. So you have proved that the express fee as of February 1958 was 1/-. We need to find more covers from the period to determine when the rate changed or alternatively can't someone get hold of the weekly PO notices of the time to get a firm date. They exist somewhere!
Hope this helps
Greetings
Stan
Uniform Airmail Rates | Airmail Rates |
Karl Winkelmann
Updated 28 October 2005
