Interesting cover, and I am looking forward to the answer. If the additional postage was not required, why would RM bother cancelling it? I wonder what the mystery franking would be if the forwarding address were outside Great Britain.
Was the envelope opened by the first recipient? If so, then regular postage has to be paid to send it onward.
If the envelope has not been opened, it could be that the original recipient didn't know that additional postage was not necessary to forward it to the correct address, and stuck the stamp on the envelope to the delight of the British Post Office. Or the postal clerk didn't know that the letter did not need additional postage to forward to the correct address.
How about this;
What was the UK first class rate when converted to US dollars.
I seem to recall that a British pound was equal to close to $4.00 US in the mid-late '60s.
I think a shilling was about $0.20 to $0.25 although that is from my increasingly problematic memory.
It would not be the first time that I encountered a postal clerk whose quoted postage rate was strange.
Charlie, conversion should have no bearing, as UPU allows for the free forwarding of all mail among UPU signatories.
Yes, I saw that, but my idea is that perhaps the clerk handling it may not have known that.
It seems that the first 'care of' person at Rotherham (looks like Mr W. Rotherham) opened this mail and added a slip of paper himself to the contents then forwarded the mail to the receipient to another c/o address after resealing the cover and adding the required inland postage. He was probably piffed at being used as a mail forwarding service therefore reused the same cover.
All conjecture.........but seems logical to me!
Once opened, full postage needs to be paid to return or forward the mail piece.
But this is conjecture that the envelope was opened, right?
I can see no reason why it would have been opened?
Possibilities are endless, possible Ken Webb was ridding himself of a GB stamp.
John Derry
I am pretty sure we are overthinking this. I am fairly certain -- as alreay suggested by Michael -- that the recipient put 4p inland postage on the envelope because the person simply did not know that forwarding of the letter would have been free.
can someone help explain why there is a British stamp on this cover. It's mailed from the Allentown, NY (one can see two different LeHigh Valley PA machine cancels tying the two US stamps, one a 15c airmail, the other a 5c commemorative) to Rotherham, in Yorkshire, UK (one can see a Rotherham machine cancel tying those same stamps at 2:45) at the same time (2:45) two blue hand cancel CDS are applied against a 4d Wilding. The airmail rate in effect (5.1.67-7.1.71) is 20c an ounce to Europe; and UPU allows for free forwarding of all mail sent first class or equivalent. This was forwarded to Windsor, in Berkshire.
The reverse has mute roller cancel (possibly offset)
so, what do you think?
re: double-franked forwarded cover, but why?
Interesting cover, and I am looking forward to the answer. If the additional postage was not required, why would RM bother cancelling it? I wonder what the mystery franking would be if the forwarding address were outside Great Britain.
re: double-franked forwarded cover, but why?
Was the envelope opened by the first recipient? If so, then regular postage has to be paid to send it onward.
If the envelope has not been opened, it could be that the original recipient didn't know that additional postage was not necessary to forward it to the correct address, and stuck the stamp on the envelope to the delight of the British Post Office. Or the postal clerk didn't know that the letter did not need additional postage to forward to the correct address.
re: double-franked forwarded cover, but why?
How about this;
What was the UK first class rate when converted to US dollars.
I seem to recall that a British pound was equal to close to $4.00 US in the mid-late '60s.
I think a shilling was about $0.20 to $0.25 although that is from my increasingly problematic memory.
It would not be the first time that I encountered a postal clerk whose quoted postage rate was strange.
re: double-franked forwarded cover, but why?
Charlie, conversion should have no bearing, as UPU allows for the free forwarding of all mail among UPU signatories.
re: double-franked forwarded cover, but why?
Yes, I saw that, but my idea is that perhaps the clerk handling it may not have known that.
re: double-franked forwarded cover, but why?
It seems that the first 'care of' person at Rotherham (looks like Mr W. Rotherham) opened this mail and added a slip of paper himself to the contents then forwarded the mail to the receipient to another c/o address after resealing the cover and adding the required inland postage. He was probably piffed at being used as a mail forwarding service therefore reused the same cover.
All conjecture.........but seems logical to me!
re: double-franked forwarded cover, but why?
Once opened, full postage needs to be paid to return or forward the mail piece.
re: double-franked forwarded cover, but why?
But this is conjecture that the envelope was opened, right?
I can see no reason why it would have been opened?
re: double-franked forwarded cover, but why?
Possibilities are endless, possible Ken Webb was ridding himself of a GB stamp.
John Derry
re: double-franked forwarded cover, but why?
I am pretty sure we are overthinking this. I am fairly certain -- as alreay suggested by Michael -- that the recipient put 4p inland postage on the envelope because the person simply did not know that forwarding of the letter would have been free.