Win a Fabulous Postal History Boutique Prize!

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Hello there PHB boys'n'girls...and Snooky, too, of course!

Here is your chance to win a Fabulous Prize*.

The first** person who can answer the following question correctly wins a Fabulous Prize:

 

Why do we stick postage stamps on the top right hand corner of items of mail, and not on, say the top left hand corner, or the bottom right hand corner?

 

Now that wasn't so difficult was it?

The winner's name will be announced at the weekend.

(Please, only one entry per household, or kennel. Employees and their agents of IUOMA are not eligible to participate: but we'll make an exception for Ruud of course.)

Regards, Val.

 

* First Prize is a Very Special Item of Mail Art from the Postal History Boutique.

** Fifteenth Prize is an all expenses paid holiday for two (and their dog) in Guadeloupe. 

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Helas, Vous ne gagnez pas le prix. Ou les vacanace a Guadeloupe.

(Mais, le premier part de votre response est pres que le solution, et... peut-etre vous gagnerai  plus tard)

 

I await other replies.

 

Cordialement,

Val

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Dear Members of the Postal History Boutique Group,

,

The response to the recent Postal History Boutique Prize was PATHETIC!

I thought that some of you might be interested in a little bit of Postal History, but quite obviously you aren't interested in this sort of stuff.

Which leads me to ask, as General Manager of the Postal History Boutique, what type of Postal History are you interested in (if any)?

 

As to the Prize that was offered by the Boutique, an answer was sought to the following question:

 Why do we stick postage stamps on the top right hand corner of items of mail, and not on, say, the top left hand corner, or the bottom right hand corner?

 

The staff at the Boutique were not exactly rushed off their feet (and paws) looking at the entries received.

In fact there was only ONE entry, by JF Chappele. 

And he didn't get it quite right, but wins by default; Bravo JF!

 

As you didn't seem to be interested in the question, you're eprobably not interested in the answer to it, so you can stop reading now.

But just in case anyone, besides JF, is interested, read on:

 

It is the start of May 1840, and the first ever postage stamps have been introduced in England. The Treasury (the Government Department responsible for the Post and Inland Revenue) had just sent sheets of Penny Red and Twopenny Blue stamps to the local Post Offices.

It was assumed that neither the Post Office clerks nor the general public would know how to use these stamps. So the instruction printed at the top of each sheet -- for the clerks, but also to be passed on to the public when they purchased stamps -- was:

"Place the Labels [stamps] ABOVE the Address and towards the RIGHT HAND SIDE of the Letter. In Wetting the Back be careful not to remove the Cement [gum]."

End of Postal History lesson.

 

Let me know if you would like to enter the next postal History Boutique -- but I don't expect anyone will.

Sadly yours,

Val

 

[Tana French]

Congratulations to JF!  :3

 

I wanted to enter this contest but I couldn't dig up an answer that satisfied me. @__@  I need to get better at researching. I didn't find that answer anywhere.

 

As for your question, I am interested in the history of AIR MAIL! If there are some contests for that subject, you can be sure that I will join in! I'm a nut for aviation as it is, and planes carrying mail around is even better!

 

-Morrissey

[Julie (O-kami)]

I would love to enter postal History contests - I'm a little late discovering this group or I would have replied.

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Hi Julie! This is very much a Do-It-Yourself Group so feel free to set all of us a Quiz puzzle.

Regards, Val

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Hi JF! Thanks for the French text: it's pretty similiar to the English one, but, of course, is much longer, because a) the French always use more words than the English (excusez-moi, #1!) and b) the French, being less disciplined than the English, need a longer explanation (excusez-moi, #2!) but then they tend to ignore it (etc, #3!).

Once again, you are the only person who has replied.

Some people must be very busy all the time not to have any time left over for Postal History: not one second, not one minute..

Excusez-lmoi pour mon française, mais je ne suis pas un linguiste, mais j'habite dans la Belle France.

Cordialement, Val

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Oh, yes, dear sir, here at HELLenic Post, we are very interested on Postal History and this question was very interesting as was the French and English answers. Unfortunately, these discussion posts never arrive in my email inbox, so I never know that there are any new discussions ;-( Now I shall be on the look-out whenever I stop by this group to post MORE "Love" stamps...me thinks I will suggest a "VALENTINE" (hee,heee) commerative postal project for our group..say what?

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Annonymous (ha!) of Sigean writes:

Do you know that many countries issue Valentine Day stamps? Most of them are pretty corny.

A Valentine's Day commemorative project would be a VERY good idea (subject to one condition spelt out below). And we could all mail each other something on 14 February.

We then need to know who is interested. 1. Katerina, 2. Annonymous of Sigean. 3.......

The condition: anyone called 'Valentine' who lives in Sigean is NOT allowed to send any images or likeness of himself, and no-one else is allowed to either (although declarations of undying love will naturally be most welcome).

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Yes, fearless leader...that is it, spread the word...all members here shall send on February 14,

a VALENTINE to VALENTINE (and/or anyone else in the group?) And where possible, use Valentine stamps...from a country or countries that make Valentine or "LOVE" stamps...or even our artistamps, too? Could we do that too, please, huh? Need for official announcement and rules of engagement from leader on main post board? thank you...I'm in.

[Valentine Mark Herman]

Hi Alex! This is vefry much a Do-It-Yourself forum. If you'd like to set us all an Air Mail challenge, i'd be delighted.

Go for it.... Fly for it...

Regards, Val