Catalog
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| Issuer | British Post Office |
|---|---|
| Year | 1957 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound sterling (1282-1970) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain pale blue reverse printed in black letterpress with five numbered clauses setting out the statutory conditions of use, including encashment validity of six calendar months from the last day of the month of issue and crossing regulations. A bold centred notice at foot advises the sender to record the paying office name as a precaution against loss or theft. |
| Reverse lettering | THE SENDER IS RECOMMENDED TO FILL IN THE NAME OF THE OFFICE OF PAYMENT BEFORE PARTING WITH THE ORDER, AS A PRECAUTION IN CASE THE ORDER SHOULD BE LOST OR STOLEN. |
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| Comments |
British Postal Orders occupy an odd corner of notaphily — they are not banknotes, not cheques, and not stamps, but they have been collected seriously since the late Victorian period. The Post Office Savings Bank and the postal order system together formed a parallel payments infrastructure for people without bank accounts, and the 10 Shilling denomination was the workhorse of that system through the postwar decade.
By 1957 the design had been largely stable for years, printed by Waterlow & Sons under contract. Postal orders were not meant to survive — payees were expected to cash them promptly, and uncashed examples were cancelled and returned to the issuing office. Survivors in unencashed condition are genuinely uncommon for this reason, not because of small print runs.