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Six Pence Postal Order
| Issuer | General Post Office (GPO) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1936-1952 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | NOT NEGOTIABLE THE SENDER MUST FILL IN, IN INK, THE PAYEE'S NAME BEFORE PARTING WITH THE ORDER BRITISH POSTAL ORDER To the Postmaster General Pay the sum of 6 SIX PENCE 6 PENCE PENCE at within Six Calendar Months from the last day of the month of issue. For Regulations—see back. RECEIVED the sum due Postage Stamps not exceeding two in number may be affixed here but not elsewhere (i) up to 5d. for orders up to 4s. 6d. (ii) up to 11d. for orders above 4s. 6d. Odd halfpennies are not permissible. SIGNATURE POSTMASTER ISSUING OFFICE STAMP WITH DATE PAYING OFFICE STAMP WITH DATE CANCELLING THIS ORDER ONE PENNY |
| Reverse description | Plain cream paper printed in black letterpress with five numbered regulatory clauses governing encashment, validity, crossing, and liability. A final advisory paragraph in uppercase urges the sender to specify the office of payment as a safeguard against loss or theft. No vignette or decorative underprint is present. |
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| Comments |
British postal orders occupy a strange corner of notaphily — they are neither banknotes nor cheques but functioned as a de facto low-denomination payment system for the unbanked, particularly for mail-order transactions and small remittances. The GPO issued them in fixed denominations, and the sixpence value was among the most heavily used, predominantly for catalogue purchases and football pools entries during the 1930s and 1940s.
The period 1936–1952 spans the reigns of three monarchs, and orders from this run will carry either George V's or George VI's cypher depending on precise date — George V died in January 1936, making that year's earliest issues transitional.