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Six Shillings Postal Order
| Issuer | His Majesty's Postmaster General |
|---|---|
| Year | 1936-1952 |
| Type | Cheques |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain paper reverse printed in black letterpress with five numbered regulatory clauses governing encashment conditions, validity, and liability. A bold centred notice at foot recommends the sender record the office of payment as a precaution against loss or theft. Show-through of obverse vignette and cancellation stamps is visible. |
| Reverse lettering | 1. If this Order be crossed like a cheque payment will only be made through a Bank. 2. Except when this Order is paid through a Bank the payee MUST SIGN THE RECEIPT on the face. 3. If any erasure or alteration be made, or if this Order be cut, defaced, or mutilated, payment may be refused. 4. This Order is not encashable unless presented within SIX calendar months from the last day of the month of issue. After the expiration of that period the Order should be referred to the nearest Post Office where, after necessary enquiry, it may be cashed on payment of a commission equal to the original poundage. 5. In accordance with the Statutory Regulations relating to Postal Orders, when once this Order has been paid—to whomsoever it is paid—the Postmaster General will not be liable for any further claim in respect of this Order. 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 were not banknotes and were never legal tender — they were payment instruments issued through the Post Office under statutory authority, redeemable only at designated post offices and only within a fixed period. The Postmaster General issued them, but the General Post Office Savings Bank handled the accounting behind them. Unused or time-expired orders were a quiet but reliable source of revenue for the Crown, a phenomenon the Post Office referred to internally as "dead orders."
The 1936–1952 date range spans two reigns, meaning orders from this series appear with both George V and George VI cypher variants — a distinction that matters more to postal historians than to most collectors.