Wednesday 1 June 2016

Bath 1783 to 1787, straight-line and mileage handstamps

The BCC has a 25 x 6 mm handstamp in use in 1783 - here is a recently acquired example of this handstamp from April 1783.

The BCC then has a "113 BATH" mileage mark, which is only known between September and November 1784.  This usage predates that recorded as the earliest English mileage mark recorded to date on the British Postal Museum website (see here).

This was then replaced by a two-line "BATH / 110" mileage mark, 26 x 6 mm - below is an example from 15th December 1784.  Note the large round zero in the mileage.

Close examination of this second example from January 1786 shows a smaller oval zero.

In between these two handstamps I have this entire from 23rd December 1784.

It has what appears to be a poor example of the 25 x 6 mm handstamp known in use in 1783.  I believe that the "BATH / 110" handstamp changed between the two examples above, probably being recut or repaired because the "BATH" portion of the handstamps look the same, and that the old 1783 handstamp was brought back into use while this was being done.

In 1786 a new "BATH / 110" handstamp was brought in; here are some examples (the first of which to Ireland is undated).  I was rather pleased with being able to decipher and match the postage charges on this entire to its route.



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