Stampless covers are letters that were posted before the time when the use of postage stamps became mandatory for sending mail, on January 1, 1856. In the stampless era, letters, either folded sheets of writing or letters in envelopes, were taken to the post office where a town marking was applied. This was done with a handstamp and inkpad or with a pen. We thus divide stampless postmarks into handstamp or manuscript. Manuscript postmarks usually come from smaller post offices that could not afford a handstamp or did not have the volume to warrant one. They are, therefore, more rare than handstamp postmarks.