Worldwide Postal History

    Postal History is an exciting branch of stamp collecting that endlessly rewards the intellect.  A single cover can teach you about geography, history, and culture.  There are many subdivisions of postal history including ones based on auxiliary marks, postmarks, rate uses or type of postal classes, senders’ businesses, and destinations.  Postal history can be collected for all countries and colonies of the world.

    A postmark can be used to form a collection based on locations.  Maybe a cover came from a location that was once sparsely populated.  The postmark can also be used for its date such as to form an earliest documented use collection.  Lastly, the postmark can help form a collection of advances in postal mechanization.  A collection subfield based on all cancels used in your city is one example.
 
    Business ad covers are the next large subfield.  Many postal historians like to collect covers associated with a profession of related to another hobby.  A person interested in horses may enjoy collecting covers that have to do directly or indirectly with horses.  Some just like the engraved covers sent from their hometowns.

    Destination collecting is a very interesting subfield.  Imagine finding a cover sent from a Civil War soldier to his family.  The variety is endless.  Collections can be made on international covers sent to the USA or vice versa.

    Rate use is another popular collection area.  Since there are several levels of delivery and security on mailed items there are thus certain stamps that tend to get used more often – for example, in the past, 18 cent stamps were often used for registered letters, 6 cent stamps were common on air post letters, and 1.5 cent stamps were used for third class mail.  Many air letter sheets are scarce for their printed rate and correct destination.

    Lastly, auxiliary marks are an exciting field in almost any country.  These can take the form of postage due, registered, damaged, missent, or directory assistance mail.  Most times these postal marks are fully in text format but sometimes they are symbols.  Arrows, pointing fingers, and national emblems are typical symbolic marks.  Most collectors in this subfield look at nice arrangements of these symbols or uncommon variations of markings.

    Postal history is a fun and educational branch of philately that can keep the collectors happily engaged for hours at a time.  Since every cover is unique there is no end to what can be learned.