The History of the UK Postal Stamp – Day 4

There was only one stamp set issued for Edward VII in 1936 before he abdicated. George VI’s coronation was celebrated by an omnibus issue of stamps from every colony in the empire, featuring a profile of the new king on a solid colour background. World War II affected the way stamps were printed as in 1937 they used less ink, resulting in lighter shaded stamps.

Three years later, in 1940, the Postal Office celebrated the century year of the postal stamp with a commemorative set consisting of six stamps with Victoria and George VI side by side. Other commemorative stamp sets of the decade depicted the end of World War II and the return of peace, the Silver Jubilee of George VI and the 1948 Summer Olympics held in London.

The start of the 1950’s saw a new series of high value stamps to mark the changes in currency, with the new Queen Elizabeth II succeeding her father in 1952. The succession of a new monarch marked a change in the production of stamps, thus a new set of stamps needed to be made.

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The History of the UK Postal Stamp – Day 3

The perforation of stamps during the Victorian age was often a subject of experimentation. Cutting stamps from imperforated sheets using scissors was time consuming and costly, so many different methods of perforation were used as a ways of saving time and money. Trials with the Archer Roulette and then with surface printing in 1855 were undergone, then tests were made with perforation, which quickly became one of the most popular methods and is still commonly used today.

pennylilacEmbossed postage stamps were also used, in a variety of octagonal designs. The age of the Penny Red came to an end in 1880 along with the start of the new surface printed stamps. The Penny Lilac was issued subsequently in 1881 and lasted until the end of Victoria’s reign in 1901. The Penny Lilac was also the first stamp issued that was valid as both a postal stamp and a revenue stamp; used to collect taxes or fees on documents.

In 1883 and 1884, the postal service experimented with fugitive inks that faded quickly and washed out to prevent the stamps being reused, but these were short lived and not liked by the public. Because the reign of Victoria was coming to an end, a new set of stamps needed to be issued.

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The History of the UK Postal Stamp – Day 2

Penny_blackOn the 6th May 1840 the very first postal stamp was introduced. As a way of combating the financial losses of the Postal Office, 1d was charged for prepaid letters, whereas 2d was charged if the fee was collected from the recipient. This meant it was better for the sender and the recipient to prepay for their letter, plus the Postal Office received the money straight away (some messengers would be likely to pocket the money received and claim the letter was lost).

 

As a way of documenting this, an ‘adhesive label’ was attached to the prepaid letter. This was known as the Penny Black and was the first stamp ever to be used.

The Penny Black was quickly discontinued, as the black ink made it hard to see any attempts to void the stamps by crossing through them. In 1841 the stamps were printed in red, becoming the Penny Red. This new stamp was originally only for use within the UK, as it was a local stamp that depicted a profile of Queen Victoria. When international postage gained popularity, envelopes would be marked with the country’s name.

In 1951 a special commemorative stamp was issued containing the name Britain for the Festival of Britain, and the name has been used in stamps ever since.

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The History of the UK Postal Stamp – Day 1

Although many things have been digitized to keep up with the technologies of the modern world, stamps are and will continue to be, essential when it comes to sending parcels both across the country and internationally. Even though nowadays we type our letters out on the computer, and send emails and messages regularly, physical parcels still need to be sent by ‘snail mail’. So stamps are as essential now as they were when they were first introduced.

The first documented case of letters being sent and received on a long distance basis was in the 12th century, when Henry I assigned special messengers used to carry letters for the government. However the first unofficial ‘stamp’ was not conceived until the 1660’s, when following complaints made about delayed letters, Henry Bishop the first Postmaster General introduced the ‘Bishop Mark’ which consisted of a small circle with the day and month marked inside, to show when it had been sent.

This quickly became popular as the Postal system expanded to covering the entire country, whereby every city and town then had its own individual postmark. Shortly after this, in 160, William Dockra became the founder of a delivery system that would deliver both letters and parcels to the city of London and the surrounding areas; the London Penny Post. This system would deliver any package or letter weighing up to a pound for a single penny.

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Winter Olympics 2014: Day 5

It’s the last day of our Winter Olympics blog posts and as we come to the end of the downhill slope we take a look at how Great Britain is getting on in the games. Great Britain isn’t famous for their successes in the Winter Games, although they have set a target of three medals this year. Here’s what’s happened so far for team GB and a brief look at their history in the games.

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Great Britain won the first ever medal on snow in this year’s winter games with a bronze medal victory for Jenny Jones in the women’s slopestyle. Since then GB have struggled to add to their medal tally but finally managing to win a medal on snow is a positive achievement. Elsewhere team GB are putting a lot of their hopes on the curling teams who have tasted success in the past, most notably in 2002.

The most medals Great Britain have ever won in a winter games is four medals, way back in 1924. Their total accumulation of medals in the history of the winter games currently stands at 22 with 9 gold medals.

As we come to the end of posts surrounding the Winter Olympics, remember that RAND Logistics provide a collection and delivery service internationally. So if you need to ship a parcel abroad make sure you come to RAND for your free quote.

Winter Olympics 2014: Day 4

On the penultimate day of our Winter Olympics coverage we have a look at how the leading team in the games, Germany, are fairing. They’ve managed to assemble nine medals in the games so far with six of them being gold. We also take a look back at Germany’s history in the games. RAND Logistics provide an international delivery service to Germany, so you can easily get your parcels to Berlin or Munich with our unrivalled service.

Germany has been involved in 18 of the 20 Winter Olympic Games that have been hosted as they were not invited to either event that came after each World War. However, Germany did host the event just three years before World War 2. They had also been selected to host the games in 1940. Overall, Germany has won 360 medals at the Winter Olympics.

At this current point in the 2014 games, Germany has been extremely successful in their chosen events. Yesterday we saw Eric Frenzel win gold in the Nordic combined event, whilst they also came out on top in the double luge. However, day 4 saw the Germans lose out 7-6 in their curling match against Great Britain.

Keep up-to-date with the leading countries here at RAND during the winter games. Why not have a look at our range of services or contact us for a detailed summary of the logistics services we have to offer.

Winter Olympics 2014: Day 3

On our third day of focusing on the Winter Olympics in Sochi we’re looking it the most decorated team so far at the games, the Norwegians. With twelve medals to their name, Norway currently have the biggest tally of medals but sit in second place on the medals table behind Germany who have five gold medals.

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Norway have seen success in the Cross-Country Ski, the Biathlon and the 10k Sprint amongst other events, showing they have what it takes in the snow-based events.  Their success in cross-country skiing is unparalleled across the globe with a total of 96 medals acquired in the event since the winter games came into existence.

You can also expect to see Norway competing this week in the speed skating, with a total of 80 medals to their name in the history of the games. Notable gold medals that they have won at this year’s games include Marit Bjorgen’s gold in the cross-country, her fourth Olympic gold in a glittering career.

RAND Logistics will keep you up-to-date this week with some of the notable countries competing in the Winter Olympics, whilst we can also direct you to our unrivalled logistics services. We provide international parcel delivery to Norway so if you need to send a gift to Scandinavia, make the most of RAND Logistics services today.

Winter Olympics 2014: Day 2

It’s our second day of Winter Olympics coverage and we’re taking a look at how the highly-rated Canadians are doing so far in the event.

Canada is often plagued with some of the most extreme weather conditions on the planet with regular snowfall throughout the year. This gives many Canadians the perfect opportunity to master their skills on the snowy mountain slopes.

Canada is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, especially for those living in the UK. Situated north of the U.S, Canada is famous for its incredible mountain ranges, Niagara Falls and their highly skilled hockey and lacrosse teams.

RAND Logistics offer an international parcel delivery service to Canada as we are aware of the number of people born in the UK currently residing in Canada.

Freestyle skiing has been Canada’s most successful sport this Winter Olympics as they have acquired six medals in the event so far.  With a total of nine medals in the games overall at this point in time, you can expect Canada to be fighting with Russia for top spot come the end of the games.

RAND Logistics offer our pick-up and delivery service all over the world, so get in touch with us today if you want to send a parcel internationally or take a look at our range of services.

Winter Olympics 2014: Day 1

The Winter Olympics is well underway over in Sochi and we’ll be using this week to focus on the history of the games and some of the significant aspects of the event. Remember that RAND Logistics provide an international delivery service to Russia, so make sure that you make the most of our services if you plan on sending something to Russia in the future.

The Winter Olympics has a much shorter history than the Olympic Games, with the first games being held at the start of the 20th century. The Olympic Games that followed the First World War introduced a number of winter Olympic events such as figure skating after the 1916 winter Olympics were cancelled as a result of the war.

From 1964 onwards, the Winter Olympics became an increasingly popular spectacle with many events introduced for the first time. Increased broadcasting provided money for the games and soon enough the games reached a similar popularity to that of the Olympic Games itself.

Interestingly, the first ever boycott of the Winter Olympics was from Taiwan after the IOC ordered them to change their name and national anthem.

If you’re following the Winter Olympics this week, be sure to check back here to learn more about the games, whilst you can also learn more about our logistics services here at RAND.

Horses and Mail History

As the Chinese New Year Festival draws to an end, we have a look at the history of the Zodiac animal for this year; the horse, and its history in conjunction to the delivery of packages and mail across the world. Aside from Pigeons, one of the most common forms of animal mail was by horse.

Horses were a primary method of delivering mail and sending important messages for several years, in countries across the globe. Accompanied by riders, horses could deliver hand messages or small bundles across great distances, and were later used to pull larger carts with bulk packages and large amounts of mail across long distances.

The service can date back as early as the 13th century, as horses are an incredibly fast animal, not capable of tiring easily, so can travel long distances with little effort. At times dogs were used to deliver smaller pieces of mail, but often horses would be used due to their stamina and speed.

For a quick and efficient delivery of your parcel to China or anywhere else worldwide, no matter how large or small the delivery, choose RAND Logistics where with free tracking options, you can check your parcel at each step of its journey. Posting parcels has never been easier.