Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2015 22:02:26 GMT
Since Ephemara is the collateral by-product of stamps, covers etc & is generally of short term usage, I felt that these postcards of a specific era fit in well.
Some may have been posted previously.
Many collectors will have encountered an envelope or postcard with the stamp affixed at an angle. In a number of cases the angle as well as the position of the stamp is an additional message from the sender and this is known as the language of stamps.
From 1890 to 1960, the position of the stamp could actually be a coded message.
The practice seems to have its origins in the English pre-stamp period when the recipients of letters paid for their postage. In some cases special marks were placed on the address side of the letter and the recipient on seeing this would then refuse the letter, (and the payment of the postage fee), knowing already what message was sent.
With the introduction of cheaper postage and the postage stamp in 1840, this practice generally died out, but in the late 1800's, the introduction of the postcard with a message that could be read by anyone, the idea of the special marks was given a new lease of life in the form of secret messages in the way that the stamp was placed on the card. This is the "Language of Stamps".
As with all things, the marketing and publishing people soon saw the possibilities of this and postcards showing the 'codes' were produced. As the language developed, it involved not only the orientation of the stamp in the top right corner of the postal item, but also in other positions on the letter as well as additions by the use of combinations of two stamps.
An important point to remember is that the positions have different meanings depending upon what language you speak.
Post Office requirements to position stamps only on certain areas of postcards & letters somewhat curtailed this secret language.
George Bury’s Cupid’s Code for the Transmission of Secret Messages by Means of the Language of Postage Stamps (Ashford, Middlesex, 1899
The code uses the position and orientation of the stamp – with eight positions and eight orientations there are 64 basic messages – or 128 if two stamps were used. The messages are printed in perforated strips, and can be re-arranged, giving according to the author “close upon 270,000 different ways, so that no attempt to discover any particular combination could possible succeed.” The code books were sold in pairs,and it was even possible to buy a specially arranged duplicate code “guaranteed non-existent elsewhere” for the bargain sum of 6 shillings.
The success of the code was due in large to the existing postal system of London at that period.
Apparently in London there were collections and deliveries hourly, so several messages could be exchanged in a day.
English Postcards
French Postcards
French Military Postcard
Russian Postcard
Swedish Postcard
Finnish Postcard
Norwegian Postcard
Polish Postcard
Dutch Postcard
Czech Postcard - code on reverse
Some may have been posted previously.
Many collectors will have encountered an envelope or postcard with the stamp affixed at an angle. In a number of cases the angle as well as the position of the stamp is an additional message from the sender and this is known as the language of stamps.
From 1890 to 1960, the position of the stamp could actually be a coded message.
The practice seems to have its origins in the English pre-stamp period when the recipients of letters paid for their postage. In some cases special marks were placed on the address side of the letter and the recipient on seeing this would then refuse the letter, (and the payment of the postage fee), knowing already what message was sent.
With the introduction of cheaper postage and the postage stamp in 1840, this practice generally died out, but in the late 1800's, the introduction of the postcard with a message that could be read by anyone, the idea of the special marks was given a new lease of life in the form of secret messages in the way that the stamp was placed on the card. This is the "Language of Stamps".
As with all things, the marketing and publishing people soon saw the possibilities of this and postcards showing the 'codes' were produced. As the language developed, it involved not only the orientation of the stamp in the top right corner of the postal item, but also in other positions on the letter as well as additions by the use of combinations of two stamps.
An important point to remember is that the positions have different meanings depending upon what language you speak.
Post Office requirements to position stamps only on certain areas of postcards & letters somewhat curtailed this secret language.
George Bury’s Cupid’s Code for the Transmission of Secret Messages by Means of the Language of Postage Stamps (Ashford, Middlesex, 1899
The code uses the position and orientation of the stamp – with eight positions and eight orientations there are 64 basic messages – or 128 if two stamps were used. The messages are printed in perforated strips, and can be re-arranged, giving according to the author “close upon 270,000 different ways, so that no attempt to discover any particular combination could possible succeed.” The code books were sold in pairs,and it was even possible to buy a specially arranged duplicate code “guaranteed non-existent elsewhere” for the bargain sum of 6 shillings.
The success of the code was due in large to the existing postal system of London at that period.
Apparently in London there were collections and deliveries hourly, so several messages could be exchanged in a day.
English Postcards
French Postcards
French Military Postcard
Russian Postcard
Swedish Postcard
Finnish Postcard
Norwegian Postcard
Polish Postcard
Dutch Postcard
Czech Postcard - code on reverse
