IMPORTANT 1840 POST OFFICE NOTICE REF. THE START OF THE G.B....

Estimate

£550 - £750

IMPORTANT 1840 POST OFFICE NOTICE REF. THE START OF THE G.B. REGISTERED MAIL SYSTEM; Fine example of the very rare "December, 1840" Post Office Notice (215x342 mm; a few light filing folds with a couple of small reinforced places) headed "Registration of Letters" in the name of "W.L. MABERLY" announcing that "ON and after the 6th January next a System of Registration will be adopted to all descriptions of Letters without distinction, whether they contain Coin or Articles of Value or not. The Fee for Registration will be One Shilling...". Previously there had been no system for registering internal G.B. mail. There is a contemporary pencil endorsement on the reverse; "Post Office Regulations about Money". Only a handful of this Important P.O. Notice have survived. [This example is in far better condition than the one in the Holyoake Collection (Spink, 6 Oct. 2021, lot 1) which realised £800+BP.]Cross Reference: POST OFFICE ACTS/NOTICES, REGISTERED MAIL, 1840 1d BLACKS, POSTAL REFORMS