Registered Letters
The first registered letter postal stationery was issued in Papua on 5 October 1917.
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Used copies of these postal stationery items are seldom seen.
The following two items were auctioned in Prestige Philately's Sale 149 in Australia.
After World War II Australian registered letter stationery was used in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea.
After Papua New Guinea issued its first own stamps and until it issued its own registered letters Australian pre-stamped envelopes did not loose their validity and contiued to be used in PNG. After 1. March 1953 PNG stamps had to be used on these Australian pre-stamped envelopes to make up prevailing rates.
PNG issued only two registered letters (RE 3 and RE 4)
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As demand for the registered letter RE 4 was very low it was withdrawn on 31 October 1961. Only 2450 pieces were sold.
Registered letters without additional franking are hardly encountered. Especially RE4 could only be used locally or by sea mail to the British Commonwealth for a very short time without additional franking as postage rates were increased on 1 December 1959.
Varieties on RE3
Under close inspection, we note three varieties, that can be differentiated by details in the address field
RE3-1
• All dotted lines are aligned on the left.
The heavy vertical line is without breaks.
RE3-2
• All dotted lines are aligned on the left.
The heavy vertical line is is broken.
RE3-3
• The fourth dotted line is shortened and not aligned on the left.
The heavy vertical line is broken.
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Request for cooperation
We would like to draw a list of registered envelopes that were properly used. Please help us by notifying examples in your collection with the following data
- RE1, RE2, RE3 or RE4
- date
- sent from
- addressee, country, place
- number of registration label
- additional franking with Michel or Stanley Gibbons number
- if possible scan of xerox
Thank you very much for your cooperation
