The language of stamps

Abstract

Most people today are familiar with the Language of Flowers, which is still often used to convey messages. Example, roses are still regarded as representing love and white flowers, a sense of purity. However few are aware that similarly, up to the Second World War and to a much lesser extent the early 1960's, there also existed a now forgotten Language of Stamps. Many collectors of post related items will have noticed that quite a proportion of mail posted from around 1890 and the early twentieth century had stamps affixed to envelopes and picture postcards in all sorts of odd positions and orientation. In fact, the position and orientation of the stamp could actually be a coded additional message from the sender, with the configuration being in what is known as the language of stamps. The practice of coded messages on mail seems to have had its origins in the pre-stamp period, when generally it was the recipients of letters who paid the postage connected with the delivery of the mail. At the time it was not infrequent for special marks to be placed by the sender on the address side of the letter. The recipient on seeing the special marking would then refuse the letter, hence avoiding the payment of the postage fee, because s/he already knew what the message inside was all about! [excerpt]