Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
STAMPLESS LETTERS
STAMPLESS LETTERS. Stampless letters were written before the issuance of postage stamps. A letter was written and folded in such a way that the contents were not visible. It was then sealed with a wax seal and taken to the post office for mailing. The post office applied the name of the city by a hand stamp or by writing the name of the city in manuscript.
If the postage was collected at the time of mailing, the letter was marked PAID, if not, it was collected at time of delivery.
Even though the first stamp was issued in 1847, many letters were still sent as stampless. However, beginning January 1, 1856, the use of stamps became mandatory, and the stampless era was about over.
