The Penny Post is any one of several postal systems in which normal letters could be sent for one penny.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the London Penny Post was established in 1680 by William Dockwra , who established a local post that used a uniform rate within London. The concept worked well for local mail, and in 1764 Parliament authorized the creation of Penny Posts in any town or city of the UK. By the beginning of the 19th century there were a number of these, identifiable on covers, with markings such as "PP", "Py Post", or "Penny Post" along with the name of the town.

On 10 January 1840, the Uniform Penny Post was established throughout the UK, and several months later could be prepaid with the postage stamp known as the Penny Black.

In 1898, the Imperial Penny Post extended the rate throughout the British Empire.

The Penny Post rate ended in Great Britain in 1918.

United States

In the United States, Spaulding's Penny Post operated in Buffalo, New York from 1847 to 1850.

Davis's Penny Post operated in Baltimore, Maryland for several weeks of February 1856, leaving behind a handful of rare stamps.

The Penny Post is the journal of the Carriers and Locals Society .

Reference

• Frank Staff , The Penny Post: 1680-1918 (Lutterworth Press , 1993) ISBN 0-7188-2878-X

External links

• Siegel Auctions info on Spaulding, with pictures
• Siegel Auctions info on Davis, with pictures