Letter Rates 1875-1975
Introduction
A standard rate of 2½d per ½oz was introduced upon the formation of the General (later Universal) Postal Union on 1st July 1875, although initially this applied only to member countries and non-UPU rates varied. (A treatment of these is on the "to-do" list.)
Eventually most destinations were covered by UPU treaties, and it was simpler to have one standard rate. From 1st October 1891 a uniform rate of 2½d per ½oz applied except to Transvaal, Orange Free State, British Bechuanaland, and "other more remote places in the Interior of Africa served by way of the Cape Colony or Natal". From 1st July 1892 the 2½d rate applied worldwide.
This uniform structure lasted only six years until "Imperial Penny Postage" was introduced – concessionary rates to places in the British Empire or Commonwealth and some associated territories. From 1st October 1908 to 30th September 1957, under "Transatlantic Penny Postage", the USA also qualified for these reduced rates. (In the table below, if one set of rates changed and the other did not, the unchanged rates are shown in grey.)
From 1937 the service to Empire destinations began to be offered on an "all-up" basis – i.e. mail was sent by air at surface rates where possible. This ceased upon the outbreak of World War 2. However, from 1st July 1948 mail to European destinations was likewise generally on an "all-up" basis at the rates below.
The Empire concession ceased on 17th March 1975 and thereafter there was a single surface rate worldwide.
Rates
Date | Foreign | Empire | Date | Foreign | Empire |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1875 (1 Jul) |
2½d - ½oz 5d - 1oz 7½d - 1½oz 10d - 2oz 1s 0½d - 2½oz 1s 3d - 3oz 1s 5½d - 3½oz 1s 8d - 4oz 1s 10½d - 4½oz 2s 1d - 5oz 2s 3½d - 5½oz 2s 6d - 6oz Each additional ½oz - 2½d Initially applied to Postal Union member countries only, later changes as explained above |
not applicable | 1898 (25 Dec) |
2½d - ½oz 5d - 1oz 7½d - 1½oz 10d - 2oz 1s 0½d - 2½oz 1s 3d - 3oz 1s 5½d - 3½oz 1s 8d - 4oz 1s 10½d - 4½oz 2s 1d - 5oz 2s 3½d - 5½oz 2s 6d - 6oz Each additional ½oz - 2½d |
1d - ½oz 2d - 1oz 3d - 1½oz 4d - 2oz 5d - 2½oz 6d - 3oz 7d - 3½oz 8d - 4oz 9d - 4½oz 10d - 5oz 11d - 5½oz 1s - 6oz Each additional ½oz - 1d |
1907 (1 Oct) |
2½d - 1oz 4d - 2oz 5½d - 3oz 7d - 4oz 8½d - 5oz 10d - 6oz 11½d - 7oz 1s 1d - 8oz 1s 2½d - 9oz 1s 4d - 10oz 1s 5½d - 11oz 1s 7d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1½d |
1d - ½oz 2d - 1oz 3d - 1½oz 4d - 2oz 5d - 2½oz 6d - 3oz 7d - 3½oz 8d - 4oz 9d - 4½oz 10d - 5oz 11d - 5½oz 1s - 6oz Each additional ½oz - 1d |
1918 (3 Jun) |
2½d - 1oz 4d - 2oz 5½d - 3oz 7d - 4oz 8½d - 5oz 10d - 6oz 11½d - 7oz 1s 1d - 8oz 1s 2½d - 9oz 1s 4d - 10oz 1s 5½d - 11oz 1s 7d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1½d |
1½d - 1oz 2½d - 2oz 3½d - 3oz 4½d - 4oz 5½d - 5oz 6½d - 6oz 7½d - 7oz 8½d - 8oz 9½d - 9oz 10½d - 10oz 11½d - 11oz 1s 0½d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1d |
1920 (1 Jun) |
2½d - 1oz 4d - 2oz 5½d - 3oz 7d - 4oz 8½d - 5oz 10d - 6oz 11½d - 7oz 1s 1d - 8oz 1s 2½d - 9oz 1s 4d - 10oz 1s 5½d - 11oz 1s 7d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1½d |
2d - 1oz 3d - 2oz 4d - 3oz 5d - 4oz 6d - 5oz 7d - 6oz 8d - 7oz 9d - 8oz 10d - 9oz 11d - 10oz 1s - 11oz 1s 1d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1d |
1921 (13 Jun) |
3d - 1oz 4½d - 2oz 6d - 3oz 7½d - 4oz 9d - 5oz 10½d - 6oz 1s - 7oz 1s 1½d - 8oz 1s 3d - 9oz 1s 4½d - 10oz 1s 6d - 11oz 1s 7½d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1½d |
2d - 1oz 3½d - 2oz 5d - 3oz 6½d - 4oz 8d - 5oz 9½d - 6oz 11d - 7oz 1s 0½d - 8oz 1s 2d - 9oz 1s 3½d - 10oz 1s 5d - 11oz 1s 6½d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1½d |
1922 (29 May) |
3d - 1oz 4½d - 2oz 6d - 3oz 7½d - 4oz 9d - 5oz 10½d - 6oz 1s - 7oz 1s 1½d - 8oz 1s 3d - 9oz 1s 4½d - 10oz 1s 6d - 11oz 1s 7½d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1½d |
1½d - 1oz 3d - 2oz 4½d - 3oz 6d - 4oz 7½d - 5oz 9d - 6oz 10½d - 7oz 1s - 8oz 1s 1½d - 9oz 1s 3d - 10oz 1s 4½d - 11oz 1s 6d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1½d |
1923 (14 May) |
2½d - 1oz 4d - 2oz 5½d - 3oz 7d - 4oz 8½d - 5oz 10d - 6oz 11½d - 7oz 1s 1d - 8oz 1s 2½d - 9oz 1s 4d - 10oz 1s 5½d - 11oz 1s 7d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1½d |
1½d - 1oz 2½d - 2oz 3½d - 3oz 4½d - 4oz 5½d - 5oz 6½d - 6oz 7½d - 7oz 8½d - 8oz 9½d - 9oz 10½d - 10oz 11½d - 11oz 1s 0½d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1d |
1940 (1 May) |
3d - 1oz 4½d - 2oz 6d - 3oz 7½d - 4oz 9d - 5oz 10½d - 6oz 1s - 7oz 1s 1½d - 8oz 1s 3d - 9oz 1s 4½d - 10oz 1s 6d - 11oz 1s 7½d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1½d |
2½d - 1oz 3½d - 2oz 4½d - 3oz 5½d - 4oz 6½d - 5oz 7½d - 6oz 8½d - 7oz 9½d - 8oz 10½d - 9oz 11½d - 10oz 1s 0½d - 11oz 1s 1½d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1d |
1948 (1 Jul) |
3d - 1oz 5d - 2oz 7d - 3oz 9d - 4oz 11d - 5oz 1s 1d - 6oz 1s 3d - 7oz 1s 5d - 8oz 1s 7d - 9oz 1s 9d - 10oz 1s 11d - 11oz 2s 1d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 2d |
2½d - 1oz 3½d - 2oz 4½d - 3oz 5½d - 4oz 6½d - 5oz 7½d - 6oz 8½d - 7oz 9½d - 8oz 10½d - 9oz 11½d - 10oz 1s 0½d - 11oz 1s 1½d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1d |
1950 (1 Oct) |
4d - 1oz 6½d - 2oz 9d - 3oz 11½d - 4oz 1s 2d - 5oz 1s 4½d - 6oz 1s 7d - 7oz 1s 9½d - 8oz 2s - 9oz 2s 2½d - 10oz 2s 5d - 11oz 2s 7½d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 2½d |
2½d - 1oz 3½d - 2oz 4½d - 3oz 5½d - 4oz 6½d - 5oz 7½d - 6oz 8½d - 7oz 9½d - 8oz 10½d - 9oz 11½d - 10oz 1s 0½d - 11oz 1s 1½d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1d |
1957 (1 Oct) |
6d - 1oz 10d - 2oz 1s 2d - 3oz 1s 6d - 4oz 1s 10d - 5oz 2s 2d - 6oz 2s 6d - 7oz 2s 10d - 8oz 3s 2d - 9oz 3s 6d - 10oz 3s 10d - 11oz 4s 2d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 4d |
3d - 1oz 4½d - 2oz 6d - 3oz 7½d - 4oz 9d - 5oz 10½d - 6oz 1s - 7oz 1s 1½d - 8oz 1s 3d - 9oz 1s 4½d - 10oz 1s 6d - 11oz 1s 7½d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1½d |
1965 (17 May) |
6d - 1oz 10d - 2oz 1s 2d - 3oz 1s 6d - 4oz 1s 10d - 5oz 2s 2d - 6oz 2s 6d - 7oz 2s 10d - 8oz 3s 2d - 9oz 3s 6d - 10oz 3s 10d - 11oz 4s 2d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 4d |
4d - 1oz 5½d - 2oz 7d - 3oz 8½d - 4oz 10d - 5oz 11½d - 6oz 1s 1d - 7oz 1s 2½d - 8oz 1s 4d - 9oz 1s 5½d - 10oz 1s 7d - 11oz 1s 8½d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1½d |
1966 (3 Oct) |
9d - 1oz 1s 2d - 2oz 1s 7d - 3oz 2s - 4oz 2s 5d - 5oz 2s 10d - 6oz 3s 3d - 7oz 3s 8d - 8oz 4s 1d - 9oz 4s 6d - 10oz 4s 11d - 11oz 5s 4d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 5d |
4d - 1oz 5½d - 2oz 7d - 3oz 8½d - 4oz 10d - 5oz 11½d - 6oz 1s 1d - 7oz 1s 2½d - 8oz 1s 4d - 9oz 1s 5½d - 10oz 1s 7d - 11oz 1s 8½d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1½d |
1968 (16 Sep) |
9d - 1oz 1s 2d - 2oz 1s 7d - 3oz 2s - 4oz 2s 5d - 5oz 2s 10d - 6oz 3s 3d - 7oz 3s 8d - 8oz 4s 1d - 9oz 4s 6d - 10oz 4s 11d - 11oz 5s 4d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 5d |
5d - 1oz 7d - 2oz 9d - 3oz 11d - 4oz 1s 1d - 5oz 1s 3d - 6oz 1s 5d - 7oz 1s 7d - 8oz 1s 9d - 9oz 1s 11d - 10oz 2s 1d - 11oz 2s 3d - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 2d |
1971 (15 Feb) |
4p - 1oz 6p - 2oz 8p - 3oz 10p - 4oz 12p - 5oz 14p - 6oz 16p - 7oz 18p - 8oz 20p - 9oz 22p - 10oz 24p - 11oz 26p - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 2p |
2p - 1oz 3p - 2oz 4p - 3oz 5p - 4oz 6p - 5oz 7p - 6oz 8p - 7oz 9p - 8oz 10p - 9oz 11p - 10oz 12p - 11oz 13p - 12oz Each additional 1oz - 1p 2p basic Empire rate – a conversion from previous 5d rate – actually less than new second class inland rate |
1971 (1 Jul) |
5p - 1oz 9p - 2oz 12p - 4oz 30p - 8oz 50p - 1lb 80p - 2lb £1.30 - 4lb |
3p - 1oz 5p - 2oz 7½p - 4oz 10p - 8oz 20p - 1lb 35p - 2lb 70p - 4lb |
1973 (10 Sep) |
5½p - 1oz 11p - 2oz 15p - 4oz 30p - 8oz 55p - 1lb 90p - 2lb £1.50 - 4lb |
3½p - 1oz 7p - 2oz 12p - 4oz 20p - 8oz 35p - 1lb 60p - 2lb £1.00 - 4lb |
1974 (24 Jun) |
5½p - 1oz 11p - 2oz 15p - 4oz 30p - 8oz 55p - 1lb 90p - 2lb £1.50 - 4lb |
4½p - 1oz 7p - 2oz 12p - 4oz 20p - 8oz 35p - 1lb 60p - 2lb £1.00 - 4lb |
1975 (16 Mar) |
5½p - 1oz 11p - 2oz 15p - 4oz 30p - 8oz 55p - 1lb 90p - 2lb £1.50 - 4lb |
Last day of Commonwealth (Empire) rates |