Tools – Introduction

This section consists of a collection of "philatelic tools" to do tasks that usually require pen and paper, pieces of hardware, or mental arithmetic!

Plating the 1d Die 1 Line Engraved Stamps John McCulloch's "plating tool", extended with additional information and options, and including the "E-Gauge". The standard way to plate the imperforate and early perforated 1d stamps of Great Britain. Link Line Engraved Plate Repairs An archive of illustrations and details for identifying plate repairs on the line engraved stamps. Link Post Offices of the UK Name/County Search A searchable database of the information in Ken Smith's UK Post Offices by County project, a mammoth undertaking which aims to record details of all the post offices that have been open in the UK over the years (some 37,000 entries). Link Rate Calculators A quick way to calculate the rates that applied on a given date for each weight step, including the total when additional services are included. Link Postal Mechanisation Tools Tools for interpreting the dot/line patterns that have appeared on letters ever since automated sorting technology was introduced. Link Stamp Franking Combinations Calculator A tool for working out the number of possible ways of making up a particular rate using a specified set of stamps. Link Calendars 1600-2029 Links to calendars for each year in the range, useful when you need to know what day of the week an item was posted. Link