Paid All Handstamp

Postage stamps applied on mail to the USA carried the letters only as far as the post office nearest to the address of the recipient, who was then obliged to pay a fee of 2 cents to cover delivery from the post office to his address.

The USA was a Charter Member of the General Postal Union (later Universal Postal Union), which involved the adoption of equivalent postal rates from July 1875, and the dropping of the 2 cents delivery charge by the USA. As, however, the Australasian Colonies did not join the Union until 1 October 1891, it was necessary for a new Convention to be negotiated between Queensland and the United States, which came into operation on 1 January 1876.

Article 8 of the Convention stated: 'Every fully paid letter from one country to another shall be plainly stamped with the words "paid all" in red ink. Brisbane and San Francisco were designated Offices of Exchange, where the letters were evaluated and the appropriate markings placed on the cover.

Article VIII. I have provided the full Postal Convention at the bottom of this blog page

Despite the red ink requirement, only one example has been seen in red. It is a different type to those seen later ('PAID ALL' in one line) and was applied 6 months before the Convention came into force! All other examples seen by me so far were applied in black, instead of the red specified in the Convention. After Queensland joined the Universal Postal Union in 1891, the handstamp was no longer needed for mail to the USA and its use was discontinued. 

The oval stamped in black is 21 cm in diameter with 'PAID' on the top line, and 'ALL' on the bottom line, The letters are 5 mm high and it is rated 2R on cover

• PAID ALL oval handstamp in red (28 June 1875) rated 5R
• PAID ALL oval handstamp in black (27 March 1879 - 9 May 1890) rated 2R

L - R: PAID ALL oval handstamp in red (text on one line), PAID ALL oval handstamp in black (text on two lines)

PAID ALL oval handstamp in red

1875

PAID ALL oval handstamp dated 28 June 1875. Rated 5R. Seen in Phoenix auction no 93

PAID ALL oval handstamp in black

1879

PAID ALL oval handstamp dated 27 March 1879. Rated 2R. Seen at Rumsey Sale 93 lot no 4194

1882

PAID ALL oval handstamp dated 2 October 1882. Rated 2R. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

1883

PAID ALL oval handstamp dated 5 June 1883. Rated 2R. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

1884

PAID ALL oval handstamp dated 29 October 1884. Rated 2R. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

PAID ALL oval handstamp dated 26 November 1884. Rated 2R. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

1887

PAID ALL oval handstamp dated 22 July 1887. Rated 2R. Seen on Ebay

1888

PAID ALL oval handstamp dated 19 January 1888. Rated 2R. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

1889

PAID ALL oval handstamp dated 14 March 1889. Rated 2R. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

PAID ALL oval handstamp dated 25 October 1889. Rated 2R. Seen on Ebay

1890

PAID ALL oval handstamp dated 14 April 1890. Rated 2R. Seen in the Queensland Stamp Collecting Facebook Group

PAID ALL oval handstamp dated 9 May 1890. Rated 2R. Seen on Ebay

Postal Convention between Queensland and the USA, 8 December 1875 and 2 February 1876

The Postal convention. Click on the individual pages to enlarge them