Ship Letters
In colonial times ship letters typically incurred a separate fee in addition to standard inland postage. This fee covered the cost of carrying the letter by sea. Amongst the postal rates announced by the Queensland Post
Office on 22 March 1860, was the following:
Ship Letters. In addition to inland postage and sea postage
3d per 1/2 oz, with 3d for each additional 1/2 oz (or part)
Queensland had Postal Conventions with the United Kingdom
and a few other countries, allowing for mail to be fully paid to its destination,
but for mail to and from other countries it was convenient for some
handstamp to be applied to distinguish these as ship letters
Four Queensland ship letter date stamps are known from this period:
Type 1 An unframed circle 27.5mm in diameter, with 'SHIP-LETTER' round the top, 'QUEENSLAND' round the foot, with two short bars at each
side; in the centre is the date in two lines, month and day, and the year in
full. This was struck on both inward and outward letters. Dates seen are all from 1864. Rated 4R
Type 1a An unframed circle ? mm in diameter, with 'SHIP LETTER' round the top, 'QUEENSLAND' round the foot, with two short bars at each side; in the centre is the date in two lines, month and day, and the year in two figures. One example seen dated 1868. Rated 5R
Type 2 An unframed circle 22mm in diameter, with 'SHIP LETTER' round the top, 'QUEENSLAND' round the foot, with one bar at each side; in the
centre there is a code letter above the date, and the year is in two figures.
This appears to have been used mainly on outward covers, but it is known also
on one or two inward ones. Code letters seen are A, B, C and D, and dates range
from 1865 to 1867. Rated 4R - 5R
Type 2a An unframed circle ? mm in diameter, with 'SHIP LETTER' round the top, 'QUEENSLAND' round the foot, with one bar at each side; in the centre is the date and the year is in two figures. One example known dated 1876. Rated 5R
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Ship Letters, Left to Right: types 1, 1a, 2, 2a
Loose Ship Letters
Loose Ship Letters were letters posted in boxes aboard
ships, the contents of which were handed in to the post office at the next port
of call. They might bear stamps of the country where they were handed in, or alternatively stamps of the country of the previous port of call.
They were marked with a special handstamp at the post office where they were handed in, usually on the cover, but occasionally on the stamps; for Queensland they all show 'LOOSE SHIP LETTER' and there are several types for Brisbane.
In addition, from 1 April 1873, a Late Fee was imposed on Ship Letters, 3d on
letters for within the Colony or inter-Colonial, and 6d for foreign
destinations. After 1887 the fee was reduced to 1d for places in Queensland and was charged until at least 1895
Loose Ship Letter Type 1 A rectangular frame with chamfered corners 48.5 x 10 mm with "LOOSE SHIP LETTER" with seriffed letters in one line. Dated 1869 - 1873 and rated 4R
Loose Ship Letter Type 2 A framed oval, 27.5 x 23.5 mm across the axes, with 'LOOSE' round the top, 'SHIP' in seriffed letters in the centre, and 'LETTER' round the foot; at each side is a smallish round dot. Seen from 1871 to 1901. Rated 2R.
Loose Ship Letter Type 3 A framed oval, 26 x 21 mm across the axes, with 'LOOSE' round the top, 'SHIP' in seriffed letters in the centre, and 'LETTER' round the foot; at each side is a smallish round dot. Seen from 1895 - 1915. Rated 2R
Loose Ship Letter Type 4 A framed oval, 29.5 x 23 mm across the axes, with 'LOOSE' round the top, 'SHIP' in seriffed letters in the centre, and 'LETTER' round the foot; at each side is a round dot. Exceptionally rare on cover. Seen in 1903. Rated 5R
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Left to right: Loose Ship Letter Type 2, Type 3 and Type 4
NSW Loose Ship Letter and Queensland stamps
Loose Ship Letters were letters posted in boxes aboard ships, the contents of which were handed in to the post office at the next port of call. This meant that loose ship letters posted onboard the Brisbane to Sydney route had NSW Ship letter handstamps applied. Two Types are known used in conjunction with Queensland Stamps
NSW Ship Letter Type 1 An undated double oval handstamp with "LOOSE SHIP" at the top and "LETTER" at the bottom. White type SL15. Dated 1873 - 1878 and rated 5R
NSW Ship Letter Type 2 An undated double oval handstamp with "LOOSE SHIP" at the top and "LETTER" at the bottom and large stops either side. White type SL16. Dated 1876 - 1887 and rated 4R
NSW Ship Letter Type 3 An undated double oval handstamp with "LOOSE SHIP" at the top and "LETTER" at the bottom and Maltese Crosses either side. White type SL18. Dated 1903 and rated 5R
Left to Right: NSW Ship Letter Type 1, NSW Ship Letter Type 2, NSW Ship Letter Type 3
Queensland Loose Ship Letter regulations including charging a Late Fee
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