1st May 1952 - 2nd October 1966
In this post we look at the postage rates for airmail letters, postcards and printed papers to countries in Zone C. This zone primarily covered countries in Australasia and the Far East, including Australia, China, Japan and New Zealand.
Letters: 1s6d per ½oz
The 1s6d letter rate applied to letters weighing up to ½oz. The charge for each extra ½oz or part thereof was also 1s6d.
Our first cover is a letter posted just 16 days after the airmail rates had been increased. In this instance the letter rate had been raised from 1s3d. The first stamps to feature Elizabeth II were some months away from being issued so the franking comprises of two George VI stamps.
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| 1s6d Zone C airmail letter to Australia - 16th May 1952 |
The letter was addressed to Colonel Braund Crescent, Daceyville, which was apparently the first cul-de-sac street in Australia!
Postcards: 9d
Here is a nice example of a postal stationery postcard which was uprated to pay the required rate. It was sent to a Mrs S. Ohta in Tokyo from J (or T) Ohta who was staying at the Tavistock Hotel in London.
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| 9d Zone C airmail postcard to Japan - 12th February 1963 |
Printed Papers: 7d per ½oz
Some covers have a more unusual franking. In this case stamps to the value of 1s2d (2x 7d) were used to pay the printed papers rate for articles weighing up to 1oz. With charges set per ½oz this was the second weight step.
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| 1s2d (second weight step) Zone C airmail printed papers envelope to New Zealand - 1st December 1954 |
Posted at the beginning of December this envelope may have contained a Christmas card. These were permitted at the printed papers rate as long as there was no more than a brief written greeting i.e. nothing in the nature of a letter.
As required by the regulations the envelope was unsealed to allow for inspection. It should have been endorsed with the intended postal service but such an omission was not unusual.
References & Links:
Daceyville - Wikipedia accessed January 2021
