To most people, Postal Stationery means stamped envelopes and postal cards. However postal stationery includes all paper items that have a printed or implied monetary value when sold and retain their value until canceled when used or otherwise demonetized by the issuing authority.

Postal Stationery includes items associated with the post, telephone or telegraph offices. The most common forms are: stamped envelopes, stamped letter sheets (including aerogrammes), postal cards, letter cards, and newspaper wrappers. But postal stationery also includes items such as postal savings forms, money order forms, or telegraph forms when they have value stamps printed on them.

Postal Stationery is older than the adhesive stamp. The Venetian “A-Q” letter sheets date from 1608; the Sardinia sheets from 1818; the revenue devices on British newspapers provided free postage after 1821; and the Sydney, New South Wales, letter sheets were issued in 1838. The first adhesive postage stamps were not issued until 1840.

Postal Stationery is the bi-monthly publication of the United Postal Stationery Society and is edited by Wayne Menuz. A subscription to this journal is included in your annual membership.