Local post: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Mail service operating within a limited geographical area}}

{{improve references|date=April 2023}}

[[File:DBSR local post stamp.JPG|right|thumb|An 1865 local stamp of the ''Danube and Black Sea Railway Kustendje Harbour Company Limited'']]

[[File:Shchigry Zemstvo Stamp.jpg|right|thumb|An 1882 [[Zemstvo]] stamp]]

[[File:Liannos-Local-Ottoman-Post.JPG|right|thumb|Local stamps of the 1865 ''Liannos et Cie'' post in [[Constantinople]]]]

[[File:Hamburg 1863 local stamp one Sch.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Private local postage stamp of [[Hamburg]], issued 1863]]

[[File:Stamp of Finland - 1955 - Colnect 577813 - Helsinki Harbour.jpeg|thumb|upright|Local postage stamp of [[Helsinki]], issued 1955]]

[[File:Rattlesnake Island local post cover 31 December 1966.jpg|thumbnail|rightupright|A [[Rattlesnake Island (Lake Erie)|Rattlesnake Island]] local post [[cover (philately)|cover]] of 31 December 1966]]

[[File:StampThule1935Michel3.jpg|right|thumb|upright|A local post stamp of [[Thule]], Greenland]]

A '''local post''' is a [[mail]] service that operates only within a limited geographical area, typically a [[city]] or a single transportation route. Historically, some local posts have been operated by governments, while others, known as '''private local posts''' have been for-profit companies. Today, many stamp collectors operate '''hobbyists' local posts''', issuing their own postal "stamps" for other collectors but rarely carrying any mail.

A '''local post''' is a [[mail]] service that operates only within a limited geographical area, typically a [[city]] or a single transportation route. Historically, some local posts have been operated by governments, while others, known as '''private local posts''' have been for-profit companies. Today, many [[stamp collectors]] operate '''hobbyists' local posts''', issuing their own postal "stamps known as "locals" or "[[Cinderella stamp|cinderellas]]" for other collectors but rarely carrying any mail.

==Official local posts==

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In 1865 the local post distribution company ''Liannos et Cie'' was established in Constantinople to distribute mail arriving in the city which was not addressed in Arabic as the staff of the Ottoman Postal Service were unable to read the Latin alphabet. The stamps were printed by [[Perkins Bacon]] from plates that are now held in the museum of the [[Royal Philatelic Society London]].<ref name=LP1434>"Museum & Archives News: Liannos City Post", ''[[The London Philatelist]]'', Vol. 125, No. 1433, March 2016, p. 110.</ref> In 1866 a second service was set up on behalf of the Egyptian post office operating in the city to solve the same problem. Both services were short lived.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130630100310/http://www.maidenheadphilatelic.co.uk/index_files/levant.htm The Local Mail Stamps of the British Levant] by Tony Stanford, Maidenhead & District Philatelic Society, 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2012.</ref>

In 1895, W. Frese & Co. of San Francisco, acting as an agent of the Oceanic Phosphate Company, issued a series of postage stamps for mail carried between California at the company's guano mining operations on [[Clipperton Island]], which ended in 1898.<ref name="CIstamps">{{cite magazine |title=The Stamps of Clipperton Island |last=Baldus |first=Wolfgang |author-link=Wolfgang Baldus |journal=The Postal Gazette |volume=IV |issue=5 |date=October 2009 |page=42 |url=http://www.thepostalgazette.com/issues/26/Clipperton_Stamps.pdf |access-date=2023-04-10 |archive-date=2019-06-06 |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20190606083740/http://www.thepostalgazette.com/issues/26/Clipperton_Stamps.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2013, ''Welly Post'' was established as a private carrier of local mail by EJ Teare Newsagents in Wellington, Somerset, United Kingdom. Local delivery was limited to the village of Wellington and 2 1/2 miles outside the village. The service was established after customers complained about the high price of postage.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Somerset-newsagent-sets-Welly-Post-customers/story-20348613-detail/story.html |title=Somerset newsagent sets up 'Welly Post' after customers complain about the Royal Mail - Western Morning News |publisher=westernmorningnews.co.uk |author=Western Morning News |date=Dec 20, 2013 |accessdate=2014-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020140608/http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Somerset-newsagent-sets-Welly-Post-customers/story-20348613-detail/story.html |archive-date=2014-10-20 |dead-url=yes |df= }}</ref>

In 2012, Penny Farthing Post in [[Bude]], Cornwall, England, operated a mail service for Bude, Stratton, and Poughill delivering post on a [[penny farthing]] bicycle for 25 pence. Graham Eccles printed his own stamps and set up the service in response to the [[Royal Mail]] raising postage stamp prices to 60 pence.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2012-04-04 |title=Post delivered by penny-farthing in Bude |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-17607089 |access-date=2023-06-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Cunningham |first=Emily |date=2012-04-22 |title=Look out, Royal Mail – it's Penny Farthing Post! |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/shortcuts/2012/apr/22/royal-mail-penny-farthing-post |access-date=2023-06-27 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Closed June 2012, due to excessive volumes of post.

In 2013, ''Welly Post'' was established as a private carrier of local mail by EJ Teare Newsagents in [[Wellington, Somerset]], United KingdomEngland. Local delivery was limited to the village of Wellington and {{convert|2 1/2.5|mi|km}} miles outside the village. The service was established after customers complained about the high price of postage.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Somerset-newsagent-sets-Welly-Post-customers/story-20348613-detail/story.html |title=Somerset newsagent sets up 'Welly Post' after customers complain about the Royal Mail - Western Morning News |publisher=westernmorningnews.co.uk |author=Western Morning News |date=Dec 20, 2013 |accessdate=2014-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020140608/http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Somerset-newsagent-sets-Welly-Post-customers/story-20348613-detail/story.html |archive-date=2014-10-20 |deadurl-url=yes |dfstatus=dead }}</ref>

==Private local posts of the United States==

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===Hawai'i Post===

AnFrom examplethe oflate a1990s modern-day private local post is Hawai'i Post. (Delivery service has been discontinued as of June 12,to 2014. Stamps are still available.),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hawaii-post.com/services.html|title=Services provided by HAWAI'I POST |publisher=Hawaii-post.com |year=2015 |accessdate=2019-04-02}}</ref> the Honolulu-based messenger service Hawai'i Post printed stamps for use with its local delivery service for Waikiki.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hawai'i Post - Privately Owned Local Service and Stamps |last=Jones |first=Bryan A. |website=The Pacific Islands Study Circle |url=https://www.pisc.org.uk/hawaii-post.html |access-date=2023-04-10}}</ref>

===Independent Postal System of America===

In 1968, Thomas M. Murray (1927–2003) founded the Independent Postal System of America (IPSA)<ref name="wichitastampclub1">{{cite web|url=http://www.wichitastampclub.org/IPSA.html |title=Independent Postal System of America |publisher=Wichitastampclub.org |date= |accessdate=2008-10-26 |deadurlurl-status=yesdead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517115720/http://www.wichitastampclub.org/IPSA.html |archivedate=May 17, 2006 }}</ref> as a nationwide commercial carrier of Third and Fourth Class Mail,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,838569,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213144749/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,838569,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 13, 2009 |title=A New Postman Cometh - TIME |publisher=[[Time.com (magazine)|Time]] |date=Aug 16, 1968 |accessdateaccess-date=2008-10-26}}</ref> in direct competition with the United States Post Office (USPO), now the United States Postal Service (USPS).<ref name="wichitastampclub1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://alphabetilately.org/L.html |title=Alphabetilately: L is for Local stamp |publisher=Alphabetilately.org |date= |accessdate=2008-10-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://jcgi.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,907081,00.html |title=The Private Postmen - TIME |publisher=Jcgi.pathfinder.com |date=Apr 2, 1973 |accessdate=2008-10-26 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> But in 1971, when the company entered the First Class delivery business, they endured a number of lawsuits brought against them, which finally led to the company's collapse in the mid-1970s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/431768 |title=CIO v. Independent Postal System of America |publisher=AltLaw |date= |accessdate=2009-02-01}} {{Dead link|date=September 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://wyom.state.wy.us/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=133203 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061111011235/http://wyom.state.wy.us/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=133203 |deadurl-urlstatus=yesdead |archive-date=2006-11-11 |title=WYOM Found Document:National Ass'n of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO v. Independent Postal System of America, Inc |publisher=Wyom.state.wy.us |date= |accessdate=2009-02-01 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://casetext.com/case/american-post-wkrs-u-detroit-v-independent-post-ser |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331205904/https://casetext.com/case/american-post-wkrs-u-detroit-v-independent-post-ser |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 31, 2017 |title=American Postal Workers Union, Detroit Local v. Independent Postal System of America, Inc. |publisher=AltLaw |date= |accessdate=2017-03-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://vlex.com/vid/36771812 |title=National Association of Letter Carriers, Afl-Cio, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Independent Postal System of America, Incorporated, and Thomas M... |publisher=vLex |date= |accessdate=2009-02-01}}</ref> The company issued a number of stamps during the years of its operation, including commemoratives for [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], [[Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Sanford L. Byrd Collection - Martin Luther King Part V |url=http://esperstamps.org/sanford6.htm |publisher=Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections |accessdate=2009-01-30 |deadurlurl-status=yesdead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908063629/http://esperstamps.org/sanford6.htm |archivedate=2008-09-08 |df= }}</ref> and [[Charles Lindbergh]] before the USPS did.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Brief History of IPSA (Independent Postal System of America) |url=http://www.dmacweb.com/IPSA/HistoryIPSA.pdf |author=Hanfelder, Art |accessdate=2017-03-09 |archive-date=2017-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312075558/http://www.dmacweb.com/IPSA/HistoryIPSA.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Rattlesnake Island===

[[Rattlesnake Island (Lake Erie)|Rattlesnake Island]] is an {{convert|85|acre|km2|sing=on}} island located on [[Lake Erie]] near Put-In-Bay, {{convert|11|mi|km}} northeast of [[Port Clinton, Ohio]], and had the only USPS-sanctioned local post operating in the United States. For many years, service was provided by way of a [[Ford Trimotor]] which shuttled mail between the island and the mainland. From 1966 to 1989, USPS mail was routed by way of Port Clinton, Ohio. It was restarted in 2005 and ran till 2010 by the founder Dr. James Frackelton until passed away 11-30-2012. Outgoing mail from the island entered the USPS mail stream by way of [[Sandusky, Ohio]]. LocalThe PostRILP servicelay begandormant inuntil 1966life andlong continuedPort throughClinton 1989resident, whenDave theGill islandrelaunched wasthe soldlocal andpost with the first new ownersissue discontinuedon 11-10-2022 of Commercial Vessels servicing the serviceLake Erie Islands. ItThe wasnext restartedissue in"Battle 2005.of ALake noticeErie" onis scheduled for 9-10-2023, the official210 Rattlesnakeyear Islandanniversary websiteof the battle. Griffing Flying Services has postedthe aRILP noticecontract thatand asis ofback 2013in Port Clinton, Ohio at the same ___location as the 1966-1989 local post ismail closedwas indefinitelyserviced by. <ref>{{cite web| title=RI Local Post| publisher=Rattlesnake Island Club |url=http://www.rattlesnakeislandclub.com/Default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=230298&ssid=80709&vnf=1 |accessdate=2019-08-16}}</ref>

==Hobbyists' local posts==

Today's Locallocal Postersposters issue their local post "stamps", and issue a variety of commemorative "stamps" covering a wide range of events or personal interests, of subjects that are not normally issued by their own countries' postal services.

In some cases these modern-day local posts have issued stamp subjects before their own country issued the same subject. The Free State Local Post issued an [[Audie Murphy]] stamp long before the U.S.US Postal Service issued one of the same subject. The Ascension AAF Local Post,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spacecovers.com/misc/asc_lp_info.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714043435/http://spacecovers.com/misc/asc_lp_info.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |title=ASCENSION AAF Local Post Information Sheet - Joe Frasketi's Space Covers |publisher=Spacecovers.com |date= |accessdate=2008-10-26}}</ref> located on the island of Ascension in the South Atlantic Ocean, in 1972 commemorated the anniversary of the first aircraft to land at Ascension Island. This same subject was commemorated by the Ascension Island postal system in 1982.

This sort of local post is effectively a "home-brewed" postal system, and the typical hobbyist carries little, if any, mail (though some do carry mail over a short distance for themselves or a few people).

The Local Post Collectors' Society established in 1972, coordinates communication among local posters. The LPCS issues a regular Bulletinbulletin ''The Poster'' to its members around the world, relating stories of local posts, showing new issues and other related items.<ref>{{cite web |date= |title=Local Post Collectors Society |url=httphttps://www.localcollectorspostlocalpostcollectors.org/ |titleaccessdate=2023-06-12 |website=Local Post Collectors Society |publisher=localcollectorspostlocalpostcollectors.org|date= |accessdate=2008-10-26}}</ref>

==References==

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==External links==

{{Commons category|Local stampspost}}

*[http://localpostcollectors.org/ Local Post Collectors Society]

*[http://www.stampshows.com/local-post.html Local Posts of the World]

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*[https://sossi.org/local/post.htm Scout Local Posts]

[[Category:Postal systemservices]]

[[Category:Philatelic terminology]]

[[Category:Localism (politics)]]