Page 386 - Jarvis & Wright: Jamaica Display to RPSL

Jamaica Registration: To Belgium, 1872.

The only three known registered covers from Jamaica to a foreign address before the Postal Union.
With so little material, no surviving records and rule changes it is difficult to interpret rates. There
might be separate rates and registration fees for each stage. The total franking was divided between
postal administrations by accountancy markings, red ink showing the share due to the British Post
Office. These notes attempt interpretations of the rates and accountancy marks on the three covers.

From the General Post Office, Kingston, to Moens, the stamp dealer, Belgium, 1872.

Kingston: A01. Registered: 8 June 72. London: 27 June 72.
The earliest known use of a Jamaica Registered Green MS registration number: 303
datestamp (Lant type RC4, Proud type R3). The first Belgium: 28 June 1872.
in the long series of registered oval datestamps. The thin black ink numbers on all three covers
Lant lists 22 types up to independence in 1962. are disputed. Registration numbers? or
Belgian weight marks?

Marked ‘PD’, to show it was fully prepaid to its destination.
Shares accounted:
Triple rate, made up of:-. Franked To GB To Jamaica
· Packet, 3 x 1s = 3s,
less GB inland deduction of 3 x 1d, so 3s - 3d = 2s 9d. 2s 6d 3d
· GB to Belgium, 3 x 3d = 9d 9d -
· Registration fees,
1 for Jamaica to GB*, = * - (4d)*
1 for GB to Belgium (4d) = 4d 4d
Total franked 3s 10d, divided: 3s 7d (in red crayon) / 3d.

*The full franking should arguably have been 4s 2d, including 2 registration fees, with 7d accounted to
Jamaica. The shortfall may be because the Jamaica GPO did not put adhesives on for their 4d
registration fee, because they were themselves the sender.