Page 406 - Jarvis & Wright: Jamaica Display to RPSL

Jamaica Registration: Mailed Out Of Course.

Taken Out Of Letter Box.
Post intended for registration had to be handed in and registered at a post office counter. Some post
meant to be registered instead entered the normal post, usually posted in error in a post office letter
box or street letter box. Where the post office detected post meant for registration among ordinary
post, whether at the office of origin or in transit, it was taken out and registered. The grounds for
registration might be “registered” on the envelope, blue crossed lines or simply the rate paid.

There were a few precedents of marking post found in the wrong place. But the first known instruction
to do this for registered post was in the 1909 Rules and Regulations for District Postmasters:
“Should a letter, &c., marked ‘Registered’ or evidently intended to be registered, be found in the
letter box, the District Postmaster must treat such letter &c., in every respect as if it had been duly
tendered for registration by the poster, and he should write on the cover of such letter, &c., the
words ‘Found in the letter box.’”

Postmasters developed their own variations, but the favourite was Taken Out Of Letter Box (TOLB).
Recorded instances start from 1910, so the practice may have been introduced by these 1909 rules.

T.O.L.B. (Taken out of Letter Box), the earliest known date, 6 May 1910.
This registered front from Kingston to Canada also has the temporary registration label Hopewell
overprinted Kingston, (Lant type RL1a) on its only day of use.

6d (4x 1d Empire rate postage and 2d registration). Sufficiently paid for registration so not taxed.
To Canada, marked Registered.
Kingston: · 6 May 10;
· T.O.L.B. and crossed blue lines in the same crayon;
· R in oval ® (Lant type RS1);
· registration label, Hopewell overprinted Kingston (Lant type RL1a);
· registered: 6 May 10 (Lant type RC10).
Registration numbers: pencil 464; U.S. 60073.