Welcome to the TPO & Seapost Society Website for collectors of TPO and RPO postmarks and covers, sea post and paquebot marks, ship and packet letters, and other maritime postal history. Our membership is world-wide and so are the topics covered. Please enter our site by means of the navigation bar, news items or the site map and site search facility.
| The following are some typical covers that our members collect. |
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| Envelope posted during WW1, dated 1914, with censor label deposited at Fleetwood in Lancashire where it received the 2 line "Ship Letter" cancel [Hosking H67DD / Rob. S1]. This envelope is rare and could probably be in the top dozen rarest in the world. |
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| Rare example of the PLYMOUTH PACKET-LETTER in yellow ink sent from Mauritius via the Cape of Good Hope in 1854. Click image to see a larger copy and details. This is similar to the Robertson type P2 mark. The maritime editor would like to know if members have other similar examples to compile a census of these rare marks. Please contact us if so. |
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| Yes it does exist! Weymouth (Hosking type 235DD) dated 1974, on cover posted from the Sealink ferry S.S. FALAISE. Not just as rare as Hen's teeth but rare, as in before teeth were invented! And, this mark will be available later this year in our auction !!! |
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| US postal stationery envelope to Germany, likely cancelled on board NGL Lines' 'Spree' with sea post handstamp U.S. GERMAN SEA P.O. / NOV 3 96 - 2 and backstamp Dresden 12.11.96 |
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| This is the only known copy of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Hosking 22D) paquebot mark where the mark itself is in RED. Unless you also have a copy and are reading this. If so, then please let us know. |
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| This envelope, dated in 1924, shows the as yet unrecorded paquebot mark used at Yokohama. It is further enhanced with a "U.S. Transpacific Sea Post / Jul 24 1924 / East / S.F. No.16" cancel on the reverse. |
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| Edinr. & Newcastle Sorting Tender TPO mark, (W. 780 rated D) on PPC from Calcutta to Edinburgh also bearing a Sea Post Office mark for its journey from Bombay to Aden in 1905. |
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| US SEA P.O. / T / 19 Taxe mark, on PPC mailed on board White Star Line's Olympic and sorted in the TRANSATLANTIC POST OFFICE No. 5 during the voyage to the USA. At New York the card was also marked for 3 CENTS due. |
The Society welcomes everyone interested in world-wide railway Travelling Post Office and Maritime (sea post / paquebot / naval / ship letter / river or lake steamer) philatelic material, whether as their main collection or as part of another collecting field. See our list of TPO and Seapost articles introducing these topics to new visitors.
The Society issues an award winning quarterly Journal full of news and interesting information on TPO and Seapost matters. We offer direct Sales of maritime and TPO covers and Postal Auctions are held four times during the year. The exchange of news, views and information between members is encouraged through the Journal and by means of meetings held periodically in UK regional centres and in London.
The navigation bar will guide you through our web site. To contact the Society, please go to the Contact page. To join, go to the Membership page. We have a large Reference Library and list of Publications for sale.
Travelling Post Office terminology around the World
While Great Britain and countries from the British Commonwealth use the term TPO for a mail sorting office on the railway, other countries with TPO systems gave their operations different names. Canada and the USA use the term RPO while other countries use the terms Ambulant, Ambte, Amb., Ambu, and Ambulancia. Further terms include Bahnpost, Fahrend, Postamt, Messagieri, Postvagon, Vagon Postal, Jernbanebureau, Postekspedisjon, Jernvagens postkupéexpedition and Postkupéer. All of these terms mean the same thing: they all signify a Travelling Post Office. Refer to the TPO introduction page for more explanations of terms.
Maritime terminology around the World
Compared with TPO names, seapost, ship letters and maritime mail terms are relatively easy to manage, so just watch out for Paquebot, Ligne, Sea Post, Schiffs Brief, Schiffspost, etc.
