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Rhode Island
Paquebot, Packet Boat and Sea Post Mail Paquebot Cancels were applied by Shore Post Offices for mail received from ships that had no post office onboard. NOTE: Mail posted at sea on ships that had an onboard post office was marked "Seapost." Paquebot markings (French for Packet Boat - French being the language used by the Universal Postal Union - UPU) were first used in 1894 by Great Britain to cover loose mail received from ships without onboard post offices; many of these with uncanceled foreign stamps on the cover. Paquebot cancels were applied to the mail by the post office at the port of arrival. The UPU had been considering ways to handle this type of mail since 1891 and in 1897 "Paquebot" was officially adopted by the UPU for use on international mail received at ports from ships at sea. Paquebot markings had their heyday from the late nineteenth century to the mid twentieth century. Almost all of the modern Paquebot markings, (1970's and newer) were created for philatelic usage and as far as I'm concerned; they are not a desirable collectable. RMS stood for Royal Mail Ship, for instance: Titanic is listed as RMS Titanic, which meant that she had a contract with the British Postal Service and a mail facility on board. SEE: July 22, 1852 Stampless Letter via RMS Niagara to Providence for additional information concerning Royal Mail Ships. |
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