Post Office counter services
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Our Museum collection holds roughly 100 objects (excluding our collection of over a thousand handstamps) used in Post Office branch offices. Some of these objects date back to the 1930s.
The Post Office Counter is the public face of the British Post Office and familiar to everyone. It has always been at the heart of the
community and has played a vital role in the social history of Britain.
There are many examples of typical fittings in our collection including wall clocks and Victorian inkwells, modern pens and a wide range of counter accessories such as stamp moisteners, handstamps, coin holders and labelling machines. Bringing the collection fully up to date, we have a range of computerised equipment used in branches over the last few years.
We also hold a large number of scales and balances which are essential tools of a Post Office branch. These show the development in weighing devices from intricate Victorian four beam balances to the electronic machines used today.
Access
This material is accessible by appointment only. For more information, or to make an appointment, please contact us by telephone on 020 7239 2570 or by email to info@postalheritage.org.uk. Please quote the accession/entry number of the object you would like to see when making your enquiry.
Here are four examples of Post Office counter services objects in our collection:
Ludlow letter box front piece, 1910-1936 accession number: OB1994.0019
This front piece to a Ludlow letter box is a typical example of what the larger type of Ludlow boxes would have looked like. Ludlow boxes were a type of letter box issued to sub-post offices.
The boxes were made of wood with a front face like this made of metal. They ceased to be manufactured in 1965.
Parcel scales, 1940-1947, accession number: 2003-0046
These parcel scales would have been used to weigh parcels up to 15lbs. We can assume by looking at the postage rates marked against the weights that they date from between 1940 and 1947. It is possible, however, that a new face had been put onto an earlier scale.
Salter have been a leading manufacturer of weighing scales since the 1700s and were a well-known maker of postal scales.
Stamp-vending machine, 1980s, accession number: 2003-0523/2
This is an example of a self-contained stamp-vending machine. Models like this often vend more than one value of stamp and some could also issue booklets of stamps. They were often found inside Post Office Counters and sometimes in supermarkets.
We have several of this type of machine in our collection and also several smaller machines that were fitted into units. Some of these were fitted into specially built units or into walls and rare examples were fitted into letter boxes, telephone kiosks and even vehicles. These usually vended individual stamps although some examples did vend multiples and booklets.
Self-Inking Date Stamp (SID), late-twentieth century, entry number: E8021/5
This is an example of a self-inking date stamp which were used specifically in Post Office Counters. They were used for date stamping all manner of items behind the counter.
The BPMA has a large collection of handstamps, many of which were used, as they still are, in Post Office branches.
