Postal Order

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One of the most famous postal orders in history - the one alleged to have been cashed by George Archer-Shee.

Irish 9 shilling postal order with additional stamp used in 1969. Used postal orders are seldom seen because most were destroyed when they were redeemed or cashed at the post office or bank.

In the United Kingdom (UK), a Postal Order is used for sending money through the mail. In the United States, this is known as a Postal money order. Postal Orders are not, strictly speaking, legal tender, in the way that banknotes are, but are a type of promissory note, similar to a cheque. Postal Orders can be bought and redeemed at post offices in the UK, although a crossed postal order must be paid into a bank account. Until April 2006 they came in fixed denominations but due to increased popularity they were redesigned to make them more flexible and secure. They now have the payee and value added at the time of purchase, making them more like a cheque. The fee for using this form of payment tends to be around 8 percent. It was a safe method in times past, but nowadays offers very little advantage over cheques or electronic funds transfer. However, postal orders have regained popularity, especially as a form of payment for shopping on the Internet, as they are drawn on the Post Office's accounts so a vendor can be certain that they will not bounce. Postal orders were declared legal tender during both World War I and World War II as a way of saving on both paper and labour. The use of postal orders (or postal notes in some countries) was extended to most countries that are now part of the Commonwealth of Nations, plus to a few foreign countries such as Jordan, Egypt and Thailand. Postal orders are also gaining in popularity as collectors items, especially among numismatists who are actively collecting banknotes.

There is an active numismatic organisation called the Postal Order Society that was established in 1985. There are members from both Great Britain and overseas. They hold twice-yearly postal auctions of postal orders and related material from across the British Commonwealth.

[edit] Postal Orders of Christmas Island

Postal Orders of Christmas Island (Pacific Ocean), also officially known as Kiritimati, were issued at the British Forces Post Office, but information is currently sketchy. However a 1/- (2d.) British postal order is known to have been issued on the 23 June, 1962 at F.P.O. Christmas Island. This postal order was cashed in at the Maldon, Essex post office in England. This postal order is in a private collection in New Zealand. British postal orders issued at this British Field Post Office are very sought after by collectors of Commonwealth of Nations postal orders. Paid postal orders are extremely difficult to find.