Postal History of the Sea

Study of mail carried by sea and its markings: ship-letter handstamps, paquebot cancels applied to mail posted aboard ship, packet-boat routes, and maritime mail agreements. The British ship-letter system dates from the Ship Letter Act of 1799, and the ‘PAQUEBOT’ marking was standardized under the Universal Postal Union from 1894 for mail landed at foreign ports. Collectors and maritime archives use these covers to trace voyages, routes, and the timing of port calls.