UPU coordinates worldwide postal services
By Kathleen Wunderly
On Oct. 9, 1874, representatives of 21 countries signed the Treaty of the General Postal Union in Bern, Switzerland.
UPU 75th Anniversary, 1949
British Commonwealth Omnibus Issue
Below are only a few of the more than 300 different stamps issued by members of the British Commonwealth
for the 75th anniversary of the UPU in 1949. Many other countries issued many more.
[edit] UPU standards
Standards are important prerequisites for effective postal operations and for interconnecting the global network.
UPU - abbreviation for the Universal Postal Union. Originally known as the General Postal Union (established in 1874 and renamed in 1878), the Universal Postal Union coordinates postal policies among member nations.
UPU: Universal Postal Union. An international organization formed in Bern, Switzerland, in 1874, to regulate and standardize postal usage and to facilitate the movement of mail between member nations. Today, most nations belong to the UPU.
Term adopted by UPU (q.v.) in 1951 to denote special letter sheets printed on lightweight paper and intended to be sent by airmail. (q.v. Air Letter).
Aerophilately ...
10: Grenada; country code as used by the UPU. 11: overprint on stamps of Cape of Good Hope for Griqualand West, 1877-80. 12: "Gouvernement"; overprint on official stamps of Canada, replaced the previous "official" overprint O.H.M.S.
Specimen -- Stamp or stationery item distributed to UPU members for identification purposes and to the philatelic press and trade for publicity purposes.
Air Label - Small blue labels used by UPU member nations to denote carriage by air mail.
Airmail - Carriage of mail by aircraft.
Air Labels -- Air labels, or etiquettes, are standard-sized blue labels used by UPU member nations to denote airmail carriage. They are inscribed "Par Avion'' (French for "By Airmail'').
International Reply Coupon: A coupon issued by the UPU which can be redeemed in any member country for postage.
Invert: A term used to describe an error where the stamp is inverted.
K ...
In 1875 the General Postal Union was formed to strengthen postal relations between nations. The membership grew so quickly that in a period of three years its name was changed to Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1878.
Specimen Samples of new stamps, distributed to the various countries through the UPU for purposes of identification and record, are inscribed, overprinted or punch-perforated with the word ‘Specimen'.
Unissued - Stamp prepared for postal use but which are not issued.
Universal Postal Union (UPU) - An international organization which regulates postal usage and aides in moving mail among its member nations.
Always spell out an acronym the first time you use it; add the abbreviation in parentheses - even if you think everyone should know that UPU stands for Universal Postal Union.
Meter: The mechanical or digital device that creates a valid denominated postage imprint known as a meter stamp. Postage is prepaid to the regulating postal authority. Meters were authorized by the UPU in 1920.
Today, all Autopost items are fairly scarce, but the special UPU items (identified by machine number) are rare and costly.
 See also: Stamp, Used, Cover, Catalog, Printing
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