Etiquettes, Registry, Dublin PO [129]

The Registry etiquette is a small piece of gummed paper (newer ones were self-stick) that indicates that the item is registered, the name or code of the post office where it was registered, and the registration number. This is generally a simple R, the post office name, and a number. (Figure 1)

With the large number of post offices in the Dublin Postal District (116 as of 1982) and the vast amount of registered mail going from and to governmental offices, a modified version of the name was used. The code DN (xxx) where xxx is the number for a specific office or agency applying the registration. (Figure 2). A second type with the DN omitted exists. (Figure 2A). A later version exists with B.A.C. The typeface used also varies. Mail handled through the O’Connell Street GPO lacks a number after the Dublin.

Life is not always simple, Langton notes one office used a blank etiquette (Rutland St), and three offices (Finglas, Rathfarnam, and Silveracre) used their own names instead of numbers. TABLE 1 contains the information developed by Langton, op. cit., supplemented with the referenced feedback to the 1982 article, and info from author’s collection. As can be seen, there are still a number of blanks which might be either unused or unknown locations or government agencies.

The older system worked generally well; however, newer types of registry labels without PO names or numbers appeared around 1994. These, however, contained a unique number, a bar code and a pull-off self-stick label in case the item is undelivered. Several versions are known. (Figures 3A & 3B, 4A & 4B, and 5A & 5B). The small sticker is normally placed on the face and the larger one placed on the reverse side. More recent labels from 2013 and 2016 are seen in figures 6 & 7 with the bottom portion bearing the number removed for use in control documents.. The barcode allows rapid and accurate scanning of the information, and renders the need for specific post office identification irrelevant since the registration information is stored on a central computer file rather than a ledgers in a specific offices.

tification irrelevant since the registration information is stored on a central computer file rather than a ledgers in a specific offices. TABLE 1

REFERENCES:

“Dublin Post Office Numbers”, Langton, N.J., Irish Philately, December 1982.

Letters to the Editor”, Dixon, F.E., Irish Philately, June 1983.

Letters to the Editor”, Dixon, F.E., Irish Philately, September 1983.

Irish Postmarks Since 1840, Mackay, J.A., publish by author, 1982.

“This Was The Year That Was”, Warren, B., The Revealer, various years.

31/12/2018