In March 2018, for the second time in a short period of only two months, Royal Mail had announced that the price of stamps had gone up. It lead many people to consider how much the prices have gone up since the stamps were introduced. In this blog post, we look at the rising prices of stamps – going back a few hundred years.
The Rising Prices of Stamps: The History of Stamps.
The idea of post and mailing has been part and parcel of society for more than 500 years. The idea of sending letters to each other had existed since written communication had been invented, thousands of years before Christ. However, in 1515, King Henry VIII allowed individuals to communicate to each other via post – and thus created Royal Mail.
The first idea that resembles the modern stamp however, was the “Bishop Mark” – also known as the post mark now. This allowed the date sent of the letter to be marked, the date of sorting and the date of arrival – in order to ensure the timely arrival of the original letter. In 2011, the Bishop Mark celebrated its 350th birthday
The first real stamp however, was introduced in 1840, as there was no way to track the cost of the system. To add to that, there had been an issue with rampant corruption in the mailing system. Postage stamps solved both issues. Customers now had to pay upfront, which would lead to a clear cost and system being introduced during postage.
The Rising Prices of Stamps – Throughout the years.
The first stamp – dating back to more than 175 years ago now – cost one shilling, which would be 10 pence in that time. Calculating that to current money, the current equivalent would be about 4p. However, there was the option for the recipient to pay. It would cost double however. Until 1980 – so more than 140 years ago – the prices have stayed stable.
Since 1980, the prices have considerably risen. In 1980 you would pay 10p for a second class postage. We then move on to In 2018, you pay 58p. It is a steep increase, and you can expect this number to keep increasing in the coming years.
For many businesses however, it has become much more effective make use of modern techniques rather than to rely on Royal Mail. At PSC Systems – we offer hybrid mail solutions as a cheaper alternative to classic mail. Call us today on 0151 346 1640 for more information.
Posted on Thursday, July 26th, 2018 at 4:04 pm in Latest News.
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