Re: Kemrese Philately II

[Padraic Brown <pbrown@nova.umuc.edu>]

Davy Joel yscreus:

> >
> >I'm still trying to work out Kemrese postal rates and have come up
> >with a few basic ideas. For the purposes of this discussion I will
> >use traditional British pounds (£), shillings (/) and pence (d) as I
> >don't know the Brithenig equivalents.

I'd have to scrounge around to find the B words.  Livra, sols and
deneirs work south of the Limestone Hills, though.  The ratios are the
same as the British pound *here*: 12d = 1/- 20/- + L1.  Good and solid and
in use throughout western Europe.  (Except Spain and Portugal where
things _really_ get crazy.)

> >
> >I have been thinking that there should be a greater differential
> >between rates for various foreign countries than there is currently
> >in the UK - historically postal rates overseas had been considerably
> >higher than inland rates, but this differential lessened as international
> >transport got cheaper.
> >
> >Working on the assumption of a 6d rate for a basic two ounce
> >internal letter I have come up with the following:
> >
> >- Third class internal mail (bulk mailouts, etc.) 3d for the
> >first two ounces, 2d for each additional two ounces.
> >- Second class internal mail (postcards or Christmas cards)
> >4d for the first two ounces, 3d for each additional two ounces.
> >- First class internal mail (ordinary letters) 6d for the first
> >two ounces, 4d for each additional two ounces.
> >
> >If air mail is to be carried by Zeppelin, it is doubtful that
> >an internal air mail service would be necessary or even feasible.

Not likely.  Zeppelin ports take up a great deal of space -- much larger
than an airport -- (hangars, towers, miles of rail, roads, maintainance
facilities, etc.) and a small place like Cambria can only support so many.
Duneint has two: one civillian outside of Esca and one military at an
undisclosed location, but obvious enough to anyone with eyes to see
something that bloody big. ;-)

Mail _could_ probably be transported by Zeppelin internally on a line that
stops, for example at Esca then at Deva then goes on to Foreign Parts.
The train would probably be as fast, though, and certainly less expensive
given the air v. ground rates.  

Of course, if it's your aim to impress someone then Zeppelin may be an
interesting way to go. :-)

> >
> >The next graduation would be for mail to close territories, such
> >as other parts of the British Isles or France (possibly also
> >depending on how relations were with each other territory).

Brittany and Cambria have always been on good terms.  Boat would probably
be more likely for mail there, though, as they are always back and forth.
Zeppelin is not ruled out, certainly.

> >
> >The rates would be along the lines of:
> >Third class: 4d for 2oz, 3d for additional 2oz.
> >Second class: 6d for 2oz, 4d for additional 2oz.
> >First class: 10d for 2oz, 6d for additional 2oz.
> >Zeppelin mail: 1/3 for 2oz, 1/- for additional 2oz.
> >
> >The next graduation would be to other countries in the
> >Western Europe and North America. Letters to such
> >countries would normally go by Zeppelin mail; the
> >incremental cost of sending thus would be lower due
> >to the higher economies of scale, with large numbers
> >of mailbags travelling in this manner. There would not
> >be the third class "bulk" rate as there would be little
> >need for it - most commercial traffic would be urgent
> >communications or important documents.

Make sure you write Aerpost or Luftposte or somesuch on the envelope; or
the letter will definitely end up in a boat!

> >
> >The rates would be along the lines of:
> >
> >Second class: 9d for 2oz,  6d for additional 2oz.
> >First class: 1/- for 2oz, 9d for additional 2oz.
> >Zeppelin mail: 1/6 for 2oz, 1/- for additional 2oz.
> >
> >The last graduation would be a catch-all "Rest of the
> >World", and the prices would be about double those
> >given above for Western Europe and North America.
> >
> >*****************************************
> >
> >Definitive Stamps.
> >
> >I would assume that the current definitive stamps would
> >feature the head of the reigning monarch. With the broad
> >spread of postal rates, something between 18 and 24
> >stamps would be needed to cover most possible rates.
> >There may be a need for a ½d stamp if rates denominated
> >in fractions of a penny were used in the recent past, but
> >with the rates I have devised no fractional values are needed.

Sounds reasonable.  There would likely be Airmail stamps as well, would
there not?  There are coins smaller than a penny, but there seems to be no
need for stamps less than a penny now.  I suppose that in times past,
halfpenny stamps were made; assuming that rates were lower then.  

Do the various denominations have different colours?  Or perhaps different
sizes?

Am I right in assuming that, unlike the currency, there is only one Post
Office that issues the stamps?

> >
> >So, taking into account values needed for postal rates and
> >for convenient make-up rates, we would have something
> >along the lines of:
> >
> >1d, 2d, 3d, 4d, 5d, 6d, 7d, 8d, 9d, 10d, 1/-, 1/2, 1/3, 1/6,
> >1/9,  2/-, 2/3, 2/6, 3/-, 5/-, 10/-, £1.
> >
> >******************************************
> >
> >Commemorative Stamps.
> >
> >Hmmm.... let me get back to you on this one....

Only let's hope there's no dianamanialike phenomenon *there* to spur on
the production of needless commems!

Padraic.