I mentioned in the December acquisition thread that I bought myself a present - a large stack of unused aerograms. User @nemo wanted to see what I picked up as I had received a smattering of four different values. I had the bright idea to photograph them and discuss them a little more in detail, since I don't know how many people on B&B have seen one, much less used one.
Aerograms (or aerogrammes, or air letters) are single sheets of postal stationery that are self-contained and usually postage pre-paid. The idea is that you write what you want to, wet the adhesive parts, and fold it into something that looks like an envelope. Once that's done the only thing to do is address it, add postage (if you need to), and get it into the postal system just like any other letter.
A little context may be in order here. Wikipedia is worth a read, but to keep it short - the aerogram was initially developed in 1933 by a British postal director in Iraq. It didn't become popular until WWII, and was finally put into widespread circulation in the late 1940s and early 1950 by other countries. The reasoning behind the aerogram was that air mail was really expensive at the time - airplanes were nowhere near as efficient or could hold as much cargo as modern aircraft. Postal services could offer a significant postage discount with a single-sheet product as they could a half-ounce or one-ounce letter - as long as no other adhesives, attachments, or inclusions were made to it.
Aerograms were popular with international travelers, as it just required a writing implement and a post office that had them in stock. One could buy a couple at the post office, sit at a cafe, hostel, bar, or anywhere of one's choosing, write a note to family or friends, and send them off - without having to keep paper and envelopes around in the backpack or suitcase.
Sadly, the aerogram isn't nearly as available as they are today as email and the Internet started cutting into postal service revenues and communications choices. The US Postal Service stopped printing and selling aerograms in 2006-2007, and the discounted aerogram rate was discontinued a couple of years later. Only a few countries and organizations issue aerograms: Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the UN are currently doing so - and I don't know of anyone else who does at the moment. eBay is about the only place to consistently get aerogrammes, which is where I managed to pick up my stash.
The next few posts are going to have examples of the aerograms I've purchased - most of which were in this latest haul.
Aerograms (or aerogrammes, or air letters) are single sheets of postal stationery that are self-contained and usually postage pre-paid. The idea is that you write what you want to, wet the adhesive parts, and fold it into something that looks like an envelope. Once that's done the only thing to do is address it, add postage (if you need to), and get it into the postal system just like any other letter.
A little context may be in order here. Wikipedia is worth a read, but to keep it short - the aerogram was initially developed in 1933 by a British postal director in Iraq. It didn't become popular until WWII, and was finally put into widespread circulation in the late 1940s and early 1950 by other countries. The reasoning behind the aerogram was that air mail was really expensive at the time - airplanes were nowhere near as efficient or could hold as much cargo as modern aircraft. Postal services could offer a significant postage discount with a single-sheet product as they could a half-ounce or one-ounce letter - as long as no other adhesives, attachments, or inclusions were made to it.
Aerograms were popular with international travelers, as it just required a writing implement and a post office that had them in stock. One could buy a couple at the post office, sit at a cafe, hostel, bar, or anywhere of one's choosing, write a note to family or friends, and send them off - without having to keep paper and envelopes around in the backpack or suitcase.
Sadly, the aerogram isn't nearly as available as they are today as email and the Internet started cutting into postal service revenues and communications choices. The US Postal Service stopped printing and selling aerograms in 2006-2007, and the discounted aerogram rate was discontinued a couple of years later. Only a few countries and organizations issue aerograms: Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the UN are currently doing so - and I don't know of anyone else who does at the moment. eBay is about the only place to consistently get aerogrammes, which is where I managed to pick up my stash.
The next few posts are going to have examples of the aerograms I've purchased - most of which were in this latest haul.
