THE U.S. POSTAL NOTES 1883-1894

 

Kent Halland Publishes The U.S. Postal Notes 1883-1894: How Many Were Issued at Each Post Office?

Between 1883 and 1894 the U.S. post office issued postal notes, which were used to transmit small of amounts of money through the mail. The post office charged three cents for each note, which could be used to forward sums up to five dollars. These items are similar to paper money, and not surprisingly were printed by firms such as the American Bank Note Company. Because most were redeemed upon receipt, few remain today.

Kent Halland has made of study of these notes, focusing on the question of where they were issued and how many remain. By compiling data from over 59,000 known notes and identifying highest serial numbers for 2,679 offices, he is able to account for nearly 48% of all Postal Notes issued, using extrapolation methods to estimate totals for remaining issuing offices.

This work was sponsored in part by a 2025 research grant from the Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society. Applications for 2026 grants are currently being accepted, until April 15, 2026.

Image: An 1883 postal note of Homer Lee Bank Note Co., Philadelphia 7 Sept 1883.

Link to Kent Halland's The U.S. Post Notes 1883-1894 on Newman Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/booksbyauthor/558042

Link to 2026 Newman Grant application:
https://archive.org/details/NewmanGrantApplication2026

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
2026 NEWMAN GRANT PROGRAM ANNOUNCED (https://www.coinbooks.org/v29/esylum_v29n06a12.html)

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