Czech dead letter offices

Covers passed through Dead Letter Offices (DLOs) represent a fascinating collecting topic where each item is a unique piece with own history and usually with both sides full of cancels, markings, postage stamps and seals. DLOs process letter mail that is undeliverable to the addressee and cannot be returned to the sender. Such mail is officially opened and returned if a valid address is found. DLOs were established at postal directorates and existed already in the 19th century in Praha (Prague) and Brno. During the 20th century their number increased to 8 in 1949 when most of them were closed and only the original two DLOs remained. Since 1952 only one DLO existed; it was in Praha, since 1966 in Trnava and since 1993 in Brno. The usual Czech term for DLO is “poštovní úložna“, sometimes used in the form “poštovní ohlašovna a úložna” (Dead letter and parcel office). No fees were associated with processing of mail by the DLO but since 1937 the return postage was charged. DLOs used paper seals for closing opened covers and a large variety of manipulation, “fee to collect” and other auxiliary handstamps to mark necessary data on the covers. The DLOs also used line handstamps, date stamps and official stamps intended for internal use that can be sometimes also found on processed mail.

The exhibit “Czech dead letter offices“ presents a specialized documentation of Czech dead letter offices from 1901 (when the usage of paper seals for closing mail begun) to 1966, examples of newer items are also included. To ensure best picture quality for the Exponet, this exhibit is derived from a completely electronic version created by combining text, scans of original items and computer-made images of the seals. Each item is presented from both sides: below the original of the font side, a (sometimes reduced) scan of the back side follows. The descriptions include computer reconstructions of the pictures of the used seals that are the most collectable artifacts of DLO items.

From exhibit Petr Gebauer's on Exponet >>>>> http://www.japhila.cz/hof/0528/index0528a.htm