1890-1950 Railway Covers, Set of 5, Mystic's Choice

Get 5 Desirable Railway Covers in Your Collection

This is your chance to get five different covers, postcards, or postal cards featuring railway cancels and Route Agent postmarks.  Contents and condition will vary, but that's half the fun!  You might see postal stationery, post cards, philatelic covers, commercial covers, and more.  Years vary, but range from 1890 to 1950.  Railway cancels are collectible and sought after.  Get your covers today and discover the history and nostalgia of these railway covers.  

A railway cancel (also called a railway postmark, RPO cancel, or railway cancellation) is a postmark that was applied to mail aboard a moving train rather than at a regular post office.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many countries (including the U.S.) operated Railway Post Offices (RPOs) — special mail cars on trains where clerks sorted mail while the train traveled.

Mail handled on the train received a distinct postmark that usually included:

• • The name of the railroad (e.g., “NYC & ST. L RPO”)

  • The route (“Boston & Albany”)

  • The term RPO, Railway, or TPO (Traveling Post Office, common in Europe)

  • The date of processing

These cancels are collectible because they represent a unique moment in postal and transportation history.  Some collectors find railway cancels a fun way to build a new collection - focus yours on specific railroads, states or towns (or countries!), types of cancels, routes...you get to choose.