Page 2 - The Sideways Experimenatal Duplex 1852-1858

THE SIDEWAYS DUPLEX EXPERIMENT
1854-1858
These band stamps formed part of a very important experiment along with the spoon cancel in the Post
Office quest to find a quicker way of handling the mail as by 1854 the volume of mail had increased
significantly. There were 8 different types of sideways duplexes issued with 3 sub-types. The first hand
stamp was issued on the 31st May 1854 and the last new hand stamp being issued on the 25th January
1858. This display shows examples of all the types and sub-types issued over this period. Many Towns
were issued with more than 1 of the same type as well as different types examples of which are also
shown. Because of the cost of new hand stamps many were recut to save the expense of new hand
stamps again examples are shown. There were many different codes used throughout the use of these
hand stamps mostly letter code occasionally number codes these usually used to identify the hand
stamp. The only exception was London that used mainly numeral codes but occasionally letters. They
also used 8mg and 8nt to represent morning and night. It is thought that the numeral codes may have
been real time but there is no proof of this. Details of each of the frames are listed below.

FRAME 1 Type la total issued 4 and Type 1 b total issued 1.
Pages (1 to 9)
In these pages you can see an example of each Town to receive these hand stamps. You can see the
embossed stamp and a ld red with a part inscription PRICE ld per label. Also shown is a 2d blue imperf
stamp which is very rarely seen used with the sideways duplex. The last page shows the only Type Th
hand stamp which has an oval date stamp instead of a round one and was issued to Reading.
FRAME 2 Type II total issued 138.
Pages (10 to 18)
This is the 1st frame showing the Type II hand stamp which was issued to more Towns than any other
sideways duplex. In this section is a cover sent to the Crimea, a Binningham recut stamp sent to
Australia with 6 ld reds paying the 6d postage, a Cheltenham recut with a block of 4 ld reds paying an
overweight long envelope. Also included are 3 Gosport the first looks blue but is not, a Normanton with
6 ld reds posted to Jamaica, a cover to Tuscany with 5 2d blues, a ld and a 2d mulready and finally a
mixed stamp cover with stamp added after the first were cancelled.
FRAME 3 2°d Frame of the Type II.

Pages (18 to 27)
This section shows a Bath cover with a lOd and 1/- embossed stamp to India along with other covers
showing the embossed stamp. Although the Sheerness cover has a poor strike it is a very rare Town
which would have been unlikely to have high value stamps. There is an example of a number error of
Devonport with the No. 620 which was Plymouth and the correct number which was 250. There is an
example of the rare Farnborough Station on registered letter along with the other Farnborough Station
sideways duplex a Type Vb.