Return to Sender

June 2023: Stephen Holder is unwell at the moment and is not, at present, able to take any orders or add new stock to this website.
Sort by Most Recent
Filters Sort results

Paris XV slogan d/s on military envelope inscribed F.M. m/s to Secteur Postal 13957; censored by French with oval h/s 'Ouvert' ZA554; h/s 'Le Destinataire n’a pu être atteint à l’adresse indiquée'; boxed h/s "RETOUR À L’ENVOYEUR" on front and reverse; blue crayon cross (Paris) confirms return to sender?  a wonderful combination on such a 'plain' cover

Reference: 1282

GB KGV Downey Head 1d cancelled large d/r cds Allahabad RMS, 3 January 1917; boxed h/s 'undelivered for reason stated Return to Sender'; T in circle and 1d postage due cancelled 1 February 1917; on reverse large MS 'refused'; on front 'Bombay DLO Postage Due 2 annas'; on reverse Bombay DLO, 3 March, 7 March; Lucknow DLO 14 March 1917

Reference: 1268

3 x 40c Mercury + 1fr 20 Iris cancelled with m/c d/s Paris 28 Sep 1941; British tombstone censor h/s + blue crayon stripe mark; h/s 'Undeliverable for Reason Stated / Return to Sender'; purple h/s 'RETOUR'; London arrival cds 25 October 1944; b/s 21 October 1944; some faults

Reference: 1261

Illustrated 'gruss aus' type card of Marseille from the publisher, dated 1904: originally it was franked 1c on' bande', stamp lost; card thus charged 20c postage due (2 x 1c postage due stamps lost) on reverse: h/s REFUSÉ and returned; on reverse of the 'bande' h/s 'retour à l’envoyeur 3103' (Reims); a fine item

Reference: 1213

QV 1c yellow cancelled circle of bars and s/r cds, St Catherines, 15 August 1894; h/s 'Not called for' and 'Returned to'; arrival d/s St Catherines, 31 August 1894; no b/s; 1c used alone for the local rate; 2 different cds of the same town

Reference: 1178

GB KGVI 7d & 8d definitives on air mail envelope from Blackwood (Monmouthshire) to Bombay, 18 March 1942; unable to be delivered with various handstamps and cachets on the front and the reverse, 'Retour', 'DLO Bombay', 'Inconnu/ Not Known', 'Insufficiently addressed' ; censored and returned May 1942: a striking combination

Reference: 1170
South Africa Unclaimed on two ships 1947

3 x 3d (SG 113) ROYAL VISIT on envelope rather battered by forwarding, cancelled m/c d/s Port Elizabeth, 14 May 1947, to a Union Castle ship, forwarded more than once: 2 boxed violet h/s "UNCLAIMED ON BOARD ARUNDEL CASTLE" and "UNCLAIMED ON BOARD CARNARVON CASTLE 21 MAY 1947"; airmail label; b/s London 20 May 1947; faults to envelope but spectacular maritime item

Reference: 1158
Germany return to sender 1909

10pfg Germania on PPC of Saxony cancelled s/r cds Porschdorf 21 July 1909; h/s boxed NON RECLAMÉ' and 2 strikes 'RETOUR À L'ENVOYEUR'; d/r cds 'Lyon/Rhone' 23 July 1909 after return

Reference: 1150
GB to USA Not Found 1952

2 x KGVI 8d cancelled with VF s/r cds St John¢s Wood B.D. NW 8 code D 29 January 1952, registered air mail; violet h/s 'CANNOT BE FOUND' 'DIRECTORY SERVICE GIVEN SOUTH CENTRAL STN' with pointing finger cachet & boxed 'Return to Sender'; red ink m/s 'Letter only'; Chicago and New York b/s 2-5 Feb & St John¢s Wood day of sending; a nice combination

Reference: 1117
GB to French Zone of Germany 1948

GB KGVI 6d on envelope to Landau, French Zone of Germany; cancelled Enfield m/c d/s 27 July 1948; destination partially blacked out and m/s "2/8 return" & violet h/s 'Zurüch' added; with typed note 'Wenn unbestellbar, bitte zurück an umsthende Adresse' ('if address unknown please contact the address overleaf'); on reverse small label 'décédé'

Reference: 1115
Channel Islands Return to Sender 1952

2 x 1d Channel Isles issue (SG CI) cancelled by 7 bar m/c d/r; from London to Surrey 12 May 1952; boxed h/s "RETURN TO SENDER ADDRESSS INSUFFICIENT 1.S"; stamp recancelled with postman's triangle cachet S.E 1; large blue crayon 'PTO' (for return address); on reverse small s/r cds London 12 May 1952

Reference: 1074
USA Airmail to Yorkshire 1946

USA 3 x 5c Airmail, 3c, 1c and 11c definitives cancelled Portland Oregon, to Hornsea, 30 December 1946, with 'War Savings' slogan d/s; violet h/s "Foreign Air Mail must be fully prepaid for dispatch" and "Return for 15 cents additional postage"; small circular h/s "-7"; m/s "Clovelly, Clarks Camp"; no b/s

Reference: 856
France

1.20 and 1.50 'Sabine' + 5 fr and 3 fr pictorials on registered envelope sent sealed with the tape of the AR service (Avis de reception); cancelled St Gobert, Aisne; large h/s AR: 2 strikes of the h/s 'Retour à l'envoyeur 2224': ms 'refuse'; b/s Marle sur Serre 17 May (to return) & (?) 19 May,
much travelled

Reference: 833
GB half penny PS card

half penny brown PS card from London to Manchester; much readdressed with forwarded, gone away, insufficiently addressed, returned to sender cachets & m/s endorsements; corner faults, unsurprising owing to the amount of travel; on reverse London Vere St Parcel Post part blue label; an extraordinary combination

Reference: 775
France Film Festival 1946 to Warsaw

Cannes Film Festival Air Day; Gandon 2fr and 15fr cancelled s/r cds 'Festival du Film, Cannes', with green festival labels and boxed cachet, to Warsaw Poland 22 September 1946; s/r cds Warszawa 10 October 1948; b/s Warsaw 2 28 September 1948; and a 2nd light Warsaw d/s; presumably returned

Reference: 716
Cannes Film Festival 1946 to Oslo

Cannes Film Festival Air Day; Gandon 2 fr & 15fr cancelled s/r cds 'Festival du Film, Cannes' + boxed cachet 'Cannes Journée de l'Air' with green festival labels, to Oslo, Sweden; h/s "RETUR"; b/s Oslo 29 September and returned to Cannes

Reference: 715
GB to Azores 1971

GB Machin 5p violet on plain envelope from Huddersfield to Ponta Delgada, Azores; h/s Ausente/Parti boxed h/s (also on reverse); h/s "RETOUR À L'ENVOYEUR/DEVOLVIGO AO REMETENTE"; h/s "UNDELIVERED FOR REASON STATED/RETURN TO SENDER"; red h/s "O NAVIO NÃO SE ENCONTRA NEM É ESPERADO NESTE PORTO"; b/s Correios Ponta Delgada 24 July 1971

Reference: 697
GB Registered to Brazil 1936

GB KGV photogravure issue ½d, 1d, 1½d, 2½d (SG 439-441,443) on manilla envelope, registered, to a hotel in Brazil; m/s "if not called for in 10 days please return"; "Huntingdon 7735" registration crossed out and re-entered; m/s "V. VERSO" and h/s "OUT OF COURSE 1.S.", and m/s "received"; b/s Huntindon registered 9 January 1936 & on return 2 March 1936, and at Copacabana 12 January; age faults but an attractive postal history item

Reference: 684
Vienna to New York

Envelope with d/r bridged cds 2/1 Wien 27; on reverse small costume definitive 2 x 24gr + 12 gr cancelled with the same cds; to New York 10 September 1936; on reverse "Not in Directory Morris Heights Station" and "INCONNU/UNKNOWN" in violet; on face h/s RETOUR in violet

Reference: 675
GB to New Zealand

GB 4d Parliamentary Conference (SG 560), cancelled with the special conference cds (stated to be the 1st day of issue 12 September); from London to Campbell Island via New Zealand; boxed "Not Found" & re-addressed twice; Wellington NZ slogan & cds 16 Jan 1958, small boxed 32, octagonal handstamp Wellington unclaimed 20 Feb 1958; on reverse s/r cds Kilbernie Postmen's Branch 17 Jan 1948 & Returned Letter Office Wellington, 6 March 1948: a fine detailed attempt to deliver

Reference: 650
Jersey to Copenhagen 1961 returned

GB 3d CEPT issue Jersey to Copenhagen, 19 September 1961 (2nd value lost in transit) cancelled Jersey slogan d/s, to a hotel; m/s "please forward"; cds Kobenhavn 23 Sept & 25 Sept 1961; purple h/s "OMKARTERINGS---/KOBENHAVN" (twice); large green h/s RETOUR and green boxed 'parti'; purple h/s "UNDELIVERED FOR REASON STATED/RETURN TO SENDER" m/s "RETOUR in green with further h/s on reverse

Reference: 623
London to Algiers by air 1936

GB KGV 5d and 1d cancelled with large double-ring cds Wilton Road, Hudson's Place SW1,from Harrow to Algiers, 2 March 1936; Airmail label with MS 'urgent': boxed handstamp 'Retour à l'Envoyeur' and rough h/s 'voir au dos' in violet; on reverse are cachets showing attempts to deliver via Paris to Algiers, and returned with violet handstamps 'Addresse Incomplète' & 'Inconnu à l'Appel Alger' a fine RTS example

Reference: 615
USA AIRMAIL TO MONTIVIDEO

US 10c violet Airmail stamp cancelled with duplex datestamp Downers Grove, to Montivideo, Uruguay 1 November 1946; handstamped in red bilingual 'Return to Sender' with Uruguay $0.23 on 50 Air stamp cancelled 5 November 1946; on reverse red h/s 'Received Panamerican Airways Montevideo 3 Nov 1946'

Reference: 424
POSTCARD FROM TORQUAY TO SWITZERLAND RETURNED TO SENDER 1922

GB KGV 1d & ½d on PC of Torquay cancelled St Mary Church 14 August 1922, sent to a hotel in Switzerland, forwarded and then returned to sender as 'unclaimed': transit datestamps and Return/Retour handstamps and endorsements. an attractive 'busy' card

Reference: 267
GB/SWITZERLAND MUCH TRAVELLED COVER WITH SWISS POSTAGE DUE 1924

GB KGV 1½d on envelope to Acton, redirected to Italy & Switzerland, with British charge mark 1d FB (foreign branch); various forwarding handstamps, Swiss blue crayon 20 and 20c Swiss Postage Due. A 'busy' cover probably returned to sender

Reference: 219
1 2
June 2023: Stephen Holder is unwell at the moment and is not, at present, able to take any orders or add new stock to this website