Registration Acknowledgement Due Cards

Preamble

The aim of this brief account of Postal Receipts, Acknowledgements and Lables is to enable collectors to understand and identify such of them as pass through the Post and become the property of receivers or are given to the customers as a part of postal transactions. I have selected only the commonly seen from and wherever possible given the departmental numbers assigned to them, which are sometimes printed on them.

An Introduction

The "A.D." Postal Service was introduced in India on 1st April, 1877. It used special "Acknowledgement of Delivery" froms, printed on thin card, that were designed to actually travel along with the registered letters, to which they were tied by a thread. After an "A.D." card had been signed by the addressee acknowledging receipt of a letter, if was returned to the Despatching Office as a loose item on postal service along with the ordinary mail; eventually, the "A.D." card was delivered to the sender of the registered letter.

These "A.D." cards bear a linear namestamp or, occasionally, a manuscript indication of the Post Office of departure; they were usually datestamped en route and on arrival. The use or these cards was widespread, this optional service being very popular . The Acknowledgement Fee for a registered inland letter amounted to 1 anna (2annas for a foreign letter), to be paid-in addition to the postage and registration fee-by means of postage stamps which had to be affixed to the registered letter and not the "A.D." card.

Registered Letter/Article Acknowledgement
Prior to June 1877, the sender of a registered letter or packet could inquire in due course from the office of posting whether his letter had been delivered to the addressee as that office was sent one of the two copies of the receipt signed by the addressee. From June 1877, a paid acknowledgement from was prepared by the office of posting and was sent derect to the sender on postal service by yhe office of delivery after getting it signed by the addressee.
                 From Numbers : -

Parcel Acknowledgement
An acknowledgement from for a parcel, similar to the one for a registered letter, was introduced in October 1877.
                 From Numbers :

Insured Article/Insured Parcel Acknowledgement
An acknowledgement for an Insured Letter or Parcel was furnished to the sender as a part of Insurance which was offered from January 1878.
                 From Numbers :    (a)    Insured Letter :

   
                                                   (b)    Insured Parcel :

 The Actual System

Registered Acknowledgement cards, are sent from the sender (duly filled in) to the receiver for all types of registered letters, Post Cards, Packets & Parcels. These Acknowledgement Cards are attached by the sender to the article in question & handed over to the Post Office for onward transmission to the receiver. Of course, the sender pays the requisite fees for sending Registered Articles to the receiver. The receiver , on his part, on receipt of the registeredarticle, signs the Acknowledgement Card, detaches it from the registered article , and hands it over to the postman. Such Acknowledgement Cards are then sent back to the sender, to indicate delivery of the registered article.

Initially the acknowledgement cards were printed in English. In the year 1960, these acknowledgement cards were printed in Billingual script (Hindi & English). These cards wre initially printed yellow colour card, then these were printed on white cards . Only in 1986, possibly on experimental basis, the acknowlegement cards were printed on green card. In 1987-88 there were printed in Trilingual script (Hindi, Tamil & English).

Narmally these cards are printed on both sides. In the front , it has the name and address of receiver, the weight of the article and the date and signature of the receiver. In the front their are also instructions as to what to fill/delete etc. On the top right corner, the postal authorities give the registration number and date. On the reverse of the card there is space for the name and address of the sender as well as space for giving postal mark of the post office of posting.