Talk:Postal orders of the United Kingdom

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Postal orders are now becoming increasingly popular as a form of payment, thanks to the auction websites such as eBay, and it is much safer than paying by cheque.

Quicker, yes, and I suspect that's a big reason behind the PO's relative resurgence... but why safer? Given that most POs are uncrossed, anyone intercepting one can simply cash it and spend it themselves, which is not the case with cheques. And even with a crossed PO, I don't see why it's safer than sending a crossed cheque. Loganberry (Talk) 04:05, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

Safer for the seller, as it cannout bounce like a cheque might. boffy_b 16:44, 10 March 2006 (UTC)

Merge

Disagree The Postal Orders article is about Postal Orders in general but the Postal Orders of Great Britain is specific to that country and if expanded can be a great article in its own right, just like the Postal Orders of Ireland already is. It would a waste of time to merge and then have to de-merge later. If the merge should take place then the logic is that you should also merge the Postal Orders of Ireland into the general article too. I don't think there is any viability in that. ww2censor 14:24, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

Removed from Postal Orders page to be incorporated in this page

History of the postal order in the United Kingdom The postal order was conceived in 1874 by George Chetwynd, the Receiver and Accountant General of the Post Office, as a means of allowing people who did not have bank accounts to send money securely through the post.

After overcoming some opposition, a law was passed in 1880 establishing the postal order system. The first orders went on sale in January 1881. They were available in 10 denominations, from 1 shilling to 20 shillings.

Originally they were printed with gold leaf, but this was switched to plain blue after the authorities discovered that people could remove the gold.

Some 1.5 million orders were printed at the beginning, but before the first year was out the printers were called upon to roll off another million. "The postal order" has made a huge social impact," says Tony Whitehead, Chair of the Postal Order Society of Great Britain. "They were introduced for the working classes, to allow them to send small amounts of money in the days before people had cheque books and bank accounts."

In 1902 Edward VII became the first monarch to appear on a Postal Order. In 1910 they were at the heart of the George Archer-Shee court case. Although not normally legal tender, postal orders became legal tender during the First and Second World Wars. In 1951 Postal Orders took centre stage in the novel Billy Bunter by Frank Richards.

Their significance is also supported by historians studying the period. "Postal orders are a seriously neglected aspect of our social history." says eminent social historian Dr Martin Pugh. "For relatively poor people, they filled a vital social and financial role."

Since its 1950s heyday, the postal order's popularity inevitably declined as more people opened bank accounts. However, they're now enjoying a new lease of life through internet and mail-order purchases. One advantage over cheques is that sellers need not wait for banks to 'clear' them: they're instantly redeemable. As a result, sales are rising from £322 million in 2003 to £334 million in 2005. Adds Whitehead: "Now you can buy them for up to £250, and there has been an upturn in the sale of postal orders, which is good news."

The first full-face portrait of the Queen featured on a Postal Order in 1987. Automated Postal Orders became available in 2006.

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