Arago: Handstamps

The Chambers shop in Lodge, Virginia, manufactured this 'received' handstamp. It features a screw-on head with a handle-mounted socket. Month, date, time, and year type are inserted through slots in the die and held in place by flanges on the type. This style is less common that the handstamps that incorporated a set-screw to secure the type.

Receiving postmarks were used to back-stamp mail upon receipt at a post office. The Post Office Department eliminated the back-stamping requirement in 1913, which not only reduced workload that was judged to be non-value adding but also halved the number of devices that had to be supplied to a post office.