In 1885, the Universal Postal Union recognized post cards with an attached paid reply. The reply paid post cards consisted of two prepaid halves attached to each other. The addressee could write a reply on the reply half and mail the card without charge. Canada issued domestic reply paid card postal stationery but not UPU reply cards; however, the Canada Post Office followed UPU regulations and cancelled and despatched reply cards received from other countries. This post shows usages of reply cards from various countries.
1. Great Britain card : Reply half mailed from Canada
Headings of UPU reply cards were bilingual, i.e. in the language of the country of origin and French, the official language of the UPU.
Toronto to Brighton, August 1, 1892
Great Britain UPU post card rate 1 d.
Toronto, August 1, 1892
Will Savage replies to his parents' card advising them that he planbed to go to Thorold on August 18 to visit George McArthur.
2. Great Britain card : Reply half mailed from Liechtenstein
Vaduz Liechtenstein to Isleworth, England, September 29, 1948
Great Britain UPU post card rate 2d.
Additional information printed on the card:
THIS HALF IS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR TRANSMISSION
TO GREAT BRITAIN
3. Germany card : Reply half mailed from Netherlands
Leerdam, Netherlands, to Hanover, Germany, December 13, 1930
German UPU post card rate 15 pfennig
4. Germany card : Reply half mailed from Netherlands
Hooghalen to Vienna, Germany, August 5, 1941
German UPU post card rate 15 pfennig + Netherlands 10 cents registration fee
5. Germany card : Reply half mailed from Canada
Both halves attached
Lager Hammelburg, Germany to Lake Harbour, February 25, 1965
20 pfennig UPU post card rate
Lake Harbour to Kassel, Germany, April 6, 1965
German 20 pfennig UPU post card rate
Lake Harbour, N.W.T., April 6, 1965
Eastern Arctic Patrol, March 29, 1965
Ottawa handstamp
6. Israel card : Reply half mailed from Canada
Winnipeg to Tel Aviv, May 28, 1957
Israeli UPU 70 pruta post card rate + 20 cents Canadian registration fee
Winnipeg, May 28, 1957
7. Netherlands card : Reply half mailed from Germany
The card below was not a UPU reply card. A 5 cent concession post card rate to Germany was introduced on January 1, 1942. The UPU post card rate was 7 1/2 cents.
Pirmasens, Germany to s'Gravenhage, June 19, 1943
5 cents convession post card rate
8. United States card : Reply half mailed from Netherlands
Amsterdam to New York, April 21, 1941
Uprated to air mail service
U.S. reply card rate 3 cents + Netherlands 32 1/2 cents paying the 5 gram air mail Clipper rate to the United States
