1912 1d Wilkinson Post Machine, Last Day Cover

31^st August 1912 Wilkinson Penny Post Machine last day usage. As the novelty of the machine waned, the number of items being posted decreased dramatically as the trial went on. Covers with this final day postmark are therefore quite rare. Good condition cover hand addressed to Croydon with a Croydon arrival backstamp from 3pm the same day.

This machine was the forerunner of meter mail having been invented by Mr F.Wilkinson and placed on trial at the General Post Office at King Edward Street, London from January 25^th. In the three months up to April 24^th, a total of 8491 letters were postmarked, with daily numbers varying from a peak of 1060 on the first day to just 21 on 5^th April. By the middle of March, daily usage was rarely over 50 letters. The trial was stopped on August 31^st and the GPO did not proceed with any further trials.

The machine operated by customers inserting a 1d coin, putting the letter in a special opening and then turning the handle twice. This would apply the special Postage Paid postmark and drop it into a sealed compartment. A postal clerk would then retrieve the mail at daily intervals and apply a time-dated CDS postmark.