Postage Stamps On Old Invoices

[imd123]

Hi

My dad was showing me some old invoices for various household items going back to the 1950/60's. They all had 2d postage stamps on which were franked. Why was this please?

Thanks to anyone who replies.

[Postdog]

Why was what? the price 2d? (because we were pre decimal then and things were cheaper than they are now - oddly enough it works out at 1 or 2 pence in todays money) or franked? (actually cancelled so they could be recognised as being used stamps and not used again)

[Tichfield]

In those days, for a receipt to be legally valid you had to pay 2d in Stamp duty.

It was abolished sometime around 1970.

[HelpfulHarry]

As tichfield says, it was abolished just prior to (and because of) decimalisation. Prior tto that date, cheques were also subject to this 2d. duty which is why cheque-books were issued with 30 cheques so you could pay a round figure of Five Shillings duty for the book. This practise of 30 or multiples carried on for a time as if banks had forgotten the reason. If ever you used a Cheque Form where you filled in the name of the bank by hand, then to make it legal you had to put a 2d. postage stamp on, although actually the stamps were marked `postage and revenue`

[imd123]

Thanks everyone.