Registered Envelope Identification Guide

Liberian Registered Envelopes are very similar in appearance. Envelope size, location of the flap, color and type of the indicia and type of "R" on the front can be used to determine which Registered Envelope you are looking at.

Here is a guide to help you determine which Registration Envelope you are looking at. For a more in depth study of Liberian postal stationery, see the book written by Dr. Robert E. Shoemaker, Liberian Postal Stationery / 2012.

To use the table below, you will need to know a few things about the envelope:

1. Is the flap on the left or right as you are looking at the front of the envelope?
2. What is the size of the envelope (not counting the flap) in mm?
3. Is the "R" in the upper left corner just a block letter, circled block letter or script letter?
4. What color is the indicia?
5. What type of in indicia is it?

Type I	Type II	Type III

Now use the information gathered above and find your envelope in the table below. Click on the Shoemaker number link to go to that envelope's page.

Flap location	Envelope Size	Type of "R"	Indicia Color	Indicia Type	Year	Shoemaker[1]	von Saleski[2]	Rogers[3]	H&G[4]
Left	133x82mm	Block	Blue	I	1882	1	1k	2	1
Left	133x82mm	Block	Gray	I	1882	2
Left	152x96mm	Block	Blue	I	1882	3	1l	2	1a
Left	225x100mm	Block	Blue	I	1882	4	1m	3	1b
Right	133x82mm	Block	Ultramarine	II	1887	5	2k	4	2
Right	225x100mm	Circled	Sky blue	III1	1886	6	3m	5	3
Right	133x82mm	Circled	Ultramarine	II	1892/1898	7	4IIIkAb	6	4
Right	133x82mm	Circled	Milky Blue	II	1892/1898	8
Right	133x82mm	Circled2	Ultramarine	III	1892/1898	9	4IIIkBb	7
Right	133x82mm	Circled3	Ultramarine	III	1892/1898	10	4IIIkAb	7
Right	133x82mm	Circled	Green	II	1892/1898	11	5IIkAb	8	5
Right	133x82mm	Circled	Gray	II	1892/1898	12
Right	133x82mm	Circled	Green	III	1892/1898	13	5IIIkAb	9
Right	133x82mm	Circled	Gray	III	1892/1898	14
Right	133x82mm	Circled	Bronze	III	1892/1898	15
Right	225x100mm	Circled	Green	III	1892/1898	16	5IIImAb	10	5a
Right	225x100mm	Circled	Gray	III	1892/1898	174
Right	152x96mm	Circled	Lilac Brown	III	1892/1898	18		6	11
Right	133x82mm	Circled	Dark Vermilion	II	1892/1898	19	7IIkAb	12	7
Right	133x82mm	Circled	Dark Vermilion	III	1892/1898	20	7IIIkAb	13	7
Right	220x110mm	Script	Vermilion	II	1898	21	8n	14	8

Notes

• Shoemaker states that all the smaller envelopes are 133x88mm. They are actually 133x82mm (give or take a mm).

Footnotes

1. Shoemaker mistakenly has this as Type II

2. "Registered Letter" is 61mm wide

3. "Registered Letter" is 64mm wide

4. It is questioned if this really exists.

References

1. Liberian Postal Stationery / Shoemaker, Dr. Robert E. / 2012

2. Liberia: Specialized Catalogue, 1975 Lothar von Saleski / 1975

3. A Century of Liberian Philately / Rogers, Henry H. / 1971

4. Higgins & Gage Priced Catalogue of Postal Stationery of The World, Section 11.: Labuan to Luxemburg / Fladung, Edward G. / 1968

See also

• Postal Stationery