Philately Day 2004, Mailboxes in Israel Stamp

Each of the three stamps issued December 2004, show the stippled photograph of an Israel Post Office, next to a coloured drawing of a mail box belonging to the period: yellow, decorated: Austrian, Ottoman Period; red pillar box: British Mandate peeriod; red/yellow pillar boxes: modern Israel. The first regular postal connections were established in the mid 19th century by the “Great Powers” in arrangement with Turkish officials under the “Capitulation Treaties” that entitled their citizens to the use of foreign postal services. In 1902 Austrian postal services distributed yellow mailboxes around the country and postmen began to deliver mail. Mailboxes during the British Mandate were exact copies of those used in Britain – bright red pillar boxes with the royal arms embossed on them. Since the establishment of the State, the design of Israel mailboxes has varied, while their colour remained uniform throughout. Yellow mailboxes were set up for local mail beside the red ones temporarily to facilitate the sorting process.

The stamps with an information sheet are enclosed in a plastic protection sheet.