Krag Machine Postmarks

of Great Britain & Ireland

by Paul T Carter

published by the British Postmark Society

A history and detailed checklist of Krag machines and their dies (with earliest and latest known dates for each die). Also included are earliest dates for subsequent Universal machine introductions.
To open your chosen section, click one of the blue buttons below (scroll down this page to see them all). The data files may need magnifying - you can use zoom and download options, both available when you open the file.

This online version is based on the Second Edition (2022) - new information frequently added, most recently on 28 Jan. 2026

More than 1500 updates are now included here - thanks to everyone for sending lists & scans to keep the reference files up to date. 350 of those updates, added in 2025, have come from the William Hartree Collection, researched by British Postmark Society founding member Cyril Parsons - details of his new book Paid Postmarks of the U.K. (1840-2006) can be found here

Introductory sections:

1. Preface to this Online Edition

2. Introduction to Krag Machines

3. The First UK Trials

4. Evolution of the Krag's Appearance

5. Deployment of Krag Machines

6. Configuration of the Die

7. Paid Usage & Great Britain Dies

8. The Roddis Mangle

9. Triangular Dies

10. Scope of this publication

11. Other Continuous-Impression Machines

12. The Krag Single-Impression Machine

13. Other Postmarks of Relevance

14. Reference Material

15. About the Listings

Data files: (10 files for dies used in Krag continuous-impression machines + 1 file for dies used in Krag single-impression machines)

Yellow highlighting of data = information added since publication of the 2nd Edition (changes are itemised in the Summary of Updates)

England (provincial)

Paid dies - England (provincial)

London postal districts

Paid dies - London postal districts

Scotland

Paid dies - Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland

Ireland: 26 Counties

Channel Islands & Isle of Man

Krag single-impression machines

Summary of Updates (since 2nd Edition)

Appendices:

APPENDIX 1 - London Districts cross-reference

APPENDIX 2 - Triangular Dies (telegraphic codes)

APPENDIX 3 - Triangular Dies (numeric codes)

APPENDIX 4 - Offices that never had a Krag CI machine

APPENDIX 5 - Roddis Mangle machines

APPENDIX 6 - Other continuous-impression machines

APPENDIX 7 - Unidentified postmarks

Images:

Image Gallery

The British Postmark Society (BPS) exists to promote and to co-ordinate the study and collection of British postal markings (particularly of the 20th and 21st centuries), and the means and mechanisms by which they are applied, and to publish and disseminate the results of our studies.

The Society's publications include the BPS Journal and a number of books about different types of postmark, including Krag Machine Postmarks of Great Britain & Ireland - Second Edition (2022) available as PDF free download by clicking the image of the front cover →

**NOTE** Listings of Universal & Hey-Dolphin machine postmarks can be found at the following sites:

Universal Machine Postmarks of Great Britain & Northern Ireland

Hey-Dolphin Machine Postmarks of Great Britain & Ireland

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