Where do you acquire a postbox?
Royal Mail do not normally sell them to the public. Most of my collection has been removed due to damage or vandalism and donated to the collection. They would still be in use if they were in perfect order.
How do you repair and restore them?
I have them shot blasted to remove all the old paint, and then I give them a good couple of coats of paint both inside and out. Any breaks can be repaired by specialist cast iron welding methods, but it isn't cheap!
How many post boxes are there in the collection? There are currently over 180 boxes in the collection (November 2007)
Which are the oldest boxes ?
The first standard wall box is the oldest postbox in my collection dating from circa 1861. The first standard pillar box is the oldest free-standing box. These boxes were the first attempt at standardising the pillar boxes around the country as prior to 1859, the regional Post Office areas all had their own designs. There are only 3 of this smaller type left on the street now and one of them is a preserved example. The box is painted green as all postboxes were in fact dark green until 1875/6.
Which is the rarest box?
There are several ‘one-off’s’ in the collection. But the rarest is an Edward VIII Ludlow box. It is one of only 2 in existence.
