Contribute to the collections

Although we have ongoing arrangements with Royal Mail Group to take material into our collections, we are always keen to hear of historic postal material in private hands.

In order to help us decide, it is very helpful if you can tell us as accurately as possible what items you may have. Please be aware: if the material your are offering falls outside our collections policy, or is already represented in the collections, we will unfortunately be unable to accept the material.

What to do

Royal Mail, Post Office and Parcelforce are the modern parts of a business that is some 370 years old, with premises all over the UK. Postal heritage is found on every street, and can be recorded in photographs, notices, posters, circulars, diaries, publications, and letters. Objects that represent postal heritage can be as big as a mail van, or as small as a handstamp.

Here's what to do if you think you have something that could add historical value to our archive or museum collections:

1. Check our online catalogue to see if there are similar types of records already in The Royal Mail Archive. If there are, note down the POST class reference number.
   
   The catalogue contains many thousands of records, but please remember it is not yet complete. If you do not find similar records listed, it does not mean we do not have similar things already.
   
   
2. Contact us to let us know what you have got. The more information you can give us about the item, the easier we can assess whether we can take it off your hands. If you can send us a photograph so much the better!
   
   
3. Once you have been in touch with us and we have asked you to send the material in download the Packaging Guidelines, Terms & Conditions of Deposit and Transfer of Title form. Complete the Transfer of Title form and send it with your material.
   

The most important part of this process is talking to us, so we can make the right decision.

Things to download

Packaging Guidelines (PDF, 30KB)

Terms & Conditions of Deposit (PDF, 23KB)

Transfer of Title form (PDF, 100KB)