Postal Rates and Overland Mail Surcharges

Westwards bounded rates from Iran

Iran Postage Rates and Overland Mail Surcharges during the time when the Overland Mail Baghdad-Haifa had been in operation.

The rates mentioned are based on the studies and holdings of Bjorn Sohrne and Fereidoun Golmohammadi as well as items in my collection and images in my archive. The dates during which the rate periods were applicable are as per known covers only and not as per any official announcement.  It seems that Iran had only ONE foreign letter rate at a time, irrespective of the distance, geographical area etc...

The current research cold identify 8 different Rate periods as below:

Postage Rate Period 1:  Earliest known date: 21.12.1923 / Latest known date: 15.12.1924

Postage Rate Period 2:  Earliest known date: 03.06.1925 / Latest known date: 28.09.1926

Postage Rate Period 3:  Earliest known date: 28.09.1926 / Latest known date: 23.03.1929

Postage Rate Period 4:  Earliest known date: 07.05.1929 / Latest known date: xx.03.1931

Postage Rate Period 5:  Earliest known date: 10.03.1931 / Latest known date: xx.01.1932

Postage Rate Period 6:  Earliest known date: 12.01.1932 / Latest known date: 05.04.1932

Postage Rate Period 7:  Earliest known date: 12.04.1932 / Latest known date: 17.04.1934

Postage Rate Period 8:  Earliest known date: xx.03.1934 (Overland Mail Surcharge abolished!

It must be mentioned here that some earliest/latest dates are overlapping with periods, this could be resulting by calculation error by the respective postmaster or unawareness of the rate change. In any case, the study is ongoing!

I feel it also important to indicate the various currencies and conversation rates as stamps of various nominations were often used.

Chais:

Kran: 1 Kran equal to 20 Chais

Rial:

Dinar:

It seems that covers overfranked by 1 or 2 Chais are not uncommon, eventually caused by lack of the correct stamps to complete the postage rate. Any other idea on that would be appreciated.

I feel that the receiving country must have been fully aware of the correct rates including Overland Mail surcharges as various Postage due covers i.e. from England are known where British Post had charged Postage Due since the rate franked was not correct.

If any collector has covers with a rate/date not matching the tables below, kindly get in touch with me.