Another question for somebody in England (cost of stamps)

[bluesqueak]

No: HPFGUIDX 87589

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff Bannister" 
<gbannister10 at a...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, abbet659 at h... wrote:
> 
> Abbet:
> > How much is a stamp, is it the same size as a US stamp?  Just 
> > wondering how much it would cost to cover an envelope with 
stamps.  
> 
> Geoff:
> Current first and second class stamps are 24p and 20p respectively 
> (round about 41c and 34c on current exchange rates). 
Snip
> In terms of size, standard definitive issues are about 1 inch 
> square. Special issues may be a bit larger, often rectangular 
> about 1 1/2 inches by 1 although larger square format are becoming 
> more common.

Pip!Squeak:
I tend to buy stamps in sets of 100, so I had enough stamps on hand 
to make a quick experiment.

The Weasley's could have covered the style of envelope used for 
personal letters with about 24 standard sized stamps. That would be 
5.76 GBP. In the Nineties, where the books are set, it would be 
slightly less. So we're talking roughly five pounds.

Mr Dursley is described as brandishing a sheet of 'writing paper', 
which in the UK is usually about 7 inches by 5 2/8th inches (177 mm 
x 132mm). These are usually sent in an envelope which is   3 7/8 
inches by 5 5/8th inches (94 mm x 142 mm).

The small paper/envelope size is usually reserved for hand written 
letters; the paper size is easier to write on than business size. 

If whichever Weasley had gone to buy the muggle stamps had been 
entranced by the ones with the pretty pictures (special issues), it 
would have been even cheaper. You could cover a standard UK small 
envelope with about 12 of these larger stamps.


So, if they used the small envelope that is usually used for 
personal letters in the UK muggle world, they could have covered the 
envelope in first class stamps for between 2.52 GBP and 5.76 GBP

Pip!Squeak