Definition of "Money order"

[John_Gledhill]

Some dealers and references use the term "Money order" to include postal orders. However the term should (I think!) be used for money transfer documents issued by banks rather than by post offices.
Originally money orders were in two parts: the buyer sent one part to the recipient, the issuing office sent the other part to the paying office; and only when the two were reunited was payment made.
The intention of introducing postal orders was to cut out this bureaucratic burden for small transactions.
See this Wikipedia page for some information on Money Orders

US practive is to refer to "Postal Orders" as "Postal Money Orders", so the terminology gets rather confused.
See this Wikipedia page for some information on postal and money orders

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[Aidan_Work]

John,to me,a money order is a money transfer document issued by such companies as Western Union.The post office can issue money orders as well.

Money orders & postal money orders are not very numismatic at all.The postal order is very numismatic,as the collecting of these is a branch of notaphily.

Aidan.

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Aidan Work.

Here's a postal order-related group that you're welcome to join up to; http://www.coinnetwork.com/group/postalordercollectorsgroup .

[HADaniel3]

I believe money orders, postal money orders, postal cheques (checks), postal bonds, postal bank passbooks, etc., can all be considered numismatic. They are "back of the book" in numismatics but they are financial instruments and are not all financial instruments numismatic pieces?

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[John_Gledhill]

And I think the term "money order" may have different implications to different postal authorities.
In the end, each collector collects what they want - that's the joy & strength of collecting as a hobby.

See nice pics on "QV Money Orders" in the picture gallery.

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[Aidan_Work]

[John_Gledhill]

Each collector must decide for him/herself of course.

For example I have a very good and very experienced stamp collecting friend who refuses to collect "postage due" stamps, on the grounds that you can't buy them and stick them on letters.

In the end it's a sterile discussion.

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[HADaniel3]

Did we or can we have a discussion of the definitions and publish them on the POS website?

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[John_Gledhill]

I think you would find that you'd get different definitions from many countries, and it would end up like trying to get agreement with the Americans that "pavement" really does mean "sidewalk" and not "roadway".
There's a reasonable history on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_orders
which also makes it clear that in UK terminology a money order is a public instrument, the opposite to what Aidan states a couple of messages back.

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[Aidan_Work]

John,
Has a money order ever been declared to be legal tender as currency? I don't think so,therefore,they aren't numismatic.

Postal orders have been declared legal tender as currency by the Orange Free State & the South African Republic (2nd. Boer War),along with Great Britain (both World Wars).As seen as a postal order resembles a banknote,& is accepted as currency,they are very numismatic.

Aidan.

[John_Gledhill]

That argument doesn't hold water. By your definition postal orders are numismatic in just UK and SA, and not collectable at all in all the others. They aren't accepted as currency in the others.
When I was young I went for 2 weeks to Italy - due to a shortage of coinage small value personal cheques were treated as currency and passed freely from hand to hand (and tolerated by the government). That doesn't mean that they are bank notes...

BTW the reason there was a shortage of 500 lire coins was that they were so attractive all the tourists were taking them home!

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[John_Gledhill]

You'll find two good authoritative definitions of "Money Order" quoted by Mal Tedds in PON 46, October 1997, p.3

Oxford English Dictionary 1933:

[Aidan_Work]

John,
That proves that money orders ARE NOT numismatic items,wheras,all postal orders ARE numismatic items.

To me,a postal order is very much like a banknote,as it is a type of currency.

Aidan.

[John_Gledhill]

I read it in exactly the opposite sense.
Heyho

I'm going to close this thread now.
Thanks for the debate!

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