page_title: Postage stamps and postal history of Malta
section_title: Posta Ltd (1995–1998)
hierarchical_section_title: Postage stamps and postal history of Malta / Postal history / Posta Ltd (1995–1998)
caption_attribution_description: English: Marsa Post Office
context_page_description: The postal history of Malta began in the early modern period, when pre-adhesive mail was delivered to foreign destinations by privately owned ships for a fee. The earliest known letter from Malta, sent during the rule of the Order of St John, is dated 1532. The first formal postal service on the islands was established by the Order in 1708, with the post office being located at the Casa del Commun Tesoro in Valletta. The first postal markings on mail appeared later on in the 18th century.
  The postal service was reformed in 1798 during the French occupation of Malta, and the islands were taken over by the British in 1800. In the early 19th century, two separate post offices were established in Malta: the Island Post Office and the Packet Office, with the latter forming part of the British Post Office. Their operations were amalgamated in 1849, and British postage stamps began to be used in Malta in August 1857. Malta's first postage stamp—the Halfpenny Yellow—was issued in 1860 for use on local mail, while letters sent to foreign destinations continued to be franked with British stamps.
context_section_description: On 1 October 1995, the private limited company Posta Ltd was set up to run the General Post Office. This was done after the British Postal Consultancy Service made a recommendation in 1994 that the postal service should be run commercially. In 1996, the company made losses when sending bulk mail to Germany after the latter increased its tariffs. Posta Ltd had signed a contract with the phantom company Euromail Ltd which did not take into consideration the rate increase, and the latter profited from the former's losses.
  In October 1997, the company moved to new premises at 305, Qormi Road in Marsa, and the Parcel Post Office, Central Mail Room and Philatelic Bureau were transferred there from Valletta.
caption: The MaltaPost Head Office at Marsa, opened by Posta Ltd in 1997
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