page_title: Coded postal obliterators
section_title: Malta
hierarchical_section_title: Coded postal obliterators / United Kingdom and colonies / Malta
caption_attribution_description: Timbre de grande-bretagne avec cachet de Malte
context_page_description: Coded postal obliterators are a type of postmarks that had an obliterator encoded with a number, letter or letters, or a combination of these, to identify the post office of origin. They were introduced in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1843, three years after the first stamp was issued. They became common throughout the nineteenth century but very few remained in use until the twentieth century.
  The practice of cancelling a stamp on a letter with a device to prevent reuse and applying alongside, or on the reverse of the article, a dated stamp including the post office name, began in 1840 when postage stamps were introduced in the United Kingdom.
  Soon, in many countries, various systems developed where the obliterator had a code identifying the post office of origin. Most such codes were enclosed within a design of dots, rays, bars or concentric circles or ovals to ensure the effective cancellation of the stamp. Similar designs without an enclosed code are known as dumb or mute obliterators. Later the duplex canceller with the datestamp on the left and the obliterator on the right came into common use.
context_section_description: Malta used the barred obliterators "M" and "A25" (both Valletta), initially on British and later on Maltese stamps:
  The "M" postmark was introduced in 1857 and remained in use until 1860. This cancel is only found on British stamps and the initial printing of Malta's first stamp, the Halfpenny Yellow.
  The "A25" cancel was introduced in 1859 and it remained in use until 1904. There are several distinct types of this cancel since it was used for a long period of time. "A25" cancels are mainly found on British and Maltese stamps, and also on some foreign stamps due to maritime mail.
caption: British stamp with an "A25" postmark of Valletta, Malta
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