Railway Mail Service - The network of railway lines, Railway Post Offices, and Railway Post Office clerks that were used for transporting and processing mail on board moving trains
Recom - Short for Recommandée (French), Registered.
Recomandiert - (German) Registered.
Recommandée - (French) Registered.
Reconstruction - Reconstruction of sheets or blocks of stamps from singles or multiples, which can be identified as they vary in some degree throughout the sheet or block.
Re-issue - A stamp previously withdrawn from use but reintroduced from old stocks or by fresh printings from original plates.
Registered Mail - Mail that is recorded by the post office when sent. It is also recorded at points along the route to track it. Because registered mail has often been used for valuables, it was often a prime target for mail robberies.
Reply postal card - A form of postal stationery consisting of two postcards joined together; one with the sender's message, the other for the addressee's reply.
Reprint - Postage stamp officially reprinted by a postal administration to a design similar, or identical, to a classic early issue (but on more modern paper and often in a different color) to satisfy demand from collectors.
Retta - Dotted rhombus shape dumb cancellations are recorded from 1866, at first used to cancel the stamp with the postmark struck elsewhere on the envelope. Rettas were generally used to cancel stamps that had missed being cancelled at the point of origin, and often also to cancel mail originating from ships.
RLD - (Return Letter Department), RLO (Return Letter Office), DLO (Dead Letter Office) - The postal office where undeliverable mail that cannot be delivered to the addressee or returned to the sender ends its journey. This is usually due to lack of compliance with postal regulations, an incomplete address and return address, or the inability to forward the mail when both correspondents move before the letter can be delivered. Largely based on the British model that emerged in the late eighteenth century, many countries developed similar systems for processing undeliverable mail.
RLO - (Return Letter Office), RLD (Return Letter Department), DLO (Dead Letter Office) - The postal office where undeliverable mail that cannot be delivered to the addressee or returned to the sender ends its journey. This is usually due to lack of compliance with postal regulations, an incomplete address and return address, or the inability to forward the mail when both correspondents move before the letter can be delivered. Largely based on the British model that emerged in the late eighteenth century, many countries developed similar systems for processing undeliverable mail.
Revenue stamp - A stamp intended for collection of taxes, fees, and duties for state revenue.
Rough perforation - Perforations that show jagged holes. This usually denotes worn pins.
Roulette - Perforated by pinholes, short cuts, or other method in such a way that no paper is removed (unlike perforating by the normal modern method, which removes small discs of paper).