Mail Collection Box Colors

[Dave K.]

Thought it would be a chore finding this info. Boom! First hit, from the folks at USPS itself.

[Zephyrus52246]

I don't remember a lot of red/white/blue mailboxes.  Of course my memory ain't what it used to be.    I think the "storage" ones, the kind you couldn't put a letter into were olive drab much later than 1955.


Jeff

[S&S RR]

Interesting, I thought they were always blue. It looks like mine need to be olive drab for 1949.

[Dave K.]

I was planning on blue, too. Fortunately I've only painted a few.

[restocarp]

This is great info. Thanks for sharing.

Matt

[postalkarl]

Hi All:

Worked at the PO for 30 some years. When I started all boxes were olive green  later collection boxes went to blue. Relay boxes remained olive green. Relay boxes were where walking carriers picked up their delivery mail around town as they didn't have vehicles and couldn't carry all that mail in their delivery sack.

Let me make a correction here. I started in 1974. The box color was changed to blue in 1971 as far as I can tell. The color change when the Post office Dept became The United States Postal Service. I do remember the green boxes when I was a kid.

The relay boxes I was talking about above had no mail slot. They were for official use only had A large locked door under the curved side of the box. You had to have A mailbox collection key to operate the lock. I would say they were olive green in color.

Karl

[Dave K.]

Thanks, Karl! Shoulda thought to ask you in the first place! 😜

[S&S RR]

Does anyone have a picture of the Olive green color that was used?

[Dave K.]

This look about right, Karl?

[postalkarl]

Hi Dave:

That's pretty close. I think Army olive drab would work.

Karl

[Dave K.]

Thanks, Shorpy. And a "No Spitting" sign as a bonus.

[Dave K.]

More image search results.

[Dave K.]

I kinda like the red and blue.

[Dave K.]

Ever work out of these, Karl?

[Janbouli]

The  postal bulletin 19867 of 1955, with the red white and blue box

http://www.uspostalbulletins.com/pdf/vol76_issue19867_19550809.pdf