POSTAL deliveries were faster and more reliable 150 years ago than they are today, a Wellington stamp collector said this week.

Richard Loraine-Smith was speaking after a birthday card from his twin brother arrived at his home on October 8.

His birthday was in August and the card had been posted in good time.

Mr Loraine-Smith also received a Christmas card in April from his uncle in Kent - who posted it in December, 2025.

By contrast, one of the stamps held by Mr Loraine-Smith is a Victorian penny red on a business order sent from Stratford upon Avon on September 28, 1868, to a London cork importer.

It arrived next morning, September 29, 1868.

Mr Loraine-Smith, who has been collecting stamps since he was eight years old in the early 1960s, said: “It is a sorry state of affairs.

“The trust the Royal Mail is supposed to have with us to deliver our post on time is completely broken.

“You were getting a first class service for a penny over a hundred years ago.

“Why should we now pay more than £1 for a poorer service.

Mr Loraine-Smith said the birthday card and stamp used by his brother cost £3.20 and took five weeks to make a 50-mile journey.

He said: “This is an example of how poor the service has become, and at the current rate my Christmas card list will be small, due to the poor service and cost.”

His uncle’s late Christmas greeting caused concern for the family.

Mr Loraine-Smith said: “We were worried our uncle may have died, as we had not heard from him for four or five months.”

He said there was an issue with whether the Royal Mail was breaching its contract as a public service by taking money up front for postage and then not meeting its delivery obligations.