Live in Wayfarer 3.1 is a new set of acceptance criteria! Please browse the information in this category with caution as it is in reference to the previous review guidelines. To learn more about the new criteria, see here: https://niantic.helpshift.com/a/wayfarer/
Postboxes -UK
SirEvilPenguin-PGO
Posts: 4 ✭✭
Just for clarification as new people are arguing with the established old guides. Can you confirm all but elizabeth II can be accepted. please no-one else but actual Niantic representative reply please as i CBA with the discussion, i just want it in print so i can show others.
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AgentB0ss-ING
Posts: 553 ✭✭✭✭✭
@MagentaPenguin-ING Please see https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/107/u-k-postboxes/p1 has a similar question and confirmation from Niantic. It appears that they would need even more historical justification to be eligible than just old.
Answers
This was quite clearly clarified in a previous discussion on here that the George postboxes do not meet criteria, there has already been a petition to override that ruling
@MagentaPenguin-ING Please see https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/107/u-k-postboxes/p1 has a similar question and confirmation from Niantic. It appears that they would need even more historical justification to be eligible than just old.
I know you asked only for NIA representatives to answer but as far as I'm aware, it's only Edwars VII, Edward VIII Victoria, and anonymous ones that are allowed in terms of UK postboxes now.
Niantic won’t give specifics, as to what postbox of what country is acceptable and what isn’t.
The general consensus is to accept all but EiiR, but there are some who still 1* all postboxes.
All Niantic have said is that individual postboxes are ineligible, by the criteria, then the Jan 2019 AMA said that anything historical / culturally significant can be considered (paraphrased).
Personally, I vote:
Victorian, Edward VII, Edward VIII and Anonymous 5*, George V and George VI 4* and Elizabethan 1*, and my agreement rate isn’t too shabby.
Justified by their cultural significance to the UK as well as their age and rarity.
Hope this helps.
Perfect thanks, i tried to search for an old post but nothing came up.
Until Niantic make their own graphic stating exactly what ciphers can be considered eligible, then terms like "historical" and "mass produced" will always be open to interpretation and get people arguing.
We have never been told what ciphers are eligible and what should be rejected. Only that historical/visually unique can be approved, and mass produced can be rejected.
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/149/u-k-postboxes-with-context-and-history-this-time/p4
@YouLostAStar-ING
"This was quite clearly clarified in a previous discussion on here that the George postboxes do not meet criteria, there has already been a petition to override that ruling"
Source please
See my post pinned as "Best Answer" on this thread for confirmation from NianticCasey
I don't see anything that resembles 'George postboxes do not meet criteria'
Thanks
Take into account the amount of different designs of postbox there are as well, it's harder to determine which ones are mass produced and which aren't.
Also, taken from a Telegram channel regarding postboxes:
"We shouldn't just go on reign. For example, a GVIR wagon top lamp box is a very well loved and very appeasing to the eye. It's also pretty dang rare these days as largely they are impractical with aperture width. The same would be said about old SCT (Hovis) lamp boxes, which also tend to be rural which should be a factor when deciding due to low portal density. I would 5* those. A GviR pillar box or wall box (B-size) is as common as muck imo. The big daddy A size is rare. Same rules apply to GR pillars, unless of course it's an ex-airmail box as that has a story behind it. So going by reign only is a bit too basic imo."
The exact quote is they should be visually unique or historic per Niantic. If you believe they are unique enough/historic enough you can submit. However, the stats provided showed there was over 18k GR post boxes.
That is a good point, but I do think for now that's a bit complicated seeing as we still can't agree on the meaning of "historical" and "mass produced" when it comes to postboxes. Adding the different makes into the mix will just confuse people even more.
Actually 17176 GR.
That is still ALOT and I personally wouldnt consider that unique/historic for that reason alone.
That would be mass produced in my eyes. And Niantic said mass produced should be rejected.
Based on Cypher alone, yes, that is a lot but what we're not taking into consideration is the possibly that some of those GR postboxes will have different designs
Some are the same, but as mentioned many times before, there are 825 sub types of post boxes. There is more than one type of GR. Some with colourful and interesting histories.
Completely agree. I was going on the most basic sense. Special desgins or rare patterns etc could still be fine. Great example would be the golden ERII Olympic ones.
If you do decide to submit a more rare/colorful/intersting version of the a Post Box make sure you make that clear in the details about its historical importance. That would be key for success.
We need to stop looking at this purely based on Monarch reign.
I would tend to agree that most EiiR, GviR and GR pillar boxes are too common to be considered as "rare" or of much interest. The exception would be an ex-Airmail box which to the untrained eye looks pretty similar to a standard GR pillar box. However there are tells, as these had their double cast CPHs chiselled off and fitted with new type CPH kit that is distinctive and only appears on ex-Airmail boxes. If you're lucky you might unearth some original blue paint! There were only ever around 150 airmail boxes in use which used to be located outside Crown POs or city GPOs but most have been relocated and still in general use.
GviR medium sized (B-size) wall boxes are extremely common, in fact they are the most common wall box in the UK as wall boxes in EiiR's reign ceased production in the mid-60s. However, the super large A-size wall boxes are extremely rare in all reigns including EiiR and especially Scottish crown!
Then there are EiiR boxes that have been installed in Scotland in error. Some have gone unnoticed and others have had the "II" ground off.
The GR and GviR lamp boxes are very rare these days and are nearly always located in extremely rural areas where portal density is low. These should be given 5*.
All Ludlows should be accepted due to their ever growing scarcity, including EiiR and Scottish crown ones. EviiiR is a no brainer.
British post boxes are a cultural UK treasure and are the envy of the world. Each one has a story to tell and there are many post box related appreciation groups on Facebook and elsewhere, including the LBSG which has recently attained charity status.
They make for perfect wayspots, nearly always in a safe location and usually centrally based in small towns.
Good to see you in the forums, Postmaster!
In regards to the different types of postboxes you mentioned (designs, not cyphers) would it be possible to be shown some examples? Admittedly I can't tell the different between most postboxes.
The question asked was this:-
The majority of postboxes are just regular and mass produced, realistically the only interesting ones are Edward Viii ones as there are only 138 left. Penfold postboxes are interesting as they are visually unique and Golden postboxes have an interesting history as each one was painted in honour of an Olympic Gold Medallist.
please can we get some clarification that the more common and less interesting ones are not eligible. There are 18,213 GR postboxes and many are now becoming portals, add those to the 9000 GViR postboxes and that’s a lot of low quality portals entering the network
and Niantics answer was - Confirmed, if there's nothing visually unique about these postboxes (i.e. that they've been painted with a mural or are historic for some reason) then they're not eligible.
aside from the fact i was slightly out with the numbers of GR, but it was specifically asked about getting clarification that GR and GViR did not meet criteria (and has been stated by Niantic on other issues that being "old" is not a criteria)
i understand you don't agree with it but this is the latest specific guidance from Niantic on postboxes (assuming that you equally will ignore the guidance of no postboxes at all from the post office thread)
now in the answer it states that if an individual box is historic for some reason then the best person to ask is @PostmasterGeneral
I think it would be amazing if people went into this much detail, and we could take each postbox as it comes and rate them each on their own historical significance/rarity rather than just pigeon holing them by cipher.
Going by what I've reviewed and seen go live though, there are many who can't even identify the ciphers correctly, and expecting them to research and understand the significance of each individual type may be a bit much to ask.
I'm of the opinion (since the original forum question was a loaded one) that anything not EIIR and royal mail ciphers is allowed, but if there is another gr or grvi on the waypoint nearby then only give that a 3. Fact is though the vast majority of reviewers will still vote them through, maybe even EIIR ones as they have seen them go through so take them as acceptable, so the general consensus (as its what the majority is voting) is still all but EIIR and royal mail ciphers
I couldn't put it better.
The only problem is it requires a little effort on the submitter's part to sell the historical aspect of a box produced post EVIII and reviewers to properly assess the submissions merits.
The new guidance is clear enough we're supposed to judge on historical merit (I think everyone understands the mural aspect of the advice is a cultural misunderstanding).
Personally I've only ever voted through one ERII box - a Silver Jubilee box in Lancashire (the square Carron type which are uncommon, and the only one I've seen fitted with a silver crown on top) , but there may be others I'd agree had historic merit.
All that's required is submitters do there job properly and sell historic merit (as with other submissions like historic buildings) and reviewers to properly review rather than lazily relying only on ciphers. Post Boxes aren't really any different to other potentially historic submissions.
Look, at the end of the day... they are still just boxes that hold lettermail LMAO
Exactly what historical significance do any of them actually hold, other than simply being "old"?
From Historic England (the Government body responsible for preserving English History):
' represent the living history of communication, which forms such an important aspect of our daily lives, as well as engineering, design and manufacturing. '
' some have very special places in our heritage. Some boxes have deep connections to prominent people and places. Each has a story to tell and many have particular meaning for local communities. They are also an icon of the UK’s postal system recognised around the world. '
'The earliest boxes deserve special protection as do boxes which are either unique or are known to exist in small numbers. Some boxes are historically important because of the significant part played in the development of post box provision. '
Not all Post Boxes are equally historically significant, but they are considered by the Government body responsible for preserving English History as being historically important. You may disagree, but that's the official position.
I think this subject has just about ran it's course, and we have clarification that it is historic significance that is the measure, not just cipher.
I was doing some thinking and I think I may do a count up of my own town to see what percentages of different categories of wayspot there are. How many post boxes are actually present in the Niantic games? It would be an interesting fact finding exercise. By the way @Faversham71-PGO I sent you a message with coordinates to (possibly) your nearest GVI Ludlow box on Reddit.
Thanks! Canterbury - I'm guessing.
I tallied accepted Post Boxes in my area and it was about 2% of portals and dropping as they've basically all been submitted and accepted where not blocked by another portal.