JUNE — 1980 IS ISSUE Beginning : Swiss Postal Facilities Abroad "A Chat About Old Letters" P. 104 "A Bit of H
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JUNE — 1980 IN T IS ISSUE Beginning: Swiss Postal Facilities Abroad p. 102 "A Chat About Old Letters" p. 104 "A Bit of Heraldry" p. 106 "Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder" ???? P. 108 98 TELL Volume VI, Number 5 (Whole Number 60) Editor/Publisher June 1980 Paul J. Ickeringill P . Q. Box 389, Goshen, New York 10924 CONTENTS Editor's Desk . 100 A Philatelic Gem . 101 The Postal Markings of Switzerland and Liechtenstein . 102 A Chat About Old Letters . 104 A Bit of Heraldry . 106 The T—Party . 108 My Favorite Cover . 111 Postscript . 119 With thanks to Miss Katcher, Felix Ganz, John Barrett, John MacLean, M . N. AHPS OFFICERS 1980 Thaler and John Steinberg and . Robert Zeigler President TO OUR 704 W. Iowa, Urbana, IL 61801 Harlan Stone Vice President WONDERFUL ADVERTISERS 48 Division Ave ., Summit, NJ 07901 David F . Beaber Secretary P .O . Box 57, Grafton, MA 01519 Frank Young Treasurer 412 N . Main St., Herkimer, NY 13350 Howard Riemann Circuit Sales Mgr. 2813 Driller Ave ., Bakersfield CA 93306 Gerald Diamond Auction Mgr. 60 Silver Birch Lane, Pearl River NY 10965 FROM THE DESK OF Jan Donker Medals & Awards THE CIRCUIT MANAGER 16 St .Mary Rd ., Burlington, MA 01803 David Durham Reg. Dir. East The 1979-1980 circuit season is 854 Euclid Ave ., Elmira, NY 14901 drawing to a close . However, I am Burns Speer Reg. Dir . Center concerned over the number of cir- 4308 Westport Rd ., Louisville KY 40207 cuits still in distribution (16 of 25). Donn .Lueck Reg. Dir . West 6238 N . 38th Dr ., Phoenix AZ 85019 MAIL THOSE CIRCUITS Robert Scheuermann Librarian QUICKLY — PLEASE!! POB 163, Park Ridge IL 60068 Felix Ganz Immed. Past Pres. As soon as all circuits are re- 1130 S . Michigan Ave ., Chicago IL 60605 ceived, a full report on the 1979- 1980 season will be forwarded to the AHPS officers and to TELL for publication. Next month . In the next issue, the circuit AHPS SUMMER AUCTION participation form, circuit participant rules and circuit manager's sale number 43 letter will appear. TELL -99 from the EDITOR'S DESK SWISS POST OFFICE CHANGES NEW PUBLICATIONS Reported by Felix Ganz Closed Offices 3399 Hermiswil (BE) as of 4-1-80 * Catalogue on Swiss Meters 4014 Basel 14 SBB, as of 5-31-80 (in German) 4002 Basel 22 Pake ., as of 5-31-80 About 25 years ago, Heiner Duerst Closed Parcel Acceptance Depot published a first attempt at listing Swiss Glockenthal near Thun (8-28-79) meter types, shapes, and in some instan- Changed Office Names ces denominations, as well as related 9202 Gossau (SG) as of 4-14-80 - fields. became 9202 Gossau 1 (SG) Now the second, much enlarged issue is available, covering both Switzerland New Offices and Liechtenstein in a truly exhaustive 1700 Fribourg 8 Hopital Cantonal: way, from the earliest use of meters. in 4-1-80 (formerly a parcel accept. the early 1920s, to the present. station) The volume contains 180 pages, with 9202 Gossau 2 Mettendorf (SG) many illustrations . A price guide 4-14-80 provides a collector with information on Changes of Zip Code what is less frequently seen and available 3199 Blepberg - 3124 Belpberg (and it should be said that since most 3516 Bleiken b . Oberdiessbach - people throw meters out, many may 3518 Bleiken b . Oberdiessbach actually be rare.) 3516 Linden - 3517 Linden The volume costs SFr . 18, plus 3 Fr. 3516 Wnagelen b . Oberdiessbach - postage, or about $12 . or 13., and is 3519 Wangelen b . Oberdiessbach available from the author via postal check- 3753 Diemtigen - 3754 Diemtigen ing account 80-1391, Rüschlikon, ZH. 3753 Horboden - 3755 Horboden 3753 Latterbach - 3758 Latterbach * Catalogue of Swiss Publicity 3753 Schwenden im Diemtigtal - & Souvenir Vignettes 3757 Schwenden im Diemtigtal Editions PEN, 3941 Grone (VS) 3753 Zwischenflüh - Switzerland. 3756 Zwischenflüh (in German and French) 3855 Hofstetten b. Brienz - Pen, the ever active editor of cata- 3858 Hofstetten b . Brienz logues of Swiss philatelic and related sub- 4600 Olten 3 Stadt - jects (special cancellations, emergency 4603 OIten 3 Stadt cancels. ; topical handbooks) has added a 6133Hübeli Hübeli - 6134 new volume, attesting to his tremendous 6211 Rickenbach (LU) - knowledge and researching . More than 6221 Rickenbach (LU) 5000 non-postal vignettes and publicity 6211 Gunzwil - 6222 Gunzwil stickers are listed in this new book, and 6211 Schlierbach - 6231 Schlierbach priced! Covered is the period from 1878 7500 Plaun da Lej - 7517 Plaun da Lej to 1980. About 1000 illustrations. 9248 Schwarzenbach (SG) - Only orders with prepayment of 52 9536 Schwarzenbach (SG) SFr. (no personal checks are accepted; U.S . currency at about 1 .70 SFr . to $1 ., AWARDS meaning $31 .), including postage, will be filled . The issue is announced as being At the Rockford, IL Philatelic Show limited and anyone interested in this mar- (Natl . rated) held on April 12/13, AHPS ginal aspect of philately should place an member Felix Ganz was awarded a ver- meil for the exhibit called Swiss Military order right away . Mail, ca . 1900 through World War I. -too- TELL A Philatelic Gem !!! The year was 1878 — and Staempfli & Cie . of Switzerland typographed a series of nine postage due stamps, on ordinary paper, watermarked cross in oval . The 1c figure was on a background of "rays" emanating from the center of a circle ; the other eight values featured the value figure on a white background . All this has been common information in all catalogue listings . until now — 99 years later! Late in 1979, Mr . H. L. Katcher, manager of The Amateur Collector Ltd . of England, in sorting through an accumulation of the first issue of Switzerland's Postage Due stamps discovered a 5c value (Z .4) with a "rayed star" background . it couldn't be! Only the 1c value has a rayed star background . Swiss experts consulted on the matter were at first incredulous, but when they saw the stamp their disbelief changed to deep astonishment . The stamp and its postmark were submitted to the most rigorous tests imaginable (archives of the PTT and the printers were also consulted) and passed them all with flying colors — everything about it proved to be completely authentic. The postmark is that of Bissegg, in the canton of Thurgau. The question of how this stamp came to exist is causing much speculation, and the editorial offices of the Berner Briefmarken Zeitung are being deluged with theories. The status of this new discovery, the only recorded example of its type in the world, is thus in the same category as the famous yellow 3 SKilling-banco of Sweden and the even more famous 1 cent British Guyana. TELL -101- THE POSTAL MARKINGS OF SWITZERLAND AND LIECHTENSTEIN by FELIX GANZ PART I SWISS POSTAL FACILITIES ABROAD AND FOREIGN POSTAL FACILITIES ON SWISS SOIL Not much written information exists on this aspect of Swiss philately, and there- fore the "rediscovery" of an article written in 1961 by Mrs . E. J . Rawnsley, editor of the British Helvetia Society's Newsletter (and featured in that publication be- tween August 1961 and February 1962) was of tremendous help to compiling this segment of an overview of Swiss postmarks . And after the article's first draft had been completed it was checked for accuracy and augmented by pictures of addi- tional strikes by Mr . Liniger of the PTT Museum in Bern who is at the source of such information. Going back in history, but not dwelt on here beyond mentioning facts, it should be remembered that the very first "Swiss" postmark was used by the French post office in then independent, though Swiss-allied Geneva, from 1695 to 1699 . It was a straightline, DE GENEVE, which — as well as a variety of successors — is found almost exclusively on mail to France (and not on mail to other Swiss territories). Late in the eighteenth century samples of a straightline mark CUR (for Chur, Grisons) are known which from most evidence garnered were applied by the repre- sentative of the Bavarian Fussach messengers in that city ; and from 1833 to 1853, according to Winkler's Handbook on Swiss Pre-Philately, the German Thurn and Taxis postal administration took care of all postal needs of the Swiss Canton of Schaffhausen (which at least could be construed by some as instances of "foreign post offices on Swiss soil"). More recent instances of foreign postal administrations' facilities on Swiss territory — usually in border cities and their railroad stations — will be observed at the conclusion of this overview. Swiss postal agencies abroad were established from the early 1850s on in the neighboring countries of Austria, France, and Italy — with the greatest number in the last-named country. Principal reason for their being created lay in the fact that Switzerland had established an excellent system of horse coach mail and passenger routes — notably into what is now Northern Italy — the intermediate and end points of which served not only as horse exchange barns, but as ticket selling stations and often also as mail pick-up points, especially again in Italy (Sardinia) where the public's trust apparently favored the Swiss rather than their own postal connections! AUSTRIA: According to records, Swiss agencies existed on the route from St. Moritz — Zernez — Scuol (Schuls) — Landeck (Inn river valley) . The original one was located in Nauders, in immediate vicinity of the border between the two coun- tries, and existed from late 1872 to 1914 . Changes in road layout and means of transportation (from horse coach to postal bus) closed the Nauders facility and relocated it to Pfunds, farther down the valley, where it existed well into the 1960s. Neither of these postal facilities, established exclusively to assist passengers, owned cancellation devices .