June, 1975 Page 101 from the President

Home , William Tell, William Tell (play)

EDITOR . Robert T . Clarke, 1338 Naples Drive, Dallas, Texas 75232 Vol . 1, no. 6 (whole No . 6) June, 1975 page 101

From the President 's Desk

At the time this writing is "in the typewriter," halfway through May, no offers have been received to continue the circuit . I'm still hoping that someone of our 400 t members will accept the post as circuit director for the remainder of 1975 and thereafter. Also, what young member will take it upon himself to start and maintain a youth-corner in the "Tell"? The write-up in our May issue (read : With the Juniors) about Tim Wait was quite impressive . If more juniors are as enthused as Tim, then we have it made . All you have to do is get together through the "Tell ." The filling of 100 frames at the 1976 Bepex show should be no problem if we all will make some time to show our material there . I will open the line of collectors by means of this writing to tell Werner Vogel to reserve 3 or 4 frames for me . Who follows? Those lucky ones who will visit Switzerland and/or Liechtenstein this year, please plot down your impressions and send them to Bob Clarke so that we all can share your adventures over there. I will end with wishing all of you a good vacation.

I t is our sad duty to report that AHPS member Mrs . Hermine Levy passed away on the 19th . of April . Our sincere expressions of sympathy go out to her i family and friends .

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Table of Contents President's Note 101 Welcome New Members 102 Marketplace 102 Chapter News 102 AHPS Long Island Chapter 103 AHPS Awards at POSTEX 103 Sales104 Circuit Report No . 8 Swiss Military Sports Issues 105 Switzerland and the American Revolution Bicentennial 109 Swiss/Liechtenstein Cancellations (Part 40) 112 Swiss PTT Booth at INTERPHIL 114 Switzerland's Fourth Language 115 Pricing Your Stamps Right, Etc 117

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Any Interest for an AHPS Chapter on Long Island ? ? Mr . Hal Yaeger, 515 Larch Lane, East Meadow, New York 11554 (my old stomping grounds for 10 years, 1945-1955 . . .when dinosaurs roamed the area and woods and potato fields were common . Then someone planted a few "house seeds" ; they sprouted, and before long the fields were covered with houses'.'. Enough of that, back to the business at hand) has expressed an interest in organizing a new AHPS Chapter on Long Island . Hal has spoken to the acting director of the East Meadow Public Library, Mr Frederick A . Krahn, also an AHPS member, and a meeting place should be no problem . There are, at last count, 17 AHPS members who are potential chapter members . Please contact Hal right away (he's planning to be out of town during July and August) if you have an interest in meeting with other AMPS members in the area . Try it, you'll like it ::

AHPS Awards at POSTEX, Arlington, Texas Five Swiss exhibits were entered by AHPS members in the Second Annual POSTEX show held May 2-4, 1975 in Arlington, Texas . Arlington is a suburb between Dallas and Fort Worth . Two AHPS medals were awarded . Harlan Stone won the Gold with his showing of "Switzerland's Sitting Helvetia Issues, 1861-1883", and Earle Plyler took the Silver with "Switzerland ; The Imperforate Issues, 1850-1862" . The three other exhibits were "Switzerland's Bundesfeier Post Cards", Al Altwegg ; "Internment in Switzerland, World War Il", Robert C . Ross ; and "Swiss Tete-Beche, Se-Tenant and Interspace Pairs" by yours truly, ye olde Editor . Harlan also won a POSTEX First Place, while the other four exhibits took POSTEX Second Place awards in an open competition of 254 frames, 51 exhibits . Page 104 Vol . 1 No. 6 Date : June, 1975

AHPS Sales Circuit Report No. 8 ManagerMichigan; AveFelix., ChicagoGanz, Apt (IL).3303, 60605 1130 South

It is a pleasure to report that about on May 12 the sales totals from the 197'e-75 season surpassed the sum of $5000 . thus a goal not anticipated oven in wild dreams has become fact, and before June is gone the totals might get close to $6000, or 50% of materials entered. No new books have been accepted since early May, and returning books are being accounted for and dispatched to their owners . Of the 140. entered books and envelopes, etc that circulated in a total of 50 circuits -- some twice, but most of them once -- 53 books and 2h circuits so far have been retired and terminated, with owners receiving so far over $ 2560 in pay-outs . PLEASECIRCUITS HEED THE DEADLINE OF JUNE 30, 1975 As THE END OF ALL FROMBETWEEN THESE QUARTERS, AND RETURN ANY CIRCUIT THAT SHOULD REACH YOU

JUNE 1'i AND 20 DIRECTLY TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS (thus el im inat ing all names appearing below yours from receiving; this particular mailing) . Keep any circuit as few days as possible -- in that way one or two more' participants may have a chance at it. Pricing seems to continue to be the bone of contention between the "haves" and the "have-nets" . It is true that it may be very worthwhile to utilize the APS or SPA circuits of Swiss materials . In those round-robins prices still seem to he one third to one half Scott (which currently is less than dealers ' buying prices in Switzerland), and on top of that one can find unrecognized plate flaws, unrecognized paper varieties, retouched items and rare perforations, etc . while members of AHPS usually know their stamps : But it must also be noted that of late many swiss dealers advertise in publications over there that they will sell any issues from about 1955 on at 60 to 66" of the 1975 Zumstein (and that means perfect materials, mint never hinged or finely canceled) . On the other hand any early and specialty materials fetch prices that leave you wondering. sheets usually can be had at a 15 to and norma l use Genev a officials days and later. Butusually bring laterless than 50% o f catalog "dumb'99½% perfins, until three years ago the source of aggravation to of all collectors, now suddenly are "in " and often fetch more than stamps,, of the same design WITHOUT a perfin design!!! Covers -- especially with a SINGLE denomination stamp, Lo show the proper use and rate t o a postal historian -- are getting; more and more attention, and ,City collectors a- broad ask for covers that went to this country, with a Slug o stamp af- fixed (airmail 90 cts ., for instance) because they are nut found in the country of origin . Therefore it may be worth your while NCI Lu tear off the stamps from all your letters even now. If you have very specialized collecting interests then it will pay to join a Swiss specialty collectors ' organizations airmail collectors (the group responsible for LUPO) ; postal stationery collectors s (Lie se are busy right now putting together GABRA ' 76) ; cancellation collectors ; collectors of blocks of four ; collectors of early letters (this group publishes a very fine periodical); specialists' group (this organization is interestedorganizations in plate flac and the life) ; i Lc . All of these are part of the swiss Co l lectors' Societies Association (VSP) that publishes the Swiss Philatelic Journal, and all members of all societies re- ceive that journal as part of their membership dues. You will pini i t by itsubstandard even if your German or French is woefully on thealti if you are an advanced collector then it will. pay to g et lists of a few swiss and Liechtenstein auction firms -- lut unless you are a successful bidder you ' l l b e bounced off the lists very rapidly : :

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Sports Issues Among the Swiss Military Stamps of World War II

by: Robert C. Ross

(EDITOR'S NOTE) This article appeared in the July-August, 1974 issue of Journal of Sports Philatelists . It is reprinted here with the kind permission of the author .) (Editor's Note #2) Figure 1 did not come out well in May because the screen blocked up at the reduced size . It is run again here at 1 :1, and so are Figs. 5-9A . Hope they come out better here . (RTC)

Sixth Championships

The sixth Army championships were held in Fribourg August 27 through 30, 1942. The Field Post issued a special circular cancellation and the Post Office a special rectangular mark (see figure 5) . Six stamps were also issued in dark green, red, blue, yellow and (imperforate) black (see figure 6), all occurring in a sheet of six, both perforated 11 and imperforate . The artist was H . Broillet . These stamps were numbered 71 through 76 by Locher. Locher indicates that the sheets of six have text, but, by implication, in only one version . However, the Smithsonian in Washington, D .C . has imperforate sheets with three different inscriptions, all at the bottom of the sheet. I . 6 . ARMEEMEISTERSCHAFTEN / FREIBURG 1942 2 . 6 . CAMPIONATI MILITARI / FRIBORGO 1942 3 . 6 . CONCURRENZIA MILITARA / FRIBURG 1942 The illustrated sheet has a French inscription : "6es CHAMPIONNATS D'ARMEE / FRIBOURG 1942", and exists both perforated and imperforate . I do not know if the German, Italian and Romansh sheets exist perforated.

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Winter Games,1943 The Army held winter games at Adelboden on February 23 through 28, 1943. Again, a special card was issued and two special cancels were employed by the Post Office and the Field Post . (Figures 7 and 8 .) Sixteen different stamps were issued, all of a similar type and all in green and black, in perforated 11 and imperforate sheets of four . Figure 9 shows the sheet of four containing Locher Nos . 77-80 and is on white paper with German text . Locher's Nos . 81-84 occur on green paper with French text ; Nos . 85-88 occur on blue paper with Italian text and Locher Nos . 88-92 occur on buff paper with Romansh text .

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Switzerland and the American Revolution Bicentennial by: Fred R . Lesser

There is no doubt that the authors of the 'Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union' as accepted in the Continental Congress and ultimately incorporated in the Constitution for the United States, had studied the historical and political components of the Swiss Federation (Staatenbund ). At that time ( 1774 - 1787 ), the Swiss Staatenbund was a loose federation of 13 cantons without a central government, a royal dynasty or a religious hierarchy . Three of the 13 cantons were 'twin cantons' : Appenzell A.R. and I .R ., Basel Stadt and Landschaft, Unterwalden/Nidwalden and /Obwalden. As a government system, the federation concept was unique in Europe. When the Swiss began to constitutionalize the Federation into a Confederation in 1848, Switzerland consisted of 25 cantons including the 3 'twins'. The final constitution of the Swiss Confederation was adopted in 1874 . There is evidence that the Constitution for the United States became the subject of close examination by the Swiss, and in a way the serving of the American Constitution as a model for the Swiss Confederation was like a coming home of the prodigious son. Two historic events led up to the actual existence of Switzerland as a national entity in Europe . The opening of the St .Gotthard Pass to traffic in 1230 and the founding of the Hanseatic League in Northern Germany in 1241. These events were preceded by the signing of the Magna Carta in England in 1215 .. The St .Gotthard Pass became the keystone of the Germano- Roman Empire and subsequently, the gateway for communicative intercourse between the ecclesiastical and political Power of Rome and the Empires of the Hapsburgs and Bourbons on the other side of the Alps . The Hanseatic League was based on the political and economic autonomy granted to important trade centres and cities under the protection of their surrounding imperial powers . Luebeck, Hamburg and Bremen were the largest of these Hanseatic cities . With a view to assuring the neutrality of the all-important St .Gotthard Pass, the Emperors took under their special protection the people who guarded the access to the Pass and granted them the same political and economic self-determination . On the death of the Emperor Rudolf Hapsburg in 1291, the inhabitants of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden, 3 adjacent communities known as the Forest Cantons, formed a political association or federation in defense of their mutual privileges and interests . This union was known as the 'Perpetual Pact' . The canton Schwyz gave Switzerland her ultimate name, i .e. Schweiz. To preserve their independence from outside powers, the Swiss always sided with forces o pposed to the omnipotence of the Hapsburgs . The battle of Morgarten in 1315 was the first

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battle waged and won by the Swiss against the Imperial Crown. The legend of William Tell as glorified in the Tellenlied (Song of Tell) written around 1474, had its origin in that battle.

Over a period of 5 decades, the federated 3 Forest Cantons grew into a federation of 25 . This growth came about partly as the result of acquisitional expansion by force of arms, partly as the result of a kind of voluntary gravitation of adjacent and interdependent cities and communities toward membership in the Federation. It is interesting to observe that there was a lull of 300 years before the number of cantons increased from 16 to 25 with the 9 cantons joining the Federation within 12 years after 1803 . Geneva was the last to join in 1815 . Napoleon had a lot to do with this sudden expansion.. The 1874 constitution of the Swiss Confederation is interesting in many respects for the fact alone that its constitutional components can be challenged by all Swiss citizens at all times. The executive power rests with the Federal Council (Bundesrat) . The 7 people who make up this Council must be elected every 3 years . Its president also bears the title of President of the Swiss Confederation but his annual election is in the hands of the Federal Assembly (Bundes Versammlung) and its 2 chambers, the States Council (Staenderat) and the National Council (Nationalrat) . The legislative powers rest with the Federal Council . Each canton is represented by 2 members in the States Council and every 20,000 citizens have one representative in the National Council . A separate Federal Tribunal decides on matters of civil and penal law but, unlike the US Supreme Court, it cannot rule on the constitutionality of any federal law. The ultimate powers rest with the Swiss citizens themselves. The Swiss are often envied for their constitutional rights. Under the Right of Initiative, it only requires 50,000 male citizens to get together to propose a new law or demand a national referendum to decide upon a revision in the constitution. Such a constitutional modification must also be approved by a majority of cantons . Under the Optional Referendum, 30000 male citizens can demand that any law passed by the Government be submitted to a popular vote. Although John Calvin was born in France ( 1509 ) and used Geneva as his power base when that city's membership in the Swiss Federation was still 300 years off, his teachings were deeply interrelated with the spiritual radicalism and anti-catholicism of his Swiss contemporary Ulrich Zwingli, the Governor of Zurich. Zwingli got killed in an armed clash between Zurich and the other cantons ( 1531 ), thus John Calvin overtook his historical

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importance and became the spearhead of the Radical Revolution, the Reformation . Because the teachings of Calvinism affected what is now being called the American Way of Life, or may have even initiated it, the arrival of the Calvinist Puritans on the shores of New England offers an interesting, yet indirect link in a socio-economic sense between the Swiss and the American people . John Calvin's teachings incorporated two novel if not revolutionary concepts . God was all-knowing and the final authority over man and his destiny . Industry and thrift were Christian virtues .. The first concept was in direct opposition to the authoritative powers traditionally assumed by popes, emperors and kings where-ever they ruled . The second concept meant that devotion to profit was more to the liking of God than man's preoccupation with monastic life . Both concepts appealed enormously to the then emerging artisan and merchant classes in Western Europe, classes which became the middle class with its own political and economic ambitions . Although Calvinist Puritans proclaimed humbleness in the face of God's predestinating powers over man's fate, they did not object to the attainment of success in material terms by way of self-fulfilling pursuit of power . The penetration of Calvinist proved particularly effective in countries where growing sectors of their societies were engaged in mercantile ventures . Calvinism became institutionalized in Holland as the Dutch Reformed Church . John Knox a devout follower of Calvin formed the Presbyterian Church in Scotland. The extremely industrious Calvinists in Prance became known as the huguenots . Throughout the reign of Elizabeth I, the Calvinist Puritans in England remained on the passive side. Later, they asserted themselves against the Anglican Church and as opponents to the Church of England became known as Separatists. The English Calvinists eventually lost out in the confrontation with the Church of England and migrated to Holland (Leyden) where the Dutch were reputed to be more tolerant . Within a few years, however, the English Calvinists and their Dutch born descendants became restive and crossed the Atlantic for the New World. then these English Calvinist Puritans, their Dutch descendants and their native Dutch co-religionists landed off the coast of New England, they brou ght with them the teachings of a man who managed to set up in Geneva a theocracy which allowed for man's acquisitional passions and which proved as powerful as that of the ancient Hebrews,.

(Editor's Note : 1 :00 a .m . in the morning is not the best time at all to proofread articles, as evidenced by the poor job I did on Fred's article in the May Tell . All goofs are on page 94 . Add "(34 x 50 stamps)" after paragraph 1 . Note :, line 3, delete "3" ; and line 5, add "the" 34 . . . Paragraph 4, line 7, "known" for "know", and line 10-11, delete the sentence after " . . .philatelic market ." Sorry about that, Fred . (RTC)

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MILITARY ABBREVIATIONS FOUND ON SWISS MILITARY AND FIELDPOST CANCELLATIONS AND ON SWISS SOLDIERS' ISSUES (Part 40) by : Felix Ganz

Supplement to the June, 1975 TELL AHPS Auction No . 5

Closing Date - June 30, 1975

Hello! Well, it's getting close to summer again . and with it the temptation to put aside philately for more active activities . I must admit that on a hot summer day, given the choice of working with my stamps or going swimming. I've been known to choose the latter . . However now is the best time of the year to buy stamps Most catalogues are a year or more out of date, and at least for Swiss material . many prices are sure to rise . Sincerely.

Prices Realized, AHPS Auction # 3 (April, 1975 TELL)

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AHPS Applicants Invited to"Man" the Swiss PTT Booth at INTERPHIL, 1976

Ernest Kehr, the Swiss Philatelic Agency representative in the United States sent nie a letter with the following information concerning the participation of the Swiss Philatelic Service Office in the forthcoming INTERPHIL exhibition in 1976 . If the Swiss PTT decides to take a booth at INTERPHIL, sending a full staff from Switzerland would be very costly . Mr . Kehr suggested that perhaps from one to three members of the AHPS might be willing to help man (or woman) the booth for the duration of the show . The show is, I believe, in Philadelphia . Anyone who is interested in doing

this should contact Mr . Kehr as soon as possible, stating what kind of salary they

would expect either on an hourly or daily basis . Contact : Mr . Ernest A . Kehr, Box 1, Richmond Hill, New York 11419 .

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Switzerland's Fourth National Language by : Harlan F. Stone

Collectors of Swiss stamps are usually familiar with the fact that the country has three languages, since all three appear on some of its stamps . Notable examples of these trilingual issues include the 1854- 62 Strubelis (Scott Nos . 14-40), the "symbolic" and "crossbow" sets for the Swiss National Exposition in Zurich in 1939 (Nos . 247-67), and the 1942 "salvage" sheet (comprising Nos . 281-3) . These inscriptions in German, French and Italian reflect the country's official languages. To avoid the cumbersome use of all three, however, the Swiss postal au- thorities have more often used the neutral Latin word "Helvetia" as a diplomatic way to designate the multi-lingual country. Not so readily known to beginning collectors is the fact that Switzer- land has, not three, but four national languages . Since 1938 the government has also recognized Romansch. But because this is not an official language, no federal documents (such as announcements of new stamp issues) are printed in Romansch . Only the canton of Graubunden, which contains most of the Romansch-speaking area, has accorded the language official as well as national status. Before the conquest of Raetia (generally eastern Switzerland) by the Romans Drusus and Tiberius in 15 B .C ., the language spoken in its moun- tains was ancient Raetian, which had traits common with other languages with Indo-European roots . The new occupants of Raetia brought a popular type of Latin spoken by the Romans . The mingling of these two languages resulted in a new kind of provincial Latin called Rheto-Romanic or Rheto-Romanisch . But because it never became the official language of a central state, as ancient French did, it eventually developed into a series of separate dialects . When the chief regional town of Chur officially switched to German in the 15th century, efforts to unify the Romansch dialects lost further way. During the 16th century Reformation, however, most of the population in Graubunden became Protestant, and their Romansch language became the language of the pulpit . This circumstance created the need for translations and publication of religious works in Romansch, a development that helped preserve the language at a time when it might otherwise have died in the face of the surrounding German . In 1560 Giachem Bifrun, a farmer and notary living in Samedan, translated the New Testament . Two years later Duri Champel, a reformed pastor and historian, translated the Psalms in the Romansch dialect of Ladin spoken in the Lower Engadine. Religious textbooks, hymns and prayers followed in the idioms of the Graubunden valleys . The first Romansch translation of the Bible was printed at Scuol in the Lower Engadine in 1679, according to John Murray III, the Englishman who wrote the classic Murray's Handbook for Travel- lers in Switzerland 1838 . In a passage he devoted to Romansch, he also wrote, "A newspaper is printed at Coire (Chur) in the Lingua Romanscha, a dialect peculiar to the Grisons (Graubunden) . . . The whole of Romansch literature may be comprised in about 30 books, mostly religious works,

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including the Bible, liturgy and catechisms . The first grammar and dictionary of the Romansch language was published by a clergyman named Conradi at Zurich in 1820 and 1823 . In 1836 a newspaper called Il Grischun Romansch was printed in the Romansch dialect at Coire ." Murray also noted that the Lingua Romanscha could be divided into at least three distinct dialects Ladin spoken in the Lower Engadine and the vale of Munster (Val Mustair) in the extreme southeast bulge of Switzerland ; Romansch in the Upper Engadine, Bregaglia, Oberhalbstein, Schams and neighboring valleys ; and the patois of the Graubunden high- landers to the west in the vale of the Vorder and the Hinter Rhine a- round Disentis.

He used the following translations of the first sentence in the Lord's Prayer to show the difference between the threes Our Father who art in heaven Pater noster qui es in coelis (Latin) Bab noss qual ca ti eis entschiel (Ladin) Pap nose quel tii est en eel (Romansch) Pap noss quel chi esch in'ls eels (patois) Murray also marveled over the peculiar, intricate intermixture of language and religion, writing, "There are scarcely two adjoining parishes, or even hamlets, speaking the same tongue and professing the same faith. Thus at Coire, German is the prevailing language, and Protestant the religion of the majority . At Ems, the first village on the road, Romansch is spoken . Tamins and Reichenau are Catholic and German . Bonaduz, divided from them only by the Rhine, is reformed and speaks Romansch. Rhoetzuns and Katsiz (Cazis) are two Romish villages, but in the first the language is German, in the second Romansch . The inhabitants of Heinzenberg (Valley) are Protestant and German . At Thusis they are reformed and German, at Zillis and Schams (Valley) reformed and Romansch ." AllChur! this within only 15 or 20 miles of Only in the second half of the 19th century did scholars concern themselves with the survival of Romansch . Linguists, scientists and liter- ary historians all contributed research and teaching to revive the language . These scholarly efforts showed that Romansch was intimately con- nected with the traditions and ancestral customs of the people . In fact, it had become the very expression of customs they had maintained with staunch independence as members of the Swiss Confederation . This historical importance of the language led the federal government to hold a national referendum on Feb . 20, 1938, on the question of ac- cepting Romansch as the fourth national language . The favorable vote was 575,000 to 52,000 Following the referendum, the cantonal government in Graubunden rea- dopted the ancient and melodious names for a number of the area's towns and villages . Thus Disentis became Muster, Samaden changed to Sameden, Schuls was renamed Scuol, and St . Moritz officially adopted San Murez- zan . On current Swiss maps the old and new names for many, if not all, of these places appear together . (to be continued)

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Pricing Your Stamps Right (and Prices Others Charge)

I have been asked to give an opinion on prices of swiss material, in- side and out of the circuits . AHPS members write in and ask ; is that too little ; is that too much ; is that worth that much on cover, etc. Being neither King Solomon, nor the Association of Philatelic Traders of Switzerland, nor Linn's "Stamp Trends" columnist, I can, at best, reply to those inquirers that whatever follows is no more than a personal opinion based on careful observing of auction results, advertised sales prices, takes from our own society ' s sales circuits, and occasional opportunities at insider information on things to happen. As sales manager of AHPS I have seen, this past season, over 125 submitted sales books, envelopes, and the like . Prices asked have ranged from the ridiculously high (with subsequent low sales) to the moderately low as well as to the realistic . CONDITION is the absolute key word for any item about to he sold . Of course there is always the occasional " I-must-have-this-at-any-price" buyer who may occasionally (and knowingly) over- splurgebecause on something that has eluded him for x plus z years simply his frustrations of seeing that empty spot in his album have reached the boiling point . But generally a collector is more interested in getting a real bargain in form of a misdescribed and thus underpriced item the existence of which still occurs and the finding of which produces a philatelic climax: If a collector adds to his collection "regular" stamps, he desires in the main unhinged or VERY lightly hinged mint stamps, gently but legibly canceled used stamps, unfrayed, un-dogeared, COMPLE TE letters or cards, and -- wherever possible -- neatly and centrally canceled blocks of four. For a seller trying to peddle unused stamps on the back of which there are wide assortments of various hinges (some of Chem often attempting to hide thin spots), or that have more than a quarter of their backs' surface covered by one or several hinges, is a hopeless undertaking unless such items are offered as what they are . . .and priced accordingly 25 to 50%. cheaper than a real, unhinged mint stamp . It would be nice to accept, for all deal- ings within AHPS, the standard that the sign ** means truly mint unhinged, the sign means unused, with gum but with hin g e, and the sign ( e ) for unused without gum . For mint unhinged about 30% of Zumstein ought to be char- g ed (divide price in francs by 3 ) ; for all hinged unused stamps except those with a tiny (1/16 of an inch ; no more) first hinge no more than 50- 60% of Zumstein should be charged, and for () items, except perhaps Basel doves and the like, even less must be charged . Yours truly hinges his stamps for mounting (1 do not believe in stock books nor in plastic mounts many of which can permanently discolor and damage stamps -- no air, chem- ical changes, etc . --) ; but a prefolded hin g e is cut, at the narrow side, to that : 1/16th inch width, then wetted carefully, attached to the stamp ' s hack high up near the top margin, and then carefully mounted, to avoid ex- cess moisture from sticking the stamp hopelessly onto the page forever. then it comes to used stamps any stamp offered for sale SL . T be lice of any hinges on the back . In soaking stamps off paper it should be remem- bered that our regular tap water usually contains so many chemicals that an earlychangeling issue .stamp For might emerge from its bath as a color soaking "Strubeli " stamps (silk thread issues) a long bath in pure, distilled and definitely unchlorinated, unfluorized water is a MUST -- else you may sec your valuable stamps deteriorate before your unbelieving eyes. Again, as concerns used stamps, NO collector of Swiss material wants stamps marred by machine slogans (machine CROWNS, circular, are perfectly

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acceptable, though), by smeary date strikes, by cutting circular or other marks, or by roller cancels -- UNLESS a collector is a cancellation collector ; but then he wants his specimens on complete cover or cut-out: There are some collectors who prefer "full-face" cancels, sort of bulls-eyes on which the complete date and most of the town name can be read ; and there are those who are aficionados of the "quarter-cancel", the strike that is definitely there but which does not deface the stamp picture . Block-of-four collectors are the logical step beyond the used singles, quarter-cancel collector : they want their blocks to feature but ONE, centrally applied, neat and legible date strike. As to pricing of used stamps that are absolutely free of defects (all perfs present, no thins, no rubbed surface from a cancellation, no cuts from a cancellation, no rubbed back from oversoaking, no discolor- ing) I suggest again to use Zumstein as a oasis and to allow a 15 to 20% discount from his prices for truly excellent material (don ' t forget that Zumstein himself offers a discount on their prices if you buy above a certain amount :) . If you want to dispose of heavily canceled material, or machine and roller canceled stamps, then you must offer them at 50% or more off the catalog price . As concerns off-centered stamps, collectors in Switzerland have never paid much attention to that type of condition (strange perhaps to a US collector : :), and even the recently descri- bed and wonderfully illustrated Silva book on Swiss stamps contains illustrations of a few real off-center items, modern ones included: To use Linn ' s "Stamp Trends " as a basis for pricing Swiss stamps is absolutely inane . Whoever, for instance, will sell a NABA sheet for $225 (as suggested in the last Swiss price trends list in Linns in January, 1975)? Yours truly will be delighted to buy ten of these at that price, and selling them to dealers in Switzerland at a $75 to $100 markup over- night To use Scott ' s as a guide to Swiss prices is also to be discouraged . Scott ' s is usually two years behind actual price trends -- both up or down . And Scott does not list many things that Swiss collectors amass : from interspace pairs to used blocks of four, etc. Finally it should be said that ALL catalog prices for stamps from about 1963 on are unrealistic . Of most of these issues there exists an enormous glut on the market, and many collectors are happy to resell ten year old hoarded sheets at face, or slightly below . So please take that into account as well. If you have the time to hunt for flaws (printing mistakes, etc .) among your duplicates, then you will hit paydirt (if that is what you want) . Anything from the Courvoisier ghost flaws to color or white spots in a stamp's design, to actual misregistrations or plate faults is now avidly collected by an ever growing number of Swiss collectors . The missing spoke on the 5 cts . train set of 1947, the missing wire on the 20cts . of the same set, the "spider on the hammer" of the 1941 Bern stamp, the "missing river" on all seated Helvetias (1910-40), and whatever else is listed (and sometimes unlisted) in the Zumstein Specializ- ed can bring ten to thirty-fold prices above those of a normal stamp of the same design . And if you go in for double impressions or double transfers and the like, then you will suddenly find eager buyers IF such items show up in your duplicates . Start with your holdings of "Cross and Cy- pher" issues and check how many you have with truly broken, extended, or interrupted frame lines . You may be the recipient of an unexpected bo- nanza right there (your going blind notwithstanding) . And the Standing Helvetia plate flaws and retouches : that ' s another chapter where pains- taking viewing of each stamp may suddenly produce desirable rarities. In short : be alert ; but also be realistic when pricing your duplicates . Then you will realize even more HOW much fun-(and occ a sional profit) stamp collecting can be . (Felix Ganz

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