Swiss Letter Mail to Foreign Countries - the Classic Period 1848 to 1854
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SWISS LETTER MAIL TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES - THE CLASSIC PERIOD 1848 TO 1854 - Introduction and Switzerland and not between the foreign states and the individual cantons. Under the new republic, the cantons still This study deals with mail from Switzerland to foreign had the right to self-government on local issues. The Federal destinations, prepaid with adhesive stamps. The period starts Postal Department under the republic was established on 1 when the Swiss cantons formed a Federal Republic in 1848 January 1849. Since it was not possible to introduce new and ends with the withdrawal of the first federal stamp issue uniform tariffs immediately, the canton tariffs remained in on 30 September 1854. This period is referred to in Swiss effect for another several months until new treaties could be philately as the Classic Period, and is the timeframe when executed. The first foreign postal treaties were: the first foreign postal treaties between the Federal Postal Administration of Switzerland and foreign states were Executed Effective Country executed, replacing the earlier Cantonal treaties. The Swiss 02.07.1849 01.09.1849 Austria 12.11.1849 01.07.1850 Belgium Postal Administration only granted permission to use postage 25.11.1849 01.07.1850 France stamps for the prepayment of foreign mail as of 1 January 21.10.1850 01.04.1851 Sardinia 1852, prior to that partial franking to border with some of the 23.04.1852 15.10.1852 German Postal Union neighboring states was possible. Recorded Destinations We have so far recorded 713 letters from Switzerland either partially or fully paid with postage stamps addressed to a foreign destination: Denmark 1 Two Sicilies 38 Baden 79 Great Britain 10 Parma 26 Prussia 14 Belgium 1 Modena 92 Hanover 3 Netherlands 3 Austria 51 Hessen 1 Permission to use adhesive stamps on Foreign Mail Liechtenstein 2 Hungary 2 Free Cities 11 Article 3. Swiss Postal Administration, 29 Christmonat 1851 Russia 1 Lombardia 20 Wuertemberg 49 France 153 Venezia 3 Sachsen 3 With the introduction of new postage stamps- imperforated Sardinia 45 San Marino 1 Nassau 1 Sitting Helvetia on 15 September 1854, the volume of fully Papal State 46 Bavaria 38 Schwerin 1 prepaid foreign mail increased dramatically, since the new Tuscany 14 Crimean War 1 India 1 values of 20, 40 and 100 Rp were conductive to prepayment. USA 10 Mexico 1 Brazil 1 Postal Conventions Organization In 1848 the Swiss cantons formed a Federal Republic under a The collection is organized by country and documents the new federal constitution, thereby reaching a compromise relevant postal treaties and routes. Included are about 90% of between central control and cantonal authority. From this all recorded rarities, collected over a period of almost 40 point, the postal agreements were between the foreign states years. All letters have expert certificates (attached on back) KINGDOM OF FRANCE Cantonal Postal Treaty Basel-France: Rate Period 1.4.1848 – 30.9.1849 In 1823 the Nederlandsche Maatschappij Stoomboot (NSM) began a Rhine river steamboat service, connecting Antwerp with Rotterdam. Service was expanded already a year later to Cologne. On 22 September 1825, the Grand Duchy of Baden Rhine Steamship Company was formed offering passenger, freight and mail service from Mannheim to Basel, Switzerland. Competition was increased in 1826 when the Prussian Rhine Steamship Company (PRDG) was formed. In 1832 the companies merged and expanded service to Strasbourg under the Navigation du Rhin par Bateaux a Vapeur. Daily dispatched with four-river steamer were offered. Private mail service between Basel and Strasbourg, France, was arranged by steamboat and railroad agent Louis Hisenclever (original document part of this collection) 15 July 1849 Basel to Paris, prepaid 30 Rappen in cash for private service Cachet of Louis Hisenclever agent, via Navigation du Rhin par Bateaux a Vapeur to Strasburg 15 July 1849 entered mails at Strasbourg for carriage to Paris with France 20 centimes One reported use of the “Navigation du Rhin par Bateaux a Vapeur” for letter mail to France KINGDOM OF FRANCE Postal Treaty France-Switzerland: 1 Rate Period 1.7.1850 – 31.12.1851 Border Exchange Offices- Jura, Basel ex Maurice Burrus Porrentruy to Besancon, 14 October 1850. Single rate of 25 Rappen, sent via Delle. PD- Paid to Destination Foreign letters could only be prepaid in cash- franking with postage stamps was not authorized until 1.1.1852 The French post office tolerated the full franking to destination- credit to France 6 Kreuzer (marked on reverse) First recorded FULLY FRANKED TO DESTINATION letter from Switzerland to France KINGDOM OF FRANCE Postal Treaty France-Switzerland: 2 Rate Period 1.1.1852 – 14.9.1854 The Franco-Swiss rate tables provided for a reduced rate for letter mail exchanged within a predefined border zone. The distance from sending to arriving post office could not exceed 30 kilometers. A special annex to the rate book listed all towns which qualified for the reduced rates. Up to 31 December 1851, the rate was set at 10 Rappen for the single weight (1/2 Loth or 7.5 gr) but increased in the new treaty of 1 January 1852 to 15 Rappen. Geneva Border-Zone Basel Border-Zone Pair of border-zone letters from 1853 from Geneva to St. Claude and Basel to Mulhouse Both mails qualified for the reduced rate for the single rate of 15 Rappen Geneva border-zone included: Collonge, Fernex, Gex, St-Claude, Chatillon Basel border-zone included: Mulhouse and St.Louis One recorded St.Claude border-zone letter and eleven recorded Mulhouse border-zone letters KINGDOM OF FRANCE Postal Treaty France-Switzerland: 2 Rate Period 1.1.1852 – 14.9.1854 Geneva to Limoux, France, 14 December 1853. Single rate of 35 Rappen, unauthorized use of stamp Prepaid with 5 Rappen to Swiss Border and 10 Centimes Napoleon for French postage Marked Timbre Insuffisant (insufficient stamp)- treated as unfranked by France and accessed with 4 decimes Two recorded combination covers with Rayon and French postage stamps ex Maurice Burrus Porrentruy to Paris, 12 September 1852. Quadruple rate of 140 Rappen, via border exchange office Delle First Swiss Postal Zone (up to 10 hours from border/ 1 hour = 4.8 kilometer) to France Six reported foreign destination mails prepaid with ten or more Rayon adhesive stamps KINGDOM OF FRANCE Postal Treaty France-Switzerland: 2 Rate Period 1.1.1852 – 14.9.1854 ex Violand Breitenbach to Bartenheim, Alsace, 11 April 1853. Double rate of 40 Rappen for registered mail. Carried via Basel and border exchange St. Louis- paid to destination (PD) ex Maurice Burrus, Dr. Franz Egger, Pedemonte, Seebub Neuchatel to Paris, 23 May 1854. Triple rate of 105 Rappen plus 105 Rappen for Registration Border exchange office Pontarlier. The postal treaty required the double rate for registered mail Highest recorded use of the Rayon III to a foreign Destination- only two recorded registered letters to France KINGDOM OF FRANCE Postal Treaty France-Switzerland: 2 Rate Period 1.1.1852 – 14.9.1854 ex Dr. Marcel Kottelat Porrentruy to Marseille, 3 May 1852. Double rate of 70 Rappen, sent via border exchange office at Delle Highest recorded usage of the Rayon I lightblue to a foreign Destination The Wine Merchant from Bellelay Louis Monnin was a wine merchant and, from 1852 until his death in 1885 as well the postal clerk of the postal facility in Bellelay. He manufactured his own cancel- a blue-dotted grill, which he applied during 1853/55 to tie the stamps. Only two uses to a foreign destination are recorded. It is today one of the most thought after cancels of the classic Switzerland. ex Silvaplana, Seebub Bellelay to Plancy, 28 July 1854. Single rate of 35 Rappen, via St. Louis border exchange Louis Monnin was wine merchant and Bellelay postal clerk- he tied the stamps with a private manufacture grill cancel KINGDOM OF FRANCE Postal Treaty France-Switzerland: 2 Rate Period 1.1.1852 – 14.9.1854 The Swiss Postal Administration informed on 29 January 1854 all regional postal offices: “…we have noticed that in an increasing number the public is franking mail with bisected stamps. This is not tolerated since it cannot ensure proper cancellation and avoid the re-use of previously used stamps. Such mail has to be treated as totally un-franked...” 12. Instructions, regarding the use of bisected postage stamps 29 January 1854 ex Dr. H.C. Leeman; H.H. Landau Delemont to Paris, 24 April 1854. Single rate of 35 Rappen, insufficient postage, via St.Louis First Swiss Rate Zone (up to 10 hours from Border) to Other Departments of France Unauthorized use of bisected stamp- rated at the St.Louis border exchange with 4 decimes due Three reported letters prepaid with bisect to a foreign destination- one to France KINGDOM OF FRANCE Postal Treaty France-Switzerland: 3 Rate Period 15.9.1854 – 15.8.1859 Geneva to Paris, 30 September 1854. Single rate of 35 Rappen, via Fernex border exchange, LAST DAY RAYON The “Rayon” issue was replaced by the “Strubel” issue on 9.15.1854 but remained valid until 9.30.1854 First Swiss Postal Zone to Other Departments of France- PD Paid to Destination On 15 September 1854 a further simplification reduced the four Swiss postal zones to two. The Rayon stamps were replaced on 15 September 1854 by the imperforated “Sitting Helvetia” (Strubel). The Rayon remained valid until 30 September 1854. Only recorded Rayon LAST DAY cover to a Foreign Destination Geneva to Paris, 27 September 1854. Single rate of 35 Rappen, via Fernex First Swiss Postal Zone (up to 10 hours from Border) to Other Departments of France Mixed Franking between the Rayon and Strubel, only possible from 15 September1854 to 30 September 1854 KINGDOM OF FRANCE Postal Treaty France-Switzerland: 3 Rate Period 15.9.1854 – 15.8.1859 The public was slow in embracing the use of stamps on foreign mail and discouraged by the lack of sufficiently high nominal stamps.