VOL. XXVI, NUMBER 2 MARCH 200 0 American Helvetia Philatelic Society Strubel Thread Varieties: My Experience. (Part I)
by Richard L. Fath
There seems to be some uncertainty in looking at Strubel threads as to what are and what are no t true thread varieties. In this article I relate what I have found out about such varieties as I studie d the pertinent literature available to me and my own accumulation of Strubels . My appreciation is hereby expressed to Drs. Heinrich Heissinger and Ernest Bergman, bot h highly reputed in AHPS circles and beyond, for their assistance with the German language references . Any errors in the presentation of such references in this article are due to my misunderstandings an d not to their expert assistance .
THREAD COLOR VARIETIES
Black Threads. There seems to be no disagreement in the literature that "black " threads found on other than 5 rappen or one franc stamps are not truly black . a. The Handbook of the Postage Stamps of Switzerland by Postilion Publications from the German of Ernst Zumstein in 1910 does not discuss black threads a s a possible Strubel thread variety . b. Switzerland A New Classification of the Strubel' Issue Sitting Helvetia Imperforate 1854-1862 ., by Walter d'Aujourd'hui, Swiss Philatelic Societ y Basel, 1982, as translated by Edmund C . Walton (AHPS) has a rather definit e 10 Rappen blue . statement on the subject, "For the paper manufactured in Pasing nea r Zumstein #23B wit h Munich, the silk thread predominately used was an emerald green colour . plate fault 3 . Black (?) thread. Occasionally this thread is also found in quite dark shades, which seem o n superficial examination to be almost black ." c. Spezialkatalog Uber Die Briefmarken Der Schweiz, the Zumstein Specialty Catalog did no t formerly and does not now in its Year 2000 edition list in its Strubel table any black-threade d varieties. d. My Strubels . Two of my Strubels, which seem to be from early printings, have threads which upo n very close, let alone superficial, examination look black. One is a red brown 5 rappen stamp finely printed on thin paper . It appears to be a typical one from the second Munich printing, i .e. a Zumstein #22A . The other is a blue 10 rappen on thin paper but not so finely printed . Among other things, it has a light necklace . It also has markings around the upper right star, which Zumstein lists as Plate Fault #3 for both the second Munich printing and the first Bern printing , catalog numbers 23A and 23B (see an accompanying illustration of this 10 rappen stamp) . The threads in these two stamps appear black under ten power magnification, and when held up to a light show no aura of green around their very dark threads . (continued on page 6)
Contents American Helvetia Philatelic Societ y Strubel Thread Varieties : My Experience 1 Officers 1999- 200 0 President's Musings 2 naba 2000 St. Gallen June 21-25 : UPDATE 3 ELECTED OFFICERS APPOINTED OFFICERS An American Exhibitor at Stufe III 3 President TELL Editor Matterhorn Meanderings 4 James A . Anderso n George Strubl e Auction 117 8 14463 E . Wagontrail Pl . 210 18th St . N E AHPS Circuits 13 Aurora, CO 80015 Salem, OR 97301-431 6 Home : 303-617-7836 Home : 503-364-3929 Cancel of the Month 14 [email protected] E-mail : [email protected] Treasurer's Report 15 WW II Part 4 16 Past Presiden t TELL Associate Editor Dick Barto n Steven S . Weston 2800 Crestview Ct . P.O. Box 86 8 Copyright 2000, The American Helvetia Philatelic Society (AHPS) . Loveland, CO 80538-307 8 Del Mar CA 92014-0868 TELL (ISSN 1042-2072) is the official journal of the America n Home : 970-669-8130 760-752-781 2 Helvetia Philatelic Society, affiliate #52 of the American Philateli c E-mail: cdbarton@info2000 .net Society and a member of the Union of Swiss Philatelic Societies . Circuit Sales Manager TELL is published bimonthly (Jan/Mar/May/Jul/Sep/Nov) . Vice-President Emil L. Toble r Editor Emeritus P.O. Box 26 Opinions expressed in this journal are those of the authors and ar e David E . Durham, Pastor Bradford RI 02808 not necessarily endorsed by AHPS or the Editor. #7 Allenhurst Roa d Home : 401-377-2238 Letters and articles on Swiss, Liechtenstein, UN Geneva an d Buffalo, NY 14214-120 1 related philately are welcome and should be sent to the Editor . Home : 716-833-6504 Auction Manage r Whenever possible, submit material on 3 .5 " PC or Macintosh E-mail : dedur@aol .com Gordon Trotte r computer diskettes . Material may also be submitted by e-mail i n 10626 Fable Row plain text or as a Microsoft Word attachment . Illustrations are Secretary & Librarian Columbia, MD 21044 encouraged and may be submitted as full size photocopies ; or, we Richard T. Hall Phone : 410-730-7936 can copy/scan your originals (please contact the Editor before P.O. Box 66 6 Fax: 410-740-7215 sending actual stamps, covers, etc .). Please include your name , Manhattan Beach, CA 9026 7 E-mail : trotters@erols .com address and telephone number. Home : 310-546-5226 E-mail: rtravish@pacbell .net Publicity Chairma n Subscriptions for 2000 include AHPS dues : North America, $20 ; by Awards Chairman first class mail, $25 ; overseas air delivery, $30 . Request membership Treasurer Editor Emeritus applications from the Secretary . Change-of-Address should be sen t Frank Young Harlan F . Stone to the Secretary. 412 North Main Street P.O. Box 770334 Herkimer, NY 13350 Woodside NY 1137 7 President's Musings Home : 315-866-782 2 Home : 718-478-2374
by Jim Anderson Regional Director West Slide Chairman Donn Lueck Richard W. Blaney Well, we certainly had a fine meeting in Florida P. O . Box 1158 2 PO Box 1100 . Phoenix, AZ 8506 1 Easton MA 02334-110 0 However, the day after I returned to Denver I ha d Home : 602-841-1322 508-238-313 4 a stroke and can't remember coming home o r Regional Director Central REPRESENTATIVE S Ralph Soderberg, M.D . anything for the next two weeks. It was not that Union of Swiss Philatelic P. O . Box 3606 7 good a time! At any rate, I am recovering but Societies Representativ e Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 4823 6 Ralph Soderberg cannot go back to work for at least six months . Home : 313-885-4125 P.O. Box 3606 7 The doctors say I may recover enough to wor k Regional Director Eas t Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 4823 6 again, but only time will tell . I apologize to all of Helen Galatan-Ston e Home : 313-885-4125 you and our new editor George for not being abl e P.O . Box 77033 4 Woodside NY 1137 7 American Philatelic Society to write my commentary last time. As I read the Home : 718-478-237 4 Charles J. LaBlonde last newsletter though, it seems that George' s Plan to attend/exhibit at these 2940 Underwood Point # 5 article for me was better than mine. AHPS Conventions and shows : Colorado Springs, CO 8092 0 719-593-5974 SESCAL October 200 1 Last week I was informed that my exhibi E-mail : t Los Angeles, CA chuck .lablonde@smawins .com had been accepted for the June Swiss show in St . CHICAGOPEX November 2002 Gallen. I noticed that Harlan Stone, Michae l BALPEX September 2003 Liechtenstein Study Group Baltimore, MD Chm: Ralph R .Schneider Peter, Dr. Ralph Soderberg and our show P.O . Box 2304 9 chairman for Switzerland Dr . Ernie Bergman ROMPEX May 200 4 Denver, Colorad o were also in the competition . I hope I didn't miss Commercial advertising copy and rate inquiries should be sent to anyone. It will be my family's first visit t o the Treasurer . Advertising deadlines are six weeks prior t o Switzerland and we will be (continued on page 3) publication date (Jan, Mar, May, July, Sept, Nov) . Printed by Kettle Moraine Printing, West Bend WI 53095 .
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Schmuckli of the Organisation Committee states: President's Musings (cont. from p. 2) "At naba 2000 you are witnessing very closely staying for two weeks . So anyone with some hel p what these little works of art represent -- a littl e on sites to see or places to go, please let me know . imagination helps"! Each show day has it s We did vote to submit some possibl e motto : changes to our bylaws to the membership thi s • Wednesday "Collecting unites" year. I hope that I will have that ready for your " attention in the next TELL . The changes were • Thursday "Collectors are happy people " well thought out by our committee and should b e • Friday "Diversity of the Philately helpful for the efficient functioning of the Society. • Saturday "Aero- and Astrophilately" • Sunday "Youth and collecting" I wish you all the best for the ne w millennium. We can all be grateful that we ar e Further important information will be around to see our stamps and covers from the published in May in the naba-Messe-Magazin 1800s become another century older . (naba-fair-magazine) and contain descriptions o f collections of the guest country China, collection s in the jury salon, the bourse and list o f naba 2000 St.Gallen participating dealers, Foreign Postal Admini- June 21-25, 2000 - UPDATE strations/special cancellations, Special events , d by Ernest L Bergman Excursions/Hotels, Public transportation an Parking possibilities. e The large "Katalog" of naba 2000 st .gallen has Furthermore, the e-mail address of th w been received by those whose exhibits have bee n Hotel Dom in St .Gallen has changed and is no accepted by the show committee. The catalog
March 2000 3 TELL
Matterhorn Meanderings by Richard T. Hall
I hope you have missed my column which has been missing from TELL's pages for various and sundry reasons . The new year is a good time to get back on track. One of our members is having trouble distinguishing between the three issues of the Numera l and Cross of the Confederation issue of 1882 to 1906 . He says that he finds the Scott listing poor i n explaining the difference between the issues . With that I would agree wholeheartedly, which is why most of us use the Zumstein numbering . The three issues are : 1. 1882 (Scott 69-76, Zumstein 53-57 ) 2. 1882-1899 (Scott 77-81, Zumstein 58-65) 3. 1906 (Scott 113-118, Zumstein 80-85 ) First, to separate Issue 3 from the earlier issues, check for the contro l mark or a watermark. The latter issue is watermarked multiple Swiss crosses . The earlier issues have the control mark impressed on the back side . The control mark is the Swiss cross within an oval and comes in two sizes: control mark I (wide) which is 8 .85mm wide and the oval 0 .8mm thick, and control mark II (narrow) which is 8 .4mm wide and the oval only 0.45mm thick. Issue 1 is on white paper, the latter two issues are on granite (blue and red fibers) paper . Issue 1 also only comes with the wide (I) control mark . Issue 2 comes with both-control marks . Thus, identification of the three issues is not too difficult . If the stamp is on white (not granite) paper, it is issue 1 . If it is on watermarked granite paper, it is issue 3 . If it is on granite paper with a control mark, it is issue 2 .
Next, I received information on the Hauptwil and Amriswil K-cancels mentioned in the September 1999 column . Walter Weber, our member from Washington state, has his roots i n Hauptwil back to 1605 . He has identified the mountain and tower in the Amriswil cancel as th e Säntis with its observatory tower. I hope to get to the Säntis when we go over to NABA in St . Gallen in June. Walter also sent a copy of an article describing a 4½ hour walk from Amriswil to Hauptwil vi a the pilgrimage church of St . Pelagiberg. Walter's family records are contained in this church .
Now, on to some new topics. First, the privatization of the Swiss Post is going to have a big impact on those of us who collect Swiss machine cancels . Evidently as a "cost-cutting" effort, Swiss Post will no longer supply machine cancels as a service and is apparently eliminating its own advisor y cancels ("Mail Early for Christmas," "Use Express Mail," etc.). The impact of this new ruling i s evident in the schedule of machine cancels for January 2000. Where this list normally ran 3 or 4 pages in the "Stempel News, " the January 2000 list is only 1 page! It will be interesting to see ho w this plays out.
Let me now start to catch up on the new K-cancels which have appeared since last August . First we have a new cancel from Bürchen (K408b) in the canton of Valais. The town is on the south side of the Rhone valley not far west of Visp . It is evidently in a birch forest as the cancel shows a birch leaf and the cancel describes the town as "Das Birkendorf' or "Birch Town . " The cancel was first used on the "click" date of September 9, 1999 .
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Also first used on the "click" date of September 9 was the new cancel from Wangen bei Olten (K1589) in the canton of Solothurn . This town is on the Dünnern river west of the town of Olten. The river flows into the Aare at Olten . The cancel shows a generalized view of the village . Can someone supply the name of the mountain in the background ? Next, also appearing on the same day, was the new cancel from the villag e of Sachseln (K414a) in the half-canton of Obwalden . Sachseln is proud of the fact that it is at the geographic center of Switzerland. It is located on the eastern shor e of the Sarner See . Brother Klaus (Nicholas von der Flüe, Zumstein PJ52) is buried in the church of the village . Appearing later in September, the 24th, was the cancel for the Jura village of Montmelon (K1590) . The village lies on the river Doubs where it makes its easterly loop from the French border into Switzerland. The cancel shows the bridge over the Doubs leading to an area called "Th e Ravines ." Appearing on October 29, 1999, was a cancel for another Jura village, Châtillon (K1592). The cancel shows a large oak tree ("Chêne des Bosses"; as best I can determine, bosses are barrels) whos e significance I was unable to determine. Nor could I find a reference to th e name of the church in the background . The Aargau villages of Oberwil-Lieli first used a K-cancel (K1593 ) on October 30, 1999 . The two villages have a combined post office serving them. The villages lie to the southeast of Bremgarten. The cancel show s buildings along the road in what I assume is Oberwil as it is the larger of the two villages. Starting off the new year (January 3, 2000), the village of Strengelbach (K1594) in the canton of Aarga u began using its first K-cancel . My references don 't tell me what the buildings shown on the cancel are . Strengelbach is on the opposite side of the Wigger river from the town o f Zofingen. Finally, also on January 3, 2000, the Graubüden town of Poschiavo (K222b) issued a new K-cancel advertisin g itself as "simply beautiful " ("semplicemente bella"). I can remember travelling through Poschiavo when w e took the Bernina Express from Tirano, Italy, to St. Moritz. It is a pretty town with a large collection of Italian-styled buildings .
For those of you interested in post office closing s and name changes, there were a bunch at the end of 1999. 1. 2024 St-Aubin NE became 2024 St-Aubin-Sauges on September 1 , 1999. 2. 6313 Finstersee (ZG) was closed on August 28, 1999 . Its K-cance l (K232b) was last used on that day . 3. 4445 Häfelfingen (BL) was closed on September 18, 1999 . 4. 8585 Zuben (TG) was closed on September 25, 1999 and its K-cancel (K1553) was last used o n that date.
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5. 3271 Radelfingen bei Aarberg (BE) was closed on September 30, 1999. 6. 3208 Gurbrü (BE) was closed on September 30, 1999 and its K-cancel (K921) was last used o n that date. 7. Three Ticino villages sharing the same PLZ, 6951 Cozzo, 6951 Insone, and 6951 Signôra wer e all closed on September 30, 1999 . 8. 3000 Bern 30 Schönburg was closed on October 29, 1999 . 9. 2732 Saules BE was closed on September 30, 1999 . 10. 8059 Zürich 59 Rieterplatz was closed on October 2, 1999 . 11. 3981 Gluringen (VS) was closed on October 30, 1999 . 12. 1200 Genève 28 Le Bouchet changed its name to 1200 Genève 28 Balexert on December 8, 1999. 13. 7207 Lanquart Fabriken (GR) was closed on November 27, 1999. 14. 7270 Davos 4 Kongresshaus (GR) was closed on November 27, 1999 . 15. 7265 Davos Wolfgang (GR) was closed on November 27, 1999. 16. 1041 Bioley-Orjulaz (VD) changed its PLZ to 1042 on December 31, 1999 . 17. 1040 Villars-le-Terroir (VD) was closed on December 31, 1999 . 18. 1200 Genève 18 St-Jean was closed on December 31, 1999. 19. 1925 Le Châtelard VS was closed on December 31, 1999 . 20. 3204 Rosshäusern was closed on December 31, 1999. 21. 3456 Trachselwald (BE) was closed on December 31, 1999 . 22. 4917 Busswil bei Melchnau (BE) was closed on December 31, 1999 . 23. 5617 Tennwil (AG) was closed on December 31, 1999 . 24. 8565 Hugelshofen (TG) was closed on December 31, 1999 . 25. 9503 Stehrenberg (TG) was closed on December 31, 1999. I have to wonder if all these closings are yet another manifestation of the privatization of Swiss Post and that they are but the tip of the iceberg . Any comments from our Swiss members ? That's it for this time. Keep your questions coming and I'll keep this column going . Strubel Thread Varieties: My Experience. (Part I) (continued from page 1)
e. My Assessment . The emerald green thread used in early Strubel printings can be found in ver y dark shades that are virtually indistinguishable from black, but must still be considered emeral d and not a black thread variety.
Red Threads . There is no doubt expressed in any of the sources to which I have access that there ar e red-threaded Strubel varieties . In other words, Strubels of denominations other than 10 rappen ca n be found with red threads . a. The d'Aujourd'hui book states, "In a letter dated December 9, 1856 we learn that. . .Sihl (the Zurich paper mill) had delivered paper with red threads ." But the book does not mention Strubels othe r than the 10 rappen denomination being printed on this paper. b. The Zumstein Specialty Catalog has constantly shown in its Strubel table that the early Ber n printing of 20 rappen stamps, the 25B, has a variety with red thread . It also shows red-threade d varieties for the late Bern printings of the 5, 15 and 40 rappens stamps, i .e. 22G, 24G and 26G. The 2000 Zumstein issue now shows a question mark by the 24G red-threaded variety . This latest Zumstein issue places a SFR 1000 premium on Strubel varieties with red threads . c. The Handbook of the Postage Stamps of Switzerland surprisingly makes no mention of red - threaded Strubel varieties .
d. Strubel. Helvetia assise non dentelee, 1854 - 1862 by Hans F . Hunziker, Zumstein & Cie, Bern, 1986 indicates that for the last Bern printing the paper manufacturer must have delivered som e
6 TELL March 2000
sheets which in one or more rows had a rose colored thread instead of green and that the autho r knows of 5, 15 and 40 rappen stamps on paper with red silk thread . e. My Strubels. My collection contains a brown 5 rappen, a rose 15 rappen and an orange 20 rappe n with red threads . They all have the rough printing and starker colors associated with the "G " printings. f. My Assessment . The red-threaded 5 rappen and the 15 rappen stamps in my collection fit th e Zumstein table for red thread varieties. The Zumstein book does not explain why it questions th e 24G with red threads, but their is no question about the one in my collection . On the other hand my 20 rappen stamp is not in accordance with the Zumstein table . It cannot be classified as a 25 B because of its rather poor manufacture . In my estimation it definitely belongs among the "G " stamps . Logic, as well as this red-threaded 20 rappen example, suggest that, if the other "G" denominations can be found with a red thread, the 20 rappen value can also . Whether there are 20 rappen stamps of the early Bern printings with red thread, as the Zumstein Specialty Catalo g lists, remains a question in my mind until there is testimony of actual examples .
Blue Threads . The status of blue-threaded Strubel varieties is rather nebulous . a. The Handbook of the Postage Stamps of Switzerland lists many blue threaded varieties: (1) 5, 10, 15 and 40 rappen stamps of the first Bern printings, i .e. 22B, 23B, 24B and 26A (sinc e catalogs do not now list any 40 rappen stamps in the first Bern printings), (2) 5, 10 and 20 rappen stamps of the Bern printing with various colored threads, i .e. 22C, 23C and 25B (since catalogs do not list any 20 rappen stamps in this Bern printing) , (3) 10, 15 and 40 rappen stamps of the later Bern printings (23G, 24G and 26G) . b. The d'Aujourd'hui book states, "In most cases the so called blue silk thread is actually the result o f treating the stamp with water, or with chemicals . . .dissolving one or other of the two component s of green. " c . The Zumstein Specialty Catalog formerly listed in its Strubel table the following blue-threade d varieties: 22Aa, 22A, 23A, 24A, 26A, 22B, 24B and 22G . In its most recent edition it shows none of the above but only the 26Aa ( yellow green 40 rappen) and the 24F (light rose 15 rappen on thi n emergency paper) as possible varieties with a blue thread . d. The Postage Stamps of Switzerland 1843 - 1862 by Paul Mirabaud and Alex de Reuterskiold, Quarterman Publications Inc ., Lawrence, Mass ., 1875 (reprint of the original by Librairies - Imprimeries Reunis, Paris, 1899) lists as blue thread errors seen by the authors early printings o f 5, 10, 20 and 40 rappen stamps . e. My Strubels.There is in my accumulation of Strubels an orange brown 5 rappen stamp that has a blue thread. The stamp color along with the fine printing on thin paper leaves no doubt that th e stamp is 22Aa. The blue thread is similar to the baby blue color of the threads in the 15 rappe n stamps with blue threads, 24D, that I have seen. The 5 rappen stamp compares favorably in color to the one other 22Aa in my collection and it displays no indication of having been chemically treated. f. MyAssessment. It is difficult to understand why Zumstein would list 26Aa, the 40 rappen pal e yellow green of the first Munich printing, as having a blue-threaded variety, but would no longe r include its sister stamp, the 22Aa, among the candidates for the same variety . Until cogent evidence demonstrates otherwise, I will suggest that blue-threaded varieties of the 22Aa exist an d that the described stamp in my collection is one of them .
Part II will discuss white and straw-colored threads . Part III will discuss thread location varieties .
March 2000 7 TELL
AHPS Auction 117
First catalog number in the description is Zumstein, followed by Scott (Sc ) as appropriate. Catalog value is taken from Zumstein 2000 Specialized Volume 1 for regular issues, and from the 1999 littl e Zumstein for back-of-the-book, and converted to dollars at the rate SFr . 1 = US$ 0.64. Closing date for this auction is March 25, 2000. Please send bids to Gordon Trotter by one of the following means ; e-mail bids are preferred and will be acknowledged . Mail: 10626 Fable Row , Columbia, MD 21044 . FAX: 410-740-7215 . E-mail : [email protected]. I hope to have a number of lots illustrated on the Internet, however this involves my creating a web site, scanning and uploading, all new to me, so keep your fingers crossed for me! Take a look a t http:/ /www.erols .com/trotters, or e-mail me for latest status . As you can see, there was a huge outpouring of material for this sale . It's been fun to work it up. I hope you have as much fun bidding— remember bid early, high and often !
Lot Description # Value Reserve 1 15 I 2.03 (Sc 5v) red spot in cross var., 3 margins, signed ABT 1312 430 2 17 II (Sc 10) full wide margins 112 32 3 18 (Sc 11) 3+ margins, signed ABT 592 175 4 20 (Sc 12) on tattered folded letter Genève 10 Mai 54 272 40 5 20 (Sc 12) on folded letter to British Embassy, minor defects 272 40 6 22D (Sc 25) hor. Strip of 3, 3 wide margins, 1 just touches 192 36 7 22Da (Sc 25) 3 wide margins 192 36 8 22G (Sc 36) on newspaper wrapper from Zürich, multiple backstamps 32 10 9 23Aa (Sc 16) full wide margins, crease 640 182 10 23B (Sc 21) hor. Pair, full wide margins 230 72 11 23Cb2.01 (Sc 27v) hor. pair, double frame line, 3 margins 480 136 12 23E (Sc 27a) 2 wide margins, 2 just touch, light crease, signed Kimmel 384 85 13 23G + 26G (Sc 37+40) on piece, both full margins 93 49 14 24B (Sc 22) on 1855 folded letter Zurich-Chur 166 40 15 24B + 25B (Sc 22+23) on 1856 folded letter Genève-Lyon, very faint receiving mark, 333 60 toned, some damage in back 16 24G (Sc 38) hor. Pair, 3 margins 96 30 17 26C (Sc 29) full margins, vert. crease ironed out 96 28 18 30.2.04 (Sc 43v) line through 5 var. on cover, straight line cancel 64 17 19 30b.2.05 (Sc 43av) pair, split frame line on cover with multiple backstamps 176 39 20 31 (Sc 44) * NG, VF centering 320 95 21 32 + 34 (Sc 45+47) on 1866 folded letter Basel-Paris, backstamped 192 50 22 33b (Sc 46) * F one short perf., Guinand certificate 1056 300 23 43 (Sc 59) on 1872 cover Genève-Sion to US 176 35 24 48 (Sc 64) Genève 13 I 82 CDS, not expertised 112 40 25 50.1 .13 (Sc 66v) * NG F, 1 mm spot at left variety, some toning 96 40 26 51 .2.02 (Sc 67v) split frame line, railway cancel, F 448 127 27 69C (Sc 84av) F Lugano 21 OCT 92 box cancel 141 60 28 70B .2.21 (Sc 92v) used VF, many fine lines variety 3546 175 29 71B (Sc 93) used F 80 42 30 75Eb (Sc 97a) * F-VF 384 200 31 77B (Sc 98) ** F-VF gum bend 64 25 32 103 (Sc 128) horiz. Strip of 5 on 1908 cover to US, backstamped 960 150 33 122 (Sc 166) ** VF 70 40
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Lot Description # Value Reserve 34 141y (Sc 143v) VF Brief & Geldpost 14.VII.41, Zumstein certificate 320 75 35 141y (Sc 143v) on piece w/202, 217v, owner promises full refund if it fails expertising 320 50 36 142 (Sc 182) * VF-XF 128 50 37 160 (Sc 180) * NH F-VF vert. strip of 3, weak perfs, some gum bends 96 1 4 38 163y (Sc 200v) F-VF on censor cover 25.XI.40 Montana-Vermala to US 192 100 39 166z.1.09 (3) (Sc 203av) red color shift, on piece w/217v, F34, stamps have minor 960 50 surface damag e 40 179 (Sc 185) * VLH VF 240 160 41 202y.2.01 (Sc 228v) ** VF block of 4, double print LL 64 20 42 262-74 (Sc 293-305) * HR VF PAX 223 175 43 262-74 (Sc 293-305) used F-VF PAX 896 450 44 277.2 .01 (Sc 308v) ** VF block of 4, missing spoke LL 83 30 45 281-4 (Sc 312-5) in PTT souvenir booklet Contains both unused and centrally 27+ 15 cancelled blocks of 4 of each stamp 46 325.3 .02 (Sc 356v) used VF Simplon major retouch between tunnel and spire 48 20 47 339-42 (Sc 273a-8a) * NH VF with tabs 12 3 48 381-384 (Sc 406-9) FDC cacheted unaddressed, somewhat warped 166 25 49 K7II (Sc 152a) * F-VF 120 70 50 K711 (Sc 152a) * HR VF 120 68 51 K44 FDC VF 51 25 52 Z2 ** NH VF in block of 4 70 25 53 Z2 ** NH VF in block of 6 70 25 54 Z3 in block of 4 on piece with 4 IV 21 Societé de Nations CDS—a SdN precursor . 112+ 75 55 Z5(2), Z6(2),K17 ** NH VF in block of 20 36 10 56 Z40 FDC VF 51 30 57 S31 VF strip of 5 on reg . Cover (card) w/#195 64 35 58 S43-46 ** VF complete set 90 20 59 S69,71,72 reg. FDC 6 14 60 MH 42 1960 booklet * NH VF 29 32 61 MH 52 1968 booklet * NH VF 16 20 62 MH 55 1980 booklet * NH VF 19 22 63 F XI 1913 Solothurn * F-VF 1h, off center as usual for the issue 64 48 64 F XI 1913 Solothurn essay imperf. * LH VF 230 65 Zurich 1913 vignette on addressed, backstamped cover, vignette not tied 35 66 Flieger-abteilung, WW I set of six stamps * HR VF 250 67 F1 (Sc C1) * F-VF signed Zumstein 128 70 68 F1 (Sc C1) fake cancel Aug . 1922 post validity per Zumstein cert., price is for mint 128 60 hinged 69 F2 (Sc C2) "Flieger Abt . Corps . . 17.VI.19" CDS 128 50 70 F3 + F9 (Sc C3+C9) on 1930 air letter to Moscow via Berlin, all cancels and 34++ 90 backstamps, rare routing 71 F4 + 162 (Sc C4+142) on 1926 reg. cover Basel-Köln, "mit luftpost befordert/Koln 1" 800 200 to Lobrach, backstamped, SLH cat. RF26.4h 72 F5 + F15 (Sc C5+C14) on 1930 air letter to Moscow via Berlin, all cancels and 150++ 180 backstamps, rare routing 73 F7 + F9 (Sc C7+C9) on 1926 reg . cover Basel-Karlsruhe, "Mit Luftpost 448 200 befordert/Karlsruhe(Baden)1", returned "Empfanger in Karlsruhe(Baden)/nich t ermittelt" on reverse, SLH cat. RF26 .5d 74 F11 (Sc C11) Zeppelin flight ZF-33B .a on postcard with corner crease, SLH cat . 96 30 75 F13 (Sc C15) ** VF 224 130
March 2000 9 TELL
Lot Description # Value Reserve 76 F13 (Sc C15)*H VF 112 40 77 F13 (Sc C15) * H VF 112 42 78 F14z-15z (Sc C13a-14a) used VF 115 75 79 F15 (Sc C14)* LH VF 80 19 80 F15z (Sc C14a) used VF 77 25 81 F29.2.02 (Sc C29v) used VF, white roof variety 51 20 82 F27-34,43-4 (Sc C27-34,43-4) ** NH VF 131 95 83 WI6 (Sc B6) * LH VF 134 37 84 WI6 (Sc B6) used VF 77 20 85 WI15-17 (Sc B15-17) used VF blocks of 4; #15 cancel on each stamp, others two per 640 180 bloc k 86 WI77-80 (Sc B81-4) Reg. FDC to US backstamped, sender name neatly cut out on 464 100 reverse 87 W183I+84I (Sc B89) in block used cdc9 full gum 54 35 88 WI83I+84I (Sc B89) in block on cover Zug 21 .XII.37 (2nd day) 112 30 89 WI125-8 (Sc B 179-82) FDC w/extra 5c, addressed to Eddie Buser 102 45 90 WI129-32 (Sc B187-90) cacheted reg. Backstamped FDC to US w/extra 5c, German 102 45 cancel 91 WI220-3 (Sc B370-3) on reg . Cover to US, backstamped, stamps w/marginal 3+ 2 inscription 92 WI224-7 (Sc B378-81) on reg . Cover to US, stamps w/marginal inscription 2+ 10 93 MH WI/4 1955 PJ booklet * NH VF 38 20 94 MH WI/7 1958 PJ booklet with first day cancels, minimal cover face marks 208 30 95 MH WI/8 1959 PJ booklet * NH VF 32 19 96 MH W119 1960 PJ booklet * NH VF 26 14 97 MHWI/10 1961 PJ booklet * NH VF 26 15 98 MH WI/11 1962 PJ booklet * NH VF in original jacket 26 13 99 MH WI/12-15 1963-66 PJ booklets * NH VF in original jackets 64 35 100 MH WI/15-26 1966-77 PJ booklets * NH VF in original jackets 154 55 101 WII 12 (Sc B105) * LH VF 176 140 102 WII 12 (Sc B105) * F hinged on 4 corners 176 125 103 WII42-45 (Sc B 183-6) on cover to US w/three 40c, two each of other stamps 70 25 104 WII51-55 (Sc B201-5) FDC to US with K78 cancel 141 75 105 WI151-55 (Sc B201-5) FDC Reg . To US, backstamped, minor corner damage 141 25 106 WII 70 (Sc B236) block of 4 on cover to UK 45 1 0 107 WIII14 (Sc B131) * LH VF, some gum bends 42 26 108 W11116 (Sc B 130) * NH F-VF light corner crease 64 30 109 WIII19-21 (Sc B 141-3) on reg . Censored FDC to US, backstamped, a bit worn, 1096 250 Lifeboat sheet has some corner damage, 19-20 are corner margin copie s 110 WIII25-28 (Sc B170-3) on unofficial reg . FDC "KRIENZ/15 .1 .48" to Thun, 128 50 backstamped 111 DI 2,4,5,9,11,13,14,15 (Sc .102,4,5,9,11,14,15,16) eight diff. IKW blocks of 4 each 639 120 w/2 **NH and 2 *H stamps. One hinged #2 has small thin . 112 DII 19y-27y, 23Ay perf cross used F-VF all signed Muller 146 58 113 DII 19z-27z, 21Az perf cross used F-VF 134 70 114 DII 65-75 (Sc 037-47) **NH VF 64 36 115 DII 65-75 (Sc 037-47) used VF w/tabs 64 36 116 DIII 19 (Sc 2016) * HR VF 109 75 117 DIII30 (Sc 2011)-* VF LH 166 90 118 DIII 36-41 (Sc 2036-41) used F-VF 77 49
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Lot Description # Value Reserve 119 DIV 12 (Sc 3023) * LH VF 224 98 120 DIV 32-37 (Sc 3032-37) used F-VF 21 14 121 DIV 39y-47y, 39z-47z (Sc 3038-46,38a-46a) used VF 15 17 122 DIV 63-83 (Sc 3062-82) used F-VF 64 37 123 DIV 84-94 (Sc 3083-93) ** NH VF 112 58 124 DIV 84-94 (Sc 3083-93) used F-VF 112 40 125 DV 19-21 (Sc 4019-21) ** NH VF corner margin copies 54+ 4 1 126 DV 19-21 (Sc 4019-21) used F-VF 90 40 127 DV 29-39 (Sc 4029-39) ** NH VF 58 32 128 DVI 6-25 (Sc 506-25) * H F-VF 112 70 129 DVI 6-25 (Sc 506-25) used F-VF 192 100 130 DVII 12-20 (Sc 7012-20) * HR VF high values 180 140 131 DVII 20 (Sc 7020) used F-VF, key value 160 80 132 P14IIN (Sc J14) used F ..ENZIKEN. .VII 86 cancel 240 110 133 P21BbK (Sc J27v) pale green used avg., Zeigler certificate 128 29 134 P22GIIK (Sc J28) used F bold 1893 box cancel 160 45 135 KO2d used F-VF Kocher 5c red border 102 30 136 T8 * NG F short perf 102 18 137 T9 * NG F 166 37 138 T11 * NG F 1792 41 0 139 Lot of 3 1828-29 stampless folded letters from Basel to Isler & Co . in Wohlen E50 30 140 1858 stampless folded letter Zürich-Marseille, multiple backstamps 35 141 Stamped envelope 23 plus 59Ac, 61Ab, 62Ab, (Sc 70a,73b,74) Kreuzlingen 11 .III.92, 64++ 35 very unusual 4 color franking, some toning and corner damag e 142 PEN S.35 Brigue-Iselle 1 Juin 1906 on unaddressed special picture postal card for 38 1 0 opening of Simplon Pass, priced by 1988 Pen cat . 143 Liechtenstein 1-3 (Sc 1-3) Reg. FDC (one day early!) to Munich, faint backstamp 384 11 7 144 Liechtenstein 216 (Sc 226) block of four with central first day cancel 64 1 5 145 Buhler, Josua, "Altschweiz – was nicht im Katalog steht", 1968 (hb) E10- 7 12 146 d'Aujourd'hui, Walter, "Suisse Classification nouvelle des emissions `Strubel ' E12- 9 Helvetie assise non dentelee. 1854-1862", 1982 (hb), in French and Germa n 15 147 Faulstich, Edith M., "Central Post and Extra.-Courier Marks of the Helvetic Republic , E7 5 1798-1803", 1964 16 pp . (sb) 148 Zinsmeister, Marian Carne, "Switzerland 1850-1958", 1959, 80 pp . (sb), general El0 6 overview of the stamps and their usage s 149 Zumstein, Ernst, "Handbook of the Postage Stamps of Switzerland", 1910, 61 pp . (sb), E125 75 in English trans . From German, incl. 6 collotype plates. Cover damaged, needs binding—pages fine.
Corrections: In Harlan Stone's article Postage Due Pitfalls in the January 2000 TELL: (1) the publisher of the book b y Wawrukiewicz and Beecher is CAMA Press. (2) on page 5, line 5, 50c French should read 30c Swiss. In Evert Poel 's article The Laufen Flugtag on September 28, 1913 the statement on page 1 5 should read "the conjecture . . . cannot be excluded at this time. "
March 2000 11 TELL Two other foreign exhibitors beside s An American Exhibitor at myself took part . Ian Gilchrist from England, als o Stufe III (continued from page 3) an AHPS member, won a gold medal and specia l prize for International Red Cross tracing label s space at a level III show is only five frames, so used on covers during 1914-18. A Dutch woman the postage due display was the maximum of 6 0 won a gold and special prize for hotel post stamp s pages. and covers. I won a vermeil and special prize for The one-frame category, called "open" my Swiss postage due charges . My lack of class, drew 34 entries . In the United States we examples from the first period under the UPU call this the display class . The Swiss regulation s (1875-79) cost me too many points for a gold. require at least 30 percent non-philatelic material Rolf, also an AHPS member, showed mete r but no more than 50 percent. My two one- labels used with supplemental adhesive stamps , framers, both 100 percent philatelic, were with the labels affixed either first or second, as i n nevertheless accepted, as were some others . the case of postage due . He received a vermeil . Although the judges scored the open exhibits , On the final day a fourth AHPS membe r their points counted for only one-third of the fina l a scores, and votes by the public for two-thirds . The introduced himself. Jean-Paul Jaccard from L Tour de Peilz on Lake Geneva then gave me a results, not tabulated by the end of the show, wil l appear in the Schweizer Briefmarken Zeitung tour of his specialized Tag der Briefmarke magazine . display. About 40 percent of his covers went to foreign destinations, such as Sumatra, Bulgari a Many of the one-frame displays wer e and South Africa . One card during World War I I thematic : doves (as in "taube"), including a traveled via Chiasso and an Atlantic Clipper to pigeon feather ; federal shooting matches, with New Jersey. He earned a vermeil . medals ; soldier stamps, with shoulder patch insignias; wood- land plants, with dried flower s and leaves; and golf, with a glove and tees. Christin a Bamford, the Rölli-Schärs' daugh- ter, showed teddy bears on stamps -- and tied a row of stuffed ones to the top of her frame. Fifty-two multi-frame exhibits were arranged in traditional, postal history, sta- tionery, airmail and specialty (hotel post, stamp day cards, soldier stamps) classes . A separate youth class contained 17 displays divided according to the age of the boy or girl . This class put to shame our efforts to attract youth exhibitors in the United States, where mos t national-level shows have les s than a half dozen displays. The full show was equivalent in siz e and activities to the larger U.S. national-level shows where AHPS holds its conventions .
12 TELL March 2000 The jury comprised nine members, two o f SELLERS AND PROSPECTIVE them assigned to the youth exhibits . The rest of SELLERS: We have a good market for almos t the jury divided itself into teams, similar to the any category of Swiss philately, but especially international exhibition system . As a result my need books of the following: cantonals and rayons , postage due exhibit, for example, was judged by Helvetia bust and sword, modern used (1970 - only two jurors . present) air post, se-tenant and tete-beche pairs and strips, better souvenir sheets, postage dues , The bourse included 16 Swiss dealers , d some unknown to me . One, Hans Walser of Rüt i rail-way and telegraph, soldier stamps, goo commercial covers from all categories, post an d is a steady advertiser in Tell. postal cards, K cancels on piece or cover, an d Since the theme of the exhibition was officials . Sales are best when only one or two Luzern's annual winter carnival, the designs o f related categories are in a book. We offer sale s the medals included costumed characters, and many of the special prizes were painted woode n heads of carnival figures. Rolf hired one of the local costumed fasnacht ' bands to march into the exhibition hall all three days and perform a raucous concert with drums, cymbals and horns . We enjoyed the entire show as a three-day carnival of Swiss philately.
AHPS Circuits
1999 was a good year for circuit sales, although only ten circuits were posted . There were several outstanding circuits including one of officials which contained virtually all of the stamps issued up to 1950 including most of th e high values and some varieties . A soldier stamp circuit held a great variety of stamps and sheet s as well as a good showing of covers . The airmail circuit contained at least one of every airmai l stamp, often with a never hinged, hinged and used example . The cross and numeral circuit had an example of all the major numbers including the white papers, with a wide range of quality. Circuits for standing Helvetias, errors , varieties and fakes, se-tenant and tete-beche pairs and strips, semi-postals and covers all ha d interesting contents ranging from rather common to some very exotic, virtually all a t prices less than would be available at a bours e or through the mail. If you buy Swiss stamps and/or cover s you will benefit from participation in circuit sales. Wile helping yourself to a broad selection and modest prices you also generate commission income for AHPS . Give it a try. A SASE to the circuit sales manager will obtain for you all the information you need to get started .
March 2000 13 TELL books with 8 or sixteen pages, the 8-page book t o Schlieren is a western suburb of Zurich with som e be used when there is a limited amount o f 12,500 inhabitants – a good size town fo r material to offer. Commission is only 12% . One Switzerland. of the reasons for having only ten circuits in 199 9 My question : is a gasworks the most scenic was a dearth of material . Details or questions aspect of Schlieren, one which the residents hop e about selling in the circuits are available for a tourists will come to visit, or do the powers tha t SASE or a call to the sales manager (evenings are be in the town have a sense of humor and decide d best) . to spoof the whole concept of K-cancels? Anybod y PROSPECTIVE BUYERS: Over 10% of know the answer? our membership received one or more circuits i n 1999. Some have been steady participants since 1984. The circuits provide a convenient cost- efficient way to build your collection. The sooner We understand that the new Luftposthandbuch you sign up the sooner you will start receivin g is projected to be published in April . circuits. Emil Tobler
Cancel of the Month! ! by Dick Hall
On October 18, 1999, the town of Schlieren first put into use the K-cancel below. Either I am missing something or someone in the town has a real good sense of humor. Maybe some of our Swis s readers can clue us in .
I have always been under the impression that a town used a K-cancel t o advertise some historic o r touristic feature of which th e local residents were proud . If you look at the few thousand K-cancels which have been issued since the first on e appeared in 1942, that impression would appear accurate. Now we have a gasworks on a cancel !
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American Helvetia Philatelic Society Treasurer's Report for the year 199 9
Balance November 30, 1998 $ 14,222 .00 Ordinary Income Advertising $ 858.00 Dues-1999 5,795.00 Other Dues 73.00 Life Membership 400.00 Donations 142.00 Auctions 485.00 Circuit Sales 1,000.00 Swiss Verein & Great Britain exchange 378.00 Interest Earned 694.00 9.825 .00
Other Income Members' Subscriptions- Swiss Verein 990.00 - Great Britain 725.00 TELL's sold 55.00 TELL-First class mailing 230.00 2.000.00 TOTAL INCOME $ 11,825 .00
Ordinary Expense TELL Publication & Distribution $ 7,194.00 Awards 327.00 Postage, Printing, Supplies 719.00 Miscellaneous 32.00 8,272.00
Other Expense Verein & Great Britain Remittances $ 1.715 .00 TOTAL EXPENSE $ 9,987.00 Balance November 30, 1999 $ 16,060.00
Life Membership Fund Balance November 30, 1998 $ 3,404.00 Dues Paid 400.00 Interest Earned 178.00 Balance November 30, 1999 $ 3,982.00
March 2000 15 TELL
World War II Mail from Switzerland to Great Britain, Canada and the USA Part 4 by Charles J. LaBlonde, CPhH
Based Upon the Original Work and Additional Contributions of L.M.C. Dutton Series Reviewers: Ernest L. Bergman, Robert Zeigle r (reprinted from the Civil Censorship Study Group Bulletin, January 2000, with permission )
THE WAR DEEPENS -- JULY TO DECEMBER 1940
Hopes of a short war were fading away . The German capture of the Low Countries and Norther n France coupled with the entry of Italy into the war complicated the work of the Swiss PTT . This installment focuses on how the Swiss postal system adapted to the new conditions in Europe . SURFACE MAIL
The CPAL for July 1940 indicated surface mail for GB (both letters and parcels) was suspended, a s "the last remaining connection between Geneva and Bellegarde is broken ." This is where we left the story in Part 3 . Mail for the USA and Canada was noted in the July CPAL as "uncertain. " Italy entered the war on 10 June and the Germans signed an armistice with France on 2 0 June. These events surprisingly had an eventual steadying influence on postal activities, as the PTT now knew what they were dealing with and the y adapted their operations to the new conditions . Lisbon increased in importance as a gateway t o both GB and North America. The Germans issue d an 18 July decree on the French postal service, t o be in force from 1 August . This severely limited any mail to or in transit through Vichy France .
Figure 1 . Surface letter from Tarasp to New Jersey, 1 July 1940 . Franked at 30 centimes surface rate plus 10 centimes surcharge for air service to Lisbon . Routed via Chiasso by rail to Rome, then air to Lisbon .
In fact, the PTT offered a special service t o Lisbon, announced in a 1 July supplement to th e CPAL. For a surcharge of 10 centimes per 20 grams a surface letter could be carried to Lisbo n by air (rail from Chiasso to Rome, Ala Littoria from Rome to Lisbon via Barcelona and Madrid , three times weekly) to meet its ship (Figure 1) . Figure 2. Heavy letter (20 grams) from Bern to Connecticut, 1 7 This service was little used and such letters ar September 1940 . Franking : 30 centimes basic letter + 20 centime s e over 20 grams + double air surcharge = 70 centimes . Since the letter quite rare. An addendum to the July CPAL note d would not cross the Atlantic by air, the airmail notation is obliterate d that the American ship "Manhattan" would (by whom???) and the letter is annotated, "Flug bis Lissabon ."
16 TELL March 2000
depart Lisbon on 9 July for New York . There is a good chance the letter of Figure 1 was on that ship . Figure 2 shows a seldom seen double letter (second weight step, 50 centimes for a surface lette r over 20 grams) that used this "partial airmail" service . By 19 July the PTT announced the opening an overland route for North American mail vi a France from Geneva to Cerbére on the France/Spain border . From 8 August 1940 the PTT again nominally accepted surface letters for GB, via Zürich 1, Lausanne 2, Geneva 1 and Basel 2 and surfac e letters to North America via Basel 2 . But all mail for the UK probably all transited Geneva 1 . All of this mail went to Lisbon . Parcel service also resumed via Geneva 2 for GB and Basel 17 for the US A and Canada. Again, everything went to Lisbon. These published routings remained the same until December when the surface letter connection to GB was narrowed to Geneva only (daily, 9 :25 AM), probably due to low volume . We need to remember that even though the routes were listed as "available" all was not exactl y that simple . There was a constant shortage of trucks and rail cars on the surface route across Franc e on the way to Lisbon . Thus, transit time for mail started to increase . The WW II books published by the CPhH are filled with letters from irate business people, asking why the published schedules ha d no meaning. The universal PTT answer was lack of rail cars in France and Spain . Parcels especially began to back up . Do any of our members have a parcel card from this period ?
AIR MAIL
Switzerland made no airmail rate changes durin g this period. But the routing of airmail did get very interesting. The July CPAL shows the Locarno - Barcelona Swissair service suspended, the Locarno-Rome Swissair service "possible " (even though it had already ended . . .another case of the CPAL not keeping pace with reality) and the Paris- London service suspended . These routes all ended in May as we noted last time . BOAC was serving Lisbon from London twice weekly, to be increase d to 4 times weekly in August. From August onwards UK airmail wa s Figure 3 . Regular airmail letter, 15 grams, Territet t o collected in Geneva . The mail left Geneva on train s Williamstown, MA, 9 July 1940 . Franking: 30 centimes basic + 3 x 60 centimes air surcharge (third weight step) = 2 .10 centimes . carrying mail for redistribution at Annemasse, Note Territet-unique transit mark and Chiasso routing . Annecy, Marseilles or Lyon . Most UK mail probably traveled via Lyon, Barcelona and Madrid to Lisbon. In July, airmail to North America was still operating three times weekly from Lisbon . Swiss mail for this flight was collected at Chiasso 2 and dispatched daily to Rome at 11 :16 AM. See Figure 3. Things got more interesting on 1 September when Lufthansa inaugurated the service Berlin – Stuttgart – Barcelona – Madrid and yet more exciting on 1 November when Germany extended thi s service to Lisbon . And there was one further complication when Swissair started service from Zürich to Munic h (30 September) with a Lufthansa connection to Berlin . Thus, a mailer in late 1940 had the following three choices for airmail:
March 2000 17 TELL
1. Collection at Basel 2, then rail to Stuttgart to meet the Lufthansa flight to Lisbon . Daily departure from Basel at 2 :35 PM. 2. Collection at Geneva 1, then truck and rail to Lisbon across France, Spain and Portugal . Daily departure from Geneva at 5:50AM. 3. Collection at Chiasso 2, then rail to Rome and air to Lisbon via Ala Littoria. Daily departure from Chiasso at 1 :30 PM.
Figure 4 . Airmail from Biel/Bienne to California, 8 Octobe r Figure 5. Airmail from Thun to Montreal, 31 December 1940 . 1940. Franked 30 centimes basic + 60 centimes airmail = 9 0 Franked 30 centimes basic + 60 centimes airmail = 90 centimes . centimes . Routed via Basel and Stuttgart . Routed at first via Basel, changed to Geneva, as required .
Note that mail to Canada or any British possession (belligerent countries, not neutrals) could only be sent via the Geneva route . Mail to the USA could be sent via all routes, at the discretion of the sender . Later we will see the implications of these routes on censorship . Figure 4 shows a letter routed via Basel . Figure 5 shows a letter to Canada, first routed via Basel, then corrected to Geneva . Figure 6 shows a letter routed via Chiasso and Rome.
Figure 6 . Airmail letter from St . Gallen to New York, 7 Novembe r Figure 7. Airmail letter from Geneva to GB, 20 November 1940 . 1940. Franked 30 centimes basic + 60 centimes airmail = 9 0 Franked 30 centimes basic + 30 centimes air = 60 centimes . centimes. Routed via Chiasso and Rome . Note St. Gallen-uniqu e Although not shown, had to be routed via Geneva . Censor P .C. routing mark . 90 Number 4078 .
18 TELL March 2000
Airmail to GB via Lisbon and the BOAC service to London was 30 centimes basic plus 3 0 d centimes for each 20 grams . The "all up" airmail service (no surcharge within most of Europe) ende with the start of the war . See Figure 7.
CENSORSHI P
Switzerland to Great Britain
As noted in the last installment the British changed from the notion of "censorshi p" to "examination. " They modified the closers and hand-stamped marks to reflect this . The P.C. 90 label became standar d r (Figure 7). But the P .C. 66 labels were slow to die as shown in Figure 8, a cover dated 18 Novembe 1940 . Figure 9 shows a postcard with an examiner marking .
Red Cross surface letter from Geneva to GB, 1 8 Figure 9. Airmail postcard, Zurich to GB, 19 November 1940 . Figure 8. . November 1940 . Franked 30 centimes . Censored P .C . 66 Franked 20 centimes basic + 30 centimes airmail = 50 centimes Number 2901 . Examiner P .90 . (Ex Zeigler)
Switzerland to Canad a
Canadian censorship headquarters was in Ottawa and the entire operation was under on e director until June 1940. At that time postal censorship became the responsibility of the Pos t Office and the Department of National Defens e assumed control of telegraph censorship . Canada started examination of prisone r of war mail in June 1940. Burrows notes that all outward POW mail would be sent to England for special scrutiny, except that mail addressed t o Canada itself or the USA would be checked first . If an against a list of dangerous internees r o Figure 10 . Airmail letter from Glarus to New York, 23 Septembe internee was found on the list, the mail would g 1940. Franking 30 centimes basic + 30 centimes registration + 180 to England. centimes airmail = 240 centimes total . Routed via Basel . To this observer it appears that transatlantic mail to Canada was not censored in Bermuda, but was sent directly on to Canada fo r l examination. This was perhaps a measure to lighten the load in Bermuda, knowing that the mai
TELL March 2000 19 would be examined later. I cannot prove this theory. But Burrows notes that "All inward mail no t previously examined in England was the responsibility of the Canadian censors." See Figure 5 for example . Any thoughts or discussion on this situation?
Figure 11 . Airmail letter from Geneva to New York, 25 August 1940 . Franked (on reverse) 30 centimes basic + 30 centimes registration + 120 centimes airmail = 180 centimes total . Bermuda censor P .C . 102 Number 96 .
Switzerland to USA
Pan Am landings in Bermuda were fairly regular during the latter half of 1940, according to th e records published in the CCSG Bulletin by Horst Augustinovic . But, the censorship was still sporadic as our previous figures show . However the Bermuda censor did have some teeth at this point a s Figure 10 shows . This letter was held from 1940 to 1946! For details on the condemnation of letter s and the operations of the "Prize Courts " the reader is referred to back issues of the CCSG Bulletin . Figure 11 shows late use (25 August posting) of P .C .102 in Bermuda. Mark reports a 1 Sep 1940 example . Do any of our members have any later examples ?
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