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Post by jimwentzell on Jun 7, 2015 11:16:26 GMT
Covers like this one get my heart racing! The combination of unnecessary selvege and tête-bêche (French for "head-to-tail") PLUS the added bonus of being registered....well I just had to have it!!!!! Luckily it didn't cost me more than that cup of coffee I don't drink. Sorry Starbucks, you won't make money from me! Usually stamp users (as opposed to collectors) would tear off any selvege and discard it; collectors often do the opposite. Maybe this was from a sheet of stamps, but it might have been from a booklet pane. My Zumstein catalog is buried and I haven't seen it in months!!!
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Post by jimwentzell on Jun 7, 2015 11:29:31 GMT
I got this cover recently from a fellow collector/friend at a stamp club swap meet. Although the rear is missing the top flap I think it is a beauty! My 1993 Zumstein catalogues this (on cover, not a FDC) at Fr 375.00 while valued at Fr 300.00 as a used single. I like the unusual destination as well!
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Post by jimjung on Jun 7, 2015 12:32:20 GMT
Don't know much about this but have this Registered Cover to GB:
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Post by jimwentzell on Jul 21, 2018 18:32:52 GMT
There's something magical, dare I say enchanting, about the stamps and postal history of Switzerland! Ever since I was a young collector the beautifully produced issues from the alpine nation have inspired me seek out more and more, especially when they are "on cover". Fortunately for my sake-as well as other awe-struck collectors--the Swiss have produced many philatelic beauties ever since the early days of philately. I'm not talking about, nor denigrating the collection of "First Day Covers" but rather the usually unofficial, or locally sanctioned, or private covers produced (some say contrived) purely for the sake of creating some sort of momento or celebration of almost any kind of event, however remotely connected it may be to official Swiss philately. Many covers commemorate "First Flights" or other aerial philatelic milestones, and most are rather plentiful and thus affordable. Every once in a while I run across something a little more unusual or historically intriguing, and it often finds its way into my postal history collection. This thread will feature some of those, and other captivating covers.
This cover commemorates one of the many hundreds, if not thousands, of Conventions hosted by, or convened in, Switzerland. I was especially drawn to the stamp dealer it was addressed to; what were the circumstances or possible connection Atlas Stamp Company had to this historic conference? Was it simply a matter of anticipating or cashing in on collector interest in Swiss stamps or special covers? Did Atlas Stamp Company actually have offices in Lugano? And of course the central question, answerable with a few quick keystrokes and help from an ever-present search engine, what was the Montreux Convention Regarding the Abolition of the Capitulations in Egypt all about, anyway? So many questions, all because of one cover, dis-covered by a curious collector over eighty years later..... --Jim Wentzell stampguyaps177-681
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Post by jamesw on Aug 1, 2018 1:48:13 GMT
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tobben63
Member
Stamp eat sleep repeat
Posts: 1,866
What I collect: I collect to much, world wide!
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Post by tobben63 on Aug 2, 2018 5:16:44 GMT
The Michel Schweiz-Spezial 2017/2018 catalogue list it at €250,- on cover. Great looking and nice to include in a collection. I got this cover recently from a fellow collector/friend at a stamp club swap meet. Although the rear is missing the top flap I think it is a beauty! My 1993 Zumstein catalogues this (on cover, not a FDC) at Fr 375.00 while valued at Fr 300.00 as a used single. I like the unusual destination as well! [/quote]
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kasvik
Member
Posts: 543
What I collect: Cancels mostly, especially Sweden Gävle and Lidingö, Switzerland Geneva, Germany Pforzheim
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Post by kasvik on Oct 7, 2019 17:16:55 GMT
Took a bit, but I finally bought something. Now I need advice. What did I buy? What is this kind of letter called?
Geneva to Chemnitz/Harthau in 1931. Obviously philatelic. But what is it when someone spent a fortune on excess postage to decorate their Easter Egg? And why the preoccupation with margins? The well-centered cancels were a special request at the window, that I get; in violation of the long-standing, the still-standing Swiss rule that single stamps must tie to the letter, thus the scarcity of SON Swiss cancels.
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Post by jamesw on Oct 8, 2019 2:22:17 GMT
here's one I did keep from that batch a year ago. A 1948 first day cover including dated selvage. I think I've posted this elsewhere here.
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kasvik
Member
Posts: 543
What I collect: Cancels mostly, especially Sweden Gävle and Lidingö, Switzerland Geneva, Germany Pforzheim
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Post by kasvik on Jan 20, 2020 15:18:12 GMT
Another example of hidden postage on a registered from Geneva to Athens. Presumably applied by the sender to seal the envelope--did postal clerks ever stick 'em on the back?--and predictably, the amount was insufficient, noted in blue crayon on the front. The back squiggles are beyond me. I especially like the mark 'Stamps on the back' (Affranchi au verso). We can all translate that into more likely language.
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cursus
Member
Posts: 1,770
What I collect: Catalan Cinderellas. Used Switzerland, UK, Scandinavia, Germany & Austria. Postal History of Barcelona & Estonia. Catalonia pictorial postmarks.
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Post by cursus on Apr 29, 2020 9:23:41 GMT
I collect just used Swiss stamps. But, when I saw this cover for a reasonable price, just couldn't resist. It was posted from Saint Moritz (Engandine, Graubingen) to Winterthur, on the first day of the Games and with the full series.
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kasvik
Member
Posts: 543
What I collect: Cancels mostly, especially Sweden Gävle and Lidingö, Switzerland Geneva, Germany Pforzheim
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Post by kasvik on May 27, 2020 15:22:29 GMT
Nicely decorated with ten 1 ct postage dues; 5 ct for the city delivery rate, doubled punitively by the delivery man. Dr. Guyot must have been doubly annoyed. For reasons I cannot comprehend, the system forced recipients to pay the penalty for the sender’s cheapness.
Dr. Guyot is not alone contemplating homicide. Me too, 117 years later. I got this cover for USD 50. But the merchant ambushed me with a demand for EUR 30 postage from Germany. Huh? Nothing on the eBay ad about that. This provoked a month of back-and-forth negotiation including eBay. Turns out, even with registration Deutsche Post won’t take more than EUR 9.20. After being threatened with eBay lighting bolts, that’s what they finally agreed to. I paid, but still want to throw a fit, like I imagine Dr. Guyot.
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kasvik
Member
Posts: 543
What I collect: Cancels mostly, especially Sweden Gävle and Lidingö, Switzerland Geneva, Germany Pforzheim
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Post by kasvik on Jun 28, 2020 12:35:56 GMT
Eleven 10 centime Z257s, to make the 1947 trans-Atlantic airmail rate of CHF 1.10. A patron must have already known the rate and made it up with domestic regulars. Patton State Hospital, near San Bernardino, was California’s major hospital for the criminally insane. The c/o address probably means Elda Bellak was a patient. While clicking I saw that the model Bettie Page was a patient there in the 1970s or 80s. Life can be cruel.
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kasvik
Member
Posts: 543
What I collect: Cancels mostly, especially Sweden Gävle and Lidingö, Switzerland Geneva, Germany Pforzheim
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Post by kasvik on Jul 5, 2020 17:30:48 GMT
These curious cancellations caught my attention. What are they? I didn’t know what I’d bought until I tripped on a Delcampe ad that mentioned a Sackstempel. Further clicking got me to a Philaworld article saying they were a Geneva specialty in the 1870s-80s, after a much earlier brief appearance in Bern. The article shows variations, but says no one is sure what they’re about. Sack or beard cancels, auf Deutsch. Have you ever found something similar? Any idea what they're called in French?
Here, sack cancels on part of a correspondence with then-typical lady's envelopes in 1885.
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JeffS
Member
Posts: 2,604
What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Jul 13, 2020 20:54:58 GMT
Can someone tell me what I have here and an idea of value? Thanks JeffS
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oldpapercollect
Member
All giveaways have ended. Thank you.
Posts: 384
What I collect: UPU, UNITED NATIONS, SCOUTS ON STAMPS, CHICKENS ON STAMPS, ESPERANTO & CINDERELLA STAMPS and ISRAEL POST OFFICE OPENINGS SINCE 1948
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Post by oldpapercollect on Jul 14, 2020 1:40:40 GMT
I believe its a receipt for the sum of Swiss Francs 150. 50 for material from a factory in Muttenz. As to value, it is intrinsic. the stamp is not worth much.
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cursus
Member
Posts: 1,770
What I collect: Catalan Cinderellas. Used Switzerland, UK, Scandinavia, Germany & Austria. Postal History of Barcelona & Estonia. Catalonia pictorial postmarks.
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Post by cursus on Jul 14, 2020 6:22:58 GMT
I guess it's a bill issued by a colours factory in Muntz (canton of Basel-land) to a drugstore in the city of Basel, for an order. A nice Switzerland postal history item.
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JeffS
Member
Posts: 2,604
What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Jul 14, 2020 10:49:44 GMT
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JeffS
Member
Posts: 2,604
What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Sept 22, 2020 18:02:15 GMT
Received in a Delcampe order today as a stuffer, or stiffener, a first day card for the Gotthard Tunnel:
According to the historians at Wiki: The Gotthard Tunnel is an approximately 15-kilometre-long railway tunnel and forms the summit of the Gotthard Railway in Switzerland. It connects Göschenen with Airolo and was the first tunnel through the Saint-Gotthard Massif in order to bypass the St Gotthard Pass. This certainly was a nice inclusion as prices for same on eBay begin at $3.99 + shipping and go up.
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Post by battlestamps on Sept 22, 2020 23:04:58 GMT
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cursus
Member
Posts: 1,770
What I collect: Catalan Cinderellas. Used Switzerland, UK, Scandinavia, Germany & Austria. Postal History of Barcelona & Estonia. Catalonia pictorial postmarks.
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Post by cursus on Sept 23, 2020 15:29:44 GMT
Circular flight in 1944, commemorating 25 years of Swiss airmail
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kasvik
Member
Posts: 543
What I collect: Cancels mostly, especially Sweden Gävle and Lidingö, Switzerland Geneva, Germany Pforzheim
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Post by kasvik on Sept 24, 2020 15:04:27 GMT
Circular flight in 1944, commemorating 25 years of Swiss airmail This one is a source of endless amazement. I've seen so much mail from this one 1944 commemorative flight on sale. It must have made a tidy profit for Swiss Post. And collectors obviously were hungry for it. Mr. Montant, below, certainly plunged in whole hog.
Still, it confounds me. It was wartime, yet Swiss Post issued a one-flight stamp, found the resources and a plane for purely philatelic flight. Just sending an airplane up was an act of bravado. The air mail link itself served no obvious need. Even back when trains were much slower, train service was excellent; just a long commuter shuttle between Geneva and Zurich. The only purposes that I can figure were demonstration glory and scrounging philatelic francs. Wonderful stamp; Swiss Post issued so many subsequents, inspired by. I wish I knew more of the tale.
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kasvik
Member
Posts: 543
What I collect: Cancels mostly, especially Sweden Gävle and Lidingö, Switzerland Geneva, Germany Pforzheim
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Post by kasvik on Feb 21, 2021 4:39:24 GMT
These two Geneva covers have me beat. Both are domestic, but with multiple charges, like letters to foreign destinations. Worse, this was when actual foreign mail did not have such domestic charges. As if there were two totally different Swiss postal systems, domestic and foreign. Both covers were simultaneously on Delcampe, from different sellers. I plunked, hoping the investment will incentivize me.
The 1832 cover to Basel is marked for 12, 8 and 4 kreuzer. The normal Geneva-Basel rate was 12 kreuzer. So what's the other stuff?
The 1843 cover is from the birth of Swiss stamp era, but when stamps were only for local use. Addressed to the brothers Bally in Schönenwerd (today an hour drive south of Basel), albeit before they opened their famous basement shoe factory. The hard part is the charges, 18, 12 and 3 kreuzer? This when the normal letter rate from Geneva to Basel was 10 kreuzer. There has to be an answer, but search me.
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cursus
Member
Posts: 1,770
What I collect: Catalan Cinderellas. Used Switzerland, UK, Scandinavia, Germany & Austria. Postal History of Barcelona & Estonia. Catalonia pictorial postmarks.
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Post by cursus on Apr 27, 2021 18:16:56 GMT
Philateic..But nice!
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renden
Member
Posts: 8,710
What I collect: World W collector with ++ interests in BNA (Canada etc) and USA
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Post by renden on Apr 27, 2021 19:03:29 GMT
I do not have any SUISSE covers René
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Post by Alfonso on Feb 14, 2023 23:02:11 GMT
Here are a couple of oldies let me know what you think.
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brookbam
Member
APS 236261
Posts: 226
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on Feb 15, 2023 0:18:56 GMT
Here are a couple of oldies let me know what you think.
That bottom cover has beautiful handwriting. It's the one thing I miss the most with our technology today is the penmanship that they had back in the 1800s-early 1900s. Mike
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brookbam
Member
APS 236261
Posts: 226
What I collect: US...everything until I decide what I don't want to collect! And now thanks to a TSF give-away I'm adding Space topicals!
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Post by brookbam on Feb 15, 2023 0:26:42 GMT
Took a bit, but I finally bought something. Now I need advice. What did I buy? What is this kind of letter called?
Geneva to Chemnitz/Harthau in 1931. Obviously philatelic. But what is it when someone spent a fortune on excess postage to decorate their Easter Egg? And why the preoccupation with margins? The well-centered cancels were a special request at the window, that I get; in violation of the long-standing, the still-standing Swiss rule that single stamps must tie to the letter, thus the scarcity of SON Swiss cancels.
Would be interesting to know the reason for leaving the selvage on and all that centered cancelled postage. Unique item for sure.
I do have a question and I've seen this mentioned before:
What is the SON Swiss cancel? I'm more interested in the SON part. Do the letters mean anything? I don't collect WW, but I check Recent Posts daily and some of these WW threads are really interesting.
brookbam
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daniel
Member
Posts: 2,144
Member is Online
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Post by daniel on Feb 27, 2023 2:31:52 GMT
A Registered package from Courvousier printers in La Chaux-de-Fonds to a customer in England who had purchased (or was it gifted?) a copy of the Courvoisier book that I showed here. A Helio Courvoisier label is attched with a registered label and an airmail label. Courvoisier tape is still attached on the right. The package bears 3 stamps, at least one of which was printed by them in 1983. The postmarks are for 1983.
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Post by forth on May 30, 2023 20:40:20 GMT
Nice cover I obtained recently
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kasvik
Member
Posts: 543
What I collect: Cancels mostly, especially Sweden Gävle and Lidingö, Switzerland Geneva, Germany Pforzheim
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Post by kasvik on Jun 8, 2023 16:08:18 GMT
Been away a bit, shifting the household for the summer. But bought a few things meanwhile. This one got my attention for non-philatelic reasons.
The handsome back cancel leaves no doubt whatsoever; it was in the official Canton Archive. Addressed to the State Chancellor of the Republic and Cantonal parliament, the Canton Grand Council, that makes sense. The Chancellor seems to have been the administrator who kept the thing running. This much I found without much effort; it was Marc Daniel Louis Viridet, who served 1847-62. And if I have it right--my high school French--the letter was deaccessioned from the archive in 1921. That how I got it; the honest way.
Six pence stamp, double weight? The biggest enigma is where it started, somewhere in the UK, and how it got to Calais. From there it's much more clearly canceled for transit to Geneva.
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