Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,652 
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Dec 1, 2017 16:38:56 GMT
U.S.-Cuba Mixed Franking on Picture Postcard FragmentHere is another interesting item which I was given over the Thanksgiving holiday by my thoughtful sister-in-law. While it is a shame that the full postcard was not left intact, the item shown below raises some questions for me. This is the first mixed-franking item I have ever received, so I am wondering how to collect it. The postmark is undated, but the portion I can read states: LA HABANA, CUBA. The partial portion states: SER.... EREO. Perhaps this might be SERVICIO AEREO? The stamps are U.S., Scott #C39 issued on 18-Jan-1949 and Cuba, Scott #RA16 issued on 08-Feb-1952, which is a postal tax stamp rather than a regular postage stamp. So, we can deduce that the usage happened sometime after 8th February 1952. My questions: Was the use of a U.S. Air Mail stamp alongside a Cuba Postal Tax stamp in the 1950s considered normal? Is this considered a true mixed franking since one of the stamps is not a postage stamp, but a tax stamp? Should this on-piece fragment be kept intact, despite its rough condition? Or would it just be better to soak off the stamps and move on? Any comments/suggestions would be appreciated, as I know almost nothing about items such as this. 
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Post by dgdecker on Dec 2, 2017 4:36:18 GMT
I will admit that my knowledge of Cuban History is somewhat limited. In my cursory search, i found nothing to indicate the the use of a US stamp with a Cuban stamp of any kind. The early 50s was a period of upheaval for many reasons. Was there a shortage of Cuban stamps? Was Cuban currency tied to US dollar in any way? If this was in my ownership, I would keep it as is. Reason: very easy to proved it was franked with a Cuban issue. Remove it from the paper and it would not be so evident. Just my two cents worth.
david
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scb
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Post by scb on Dec 2, 2017 6:52:09 GMT
What a lovely piece - definitely keep it as one... Unfortunately I've got no knowledge on reasons why. As a wild guess, some American was in staying in hotel (or other accommodation service), and used an US stamp to pay postage. Possibly it was allowed (hotel staff might have added extra stamps/paid the due etc), possibly not. The postal tax stamp however was to be attached on every piece transmitted (likely done by Cuban person).
What does the card picture ? It is a tourist image, or something else?
-k-
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Post by smauggie on Dec 2, 2017 15:01:04 GMT
Hi,
I think this was diplomatic or official mail from a US government office or embassy in Cuba. At this time Cuba was still a US territory.
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scb
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Now at 100,000+ worldwide stamps, and progressing one stamp at a time towards the 200K
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Post by scb on Dec 2, 2017 22:02:22 GMT
Huh? The last time I checked history books, Republic of Cuba was born in 1902 (and lasted till 1959). 'Puppet/satellite' state it might have been (especially with US occupation of 1906–1908), but definitely not US territory.
-k-
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tomiseksj
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Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,262
What I collect: Worldwide stamps/covers, Cinderellas, Ohio Prepaid Sales Tax Receipts, U.S. WWII Ration ephemera
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Post by tomiseksj on Dec 3, 2017 13:21:24 GMT
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Post by smauggie on Dec 3, 2017 15:52:52 GMT
Thank you for pointing out in the most theatrical way possible my misstatement scb.
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,652
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Dec 3, 2017 17:38:29 GMT
Many thanks to all of you who responded with comments to my request for information on this thread: dgdecker, scb, smauggie, and tomiseksj. I appreciate the time that you took to read my original post and add your thoughts. Smauggie, no worries, my friend! I understood what you were trying to say, and in fact, it was your post that reminded me that U.S. stamps were at one time overprinted and used from Cuba, which I had forgotten about. And certainly Cuba was treated like a territory of the U.S. in the 1950s, even when it no longer officially was, and that certainly played a major role in its history and had a lot to do with why there was a revolution there in 1959. Steve, thanks for your suggestion and contact info for an expert in stamps of Cuba. I will contact him and let everyone know what he tells me. Also, in response to Keijo's question, here is a scan of the other side of the piece. It doesn't tell us much, other than that this was probably an artist's rendering of a building or a scenic overview of Havana with a bit of sky and the top of a building. Judging by the other items in the accumulation I was given, they are mostly picture postcards from vacation spots, and Cuba certainly was a major U.S. tourist destination in the 1950s.  |
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tomiseksj
Moderator
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,262
What I collect: Worldwide stamps/covers, Cinderellas, Ohio Prepaid Sales Tax Receipts, U.S. WWII Ration ephemera
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Post by tomiseksj on Dec 3, 2017 18:11:31 GMT
Beryllium Guy , The APRL catalog lists an article titled "Cuba Postal Tax Stamps Required Dec 9" that was published in the American Revenuer during 1950. It might be worth having them send you a copy to see if it provides the answer to your question.
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scb
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Now at 100,000+ worldwide stamps, and progressing one stamp at a time towards the 200K
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Post by scb on Dec 4, 2017 6:45:30 GMT
Thank you for pointing out in the most theatrical way possible my misstatement scb. Hopefully no feelings were hurt. At least it was not the intention... Beryllium Guy - thanks for card image. Agree, it appears as hotel/holiday souvenir. So I guess diplomatic and other official mail can be ruled out. -k- |
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,652
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Dec 4, 2017 17:06:30 GMT
Ernesto Cuesta is an expert on Cuban stamps and he may be familiar with this type of mixed franking. I recommend that you contact him at ecuesta (AT) philat (DOT) com. Many thanks to Steve for directing me to contact Ernesto Cuesta. Here is his response by e-mail, reproduced with his permission: "The item was probably a postcard mailed by a U.S. tourist in Cuba that had carried the U.S. stamp to Cuba and used it to mail the postcard. The 1c Cuban stamp was required as a tax to support the Ministry of Communications (Cuban Postal System). The postcard must have been dropped at a mailbox in Havana or at the sender's hotel and the postal service just didn't look too closely at the stamps on the postcard when cancelling them or just decided to let it go through as a courtesy to the sender. Without the 1c Cuban tax stamp, the post office would probably not have sent it forward, so the supposition that a Cuban suggested the addition of the 1c tax stamp or just added it to the card (for example at the hotel) as a courtesy to the tourist is probably correct. The partial words on the cancellation are correctly surmised to be "Servicio Aereo" ("Airmail Service"). Too bad somebody cut the stamps from the postcard--it would have been a nice piece of postal history if kept intact. As is, keep them on the piece--the stamps by themselves are not worth much." Thanks again to all who responded to this thread, and special thanks to Ernesto Cuesta for his comments. It seems clear that keeping what is left of the piece intact is the right thing to do. That would have been my original guess, but it has been very good to have this confirmed by other collectors, such as my TSF colleagues, and by a known authority in the field, such as Ernesto Cuesta. |
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