From Atlantic France to Italian Switzerland in by Harlan F. Stone

Transcription

1 VOL. XXII, NUMBER 3 MAY 1996 American Helvetia Philatelic Society From Atlantic France to Italian Switzerland in by Harlan F. Stone Under the postal treaties between Swiss canton s and France during , both sides employed a complex set of accounting marks to signify the postage to be collected at the end of a lette r 's journey. Franc e used ten concentric distance zones, radiating out fro m its exchange offices of Huningue, Pontarlier, Delle, and Ferney, as the basis for its postage rates of 2 up to 100 decimes for a 7 1/2 gram letter. The farthest "11D" zone included only two small areas of France, the tip of Brittany where it juts into the Atlantic Ocean and the extreme southwest corner next to Spai n where the Pyrenees Mountains run into the Atlantic. In an updated publication on these treaties at least 25 years ago, the still-active Swiss postal historian Louis Vuille reproduced the postal marking on tw o "11D" covers but did not show the actual covers. ' The Belgium postal historian Leo de Clercq, who publishe d his studies of these treaties in the 1980s, 2 recently re - ported that he had never seen an "11D " cover. When the Swiss postal historian Hansuli Sieber publishe d his book on the 1829 Canton Basel-French treaty in 1991, he illustrated one of Vuille 's two "11D " covers, but it turned out to be an incorrectly marked cover from Bordeaux in the "10D" zone. 3 It follows tha t "11D" covers are scarce. I began searching for an ex - ample after creating a five-frame exhibit of letter s mailed under these treaties in Sudden success struck a t a large New York stamp show early in In a dealer's box I found the cover illustrated at right (enlarge d 40%), one that travele d across both France and Switzerland almost as far as possible within these tw o countries, from Lorient on the Brittany coast in France on August 6, 1836, t o Promontogno in one of the Italian - speaking pockets within th e most eastern Swiss Canton o f Grisons bordering Italy an d Austria. Lying on its left side is the elusive "11D" mark, i n this case a boxed "CF/11D " handstamp signifying "correspondence par Ferney, 11 decimes" due France. Finding this cover was only the first challenge. Understanding the accumulation o f postage charges as it passed through the Swiss can - tons has become a second challenge. The French let - ter writer included a detailed route in the address : "par (via) Paris, Bale (Basel), Coira (Chur), Canton Grisons in Bregaglia (Valley) a (to) Promontogno. " The cover also bears three rate figures: 34 and 55, both in the same red ink ; and 63 in black crayon. During the Swiss-French treaties, the canton of Zurich 's postal administration held sway over seve n other Swiss cantons, including Grisons. Although thi s letter did go through the French exchange office at Huningue and the canton of Basel (and Aargau) to reach Zurich, France exchanged this letter directly with Zurich for forwarding to Grisons. The Paris post office carelessly applied the boxed "CF/11 D" mark, in - tended for use on mail from France via the French ex - change office at Ferney to the Fischer Post in Geneva, Switzerland. Fischer had gone out of business at th e end of but the "CF " mark was still within reach of the postal clerks at Paris. After receiving conflicting opinions on the divisio n of postage for the delivery of this letter, I've settled o n the following breakdown as the best fit, keeping in mind that letters under these treaties show inconsistencies in postage calculations. (Cont. pg. 2)

2 Contents France to Switzerland in From the President 3 What is a "Consilium" 3 A New Stamp? 4 AHPS Auction Maritime Labels 1 1 Screening Flaw - Morse N 1 2 Briefpost Part Strubel - Error of Color 1 6 Copyright 1995, The American Helvetia Philatelic Society (AHPS). TELL (ISSN ) is the official journal of the America n Helvetia Philatelic Society, affiliate #52 of the American Philateli c Society and a member of the Union of Swiss Philatelic Societies. TELL is published bimonthly (Jan/Mar/May/Jul/Sep/Nov). Opinions expressed in this journal are those of the authors and ar e not necessarily endorsed by AHPS or the Editor. Letters and articles on Swiss, Liechtenstein, UN Geneva an d related philately are welcome and should be sent to the Editor. Manuscripts should be typed, double-spaced. Whenever possible, submit material on 5¼" or 3½ " PC or Macintosh computer diskette s (high density Mac disks). Illustrations may be submitted as full size photocopies; or, we can copy/scan your originals (please contact the Editor before sending actual stamps, covers, etc.). Please include your address and telephone number. Subscriptions for 1995, include AHPS dues : North America, $20; overseas air delivery, $30. Request membership applications from th e Secretary. Change-of-Address should be sent to the Secretary. Commercial advertising copy and rate inquiries should be sent to the Editor. Advertising deadlines are the first of the month prior t o publication (Dec/Feb/Apr/Jun/Aug/Oct). Printed by Kettle Moraine Printing, West Bend WI Atlantic France to Italian Switzerland in 1838 (Cont. from cover) Although this letter now seems to weigh very slightly less than 7 1/2 grams, the Zurich post offic e apparently rated it as a "double " letter weighing 7 1/ 2 to 10 grams, triggering charges of 1 1/2 times the basi c rate. The Zurich post office wrote the 34 as the Swis s kreuzer charges to that point and the 55 as the final total, including the forwarding charges to Promontogno. At the destination the 55 kreuzers were converted into 63 blutzgers, the local currency. The breakdown : Lorient to Swiss border 22 kreuzer = 11 decime s for kilometer s Swiss border to Zurich 12 kreuzers = 8 x 1 1/2 rat e Zurich to Chur 12 kreuzers = 8 x 1 1/2 rate Chur to Promontagno 9 kreuzers = 6 x 1 1/2 rate Total 55 kreuzer s References "Frankreich Gebuhrenstempel nach de r Schweiz " by Louis Vuille, a supplement to Postgeschichte und Altbriefkunde by the Deutschen American Helvetia Philatelic Societ y Officers ELECTED OFFICERS APPOINTED OFFICER S President TELL Editor Ernest L. Bergman Dick Barto n 1421 Harris St 2800 Crestview Ct. State College PA Loveland CO Home : Home: Past President TELL Associate Edito r Mario Wiedenmeier Steven S. Weston 12 Lyncrest Drive P.O. Box 868 Galveston, TX Del Mar CA Home : Vice-President Circuit Sales Manager Dick Barton Emil L. Toble r 2800 Crestview Ct. P.O. Box 2 6 Loveland, CO Bradford RI Home : Home : Secretary & Librarian Auction Manager Richard T. Hall George Struble P.O. Box th St NE Manhattan Beach, CA Salem OR Home : Home : Treasurer Publicity Chairman Frank Young Awards Chairman 412 North Main Street Editor Emeritu s Herkimer, NY Harlan F. Stone Home : P.O. Box Woodside NY Regional Director West Home : Donn Lueck P. O. Box Slide Chairman Phoenix, AZ Richard W. Blaney Home : PO Box 1100 Easton MA Regional Director Central Robert Gleichenhau s 7602 Vinewood REPRESENTATIVE S San Antonio, TX Union of Swiss Philateli c Home : Societies Representative Ralph Soderberg Regional Director East P.O. Box David E. Durham, Pastor Grosse Pointe Wood s #7 Allenhurst Road MI Buffalo, NY Home : Home : American Philatelic Societ y Plan to attend/exhibit at these Charles J. LaBlond e AHPS Conventions and shows : P.O. Box 264 Chelmsford MA Pacific'97 Home : May 29 - June 1, 1997 San Francisco C A 1997 AHPS Conventio n Chairman : Bruce Marsde n Liechtenstein Study Group Chm: Max Rheinberge r 100 Elizabeth St. # [hake Avenue Duluth MN Burlingame, CA Home : MILCOPEX'98 September 18-20, Milwaukee, WI Altbriefsammler-Vereins, no date, in German. 2 "Tarieven en Porten " by Leo de Clercq, read be - fore the Belgium Academy of Philately, Jan. 21, 1985, in French. Porti und Stempel aufgrund des Postvertrages Basel- Frank re ich by Hansuli Sieber, 1991, in German. 2 TELL May 1996

3 From the President Today is the first day of Spring but that does not prevent a snowfall which is very hard to swallow when thinking of the fine weather we had at the convention in Arizona a couple of months ago! After sending the Ganz book to the National Postal Museum in Washington D.C., as decided at the Convention, T. Carr, Branch Librarian notified us that bibliographic records are available vi a internet, telnet address : SIRIS.SI.IDU. The APRL Library in State College is presently also developing internet, but until completed, can be used with the address GIN STAMPS, ORG. In the January TELL column "Financial Sup - port and Books Received" I omitted the donatio n to APRL through Ernst M. Cohn, of an other beautiful book in German, entitled (translated ) "The Dove Covers from A to Z" by Bernd Vogel of Vienna, Austria. The book is based on his unique exhibit at Basel which received a large gold meda l in the postal stationery class. Thanks Ernst! We are still working with Herbert Brach on the "The Perforated Sitting Helvetia STRUBE L " book "front". Different avenues for publication of this monumental work are bein g explored and we hope very much to have more in - formation very soon. Congratulations to Chuck LaBlonde for being elected as the first corresponding member of th e CONSILIUM PHILATELIAE HELVETICAE. This is a very small group in Switzerland of eminent Swiss philatelic specialists and being a member is a great honor not only for Chuck but als o for AHPS. In case you haven't realized it, since you are s o "deeply" involved in your stamp collecting habits, this is an election year! It is not only on th e political scene but also for the entire Board of AHPS consisting of president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and three regional directors. Presently we are working on the appointmen t of a nomination committee with details to be announced in the July TELL. You are requested to give it some serious thoughts, if you would like t o take over one of the above mentioned "jobs" or recommend somebody, submit your suggestions to the nominating committee at that time. As your president for the past four years, I fee l very strongly, that four years is long enough and it is indeed time for a change in this position. Therefore, I decided not to be a candidate for re - election. Until next time, happy "stamping" Ernest L Bergman What is a "CONSILIUM? " by Charles LaBlonde Just as in the USA, there are many stamp clubs in Switzerland. Most towns have a local club and there are the usual national specialist societies. Possibly the least understood philateli c society in Switzerland is the Consilium Philateliae Helveticae or CPhH for short. Those who get the SBZ from Switzerland will often see these letters after the names of some of the authors. The Consilium was founded on 14 April by Heinrich Ganz to "promote friendship an d camaraderie among the members and to bring th e combined experience of the members to Swis s philately." Herr Ganz was the first president o f the Consilium, serving until From th e outset, the Consilium was closely allied with th e Swiss Union of Stamp Clubs (VSPhV) and this continues even today. (Note that our American Helvetia Philatelic Society is an official member club of the VSPhV.) In the early days the Consilium was really a "good old boys" group, that spent more tim e looking inward than serving philately. The group had annual two day outings around Switzerland and neighboring countries. Membership was limited to 10 until 1954 when it was raised to 12. The current president of the Consilium is Paolo Vollmeier, since Under his visionary leadership the Consilium has adopted a much more open agenda, including : -Public relations -Presentation/speakers bureau -Joint projects with libraries and archives -Promoting Swiss philately abroa d -Prizes and awards -Closer ties with the expert committe e -Support for literature -Cooperative projects with philatelic societie s in other countries -Making philately available for youth an d retired persons Those who were in Basel saw the very impressive (and heavy) results of a Consilium project. In conjunction with the Zurich Archive s and the PTT, the Consilium copied to microfilm and published all postal treaties from 1724 t o 1849 in 5 huge books for the use of philatelists. (Yes, they can be purchased! ) The current membership of the Consilium is limited to 40. Charles J. LaBlonde, an AHPS member, is the first American member. Ma y 1996 TELL 3

4 SWITZERLAND, A NEW STAMP? by Max Hertsch (Translated from the BBZ 1/96 by Charles J. LaBlonde ) The PTT, as part of their efforts to do mor e automatic sorting and processing of mail, introduce d something new for Express mail. This is in the form of an Express Mail self-stick label that serves man y purposes. The PTT describes the new label set in a circular as follows (condensed) : "The three-language bar-coded label will be used on domestic letters an d packages instead of the existing Express Mail labels. The goal of this test is to improve Express Mai l service. Among other things, this will be attained b y controlling the mail at both the sending and receivin g ends. For our postal customers nothing obvious will change: franked Express items can be posted just a s before. In the case of unfranked items, they will not be franked by the PTT counter personnel but the postage collected will be added daily to Account 49. For registered Express Mail items, receipt will be recorde d on a new form. " The Label Se t The label sets will be distributed to post offices in sheets of seven. The mailing part of the labe l serves as a stamp, as soon as it is stuck to th e letter or package. Every post office is coded into th e numbers of the Express Mail label sets delivered to it. The sets include : 1) Label for posting with integrated delivery bar code. 2) Label part that is removed at posting and stuck t o the delivery record form. 3) Label part that is stuck to the posting record form. 4) Label part that is stuck to the customer receip t form. Changes in Acceptanc e With the new labels, there is no requirement for a postmark. Sending: The Express Mail label is stuck onto the item being sent. For registered packages, one needs only check the registered box on the label set. The sending bar-code part of the label set is stuck to the posting record form. The time of posting and the type of payment is noted on the form by hand. The postage rate is the normal rate plus the express rate. If the item is already franked with the normal postage, only the express rate is collected separately. For items paid in cash, the label acts as an indication of postage paid. Since no postage stamp is required, the label indicates postage paid just as the earlier EMS mailings. Items to be posted abroad will be handled the same way as ever. Stamp - Yes or No? A noted Basel stamp company is offering the Express Mail label set as a new express mail stamp o n first day cover. They are quoting the PTT words, "The mailing part of the label serves as a stamp, as soon as it is stuck to the letter or package." Is this label set really a stamp in the philateli c sense? What makes a stamp? In reality, modern technology has indeed changed what we call stamps, but certain criteria are still required for a stamp. For example : -It must be issued by a legitimate postal administration or institution. -It must show the country of origin. -It must show the face value, via a number or some other means, i.e., a letter. -It must be universally available at posta l counters. This new label, as one says, is neither fish nor fowl. Some of these criteria are fulfilled by this new PTT creation. But so do other "stamps" recognized by the PTT, such as the impressions of frankin g machines, the impressions of the counter machines, PP markings used by some companies for bulk mail, the AZ marking printed directly on envelopes fo r periodicals and the officially franked items. All of these methods show that the correct postage for th e particular item has been paid and they are widely collected by philatelists as side interests. But they ar e not called stamps. The new Express Mail Labe l The part pasted into the delivery recor d The Delivery Record 4 TELL May 1996

5 Other important philatelic criteria are not satisfie d by these labels. The PTT itself does not call th e Express Mail labels stamps - post offices are not required to treat these labels as stamps. Because of the source post office bar coding, the labels can onl y be used by the post office to which they have bee n issued, that is, the labels are an internal PT T document with very particular rules. Because of th e way the records are kept, at the sending and th e receiving ends, no cancels or postmarks are required. After assessing all the points that speak for an d against "stamp" status, we believe this is an interesting new development, but it will not appear in the Zumstein catalog as a stamp. Posting Receipt Part pasted onto posting record Posting Record EDITOR'S COMMENTS by Dick Barton In addition to the election of officers mentioned in the President's column, the job of TELL editor is also in need of a volunteer. My last issue is the November 1996 issue and a replacement should be ready to take over in October 1996 for the January 1997 issue. TELL is the glue that binds the society together. It is the communication link between the member s and it is critical to the health of AHPS. As such I would like each member that values AHPS t o seriously consider the job of editor for 2 years. The editor is responsible for assembling, editing and releasing the journal to the publisher for printing. You do not need to be an authority on Swiss philately, you get plenty of help from other member s if needed. I think that you should have a PC and a word processing program, but even that is not required, it just save s time. There are 6 issues a year and eac h issue takes hours, or an average of about 3 hours per week. Your expense s are covered by AHPS. The rewards are great. I have ha d the opportunity to meet and correspon d with a number of very interesting people, all of whom have a common interest, Swiss Philately. I have learned a lot, no t only about Swiss philately, but abou t assembling a top quality journal. If you are interested in learning more about the job of editor, please call me. May 1996 TELL 5

6 AHPS Auction 106 The Zumstein 1996 Schweiz-Lichtenstein Catalog is the basis for the value column except where noted ; the conversion rate used is SFr. 1 = $.85. Please send your bids to George Struble, th St. NE, Salem OR Bids must be received by June 10. I do accept bids by phone. Our next AHPS auction will appear in the September TELL. I must have items for that auction by June 30 ; earlier is helpful! At the AHPS Business Meeting at ARIPEX we clarified that lots are sold at one increment over the secon d highest bid. The earliest bid received among tied bids prevails. We do accommodate the kind of requests man y of us make to commercial auctions: limit on total purchases, either-or bids,... So to paraphrase the election year saying, Bid early and often! Lot Descriptio n Rayons 1 Z. 15IIa (Sc. 7) Rayon I Type 39. Two margins ; cut along frame lines other two sides. Unusual PP in circle cancel A&E # Zeigler cert. Fresh color. (Ph.) 2 Z. 16II (Sc. 8) Rayon II T 17, E, RO. Black P.P. cancel. "Light brownish-yello w shade, adequate to wide margins on all four sides ; tiny tear at lower left corner, other wise without fault" - Zeigler cert. (Ph. ) 3 Z. 16II (Sc. 8) Rayon II T20, Stone E, RO Light grill cancel, four margins (Ph.) 4 Z. 16II (Sc. 8) Rayon II T11, Stone E, LO VF grill cancel, four margins. Signed von der Weid (Ph.) 5 Z. 17II (Sc. 10) Rayon I T21, Stone C2 LU, dark blue shade. VF, four margins (Ph.) 6 Z. 17II.1.04 (Sc. 10 var.) very thin paper Four wide margins, unclear grill cancels (Ph.) Zumstein 1992 Spec. cat. value Strubels 7 Z. 23A.d (Sc. 16) 10 Rp bright blue, grill cancel. Four frame lines, three+ margins Zumstein 1992 Spec. Cat. value 8 Z. 22C.b (Sc. 24) 5 Rp. light brown. Grill cancel. Four margins, two of them large (Ph. ) Value MB TELL May 1996

7 Lot Description 9 Z. 26C (Sc. 29) 40 Rp. green SON Basel cds. Two good margins, most of the other two frame lines 10 Z. 27C (Sc. 30) 1 fr. black silk thread, grill cancel. "three frame lines showing; right frame line only partly present; a few minor toned spots ; a tiny crease on one corner ; no other faults" - Zeigler certif. (Ph.) 11 Z. 22D (Sc. 25) 5 Rp. light brown M, no gum. Four frame lines, three margins 12 Z. 22D (Sc. 25) 5 Rp. brown. Steckborn Fingerhut cancel #4679. Almost four frame lines, bottom sheet margin 13 Z. 27D (Sc. 31) 1 fr. Three frame lines, nice cds cancel (Ph.) 14 Z. 27D (Sc. 31) 1 fr. Four frame lines, three wide margins. Light cds cancel. Slightly thinned on back. Rellstab certif. (Ph.) 15 Z. 23E.b (Sc. 27a) 10 Rp. light blue Luzern box cancel. Almost four frame lines, two margins. (Ph.) 16 Z. 24F (Sc. 33) 15 Rp. "Fresh matt rose shade, clean attractive cancel ; thin paper ; four frame lines with white margins beyond on three sides ; horizontal crease in upper part of stamp " - Zeigler certif. (Ph.) 17 Z. 22G (Sc. 36) Four margins, clear cds 18 Z. 23G (Sc. 37) Four full framelines, two good margins. SON UNDERVELIER 6 Jan 63 cancel, AW Late use of stamp, early use of cancel. Very nice! 19 Z. 24G (Sc. 38) 15 Rp. Four full frame lines, plus narrow margins. Light clean CHUR cds 20 Z. 24G (Sc. 38) 15 Rp. Three frame lines and margins, bottom frame line cut into. Clear SON cds 21 Z. 24G.c (Sc. 38) 15 Rp. light dull rose. St. Ursanne cds. Three frame lines and margins Zumstein 1992 Spec. Cat. value 22 Z. 25G (Sc. 39) 20 Rp. Three+ full frame lines. SON Geneve cds 23 Z. 25Gc (Sc. 39) 20 Rp. pale orange yellow. Zurzach cds. All four frame lines cut into. 24 Z. 26G (Sc. 40) 40 Rp. Two full frame lines and margins, other two frame line s slightly cut into. Light cds cancel 25 Z. 26G.a (Sc. 40) 40 Rp. yellow-green. M, no gum. Four margins, except 1 mm. cut into right frame line (Ph.) Zumstein 1992 Spec. Cat. value 26 Z. 26Ga (Sc. 40) 40-Rp. yellow green. Geneve cds. 3p margins and frame lines Sitting Helvetia 27 Z. 34 F M OG HR, small thin. Nice color (Ph.) 28 Z (Sc. 48) 60-ct copper bronze VF, Vevey double-circle cancel A& E 10N11 Zumstein 1992 Spec. Cat. value 29 Z. 42.a (Sc. 58) 40 ct. Light gray. Lyss straight-line cancel. VF 30 Z. 43.b 50-ct red lilac M OG F-VF, good. color 31 Z (Sc ) F-VF M, most with H R 32 Z. 47a (Sc. 63) 15 ct. yellow F-VF, with Töss 6.I.82 cancel. Control mark has broke n through the paper; no other faults. Guinand letter: "stamp and cancel are genuine. " 33 Z. 48 (Sc. 64) 20 ct. orange Basel 31.I.82 cds. F, "fresh color; cancel a little smudgy and paper a little toned at top, but without faults" - Zeigler certif. 34- Z. 48a (Sc. 64) 20 ct. orange F-VF, with Zürich 19.VII.82 cancel. Two short perfs. Control mark has slightly broken through the paper. Guinand letter: "stamp and cancel are genuine. " Value MB , , , , May 1996 TELL 7

8 Lot Descriptio n 35 Z. 49 (Sc. 65) 25-ct. green F-VF, with light, clear St. Gallen 31.XII.81 cds. "Perfs slightly short at lower left, no other faults" - Zeigler certif. 36 Z. 50b (Sc. 66) VG-F with Zürich 3.II.82 cancel. Guinand letter: "stamp and cancel are genuine." Several short perfs, and a small bite (not reaching the design) out of the left side. (Ph.) 37 Z. 51 (Sc. 67) 50 ct. F-VF "Apparently genuine 1881 usage, two missing perfs, n o other faults" - Zeigler certif. 38 Z. 51b (Sc. 67) 50 ct. lilac F-VF with Neuchatel box cancel, a few short perfs, a smal l thin spot. Guinand letter: "stamp and cancel are genuine " Cross and Numeral 39 Z. 54a (Sc. 78) 5 ct. brown lilac, white paper. F used, with clear cd s 40 Z. 55 (Sc. 79) 10 ct. rose F-VF, l cds cance l 41 Z. 56 (Sc. 80) Cross & Numeral 12 ct. ultramarine, white paper. M, OG, VF with some short perfs. 42 Z. 56 (Sc. 80) 12 ct. gray ultramarine, white paper. VF, VEVEY box cancel 43 Z. 60A.c 5 ct. deep brown lilac F M OG 44 Z. 62A.d 12 ct. dark ultramarine blue F M OG Zumstein 1992 Spec. Cat, value 45 Z. 63A (Sc. 75) 15 ct. yellow F-VF M OG HR. A few short perfs 46 Z. 64A.b 15 ct. deep dull purple VF M OG 47 Z. 62B.a 12 ct. dull blue F-VF M HR Zumstein 1992 Spec. Cat. value 48 Z. 64B 15 ct. brown lilac F-VF M OG dist. gum 49 Z. 64B.b (Sc. 76) 15 ct. brown red lilac VF M VLH Zumstein 1992 Spec. Cat. Standing Helvetia 50 Z. 66A (Sc. 82) 20 ct. VF M LH, exceptionally Fine centering. Fresh color 51 Z. 67Ac.1.29 (Sc. 83 var.) 25 ct. green cds cancel. 'fresh color and properly used, showing very clear traces of doubling of the entire design ; a so-called Schmitzdruck, short perfs at bottom right, no other faults" Zeigler cert. (Ph.) 52 Z. 66B (Sc. 89) 20 ct. F-VF, SON cds. Good color, excellent perfs for this issue 53 Z. 70Bb (Sc. 92) 50 ct. dark blue used. VF centered, a few stubbed perfs 54 Z. 71B (Sc. 93) 1 fr. Strengelbach cds. F-VF centered, good perfs. 55 Z. 69C 40 ct. F, with clean box cancel. 56 Z. 68D.d (Sc. 95) 30 ct. yellowish brown F-VF M HR Zumstein 1992 Spec. Cat. 57 Z. 71D.c (Sc. 87a) 1 fr. deep lilac F M OG Zumstein 1992 Spec. Cat. value 58 Z. 68E (Sc. 95a) 30 ct. F-VF M HR Fresh color 59 Z. 71E (Sc. 87b) 1 fr. lilac F-VF used, with some short perfs (Ph.) 60 Z. 74E.d (Sc. 96a) 50 ct. green F-W M OG, fresh color 61 Z. 89A (Sc. 108a) 40 ct. F, cds. 62 Z. 97A (Sc. 122) 40 ct. F, with SON cds 63 Z. 100B (Sc. 125) 3 fr. F-W M LH 64 Z. 100B (Sc. 125) 3 fr. F-VF, cds cancel 65 Z. 114 (Sc. 141) 70 ct. VF M VLH Helvetia with Sword Z. 115z (Sc. 144a) 1 fr. F-W block of 4 with central cancel. A couple perf seps. 67 Z. 131 (Sc. 184) 10 fr. VF M LH, small spot in UL corner Value MB , , TELL May 1996

9 Lot Descriptio n 68 Z A.01 (Sc. 189) 80/70 ct. "Open 8" variety VF M HR 69 Z A.01 (Sc. 189 var.) 80/70 ct. 'Open 8" variety. F-VF. Light box cancel. Berra-Gautschy certif. (Ph.) 70 Z. 165z (Sc. 202a) 1.50 fr F-VF block of 4 with single central cancel. few perf seps 71 Z v (Sc ) High values VF M LH 72 Z. 242z (Sc. 230a) 10-ct. brown VF block of 4 with clear central cance l 73 Z. 301 (Sc. 332c) 20 ct. VF used. Elusive! Tête-beche Z. K7II (Sc. 152a) 5+5 ct. Type II VF M LH 75 Z. K et. F-VF, most of a single light cancel. 76 Z. K34Az ct. VF M VLH 77 Z. K ct Pro Juv. Insects VF used 78 Z. K44 x 2 or Z. Z40 x 2 Center top or bottom block of 4 (20+10 in upper left) fro m sheet VF M NH 79 Z. Z ct. F-VF, with single centered cancel 80 Z. Z16z ct. in strip of three with extra 5 ct. VF used 81 Z. Z35b, Z35d Salvage Campaign VF in lower right margin block of six, on piec e with two clear centered cancels. Crease between left two and right four stamps. 82 Z. Z ct. Pro Juv. Insects (horiz.) VF M NH 83 Z. Z40 Insects (vert.) VF M NH 84 Z. 40 VF used 85 Z. Z39-41 VF M All three Z pairs from 1953 sheet. Z39 has HR; others LH 86 Z. S40z 5+5 ct. F-VF M NH. Fresh! 87 Z. S ct. F-VF with machine cancel. Appears to have been separated at center perf, taped back together. Air Mail 88 Z. F V Herisau air pioneer, VF centered M H and other adhesions on back ; discolored spots 89 Z. F2 (Sc. C2) Lausanne Gare cancel. "Though cancel is indistinct, city and year-date can be made out ; in a good state of conservation, fresh color, and without faults" - Zeigler certif. 90 Z. F6 (Sc. C6) 35 ct. VF M H R 91 Z. F6 (Sc. C6) 35 et. VF used 92 Z. F7 (Sc. C7) 40 ct. VF M OG HR 93 Z. F11 (Sc. C11) 75 ct. VF used 94 Z. F13 (Sc. C15) 2 fr. VF used 95 Z. F14 (Sc. C13) 35 ct. F-VF, clean corner cancel. 96 Z. F15 (Sc. C14) 40 ct. VF, SON cds 97 Z. F15z (Sc. C14a) 40 ct. VF used Pro Juventute, Pro Patria Z. W I II French PJ 1912 Fore-runner VF M H with some foxing at top. Also a thinned W I I (German Forerunner) thrown in. 99 Z. W I 3 (Sc. B3) Pro Juv ct. F-VF, machine cancel, one short perf. 100 W I 4-6 (Sc. B4-6) Pro Juv VF M NH Value MB May 1996 TELL 9

10 Lot Descriptio n 101 Z. W I 7 (Sc. B7) Pro Juv ct. VF, cds cance l 102 Z. W I 98, 99I (Sc. B116) 1941 sheet VF MNH 103 Z. W II 3-6 (Sc. B ) 1940 Monuments VF blocks of 4, each with single central cancel. 5 ct. and 10 ct. have some perf seps. 104 Z. W III 23 (Sc. B144) Basel Dove Sheet VF MNH International Agencies 105 Z. D IV 53-6 (Sc ) 1938 Buildings VF used Covers 106 Z. 73E (Sc. 94a) strip of three 25 ct. on registered cover Lausanne to Bosto n 107 SF25.4a Genève-Paris flight on neat commercial cover. Franked with Z. F9 (Sc C9) 108 Zeppelin South America Flight. Franked with Z. 178 (Sc. 206 ) Postmarked 16.V.30, carrying red (Luftpost Handbuch) cancel 116 and autograph of th e pilot Hans von Schiller, addressed to Lancaster, PA. Backstamped Rio de Janiero and Lancaster 109 Two covers: SF38.4a Zürich - Stockholm, franked with Z. F9z, and SF44.1c registere d Zürich - Genève, franked with Z. F Z. W III 31 (Sc. B178) IMABA sheet with IMABA show cancel on cover addressed t o Liechtenstein Liechtenstein 111 Liechtenstein Z. F9-13 (Sc. C9-13) airs VF MN H 112 Liechtenstein Z. F14-15 (Sc. C15-16) F-VF use d 113 Liechtenstein W (Sc. B11-13) 1932 Youth set. VF used 114 Liechtenstein Z (Sc ) on reg. cover to France 115 Liechtenstein Z (Sc ) on reg. express cover with special cancel 3.V.42 to Genève 116 Liechtenstein F32 (Sc. C32) Sheet of 9 on FDC to New York Value MB AHPS Auction 105 January 1996 Prices Realize d 10 TELL May 199 6

11 A SWISS LABEL FOR WARTIME SHIPPING by Michael Rutherfoord About 20 years ago I aske d at the Winterthur Main Post Office (following Ivan Tillen 's ad - vice) for a sample of their label s and collected a pile the next day. Amongst them was a strip of 10, part of which is shown at right. This label was new to me and I asked about it at the counter. Eventually an older staff member told me this label was use d on foreign parcels only, durin g the war, whereby the sende r could ask for the carrier ship's name be passed on t o him. This way the sender would know what had happened to his parcel when the ship was sunk. Then a few weeks ago I saw this label again in th e extensive label collection of Max Wehrli in Zurich. He confirmed the reason for the label and he had a mint example of the postcard that had to accompany th e parcel to the port of shipment shown here. In the PTT Library I then found by acciden t the label shown at top right, almost identical to the left label (same brown color) but roulette d instead of perforated. The printing date of the first label was January 1941, but that of the sec - ond label May 1972! Who was sinking ships in 1972? Further checking could reveal no othe r printings of the label, but the postcard was re - printed twice in 1941 (100,000 each) and again in April 1946, indicating possible usage after the war had ended. Then in the PTT Amtsblatt for 31 January 1941 I found the start of the story. At that time only Portugal would cooperate and the service cost 60 centimes to be paid in advance on the parcel documentation. The entire PTT announcement entitled, 'Embarkation Reporting for Packages to Foreign Destinations" reads as follows: 'Ac - cording to Article 21 of the International Posta l Agreement of Buenos Aires, the date a package is loaded on a ship and the name of the ship can be reported to the sender, for payment of a fixe d fee. This applies only to countries whose posta l administrations are prepared to offer this particular service. Embarkation reporting for packages from Switzerland will cost 60 centimes, to be noted on the accompanying papers. At present this applies only to packages to be loaded in Portuguese harbors. (See Provisional Package Postal Rates, Book 11, and the summary of rules for postal connec - tions with foreign countries.) Embarkation reporting for shipments via France, Lisbon and th e USA bound for Curacao, French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique is thus not allowed, since the French Government has not yet agreed to take part in thi s reporting. Packages for which the mailer has requested embarkation reporting are to be noted with the label, Einschiffungsmeldung, Form 802 (show n below - top). These packages must also be accompanied by the card, Form 801, (shown below - bottom) obtainabl e at the counter and exactly filled out. One card is valid for only one package. ' Now the questions : Has anyone else seen or hear d of this system? Were other countries involved? Whe n did this service end? Does anyone have a used car d and/or wrapper with used label? May 1996 TELL 11

12 A New Screening Flaw the Morse - N by Heinrich Kubli (SBZ 6/7, 1994, page 399 ; Translated by Ernest L Bergman * ) A decade ago already ; prominent philatelists competed in search for the famous y-shaped colorless screening flaw ("y-shape"). In the meantime, the collectors of varieties became acquainted with eight different location-specific "scratches " (right & next page). Now a ninth one is added. The first screening flaws occurred on the Pro Juventute an d Pro Patria stamps of 1940, produced by Courvoisier S. A. of La Chaux-de-Fonds. It is known that this screening flaw episode ende d with the exchange of the glass plat e in 1952 after the printing of the regular stamp issue "100 years electrico-telecommunications in Switzerland". The big difference of the thus far known screening flaws is the fact that obviously the glass screen plate was already damaged in with the now newly discovere d screening flaw "Morse -N" (in the Morse alphabet dash-dot). The new screening flaw is of 0.9 mm total length. As the illustration below shows, the "Morse -N " screening flaw can occur at four possible locations. To-date, I am aware of seventy screening flaws with "Morse-N" o n Swiss and Liechtenstein stamps. Of these, eleven have been retouched which can be regularly observe d with other screening flaws, beginning at the end of the forties. At that time, Courvoisier must hav e had specialists employed who ha d excellent eyesight and extremely skilled hands, to recognize (nearly ) all irregularities and being able to retouch them cleanly. A survey of these to-date known 722 screening flaws should show that the "Morse-N" occurs often. I know of 134 "beans", 131 "y - shapes", 119 "dashes", 98 "halos", 70 "Morse-N", 68 "bananas", 2 3 "Morse-B" and 9 "snakes"*. The screening flaw "Morse-N" i s also mentioned in the Zumstein specialized catalog, but unfortunately with a wrong designation. Examples: Regular stamp s Zumstein, , , , (retouched), - Pro Juventute and Pro Patria The history of screening flaw s has by far not been completed. It is possible that further discoverie s will be made not only with the "Morse-B" but also with othe r screening flaws. (to be continued. ) * In order to stay with an accepted translation for these screen - ing flaws, the English word s recorded in Zumstein Specialized Catalog 1992, page XXV have been used in this translation : German English : Y-förmig Y-shape d Banane Banan a Bohne Bean Strich dash Glorienschein Halo Morse B ( 000 ) Morse - B Morse 0 ( ) Morse - 0 Schlange Snake 12 TELL May 1996

13 make a dollar, and although most of them are very honest and reputable, there are a few bad eggs out there and they are willing to stretch th e truth to make a sale. These three examples all occurred during the first quarter of this year to two members. How many similar events happen to all of our members over the entire year must be tremendous. If you have a horror tale to tell, le t me know and I will relate it to th e membership, but names of the perpetrators will not be published. The puzzle below is reprinted from Linn's Stamp News, June 26, I felt that you could test your knowledge of Swiss Philately. I considere d just giving the catalogue number an d making you look up each stamp to find the name. CAVEAT EMPTOR by Dick Barton Three events have recently been related to me that I felt are worth passing on to th e members. A member recently purchased an item from a Swiss auction house. Although it had a certificate and looked fine, upon close examination there was a small tear. The item was returned without incident. At a recent bourse, a dealer had a hard t o find Swiss stamp. The asking price was close to that for a mint never hinged copy, but thi s item was hinged and had very minor toning. Upon questioning the pricing, the dealer stated that the latest Swiss dealers catalogu e did not show any difference between never hinged and hinged. When asked to see th e catalogue, the dealer couldn't find a copy. Th e skeptical buyer left and later found that in th e Swiss dealers catalogue never hinged was listed as over twice the value as hinged. A recent purchase from a Swiss auctio n house of an item listed as a vertical Se-Tenen t pair on cover, turned out to be a horizonta l pair on cover. The item was returned withou t incident. The moral of these stories are that th e buyer must beware. Even a Swiss expertize r may not notice a small tear, or it might hav e happened after the certificate was issued. Even well known Swiss auction houses can in - correctly identify an item or just plain make a mistake. Unfortunately, dealers are out to May 1996 TELL 13

14 BRIEFPOST 2000 PART 2 by Michael Rutherfoord & Charles LaBlonde For those of us now used to dealing with Automatic Teller Machines (ATM), it should come a s no surprise that the postal clerk of the year 2000 may also be a machine. Tests of such a machine have been underway in Switzerland for nearly a year. In this installment we describe the machine and show you its products. Parts of this article are taken from an article by Markus Seitz in the German Stamp News (DBZ), Number 24/95. The PTT announced the test of the IBM postal automat in Amtsblatt 188 of 1 April The machine, that would enter service on 22 May 1995, would print a label (stamp?) containing the followin g information in a bar-code format: 1) An Identification Code. 2) A Destination Code, to allow automati c sorting of the mail as it went through the system. The goal of this machine was to have a postal counter ope n around the clock, offering a variety of services. The photo at right shows the bright yellow machine in the lobby of the Aarau main post office. Heart of the machine is a normal IBM 486 personal computer with 16 MB RAM running Microsoft Windows 3.1. The user interface is a touch screen with various menus, depending upon the service required. The receipt is printed by an Epson dot-matrix printer. According to the PTT, IBM developed the overall software program in conjunction with the compan y Beat Walter Elektronik. Prior to the first day of use, examples of th e "stamp " could be ordered, but after these were delivered it was discovered that they were made i n Bern on a similar machine owned by the PTT for test purposes! One takes the following steps to use the machine : 1) A screen-saver showing flying packages operate s between customers. The customer is first asked to put his letter on the scale and touch OK. 2) Screen 2 asks the customer to select the service desired from the following list : -Normal -Express -Registered -Fragile Contents 3) Screen 3 asks for payment via PTT Telephone Card. The screen shows the balance on the card. If insufficient it asks for more cards. 4) After payment screen 4 shows the actual "stamp " and the stamp comes out at the top of the machine. 5) Screen 5 asks if a receipt is required. This allowed for the following 8 possible postage combinations (all based upon a weight of 1 kilogram) : -Normal Registere d Fragile Registered Express Registered -Expres s Express Fragile Registere d Express Fragile Fragile 14 TELL May 1996

15 Users immediately had th e following complaints : -The "stamp" is way too large. -The machine requires a telephone card. It take neither cash (Swiss o r foreign) nor credit cards. -A single transaction requires between 63 seconds and several minutes. Mr. Seitz notes that most customers simply ignored the machin e and went on to the counter of the post office. The people laboring with th e machine were mostly philatelists! The test was for packages, not letters. Michael sent a letter to Charles with a 3 franc "stamp" from th e machine. (facing page ) It shows a strange situation in which the "stamp" was declared voi d (see the usual Swiss circles on it) and the letter was taxed as if partially unfranked! They probably got upse t because it was franked as a letter (SFr 4.40 for 90 grams) and not a package. The package police were obviously watching everything posted by philatelists in Aarau! The letter above right made it through without problems along with the receipt from the machine. One reads the numbers on the "stamp" a s follows : 12 = No Meaning 5000 = Postcode Showin g Location of Machine, Aarau 01 Main Post Office, Aarau 1 90 = Code for the Test Period = Transaction Number (If Registered, also Registration Number). For those who follow postal automation, the German Postal Specialist for February 1996 reports that similar tests are underway in 1 4 German cities, using 4 differen t machines from IBM, Nagler, Siemens and Olivetti. In Germany the actio n all takes place inside the machine. The customer drops the letter in an d chooses from a touch screen. The "stamp " is either sprayed on or pasted on inside the machine. Tomorrow is here! As usual, al l questions are welcome, not only o n this topic but on all aspects of modern Swiss philately. May 1996 TELL 15

16 STRUBE L ERROR OF COLOR based on information provide d by Mr. Heinz L. Katcher at th e AHPS convention, January At the AHPS convention a t ARIPEX in Phoenix, Mr. Katcher gave a talk on his lifetime of findin g Swiss Philatelic rarities an d exhibited in the court of honour his latest find, the 5 Rp. milky blue Strubel shown at right. This article is about his latest find. The stamp is a 1855/6 Strubel (Imperforated Sitting Helvetia) First Berne Printing Error of Color 5 Rp. milky blue (Zum. 22B) lightly canceled with a black federal grill, and contains a small insignifican t thinning. This is not to be confused with the very occasionally see n Second Munich Print in dark blue (Zum. 22A), which exists with blue grill trial postmark and is represented in the Swiss Postal Museum both unused and " used ". This Milky Blue error of colo r does exist on cover dated June 26, 1856 from Basel Court of Law to the District Court of Law i n Gelterkinden, but as far as i s known, no example has been see n on the market since the turn of th e century. After the 5c. Rayed Star Postage Due, it is Switzerland' s second rarest stamp. (Noted of inclusion in the next edition of the Zumstein Specialized Catalogue and the 1996 Amateur Collector Switzerland Catalogue.) How did this come about? Obviously the discovery of thi s stamp has caused a great deal o f interest among experts and the biggest collectors in Switzerlan d and the US. At this time the following information is available. 1. The stamp is not represente d in the Swiss Postal Museum nor i s there any record of its existence in their archives. 2. Apart from the abov e mentioned cover and a damage d copy in the Zumstein reference collection (which has been there since the Grandfather of Max Hertsch acquired it before the Firs t World War), four other copies exist. 3. Two or three of these diffe r slightly in shade and the position of their silk threads are not at the same height. 4. This indicates that it was not an entire sheet printed in the wrong color, but a wrongly inserted cliché. 5. The stamp is printed on Munich paper but on a batch whic h was originally rejected for the main printings by Berne, i.e. almost as thin as the E & F prints with their characteristically displaced silk threads. 6. It is definitely a Bern e printing by virtue of the fact that they had never learned to completely disperse the pigment grains of their blue ink. (They did manage all other colors!). The granulation of this pigment i s clearly visible under 3 0 magnification. 7. The stamp cannot be a colo r changeling. I am told by an expert in chemistry that no method i s known to change brown into blu e (one can change green into blue). Apart from this, a chemical change of color would have dispersed th e undissolved pigment grains an d they would no longer be visible. 8. It cannot be a proof. (Unlike the hitherto listed dark blue 22 A which we now know is wrongly described as an error of color and always has a blue trial cancellation.) Furthermore all early Strubel Proofs were on th e best available paper, clearly printe d and embossed, none of which thi s stamp can claim to be. One cannot be 100% sure of th e circumstances which created this stamp (nor can one be of the unique Sweden 3 Skilling Banko). However, if two coincidences ha d combined we would have the perfect answer: a wrongly inserte d 5 Rp. Cliché in a 10 Rp. printin g form of the 23B or 23F prints, in a shade which was not found satisfactory and gradually altered. As the shade was darkened th e wrong Cliché was discovered and the fault rectified, resulting in a n outstandingly rare stamp. MORE EDITOR'S COMMENT S I have been advised that th e numbering systems used by Scotts and Zumstein are copyrighted and that publishing a cross referenc e could be illegal. As such I will not attempt to do so unless I can find one that is previously published and I can get permission to reprint it. Has anyone seen a recent cros s reference published? Is there enough interest that I should try to get such approval from Scott and Zumstein? 16 TELL May 1996