Wiltz to the Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek in 1896

 

5c+5c first G.D. Adolphe Message-Reply card (uprated)

Wiltz, September 28, 1896, transit Luxembourg-Gare the same day and Pretoria, October 24th, received at Waterval-Boven, Z.A.R.
[Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek], October 25, 1896.

During the South African gold rush era, Transvaal was known as the South African Republic or Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek until 1877 and again from 1884 until 1900 when it was annexed to Great Britain as The Transvaal.

Diekirch - Algeria - Tunisia - Diekirch in 1896

 

First Adolphe 5c+5c Message-Reply Card uprated to 10c+10c with the message card posted from Diekirch, March 8, 1896, to Tunis, Tunisia, transit Oran, Algeria, received at Tunis, March 17th.

Reply card returned from Tunis, March 18th, received back at Diekirch, March 22, 1896.

A very rare unsevered pair used to and from Tunisia!

An unusual mixed franking in 1886

 

Luxembourg-Gare, August 13, 1886

The last of the twelve 19th century Coat of Arms postal card issues appeared in 1880.  They were the first cards to be mass produced and were done by Enschedé in Holland.  By 1882, they had sold out and were replaced by Enschedé's printing of the first Allegory cards. 

Thus, its very unusual to see this five-centime 1880 Coat of Arms postal card used in 1886, uprated with a partially decapitated five-centime Allegory definitive.

Luxembourg-Gare, August 13, 1886, to Lambusart (part of Fleurus), Belgium, in the Charleroi District of Hainaut province, with the Fleurus receiver, August 14th, seen on the front.

Exprès to the Château de Roth ‘par Vianden’ in 1902

 

 

Among my favorite uses of the five-centime first Grand Duke Adolphe postal stationery issue is this fine example sent by special delivery (Exprès) and routed 'par Vianden' to the Château de Roth, located a couple kilometers south of Vianden on the German side of the Our River across from Bettel.

Posted on the Luxemburg-Ulflingen TPO early in the morning on July 26, 1902, it transits Vianden at 9-10 a.m. [large double circle date stamp].  The 10c and 25c Adolphe definitives uprate the 5c postal card to 40c to pay the 30c special delivery fee and the 10c postcard rate to Germany.

Who says postal stationery is boring?

Hawaii to Luxembourg in 1907 -A lovely early chrome postcard with undivided back

 

 

An early color chrome postcard printed in Germany with undivided back, published by Wall, Nichols & Co., Ltd., Honolulu as their No. 12, featuring 'Canoe Surf Riding, Honolulu, T. H.,' (note the female passenger in the canoe in the forefront holding on to her hat!).

The card is dated and was posted from Honolulu, June 21, 1907 [flag cancel], to Luxembourg-Ville, received July 11, 1907, properly franked with the 2c Washington shield definitive.  In the background you see a very unspoiled Diamond Head with pine trees lining the beach.  Those were the days!

Taxed wrappers - incoming & domestic

 

Incoming One-centime French Wrapper from Villeurbanne, France
Underpaid 4 centimes ['0,04' in manuscript]

The deficiency was (apparently) doubled and rounded up to ten centimes ['10' blue crayon].  Backstamped Luxembourg, October 5, 1886.

Journal La Meuse posted October 1, 1959, to the eminent postal historian, Francis Rhein, at the 40-centime [50-100 g] magazine rate, for delivery from Poste Restante, backstamped Luxembourg-Ville, October 1st, with the 1-franc Poste Restante fee paid on October 2nd with a postage due label.

Unlike letters, the early wrapper mail was usually not backstamped.

Strassen-Bertrange single circle cancel [T. 31]

 

Strassen-Bertrange, March 21, 1886

Rare cancels can still be found in mundane places, not just in major auctions.  And this green Strassen-Bertrange single circle cancel is proof that rare cancels still lurk on old printed album pages.  It appeared recently on eBay amidst two pages of mostly damaged, repaired, forged, or otherwise worthless 19th century stamps.  I was glad to add it to my Type 31 single-circle cancel collection as the page reserved for Strassen-Bertrange was empty despite many years of searching!

The FSPL cancel catalog indicates that this cancel was used from 1878 to April 1906, and that it is known in green, blue and black.  I'd sure like to find it on cover!  Got any duplicates to trade for other rarities?

A 25c UPU letter masquerading as a 10c postcard in 1901!

 

Here is a delightful Swiss UPU formula postcard with a miniature envelope affixed to the message side, replete with a heart, four-leaf clover, mushroom, and an elf announcing:

Ein Brieflein bring ich Dir / Drum freue Dich mit mir!

 

The 'postcard' was posted at Larochette in the Grand Duchy, November 25, 1901, to Esnes (Meuse) in the French Lorraine near Verdun, with a 10c Adolphe definitive paying the ten-centime UPU postcard rate.  But because the card carried the Lilliputian envelope and its contents, it was not accepted at the UPU postcard rate.

In Luxembourg or, more likely, in transit on the Longwy a Charleville Railway Post Office a tax mark [‘T’ in a triangle] and a rectangular boxed ‘Affranchissement Insuffisant’ auxiliary mark were applied.

The miniature envelope itself bears the Gare de Longwy [?] backstamp of November 26th!  And on the address side, a pair of
10-centime French postage due labels postmarked Esnes, Meuse, November 26th, documents payment of the tax.

But how was the penalty calculated? The UPU 15-g letter rate was 25c. Doubling the 15c deficiency would result in a tax of 30c. Perhaps the 10c paid by the sender was deducted from the 30c figure? Suggestions?

Oh, and here’s the letter that was in the little envelope!

The Intellectuals Autographed by Albert Einstein

 

1947 Portrait by Philippe Halsman

Gimbel's Intellectuals display page autographed by Albert Einstein

 

Background

Back in the 1980s, the late eminent Luxembourg specialist and postal historian, Robert Danzer, used to drop by my office when he came from New York City to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit his son in Carmel.  He enjoyed regaling about obscure aspects of Luxembourgian philately while sipping a premier California cabernet sauvignon at lunch (usually at my expense).   On one of these occasions, he mentioned that he had heard that Albert Einstein had autographed album pages on which the Intellectuals series had been mounted.  He was quite excited about his efforts to locate such an album page, although as far as I know he never succeeded.  But this link between the Intellectuals series, which was primarily issued to raise funds to assist Jewish professionals fleeing Germany, and Albert Einstein stuck in my memory.  Someday, somewhere I thought, maybe I'll find what had eluded my devoted philatelic friend, Bob Danzer.

So you can imagine my joy in 2008 when, while surfing eBay, I noticed a Gimbels Stamp Dept. album page on which a mint set of the Intellectuals was mounted with ... yes ... Einstein's autograph in the upper left, just as Bob Danzer had described it!  My only disappointment was that the album page had been defaced by someone noting the Scott catalog numbers of the stamps in ballpoint pen, apparently oblivious to the authentic Einstein autograph on the page.  Wonder of wonders!

The text at the top and bottom of the album page corresponds to Gimbels' reference in a 1935 news release captioned 'Regarding the Luxemburg Stamps to Aid the Refugee Intellectuals,' which states that:

[t]he Government of Luxemburg in collaboration with the International Committee to secure Employment for Refugee Professional Workers, has issued on May 1, 1935, a special series of stamps that is selling officially at double their face value.  The nominal value, of course, goes to the Luxemburg Government.  The excess value goes to the International Committee, to aid its efforts to help the Refugee Professionals.  The Committee is now helping thousands of these men and women, in all parts of the world regardless of their nationality, creed or political faith.  Doctors, lawyers, teachers, journalists, chemists, engineers, artists -- professionals pictured "in action" on this unique series of stamps.  Luxemburg, through the Committee, has appointed GIMBELS sole agent for these stamps in the United States.

Gimbels Famous Stamp Section, the largest of any American department store, appreciates the honor of this appointment.  As in the case of a similar appointment to handle the Byrd Antarctic Stamps and Covers, we will show our appreciation by co-operating wholeheartedly and BY SELLING THESE STAMPS AT COST, without any profit whatsoever, at Gimbels Stamp Dept., 33rd St. & B'way, N.Y.C.

[The news release then lists 14 prominent members of the Committee.]

The complete set consists of 15 values from 5 centimes to 20 Fr. at $3.94.  There may also be purchased shorter sets, as:  13 values from 5c to 5 Fr. at $1.38 [or] 10 values from 5 to Fr. 1.75 at 53c.

Source:  Henry Friedlander, Archives of the Holocaust, Vol. 7 (Taylor & Francis, 1990) ISBN: 082405489X; 9780824054892.

And in an autograph auction on the web, I noticed a small envelope (shown below) bearing the 5c and 50c Intellectuals signed in the lower right "Allo Achtung! Albert Einstein."  The auction description notes that

the remainder of [the] envelope bears a pencil-written statement of provenance stating, "Prof. Albert Einstein arrived from Bermuda and autographed Luxembourg Charity Stamps at Gimbels Stamp Dept."

Indeed, Einstein's biographer, Walter Isaacson, writes at p. 437 of Einstein: His Life and Universe that:

Now that [Einstein and his wife] had decided to stay in the United States, it made sense for Einstein to seek citizenship.  When Einstein visited the White House, President Roosevelt had suggested that he should accept the offer of some congressmen to have a special bill passed on his behalf, but Einstein instead decided to go through the normal procedures.  That meant leaving the country, so that he -- and Elsa, Margot, and Helen Dukas -- could come in not as visitors but as people seeking citizenship.  So in May 1935 they all sailed on the Queen Mary to Bermuda for a few days to satisfy these formalities.

Luxembourg issued the Intellectuals series on May 1, 1935.  And to Gimbels' credit, they persuaded Albert Einstein to  autograph their promotional album page featuring the stamps upon his return from Bermuda that month. 

Fortunately this example of Gimbels' album page with Einstein's autograph has been preserved, confirming Bob Danzer's belief back in the 1980s that such existed somewhere. 

Bob, I'd be glad to buy another bottle of that expensive cabernet you liked if only you could be here to enjoy it and this postal history treasure with me!

Redirected Cross-border Mail Incoming to the American Embassy in Luxembourg in 1958

 

Seemingly ugly covers sometimes sit around for years waiting for attention. This legal size commercial cover with its vertical creases and staple holes is a good example.  It had spent 15 or 20 years in a box of covers that I've never really liked, well ... it had been a cover I never really liked until I took a closer look at it tonight.  You'll see that this cover actually is a fine example of redirected cross-border mail incoming to Luxembourg.

It was originally posted on March 5, 1958, within Washington, D.C., at the 3c United States domestic letter rate as shown by the red Pitney Bowes meter mark.  Then it was redirected the next day to the "Amer[ican] Embassy / Luxembourg, G.D." as seen by the pencil notation on the front and the March 6th  Washington, D.C. machine cancel on the back.  

The New York Exchange Office taxed the letter 15 gold centimes (equal to US 5c).  Why?  Because the surface rate to Europe at the time was 8c per oz.  Only the 5c difference between the foreign surface rate and domestic letter rate was charged in accordance with the UPU rule for redirected mail at the time, which I explained in my December 13, 2008 blog entry:

 If the first dispatch had been fully prepaid and the charge for the further dispatch had not been paid prior to the redirecting, then the difference between the amount of postage already paid and that which would have been required if the article had been originally dispatched to the new destination was charged to the addressee.

There was no penalty for cross-border forwarding.  Thus, the 15 gold centimes tax was converted to 2.50 F in Luxembourg, with the postage due paid with 2.50 F of Luxembourg postage due stamps cancelled Luxembourg-Ville, March 18, 1958.

The addresse, William Harold Christensen (1909-2000), was the American chargé d’affaires ad interim in Luxembourg at the time.  A career diplomat, he had served as vice consul in Barbados and consul in Martinque and later served as the chargé d’affaires ad interim in Trinidad and Tobago.

It's time to relocate this cover to my redirected mail album.  It's not that ugly after all!

Another recent example - Domestic Postal Card
Redirected to Belgium

Fifteen-centime postal card paying the 15c domestic postal card rate from Pétange to Luxembourg-Gare, March 17, 1925, addressed to a guest at the Hotel Clesse near the railway station.  Forwarded to Bruxelles, Belgium, with 5c postage due charged the next day in Bruxelles for the difference between Luxembourg's 15c domestic postal card rate and its 20c rate for postal cards to Belgium.

An essay for the 1946 Dudelange souvenir sheet

 

Unlisted Essay

 

For the national stamp show held at Dudelange, July 28-29, 1946, Luxembourg issued a beautiful  semi-postal souvenir sheet featuring a 50-franc engraved stamp designed by August Trémont.  The stamp depicts the old forge at the Dudelange iron works in the iron mining region of southern Luxembourg.  The sheet was sold for 55 francs, with the supplement defraying the show expenses.  A quantity of 74,729 sheets was issued.  They were valid as postage until
January 1, 1947.

The unlisted imperforate essay above is gummed and identical in size and design to the issued stamp except for these differences:

• the '50 F' denomination appears at the upper right rather than the lower left;
• the tablet inscription reading 'ANCIEN LAMINOIR - DUDELANGE'  [Old Mill - Dudelange] at the top whereas it appears on the stamp in smaller font without a tablet background; 
• LUXEMBOURG  is in a bolder, larger font;
• there is no outer border line under LUXEMBOURG;
• at the bottom on the issued stamp is the designer's name
  [A. Tremont] and printer [Courvoisier S.A.]; and
• the color of the essay is a deeper blue.
• the essay is imperforate; the stamp is p. 11.5.

1946 Dudelange Souvenir Sheet

 

First Day Cover

Dudelange show cancel and registry label,
backstamped at Kayl, July 30, 1946

 

Who can tell me more about the origins of this recently discovered essay?  The essay appears in a beautiful one-frame exhibit devoted to the 1946 Dudelange Stamp Show.  It is online at the fine website of the Cercle Phila Dudelange:  http://www.phila-dudelange.lu/

Uses of the 1-franc Caritas: 1930 - 1939

 

Each of the ten Caritas semi-postal sets issued between 1930 and 1939 contained a one-franc denomination.  What common rates did this denomination serve?  From December 1, 1929 to October 1, 1940, only two: 

• (i)  the 1-franc UPU post and postal card rate; and
• (ii) the 1-franc second step postage rate  for UPU surface
  letters weighing from 20 to 40 grams. 

Although philatelic uses of these Caritas semi-postal issues abound, finding a cover or card with any of the 1-franc denominations  used to pay either of these two postal rates is very challenging.  Here is the only example in my extensive Luxembourg semi-postal collection!

 

20-40 g UPU registered letter
Luxembourg-Ville, January 9, 1931, to Lucerne, Switzerland

1.75 F postage + 1.75 F registry fee + 1 F second step postage

Postage due paid at Kytlice, Czechoslovakia in 1934

 

 

 

In 1934, the tiny village of Kytlice [Kittlitz] was part of Czechoslovakia, situated in a northern extremity of Bohemia just above Novy Bor, an area closely bordered on three sides by German Saxony.  Four years later, this area would be incorporated into Germany as part of the Sudentenland.  Today it is part of the Czech Republic.

The commercial postcard shown here was posted from Luxembourg-Ville on June 23, 1934, at the 75c German  treaty rate.  Apparently a Luxembourg postal clerk noticed that the destination (Kittlitz/Böhmen) was outside of Germany and France, both of which then enjoyed a 75c preferential postal card tariff, so the clerk marked the card "T' [taxe], indicating that postage due was to be collected from the recipient.  The amount due is noted in manuscript as "10 cts or" [meaning 10 gold centimes, the equivalent of 50 Luxembourg centimes], representing doubling of the 25c deficiency from the
one-franc UPU postcard rate.

At Kytlice a Czechoslovakian postal clerk has documented payment of the postage due with a 50 haleru postage due label canceled by the Kytlice /Kittlitz cds on June 27, 1934.

 

When Kytlice and the rest of the Sudetenland were absorbed into the Third Reich in October 1938, they also came under the 75c preferential tariff with Germany.  It would be great to have an example showing the reduced postcard rate.

Princess Marie-Gabrielle semi-postals pay the new 1.25 F Letter Rate to France in 1930

 

On December 1, 1929, the treaty rate for 20 g letters to France was increased to 1.25 F.  This rate remained in effect until the German occupation rates took effect on October 1, 1940. 

Here the rate is paid by a combination of the 1929 Princess Marie-Gabrielle Caritas semi-postals.  The unusual franking comprises the 75c, 35c, and two 10c stamps from the set, overpaying the rate by 5c.  Issued on December 14, 1929, these were the first stamps to appear after the 1.25 F rate took effect.

This commercial cover was posted from Luxembourg-Gare [B], January 8, 1930, to St. Étienne de Rouvray near Rouen in the Seine Maritime Department.  Non-philatelic uses of the Caritas semi-postals are always difficult to find, especially so for this issue.

 

 

 

 

 

Single-circle Cancel Trifectas

 

The postal stationery of the 1880s provides a fertile source of 5c domestic postal cards bearing three different single circle cancels, nicely documenting the routes that provided efficient delivery of domestic mail in the Grand Duchy during this era.

Here are a few lovely examples (with more to be added):

Boulaide  → Wiltz → Dommeldingen
October 30-31, 1884

Reply card of a 5c+5c Allegory I message-reply card
with printed front and back.

 

Weiswampach  → Troisvierges → Diekirch
December 15, 1884
5c Allegory I postal card

 

Bettborn  → Ettelbruck → [Luxembourg-Gare] →Cap
May 24-25, 1884
5c Allegory I postal card

 

Esch-sur-Sure  → Ettelbruck → Diekirch
December 20, 1884
5c Allegory I postal card

Outbound to Corfu in 1885 via Wien & Trieste

 

 

Corfu harbor in 1890

 

Wiltz, March 29, 1885, transit Rosenheim, March 30th,
to Corfu [Greece]

'Niedersgegen (via Diekirch & Vianden)'

 

Uses of Luxembourg's first Allegory issue postal stationery are plentiful, providing a fertile source of interesting cancels that document the mail delivery routes in the 1880s.  Thus, I was especially pleased to find this 10c message card from the 10c+10c first Allegory double card, which was posted by J. M. August Fischer of Wiltz on the Luxembourg to Ulflingen railway on June 9, 1886, and routed "via Diekich Vianden" to Niedersgegen.  The Diekich and Vianden transit cancels later that day document that the Luxembourg postal service complied with the requested routing.

But ... where's Niedersgegen?  Certainly not in the Grand Duchy, as the sender paid the 10c foreign postal card rate.

Ah ... there it is, a tiny German hamlet just south of Körperich and Seimerich, a few kilometers across the Luxembourg-German border and not far from the border crossing at Vianden.  So, indeed, the routing "via Diekirch [&] Vianden" was appropriate!  It's a very nice card.

 

‘par Diekirch’

Clervaux → Diekirch → Vianden → Obersgegen
November 10-11, 1884

Another example -- here a 10c Allegory I UPU postal card sent to the Bouvier family with the receiving mark of Obersgegen, Germany, for delivery to Niedersgegen just down the road a few kilometers.

 

Incoming pulchritude: San José Barberena, Guatemala to Luxembourg in 1899

 

San José Barberena
Department of Santa Rosa

 

 

san José Barberena, April 18, 1899, transit Guatemala City, May 1st, transit Belgium [red registry label], to Charles Schaack, Luxembourg-Ville, b/s May 28, 1899.  Routed "Via Puerto Barrios, N. Orleans, N. York, y London," with the 2c quetzal x 17 +  a 1c quetzal paying UPU postage, registry and return receipt charges of 35 centavos.

Incoming mail doesn't get much better than this!

St. Helena ... where?

 

Raymond Thill of Rumelange, who we remember as the maker of many attractive first day and first flight covers, addressed this 13-franc cover posted February 19, 1951, to "Stamp Brokerage Co.,
St. Helena."  Initially, I thought: "Wow!  What a spectacular South Atlantic ocean destination.

St. Helena Island

Upon closer inspection, I noticed "U.S.A." typed at the lower left corner of the cover.  Next to it was an Omaha, Nebraska receiving cancel dated March 8, 1951.  And above it was the manuscript notation: "No such company at St. Helena, Nebr." plus "Try California."

Saint Helena, Nebraska
Cedar County
Population 86

After having cleared customs at New York City and transited through Omaha on its journey to "St. Helena," the cover stopped at Saint Helena, Nebraska, in the United States heartland on March 12, 1951.

Saint Helena, California
Napa County
Population 5,950

Five days later, on March 17, 1951, the cover reached its final destination -- Saint Helena [pronounced "Saint he-LEE-na"], California, amidst the beautiful March greenery of the Napa Valley wine country, undoubtedly a refreshing change from the late winter bleakness of Saint Helena, Nebraska.

The cover is also remarkable for its franking.  The 10-franc General Patton commemorative is seldom seen on commercial mail.  Here it pays part of the 13-franc rate for a 40-60 g UPU surface letter (9 F) plus the 4-F UPU registry fee. 

As a used single, off cover, Prifix currently prices the stamp at 55 euros; Scott 2008 is more conservative at $37.50.   Issued on October 24, 1947, the stamp was valid until December 31, 1951. 

I'm pleased to have it on a commercial cover, even if that cover didn't go to St. Helena Island!

Incoming mail from British India 1898-1911

 

Formally the British Indian empire existed for ninety years -- from 1858–1947.  It consisted of large parts of most of the countries in South Asia.

British India was established in 1858 out of the East India Company lands as a colonial possession of the United Kingdom directly ruled by the British Crown. Indirect control was exercised over of the remaining princely states of Baluchistan, Hyderabad, Kashmir, Mysore, Rajputana, and Travancore.  The term British India also applied to parts of  Burma.

The earliest card seen here was sent to the 1890s Luxembourg stamp dealer J-G. Paquelet.  Two others are from the correspondence of Diekirch's Charles Schaack; the fourth is from present day Bangladesh, and the fifth from  correspondence of the Carmelite cloister in Luxembourg-Ville.

1-anna Queen Victoria postal card

Bombay, July 1898, to Luneville, France,
forwarded to Luxembourg-Ville,
received August 9, 1898.

 

1-anna Queen Victoria reply postal card

Shembaganur Madura, July 26, 1905

Transit:  Sea Post Office, July 29th

Arrival: Diekirch, August 14th

 

 

1/4-anna King Edward VII Postal card

(uprated with a 1/2-anna definitive)

Bandura, Hashnabad, Dacca [today: Dhaka, Bangladesh]

January 14, 1905

Transit:  Sea Post Office, January 20th

Arrival: Luxembourg-Ville, February 4th

 

 

1-anna King Edward VII postal card

Darjeeling, July 21, 1909

Transit:  Sea Post Office Bombay-Aden A, July 24th

 

1-anna King Edward VII postal card

Tangasseri Travancore, July 25, 1911

Arrival:  Luxembourg-Ville, August 12th

Outbound mail to Sumatra (1901) & Java (1924)

 

Luxembourg-Gare [B], March 10, 1901, Singapore, April 7, 1901,
to Palembang, Sumatra, April 11, 1901

Palembang, a scarce destination in the then-Netherlands East Indies, is the capital city of South Sumatra Province of today's Indonesia.  It's the second largest city in Sumatra after Medan and the seventh largest city in Indonesia.

 

Rodange, June 28, 1924, to Bandoeng, Java, July 23, 1924

Bandung [Bandoeng], another scarce destination in the then-Netherlands Indies,  is the capital of today's West Java province of Indonesia.  Although badly foxed, this card from the philatelic correspondence of Rodange's Adolphe Fischer is nonetheless precious for those of us who appreciate the scarcity of
pre-World War II mail from Luxembourg to any Asian destination.

World War II: the rare 20-Rpf. rate to Slovakia

 

At page 63 of the Basien-Hoffkamp rate book, we see several obscure special Luxembourg postal rates that were in effect during the 1940 to 1944 World War II occupation.  And thanks to the work of Dieter and Fernand, we know that these include a 20-Rpf., 20-g letter rate to Hungary and Slovakia.  But when I was last in Luxembourg, one of the local collectors remarked:  "We never see uses of any of those rates."  Well, wow!  Here's one.  It documents the 20-Rpf. letter rate to Slovakia.

This remarkable 50-Rpf. registered cover emanated from Differdange, September 1, 1941 [Differdingen [b] cds, transit tourist cancel Luxemburg [e]].  It is addressed to 'Poste restante, Kasihan (Slovakei)' and was censored in Vienna [censor tape 'g'].  Apparently unclaimed, it was returned to Luxembourg endorsed  Zurück, unzulässig!  The Differdingen [c] backstamp dated September 8, 1941 documents its return.

The 50-Rpf. sole franking correctly pays the 20-Rpf. letter rate and the 30-Rpf. registry fee.  Absolutely precious!

Are there any Luxembourg post-World War II first day covers to really love?

 

 

In my days as a philatelic novice in the 1950s, I used to service my own first day covers for Luxembourg new issues. Later, I subscribed to a service in Peoria, Illinois, that sent me the new issues on first day covers with primitive cachets. Eventually, I discovered the better quality first day covers that Raymond Thill in Rumelange prepared. Thereafter for many years, I acquired the new issues on Thill first day covers, and after Thill retired, those that the FSPL prepared.

All of them, along with others acquired in general postal history collections I’ve bought, repose in a filing box. I seldom open the box as they seem to have little postal history significance. They are really just philatelic souvenirs, much like the medals and certificates we receive as exhibitors at stamp shows — nice to receive, and pleasant to look at once or twice, after which they are put away and forgotten.

So I shocked my philatelic friends recently when I purchased the 1945 Octave semi-postal issue first day cover shown above. And by (some) first day cover standards, it is nothing special. The overall condition is only average, there is no cachet or special cancel, and it was addressed with a rubber stamp. Why would a Luxembourg postal historian care enough to acquire it at considerable expense?

Well, the answer is quite simple — rarity. In over 50 years of scrutinizing the Luxembourg cover market, this is the first time I’ve seen this elusive first day cover offered for sale. The semi-postal stamps themselves are seldom seen used on covers of any sort. They catalog $165.20 as used singles, off cover, in Scott 2008. Moreover, most often used examples have been cancelled to order in Luxembourg-Ville. But here we have the set used on the first day of issue — June 4, 1945 — from a small spa town on the French border, postmarked with the uncommon Mondorf-les-Bains [a] Type 52 Belgian- style cancel. It is also the first day of use for this cancel, which the FSPL handbook lists as having been used only from June 4, 1945 to April 17, 1947.

I can only surmise that at the time, the Ungeheuers, who were still operating their stamp store from Mondorf, prepared only a small number of first day covers for this issue. Surely they must have thought that in the immediate aftermath of World War II, very few collectors would be able to afford this high face value set of stamps. After all, the country was just starting to recover from over four years of harsh German occupation and the recent devastation wrought by the Battle of the Bulge. Moreover, in 1945 first day covers were just beginning to attain the popularity that they would enjoy from the 1950s onward.

Certainly there is enough history associated with this first day cover to love it a lot! And for those who cannot find it in their philatelic heart to love any first day cover, the € 475 valuation in the current Prifix catalog should provide some consolation. Indeed, in my opinion this is the scarcest post-World War II Luxembourg first day cover. I love it -- a lot!

Luxembourg’s Pre-World War II Occupation Cancellers Used After October 1, 1940, on the Hindenburg Médaillon Definitives Pending Issuance of Reich-Style Cancellers

 

Echternach-Ettelbruck railway cancel, October 19, 1940

As of October 1, 1940, the Reich mandated use of the 16 Hindenburg Médaillon definitives surcharged ‘Luxemburg.’ And from that date forward, the Reich also began replacing Luxembourg’s
pre-occupation cancellers with Reich-style cancellers having German-language spellings for the town names. As this process was not completed for several months, an interesting collection can be put together of Luxembourg’s pre-occupation cancels used on or after October 1, 1940, on Hindenburg covers and loose stamps.

During this transitional period from October 1, 1940 into the early months of 1941, you can find many examples of continued use of the pre-occupation bridge cancels (FSPL Types T33 & T34). However other possibilities also exist. For example, when the occupation began, Clemency was still using its single circle canceller (FSPL Type 31). Similarly, villages which had never been issued a bridge canceller, such as Arsdorf, continued to use their Type 32 double circle cancellers. And, although seldom seen, the rectangular railroad cancels in use at the time of the occupation also were used for a short period after October 1, 1940, before being replaced by Reich-style oval railroad cancellers.

The cover at the top shows a sole use of the 25-Rpf. Hindenburg paying the postage on a very fine censored UPU-rate cover to Berne in neutral Switzerland, posted on October 19, 1940. What makes this cover even more compelling is the post-October 1, 1940 use of the pre-occupation Echternach-Ettelbruck railway cancel. Certainly this must be among the last uses of this cancel before it was replaced with a Reich-style oval railway canceller.  Additional examples appear below.

T33 Bettembourg Oct 15 1940	T33 Dommeldange Oct 30 1940	T34 Walferdange Nov 7 1940

 

 

T33 - Eschdorf, October 16, 1940

 

T33 - Weiswampach, October 15, 1940

 

T33 - Rambrouch, October 16, 1940

Marie-Adélaïde ‘Aux longs Cheveux’

 

 

Card No. 509 (2^o Livre D'Or)

The Chocolat Guérin-Boutron company published this striking picture of the teenage Marie-Adélaïde with long flowing hair on one of its many delightful advertising cards.  And then on June 14,  1908 Luxembourg 'issued' these four poster stamps with a similar portrait of the future Grand Duchess.  Prifix somewhat cryptically refers to these as "précurseurs de caritas sans valeur d’affranchissement." 

While they had no franking value, we find them adorning covers and cards, as shown below:

Echternach, March 15, 1909 to Antwerp, Belgium

 

Dommeldange, June 15, 1908, to Brabant, Belgium
(Second day cover)

But, alas!  When the next Caritas precursors appeared in 1914  showing the six princesses (the 'Colonies de Vacances' set), Marie's long hair had been shorn.  (That's Marie second from the right.)

German Censorship of Luxembourg mail before the May 10, 1940 Occupation

 

 

German censor cachet

Mersch, April 10, 1940, to Neurath [post: Neuerburg], Germany

The Reich officially established its mail surveillance system by directive issued on April 2, 1940 and published on June 8, 1940.  As a consequence, incoming mail to the Reich from Luxembourg was already subject to censorship when the Grand Duchy was occupied on May 10, 1940.  Here is an example of such censorship during the twenty-day period between April 2nd and May10th. 

Some writers state that German censorship began even earlier.  What is the earliest date that incoming mail to the Reich from Luxembourg was censored?

Life before the advent of e-mail --- a 1961 visiting card penalized for including a handwritten message exceeding 5 words!

 

Visiting (or calling) cards were sent unsealed, often at the end of the year, in accordance with the prevailing social norms.   And in Luxembourg up until 1991, three different postal rates applied to these cards, depending on the whether (or how much) handwriting was included with the card. 

When this visiting card was posted from Petange to Septfontanes [Simmern] on December 7, 1961, the rates were:

30c - no handwritten message

1.00 F -  handwritten message of not more than 5 words

2.50 F - handwritten message of more than 5 words

It appears that the sender paid only the 30c rate for a business card without a handwritten message, using the 30c+10c 1961 Caritas semi-postal as the sole franking.   The 4.50 F postage due charged the next day at Septfontaines suggests that the card contained a handwritten message exceeding five words.  Based on this assumption, the penalty would have been double the 2.20 F deficiency or 4.40 F (which amount was apparently rounded up to 4.50 F). 

Let's be glad postal clerks are no longer inspecting visiting cards to count any handwritten words that the sender may have added to the printed card! 

 

Special Delivery to Monaco in 1955

 

Commercial covers franked with Luxembourg's annual Caritas stamps are attractive and often elusive.  Here four denominations of the 1955 Caritas Folklore (3rd series) semi-postals are used on December 8, 1955, just three days after issuance, in combination with the 8 F denomination of the 1952 Helsinki Olympics commemorative set to exactly pay the 16 F concession rate to France & Monaco for a 20-g registered, special delivery letter, thus:

3 F postage (as of 5/1/53)

5 F registry fee (as of 5/1/53)

8 F special delivery fee (as of 7/53)

 

Monte Carlo b/s, December 10, 1955

Gavilán Argentinian Cigarrillos

 

In Spanish, "cigarrillo" means "little cigar."  And like cigars (and unlike cigarettes), cigarillos are wrapped in whole-leaf tobacco, as seen in the photo above.

I recently added to my Cinderella collection the Gavilán cigarrillos 20 cts 'coupon' shown above.  It features a quaint reproduction  of Luxembourg's 1921 five-franc Adolphe Bridge commemorative (an "Estampilla de LUXEMBURGO").  The tiny card measures just 52 mm. x 72 mm. with the 'stamp' printed in violet like the issued stamp.

The Spanish text reads:

ESTE CUPÓN ES SÓLO DE CONTROL PARA ESTA MANUFACTURA Y NO TIENE NINGÚN OTRO VALOR [in English:  THIS COUPON IS ONLY FOR THE CONTROL OF MANUFACTURING AND DOES NOT HAVE ANY VALUE].

And at the lower left:  MÁQUINA 22 [MACHINE 22] and V. F. GREGO, MANUFACTURA DE TABACOS 'PARTICULAR.'

Here's the real stamp:

Did Gavilán print other coupons with stamp reproductions?  I don't recall seeing their coupons before, and I'm still unclear about how to translate the quotation at the top of the coupon:  "Para que no emigre tanto oro Argentino."  Surely some readers can help! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Postes Relais No. 11 as a CDS on incoming mail!

 

 

There was a time back in the 1950s when you could still find Postes Relais cancels on postal cards in dealers' dollar cover boxes.  Of course, a dollar still had some value way back then and most collectors were looking for stamps rather than covers. 

Relais No. 11 (Walferdange) was one of my more common finds in those dollar boxes.   But when I saw the Relais No. 11 cancel on the Bavarian postal card shown here (Michel P12(I)), it seemed unusual.  Why?  Well, I don't recall having seen it before as a receiving mark on incoming mail.  But here it is announcing the arrival on September 25, 1886, of a 10 pf. postal card from Bavaria posted the previous day at Neustadt an der Aisch in what was then Bavaria, addressed to Dr. Muller-Weyman in Walferdingen b/Luxemburg.

With the World Wide Web at my fingertips, there's something new almost every day.

Neustadt an der Aisch in the 1830s

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Eponymously Cancelled Viewcard

 

An eponymous cancel ... well, sort of.  The well struck Arsdorf double circle cancel takes its name from the village (the eponym) shown on the view side. 

This viewcard  was printed by Ed. Hansen, Mersch, 'Manufacture de Cartes-Vues,' was posted June 13, 1933, to Thionville, France, and is franked with a 75c Charlotte (2nd series) definitive paying the treaty rate to France.

Wouldn't it be nice to put together a collection of Luxembourg viewcards posted from the place shown on the view side!  Maybe some of you already have?

 

 

 

Luxembourgensia: 1878 Cover from Luxembourg's New York 'Consulat Général'

 

Coincident with collecting Luxembourg postal history, I've also acquired many other interesting items related to Luxembourg history and culture.  These fall within the rubric referred to as 'Luxembourgensia.'

The cover shown here is one of those interesting items.  Bearing the cachet of the Grand Duché de Luxembourg Consulat Général New York on the front and back, the cover was sent from the Hotel Brunswick in New York in September 1878 to John Hyde, Judge of Probate, in Bay City, Michigan, where it was docketed on
September 13, 1878, by the jurist.  (It has been repaired on the right side, viewed from the front.)

Much more Luxembourgensia can be found on the website of the Luxembourg American Cultural Society, Inc. of Belgium, Wisconsin.  And today the Luxembourg Consulate in New York is at 17 Beekman Place and also has a presence on the web.

Valeur (insured) UPU mail from Grevenmacher in 1932

 

We occasionally see insured ('money'  or 'valeur') letters from Luxembourg-Ville , but we very seldom find them from the smaller towns and villages.  Thus, this example, posted from Grevenmacher, June 17, 1932, to St. Gallen, Switzerland, where it was received the next day, finds it way to this blog.  The gaudy red wax seals of B. Wolf Cahen/Auguste Wolf Succ./Grevenmacher Luxembourg add to the cover's appeal.

Here is the rate explicated:

• 2.75 F 20-40 g UPU letter [here 25 g]
• 1.75 F registry fee
• 1.75 F insurance fee (up to 300 gFr [here 257 gFr])

[Total:  6.25 F exactly paid]

 

Perfection!

 

5 F Allégorie
p. 13.25

Grevenmacher cds, June 30, 1884

The marriage of a near-perfect cancel to a near-perfect stamp is philatelic pulchritude plus!   And finding any of the 5-franc high- denomination Allégorie, GD Adolphe, GD Guillaume IV, or  GD Marie-Adélaïde definitives in this condition is especially satisfying.

Philately undeterred by a world war!

 

During World War II, Luxembourg stamp dealer Karl Bormes, at 22 Philippgasse in Luxembourg-Ville, continued to supply the needs of collectors throughout the Reich.  This is documented by his beautifully franked COD-shipment covers, many of which collectors saved.  Here are a few such covers from my collection:

August 25, 1944, to Berlin

(just 3 weeks before the liberation of Luxembourg)

Within a week of the posting of this shipment, the Nazi administration in Luxembourg collapsed.  Nonetheless, Mr. Bormes sent this 18.20 RM COD shipment to a philatelist in war torn Berlin, where it was received a couple days later on August 27, 1944. 

Perhaps collecting stamps provided a welcome diversion from the bleakness of living in the capital of the Reich, which was subject to frequent aerial bombing by British from November 1943 to March 1944 (the so-called 'Battle of Berlin').  In my mind is the image of a devoted stamp collector huddled in a bomb shelter with a favorite album.

The poor quality of the envelope  is emblematic of the paper shortages at the end of the occupation notwithstanding the lavish franking:  (i) the 54-Rpf + 96-Rpf Hitler's 55th birthday semi-postal; (ii) the 12-Rpf + 8-Rpf Innsbruck marksmanship contest semi-postal; and (iii) an 8-Rpf Hitler head pay the 74-Rpf postage and fees.  Here is the explication of the rate:

                                      24-Rpf  20-250-g letter to the Reich
                                                        30-Rpf  registry fee
                                                        20-Rpf  COD fee

April 26, 1944, to Innsbruck

A similar 74-rpf COD shipment to Innsbruck in annexed Austria, received April 28, 1944.  In addition to the 50-Rpf. Hitler head, the franking includes the 12-Rpf + 38 Rpf. Robert Koch centenary semi-postal and the 12-Rpf + 38 Rpf. 1200th anniversary of Fulda semi-postal.

October 10, 1943, to Nürnberg

 

A third 74-rpf COD shipment, this time to Nürnberg in the Reich.  The franking is the 50-Rpf + 50-Rpf high value of the 12-stamp Army Day semi-postal set showing a speed boat and a 24-Rpf. Hitler head.

Could anyone provide a photo of Mr. Bormes and more information about what became of him after the war?  I'd be grateful for your help.

WWI German Fieldpost from Turkey

 

Turkey and the German Empire entered into a secret Ottoman-German Alliance  on August 2, 1914 -- one day after Germany had declared war on Russia.  This alliance  ultimately led the Ottoman Empire to enter the First World War on the side of the Central Powers.

An important postal history ramification of the Alliance was the presence of German soldiers in Turkey who maintained their own fieldpost.  The postcard shown here is an especially interesting example of that fieldpost in that it was sent to Luxembourg.

The bilingual German fieldpost cancel reads 'FELDPOST MIL. MISS. KONSTANTINOPEL, 19-2-1916.'  The card is endorsed "Feldpost"  in manuscript at the top. 

Upon receipt in Germany, the card was censored at Trier [purple cds] before being delivered to Differdange Usines, where the 5-centime domestic postcard rate was paid as postage due on March 1, 1916.  The card view is shown at the top of this blog entry.

'Perlie' & Ike

 

Perle Skirvin Mesta (1889-1975) was the first fully accredited United States ambassador to Luxembourg.  An early supporter and favorite of President Truman, he rewarded her with the ambassadorial appointment -- at the time, she was only the third women to hold an ambassadorship.  She served from 1949 to 1953.

Perle Mesta to Dwight Eisenhower

United States Legation
Luxembourg

February 3, 1951

4 F  UPU letter rate + 6 F (5-10 g) airmail supplement

During Perle Mesta's tenure as ambassador to Luxembourg, then-General Dwight Eisenhower was a frequent visitor to the Grand Duchy.  Ike liked to affectionately refer to Ambassador Mesta as "Perlie."  In her autobiography Perle -- My Story published in 1960, she writes at pp. 170-171:

When I heard in December, 1950, that General Eisenhower was going back on actie duty to lead the organization of NATO military forces, the news was doubly welcome.  Not only was this wonderful for Luxembourg and all of Europe, which had such confidence in its wartime hero, but I personally was glad because it meant I would be seeing more of Ike and Mamie. 

Their first trip to Luxembourg was early in January, 1951, when Ike made a formal call on the Grand Duchess.  I went with him to the palace, as did General Alfred Gruenther ...

Two weeks later, Ike and Mamie returned for a weekend and I gave a small party for them at the legation.  We were honored by the attendance of the Royal Consort, Prince Felix, who made on of his rare appearances at a party outside the palace.  Prime Minister Dupong, Foreign Minister and Madame Bech, Grand Marshal of the Court and Madame Loesch, General Gruenther, Anthony Drexel Biddle, and Douglas MacArthur II were among the other guests at the dinner.

....

Ike and Mamie came to Luxembourg frequently.  Much as I'd like to think it was just to see me, I'm certain there were two other important considerations -- the kitchen at the legation, where Ike could concoct his culinary specialities, and the Luxembourg golf course, one of the best in Europe.

The cover shown here was posted shortly after the Eisenhower visits Mesta describes in the quoted text from her autobiography.  It was sent to '60 Morningside Drive, New York,' which was President Eisenhower's New York residence while he was president of Columbia University.  The Legation's albino embossed corner card appears at the upper left, with the return address on the envelope flap that of 'Mrs. Perle Mesta/American Minister to Luxembourg/American Legation/Luxembourg.'

Perle Mesta with then-General Eisenhower and Luxembourg Foreign Minister Bech inspecting the World War I war memorial in Luxembourg City

The Bêtes Noires of Luxembourg Philately

 

The first 30 Luxembourg official stamps appeared from 1875 to 1878 as OFFICIEL overprints on the early rouletted and perforated Coat of Arms issues.  The quantities overprinted must have been very small as at the time the country's population was only a couple hundred thousand, and there was no sizeable government bureaucracy.  This inference is supported by the fact that uses on cover are almost non-existent.  The late Robert Danzer's collection contained only two covers using these officials.  He  understood the absence of covers to mean that 99% of the used examples almost certainly are forgeries.  I'd agree. 

These stamps frequently appear in auctions and on the Internet (often at optimistic prices), but absent a certificate from an indubitable authority such as Rene Demuth, I would doubt their authenticity.  I've seen certificates signed by 'experts' of the American Philatelic Society that are, politely said, laughable.  Yes, laughable because many of the forgeries can be readily discerned with the aid of only a strong magnifying glass.  Nonetheless, obvious forgeries are sometimes given certificates, as in most (but not all) countries certificate signers are not held legally liable for their philatelic malpractice.

While I've seen many fine exhibits of the early Coat of Arms stamps, invariably the exhibitors ignore these bêtes noires.  Postal historians can plead the virtual absence of material; traditional philatelists, however, should be downgraded when the adjudicator takes into account the challenge factor.  Authentic examples of these official stamps do exist, and while they tend to be expensive and require credible expertization, they should be part of any traditional display.

During his lifetime, the venerable Bob Danzer acquired only two covers that use these early officials.  You can understand therefore why I was overjoyed to recently obtain the cover shown below.  Enjoy!

 

12 1/2c colorless roulette [Prifix 4]
Official mail from the government's historical archieves
official cachet on the back flap
Posted by H. Eltz, a government official,  November 23, 1876, from Luxemburg-BHF [the railway station] to Diedenhofen [today:  Thionville] in the then-German Lorraine at the 15-g letter rate, with Diedenhofen cds backstamp the same day.

Lilliputian Registered Mail (96 x 60 mm.)!

 

I've often wondered if this might be the smallest registered Luxembourg cover.  It measures only 96 mm. x 60 mm.  Yes, I know, some visiting cards that were sent at New Year's are smaller, but I've never seen one that was registered. 

This pygmy registered cover was sent to the Ligue contre la tuberculose Loterie nationale [League for the National Tuberculosis Lottery] in Luxembourg-Ville from Rumelange on May 24, 1934. The 1.25 F postage and 1.25 F registry fee for a domestic letter are paid by two 1.25 F Charlotte (2nd series) definitives on the back. 

The sender must have wanted to be sure that his or her lottery entry didn't get lost!

Redirected Mail: From Belgium to Grundhof & Switzerland to Liechtenstein & Mondorf

Example 1 

Redirected mail is an inadequately explored area of postal history, particularly insofar as forwarding charges are concerned.  During the early years of the UPU, the calculation was simple.  If the first dispatch had been fully prepaid and the charge for the further dispatch had not been paid prior to the redirecting, then the difference between the amount of postage already paid and that which would have been required if the article had been originally dispatched to the new destination was charged to the addressee.

This cover nicely illustrates that calculation.  It was originally sent on August 20, 1907, as a fully paid (10c) domestic letter addressed for delivery within Louvain, Belgium, to Monsieur Wilhem Willems.  It was then redirected to the addressee at the Hotel Vincent Theato (shown in the photo below) in bucolic Grundhof, Luxembourg.  If the letter had initially been sent from Belgium to a destination more than 30 km. within Luxembourg (in this instance, Grundhof), 20 centimes postage would have been required.  Accordingly, the charge for redirection (10 centimes) was the difference between what had been originally paid (10 centimes) and the 20-centime letter rate to Luxembourg.

Although a parcel post agency had already been opened at Grundhof  in 1901, the 10 centimes postage due  for redirection was collected by the full-service Beaufort post office nearby, as the 10-centime postage due stamp canceled at Beaufort August 22nd documents.  (Luxembourg had issued its first postage due stamps just 9 weeks earlier. )

The Beaufort double circle cancel also appears on the cover as a backstamp (shown below).

 

Example 2

The second example is a commercial cover posted July 5, 1938, from from Zürich, Switzerland, to Linthal, Switzerland, at the 20c Swiss domestic letter rate, where it arrives the next day.  From Linthal, the letter is redirected to a pension in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, where it is received July 7, 1938.  Since the Swiss domestic letter rate also applied to Liechtenstein, no postage due was charged at Vaduz. 

However, the letter was further redirected to a pension in Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg.  There the Mondorf post office charged 60 centimes postage due -- this being the difference between the 20c Swiss domestic letter rate and the UPU rate for a letter from Switzerland to Luxembourg.  The Luxembourg postage due stamps show the Mondorf cancel dated July 8, 1938.

Lesson Learned

Don't confuse redirecting charges with charges for insufficiently paid mail.  The latter often incurs a penalty (frequently, double the deficiency); in contrast,  no penalty is normally imposed for redirection.

An Elusive sole franking: the 5-franc 'Three Towers' Official!

 

 

The 5-franc 'Three Towers' pictorial was overprinted Officiel in 1934 and proved to be the second to the last of the many officiel overprints that first appeared in 1875.  Used examples are scarce; covers even more so.  Thus, I was quite pleased to obtain the cover shown above. 

The elusive 5-franc officiel overprint exactly pays the postage and registry and COD fees on a letter from the Grand Ducal Postes & Télégraphes office.  It was posted August 30, 1934 to Anvers [Antwerp], Belgium.

Here is the explication of the 5.00 F rate:

• 0.75 F postage (20 g letter to Belgium)
• 1.75 F registry fee
• 2.00 F basic COD [remboursement] fee
• 0.50 F 25c/50 F COD [here 95 francs]

57-F Insured Money Letter to Switzerland in 1931!

In 1931, the 20-franc 'Ville Basse à Luxembourg' pictorial was the highest denomination stamp Luxembourg had ever issued (and remained as such until the 1970s).  Uses on non-philatelic covers are extremely scarce.  Thus, I was delighted to recently obtain a money letter franked with two (!) 20-franc Ville Basses plus the equally scarce on cover 10-franc View of Luxembourg (p. 12 1/2 1934 printing), the 5-franc Adolphe bridge (p. 12 1/2), and the 2-franc Clervaux (also p. 12 1/2).

The 57-franc letter was posted from Luxembourg-Ville, March 1, 1934, with a declared value of 62,600 Belgian francs (converted to 8943 gold francs), received the next day at St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Here is the explication of the 57-franc rate:

• 02.75 F postage (24-g UPU letter)
• 01.75 F registration fee
• 52.50 F Insurance fee (8943 gold francs at 1.75 F/300 gfr)

 

Incoming mail from Callao, PERU in 1887

 

During the latter quarter of the 19th century, commercial correspondents often saved postal cards because the sender's message was written on the card, whereas they tended to discard envelopes saving only the contents of the envelope.  Thus, we are fortunate as postal stationery collectors to be able to acquire postal cards from diverse, unusual origins. 

Here's an old Peruvian 4-quatro postal card sent from Callao, Peru's premier Atlantic ocean port,  January 15, 1887, received on February 22, 1887, in Luxembourg ,with Luxembourg-Gare and Luxembourg-Ville receiving cancels. 

It's quite a treasure as pre-1900 mail from Peru to Luxembourg is very scarce.  Happily, this commercially used postal card was saved!

Stampless letter from Andorra in 1952

Collecting incoming mail is a pleasureable if endless pursuit. And finding correspondence between the mini-states of Europe is especially satisfying.

Here a letter was sent unfranked from Andorre la Vieille, Andorra, November 18, 1952, to Alfred Krier, a well known Luxembourg-Ville stamp dealer. As the UPU 20-g letter rate was 4 francs, Mr. Krier probably should have been charged postage due of double that amount -- 8 francs. Instead, the postal clerk has indicated '4,00' in blue crayon, presumably meaning 4 francs due. But when postage due was collected on November 22, 1952, the cashier apparently read the manuscript mark as '4,80,' which amount Mr. Krier presumably paid as evidenced by postage due stamps totalling 4.80 francs!

2-franc (brown) 1924 Esch Foundry Pictorial

 

Most collectors love certain stamps and some covers more than others. One of my favorite stamps is the two-franc brown Esch Foundry pictorial issued in 1924, used until the WWII German occupation.  It is seen below:

 

• on a lovely registered advertising cover,
• paying part of the samples rate on a samples tag, and
• on a money letter to Berlin,

And overprinted 'Officiel’ on

• covers to the Philippines, France,  Germany, and Belgium that were sent either by a government agency or on behalf of the royal family.

 

Curiously, official covers seem to be more common (and are given a substantially lower valuation in Prifix) than their non-official counterparts.  Well, maybe!

Luxembourg-Ville IV, April 20, 1927
to Berlin, Germany, April 22, 1927

75c postage + 1.50 F registry

 

 

Luxembourg-Ville, April 20, 1928,
to Zürich, Switzerland
m/s:  Echantillon [sample]
300-350-g = 2.10 F
(30c per 50-g)

 

Luxembourg-Ville, September 12, 1928
to Berlin, Germany

4.00 F letter rate to Germany [100-120 g letter]
1.50 F registry fee
1.00 F insurance fee [1 F/300 gfr]

 

Embossed seal
of GD Charlotte's Aide-de-CampLuxembourg-Ville III to Manila, US Philippine Islands
December 24, Christmas Eve, 1935

Rare destination!

'Service de la Grande Duchesse'
Overfranked 25c (UPU rate: 1.75 F)

Wax seal of GD Charlotte's

Administration des Biens [property]

 

Luxembourg-Ville, April 5, 1928, to Paris, France
'Service de la Grande Duchesse'
'Administration des Biens'
1 F postage + 1.50 F registry

Luxembourg-Ville, November 14, 1926, to Strausberg, Germany
Direction des Postes
75c postage - 1.50 F registry
Underfranked 25c
[The registry rate to Germany was increased by 25c on November 1, 1926]

 

Luxembourg-Ville IV, November 20, 1926
to Anvers [Antwerp], Belgium
Direction des Postes

50c (first 20 g of 174 g)
30c each add'l 20 g (30c x 8 = 2.40 F)
Registry fee = 1.50 F

Airmail to the Élysée Palace for Exotic Dancer Erna Carise!

Erna Carise was a Viennese dancer who performed in the late 1920s and 1930s across Europe with Josephine Baker and Marga Berndt. This account in German at www.marga-berndt.de provides pertinent background information:

Die Wiener Tänzerin Erna Carise die das Carise-Ballett gründete, tourte mit Marga zwischen 1934-36 durch ganz Europa. Die Showeinlagen waren dem jeweiligen Spielort (Land) angepasst. In Deutschland nannten sich ihre Revue-Bilder dann z.B. Nordseekrabben oder Spiel am Meer. Die Tänze wurden oft mit Gesang begleitet durch Walter Jankuhn oder Mil Konstantinov Erna Carise machte sich einen Namen in dem Film Die Königin der Revue an der Seite von Josephine Baker.

This letter was sent to her from Luxembourg-Gare in the early afternoon (1:00 - 2:00 p.m.) of Friday, June 23, 1933, by airmail, addressed to the Elysees Palace (actually to the Palace guest residence at 12 rue de Marignan) in Paris.

Curiously, the sender (whose Brussels return address appears on the back flap) chose airmail service when direct airmail service from Luxembourg was not yet available. Until May 1, 1939, airmail letters were sent by surface transport to the closest French, Belgian or German airport best serving the letter's destination. In addition to surface rate Luxembourg franking, these letters also required foreign franking of the country of airmail dispatch sufficient to pay an airmail surcharge. For this purpose, French, Belgian and German stamps were available at Luxembourg post offices. The relevant currency conversions appear in the Basien-Hoffkamp rate book.

Here the 1.25 F Luxembourg airmail stamp ironically pays the surface rate, and the 75c French Allegory definitive pays the 75c French airmail surcharge. The letter appears to have gone by surface transport directly from Luxembourg to the Paris airport, as evidenced by the June 24, 1933 Paris R.P. Avion hand cancel on the 75c stamp and the 6:00 a.m. June 24 Paris R.P. Avion machine cancel on the back. Even quicker delivery might have been achieved if the sender had chosen special delivery instead of airmail service. And unfortunately we don't have the contents of the letter to the then very popular exotic dancer, which might explain the sender's urgency!

Shown below is the more typical routing through Strasbourg for airmail from Luxembourg to Paris during the 1930s:

Luxembourg - Strasbourg - Paris:

Again the Luxembourg franking pays the 1.25 F surface rate (and the 1.75 F registry fee) with the 25c and 50c French Sower definitives paying the airmail supplement. The letter was posted from Luxembourg-Gare on the morning (8:00-9:00 a.m.) of September 26, 1933, and was received at the Strasbourg airport at 15:00 (3:00 p.m.) later that day. It departed the Strasbourg airport an hour later (Strasbourg-Gare Avion backstamp, 16:00 (4:00 p.m.)) and shows a Paris distribution backstamp the next morning.

Perhaps because the Carise letter was posted in the afternoon, the Luxembourg routing clerk might have thought or knew it would miss what must have been a late afternoon flight from Strasbourg to Paris and that therefore it would travel more (or just as) quickly by train to Paris.

4c Adolphe Perfined Official Used to the Grand Duke at Schloss Hohenburg

Schloss Hohenburg in 1880

Grand Duke Adolphe, Luxembourg’s fourth grand duke, reigned from November 23, 1890 until November 17, 1905. The fourteen G.D. Adolphe stamps perfined officiel diagonally for use of government mail appeared in 1899. They are listed in the European catalogs, but Scott does not assign a number to them, merely noting their existence.

The sole use of the 4-centime Adolphe perfined official here on a wrapper for printed matter is interesting for three reasons:

• It illustrates the 4c printed matter treaty rate to Germany that was in effect from 1902 to 1916;
  
• The Luxembourg Fire Department [Luxemburg Feuerwehr-Verband] is a government agency from which official mail is extremely scarce; and
• The wrapper is addressed to Grand Duke Adolphe at the Nassau family castle, Schloss Hohenburg in Bavaria, which the Grand Duke used as his summer residence during his reign.

The Grand Duke’s name is preceded by the number “1” on the printed address strip, which might have been taken from the Fire Department’s membership list. Postmarked at Luxembourg-Ville, August 16, 190?, the wrapper is addressed with a distinctive purple rubber stamp “Schloss Hohenburg Oberbayern.”

Scarce, Illegal and Legal Uses of the 1-Rpf. Hindenburg in Luxembourg During the World War II Occupation

1. Introduction

Some of the most interesting Luxembourg covers are those from the World War II German occupation of the Grand Duchy. For the knowledgeable philatelist, they present abundant opportunities to find philatelic treasures ─ often at very reasonable prices ─ amidst dealers’ stocks at show bourses, on eBay or Delcampe, and in European auctions. Some of these treasures are showcased in this article.

Luxembourg was occupied on May 10, 1940. The Grand Duchy’s stamps remained valid until October 1, 1940.[1] They were replaced on that date by 16 denominations of Germany’s Hindenburg Médallion series overprinted ‘Luxemburg,’ with face values ranging from 3 Rpf. to 100 Rpf. Curiously, the lowest denomination of the Hindenburg series ─ the 1 Rpf. Hindenburg ─ was never overprinted. However, in response to local demands, an unknown quantity of the un-overprinted 1 Rpf. was made available to pay the 1-Rpf. newspaper wrapper (or zeitungssachen) rate for locally delivered newspapers. This rate remained in effect only from October 1 to the end of 1940, just 92 days.[2] According to M. C. Gilhousen writing in the German Postal Specialist, the 1 Rpf. Hindenburg:

was occasionally used for other purposes but was assessed postage due at the 150 percent rate when detected. In many cases, postage due charges were not assessed. Keep your eyes open for the 1 Pf used in Luxembourg between November 30, 1940 and April 1, 1941. They are very rare.[3]

Gilhousen’s reference to November 30, 1940, suggests that the 1-Rpf. Hindenburg might not have been available in Luxembourg until that date, in which case the period of sole use on newspaper wrappers would have been only 31 days. His reference to April 1, 1941, is to the date on which use of all German stamps was permitted in Luxembourg.

2. Scarce, Illegal and Legal Uses

Illus. 1 - Use of the 1-Rpf. Hindenberg on a newspaper wrapper, December 31, 1940

2(a) ─ Scarce newspaper wrapper use: While the covers Gilhousen refers to indeed are scarce, the wrapper shown in Illus. 1 is even scarcer. It shows the 1-Rpf. Hindenberg properly used as sole franking on a newspaper wrapper endorsed “Zeitungsdrucksache” and postmarked Luxemburg [a], December 31, 1940, the last day of the 1 Rpf. zeitungssachen rate. The wrapper was used to send an issue of the Luxemburger Volksblatt newspaper to a local subscriber. Thus far, I believe the only other reported example of this is a similar wrapper in Dieter Basien's collection, which is illustrated at p. 214 of the Basien-Hoffkamp rate book. But other examples likely remain to be discovered. I would welcome scans of any examples the readers might have secreted away in their collections.

Illus. 2 ─ Illegal Use of a pair of the 1-Rpf. Hindenburg on a 12-Rpf., 20-g letter, posted February 6, 1941

2(b) ─ Illegal uses (with and without penalty): As Gilhousen points out, before April 1, 1941, the 1-Rpf. Hindenburg could only be used to pay the 1-Rpf. franking required for locally mailed newspapers. However, occasionally the 1-Rpf. Hindenburg was used, albeit illegally, in combination with other stamps where one or two Reichpfennings were needed to exactly make up a rate as the lowest denomination Hindenburg overprint was the 3 Rpf.

Illus. 2 shows an illegal use of a pair of the 1 Rpf. making up the 20-g, 12-Rpf. letter rate in combination with a pair of the 3+2 Rpf. overprinted Winter Welfare semi-postal and a 4-Rpf. Charlotte surcharge on a letter posted February 6, 1941, to Duisburg, Germany. However, no penalty was assessed despite the illegal use. Illus. 3 shows a similar un-penalized illegal use on an 82-Rpf. registered, special delivery cover.

Illus. 3 - Illegal Use of the 1-Rpf . Hindenburg on

an 82- Rpf. Registered, Special Delivery Letter

In contrast, the 82-Rpf. registered, special delivery cover shown in Illus. 4, which was posted on March 3, 1941, was properly penalized 3-Rpf. (150%) for the illegal use of a pair of the 1-Rpf. Hindenburg [blue crayon 'T 0.03' with the 1-Rpf. Hindenburg pair marked off and not cancelled.]

Illus. 4 - Illegal Use of the 1-Rpf . Hindenburg on an 82- Rpf.

Registered, Special Delivery Letter with 150% Penalty Assessed

2(c) ─ Legal uses: From April 1 to December 31, 1941, all then-valid German stamps could be used in Luxembourg, and as of January 1, 1942, use of such German stamps was required. Illus. 5 and 6 show legal uses of the 1-Rpf. Hindenburg after March 31, 1941.

Illus. 5 - Legal Use of the 1-Rpf. Hindenburg on October 10, 1941, to uprate a 5-Rpf. local-rate postal card to the 6-Rpf. domestic postal card rate, sent from Luxemburg to Heffingen.

Illus. 6 - Legal Use of the 1-Rpf. Hindenburgon December 12, 1941, on a 12-Rpf., 20-g letter from Luxemburg to Markkleeberg, Germany

3. Explaining the Uses

Illegal use of the 1 Rpf. Hindenburg can be explained in several different ways. Some might have used the low denomination stamp out of sheer frugality or for convenience; others may simply have been ignorant of the rather strange prohibition against general use of the 1 Rpf. stamp in Luxembourg before April 1, 1941. And, of course, still others may have had philatelic design in mind, as this is a period during which philatelic contrivances abound.

Keep the dates shown in Table 1 in mind when you rummage through dealers’ dollar boxes or scrutinize the offerings in auctions and on the Internet. And don’t forget to share your findings with me!

Table 1 ─ Philatelically Significant Dates During WWII

Validity Period		Uses Allowed
Oct 1 1940	Jan 1 1942	Hindenburg overprints & stationery
Dec 5 1940	Apr 1 1941	Surcharged Luxembourg stamps
Jan 12 1941	Jun 30 1941	Overprinted German Welfare semi-postals
Apr 1 1941	Jan 1 1942	All then-valid German stamps & the
		Alsace and Lorraine overprints
Jan 1 1942	Sep 10 1944	German stamps required; others invalidated

4. Conclusion

Many philatelic treasures from the World War II occupation remain to be discovered. Non-philatelic uses of the higher denomination overprinted Hindenburgs tend to be found mostly on commercial international airmail covers to North and South America. But sole use of the lowly 1-Rpf. un-overprinted Hindenburg can be found only on newspaper wrappers used between October 1 (or possibly November 30) and December 31, 1940. This use is undoubtedly the scarcst of all the Hindenburg uses in Luxembourg during the World War II occupation. Happy hunting!

---

[1] Mixed Luxembourg and Hindenburg frankings were allowed (some say "tolerated") on October 1 and October 2.

[2] See Basien & Hoffkamp, tarife der briefpost in luxemburg 1852-2002, p. 62.

[3] “The Frugal Philatelist,” pp. 187-194 (May 1995). See also Marcel Starr, das postwesen in luxembourg während der deutscher Besetzung im 2. Weltkrieg 10.5.1940-10.9.1944 (Luxembourg 1983).

From Hamiville -- Christmas Day 1887 -- to Troine

Hamiville Receipt Cancel
December 25, 1887 (6-7 pm)



Luxembourg-Ville, Saturday, December 24, 1887 (7-8 pm)
to Clervaux, Sunday, December 25, 1887 (8-9 am)
to Hamiville, December 25, 1887 (6-7 pm)

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Luxembourg's many small rural post offices provided a means of remarkably efficient communication well before the advent of the telephone or electronic mail! This very common five-centime Allegory postal card provides a fine example.

On Christmas Eve 1887 (a Saturday), this postal card was written in Latin by a priest in Luxembourg-Ville to the parish priest in Trotten (now called Troine), a tiny hamlet that did not have (and never has had) a post office. Leaving Luxembourg-Ville between 7 to 8 p.m., Christmas Eve, it was received in Clervaux between 8 and 9 a.m. the next morning, a Sunday. From there is was dispatched to Hamiville, another small hamlet whose only post office operated from mid-August 1881 to the end of 1888. The Hamiville cancel shows that the postal card was received between 6 and 7 p.m. Christmas Day 1887 for delivery to nearby Troine. You can see the close proximity of Hamiville and Troine on the map.

Because Hamiville's post office only operated for a few years in the 1880s, it had just one canceling device -- the single circle canceler that was used to document receipt of this card. The Hamiville single circle cancel is quite scarce on outgoing mail. This is the first example I've seen of it used on incoming mail.

As of January 1, 1889, responsibility for handling mail for Hamiville (and presumably Troine) was transferred to Boevange (Clervaux), thus ending Hamiville's postal history!

Message written in Latin

WWII: Posted at Medernach; Registered at Fels

Philately of the German occupation of Luxembourg abounds with postal history not seen during any other period of Luxembourg's philatelic history. In this regard, the registered cover shown here is exemplary for three reasons.

After having been posting at Medernach, the letter had to be registered elsewhere (in this case, the next morning at Larochette [in German: Fels], which was the closest post office with registry service). At the time, Medernach had only the services of a parcel post agency (an agence aux colis), and presumably this agency lacked authority to register letters.

Second, the cancels used at Medernach during the WWII occupation are distinctive. Two types exist -- the one shown with Medernach in Gothic letters, and a similar type but with Medernach in Arabic letters. The German administation never issued its standard, round double circle bridge cancel to Medernach (Type 41), perhaps because Medernach was only a parcel post agency. However, when the cover was registered at Larochette, the German Type 41 cancel of Fels is seen on the cover along with the Fels registry label.

And last, the combination franking of Hindenburg and Luxembourg overprints is interesting in its own right. The date of posting at Medernach, Monday, March 31, 1941, was the last day of validity of the Luxembourg overprints, of which the 10-Rpf. on 40-centime and pair of the 12-Rpf. on 60-centime Charlotte (2nd issue) pay 34 Rpf. postage. The addition of 25 Rpf. in the form of a 15-Rpf. and pair of the 5-Rpf. Hindenburg overprints is puzzling as these stamps continued to be valid through the end of 1941. A first-step registered letter would have required only a 42-Rpf. franking (leaving the cover 17 Rpf. overfranked) and a second-step only a 54-Rpf. franking (leaving the cover overfranked by 5 Rpf.). Perhaps the sender was simple disposing of the Luxembourg overprints, which were about to become invalid, or had philatelic motives. In addition to being postmarked on April 1 at Fels, the cover is backstamped at Luxembourg-Ville the same day, and was received in Berlin, April 3, 1941.

What's your opinion of the postal history significance of this cover?

May 10, 1940 - Detained Mail

Airmail Letter Awaiting Dispatch on May 10, 1940
1.75 F UPU 20 g letter rate + 1.75 F registry fee + 3.50 F airmail surcharge/5 g

The Germany Army overran Luxembourg in the early morning hours of Friday, May 10, 1940, less than two days after this letter had been posted late Wednesday afternoon at Luxembourg-Gare. In the course of the occupiers seizing control of the Grand Ducal postal system, this four-gram registered airmail letter was opened, censored and detained for nearly a half year. Routed "Via Lisbourne" [Lisbon, Portugal], it arrived in New York on November 8, 1940, and at its destination, Chicago, Illinois, November 9, 1940, some 185 days later.


From an exhibit-in-progress entitled Luxembourg Postal History During the World War II German Occupation -- May 10, 1940 - September 10, 1944.

Invalid, Dubious & Questionable Uses (IDQs)

Let me ask you, “How should we organize those Luxembourg covers and cards that were used in unusual ways, but which don’t fit nicely into traditional postal history categories?” There is a body of philately devoted to EFOs (errors, freaks and oddities). Why not develop one devoted to the study and showcasing of IDQs?

We might begin with these categories (and any others you can think of):

Type	Invalid, Dubious & Questionable Uses
1	Luxembourg franking no longer valid
2	Luxembourg franking valid, but not for the requested service
3	Luxembourg franking used abroad & foreign franking used in Luxembourg
4	Luxembourg and foreign franking used in combination
5	Luxembourg postal card imprint cutouts used as postage
6	Non-postal use of Luxembourg stamps and stationery
7	Luxembourg revenue stamps used to pay postage
8	Reuse of previously used Luxembourg stamps

Type 1 ─ Luxembourg Franking No Longer Valid

T-1 ─ Invalid Use ( 25c 1891 Adolphe): Attempted use of the 25c definitive to pay the 20 g UPU rate on a letter to the United States from Dalheim, April 3, 1911.

However, the 1891 Adolphe issue had been demonitized on January 1, 1909. In accordance with UPU regulations, the Dalheim post office marked off the invalid stamp with blue crayon, indicating with a zero that it had no monetary value and that postage due was to be charged to the recipient. The New York exchange office then taxed the letter ten US cents (double the five-cent UPU letter rate).

T-1 ─ Invalid use (30c Charlotte & 4 Rpf. Hindenburg): Letter posted from Luxembourg-Ville to Rumelange, September 10, 1944, the day Luxembourg was liberated from WWII German occupation and 10 days after the Nazi administration in Luxembourg had collapsed. Although the letter was censored on December 6, 1944, domestic mail delivery to towns outside Luxembourg-Ville was not resumed until March 26, 1945. The March 26, 1945, Rümelingen backstamp shows that this letter was delivered on the first day that inland deliveries were permitted, 196 days after it had been posted.

Two of the stamps were invalid on the date of posting. The 30c 1926 Charlotte had been invalidated on October 1, 1940; the 4 Rpf. Hindenburg on January 1, 1942. The 4 Rpf. Hitler head remained valid until September 29, 1944. However, as the letter rate was 12 Rpf., the Rumelange post office only charged postage due for a 1 Rpf. deficiency in the franking after giving the sender 11 Rpf. credit for the three stamps. (The 30c Charlotte was converted to Reichpfennings at the rate of 10 centimes to 1 Rpf., thus being worth 3 Rpf.) The 20-centime postage due charge reflects the 1 Rpf. deficiency doubled.

T-1 -- Invalid Use (1970 Chateau II Caritas semi-postals): A philatelically-inspired use of the Chateau II set posted from Luxembourg-Ville, October 19, 1972, to Andernach, Germany, taxed double the three-franc, 20-gram letter rate to Germany (T 6/3) for use invalid postage, as the last day of validity for the Chateau II set was December 31, 1971, 293 days before this letter was posted.

T 2 -- Luxembourg Franking Valid, But Not For Requested Service

T-2 ─ Airmail Use Disallowed: Reply card from a 75c+75c Luxembourg Ècusson double card mailed May 4, 1936, on the special German automobile postal service between Berlin and Leipzig with a blue Luxembourg airmail label and 75c Luxembourg airmail adhesive added purporting to pay supplemental postage for return of the reply card by airmail.

Airmail service (apparently) was not available or offered for return of foreign reply cards, as indicated by the German post office having marked off the adhesive stamp with blue crayon, crossed out the airmail etiquette and indicated no postal value for the adhesive. The 75c Luxembourg postal stationery imprint on the reply card correctly pays the 75c postal card rate in effect at that time between Luxembourg and Germany.

Type 3 ─ Luxembourg Franking Used Abroad & Foreign
Franking Used in Luxembourg

T-3 ─ Illegal Use in Germany: Attempted use of a five-centime 1882 Allegory postal card uprated with a 5-centime 1895 Adolphe definitive to pay postage from Rüttgen to Bad-Kreuznach, Germany, September 23, 1895. At that time, Rüttgen was part of the German Lorraine, on the German side of the border with Luxembourg. Today it is part of France and known by its French name, Roussy-le-Village.

The writer dated the card two days earlier at Frisange, a nearby village in Luxembourg. As the card was posted on the German side of the border, the German post office correctly marked off the Luxembourg stationery imprint and stamp with blue crayon, indicating their invalidity and postage due of 10 pfennig.

T-3 ─ Illegal Use in France: Attempted use of a 35-centime Charlotte definitive to pay postage on a viewcard sent from Thionville to Roubaix, France, August 16, 1933. The Thionville post office marked off the stamp with blue crayon to indicate its invalidity, taxed the card, and applied a pair of French postage due stamps. As the card was refused by the addressee, it was sent to the dead letter office in nearby Lille.

T-3 ─ Illegal Use to the USA from France: The message discloses that the writer had stopped in Luxembourg on a drive from Wiesbaden, Germany, to Verdun, France. The picture postcard, which shows a night time view of the Adolphe Bridge in Luxembourg-Ville, is franked with a pair of Luxembourg six-franc 1977 Europa stamps, but it was posted from Verdun, France, October 12, 1977, to San Diego, California.

In accordance with 1974 UPU convention regulations for calculating postage due, the Luxembourg stamps were given no value (indicated by "= 0 in red) by the French post office. Postage due was calculated by multiplying the T 100/140 fraction by the US first-step foreign surface rate of 18 cents. This amount (12.86 US cents) was rounded up to 13 cents and a 20-cent handling charge was added, resulting in a postage due charge of 33 cents, as shown by the New York exchange office.

T-3 ─ Illegal Use to Great Britain from Germany: Attempted use of 3.50 francs of Luxembourg stamps to pay postage on a picture postcard from Volkingen, Germany, to Goldsithney-Penzance, England, August 25, 1967. The German post office marked off the stamps with blue crayon to indicate their invalidity. On arrival in England an auxiliary mark was applied reading “Stamp Not Valid - To Pay 10p,” payment of which is shown by three British postage due stamps. The writer notes that “As I write this, we are now traveling through Germany towards Saarbrücken.”

T-3 -- Illegal Use in Luxembourg of German postage to France: Attempted use of the 5 pfg. Germania definitive on a picture postcard posted at the 5c printed matter rate from Luxembourg Ville I, July 15, 1906, to Mersault, France, taxed and charged 10 centimes postage due in France (double the 5-centime deficiency).


T-3 -- Illegal Use in Luxembourg of Belgian postage to Germany: Attempted use of the 4-franc Belgian Abdication of Charles V commemorative (Scott #487) to correctly pay the 20 g letter rate to Germany from Belgium but posted from Luxembourg-Gare, July 8, 1955, invalidated in blue crayon and taxed 0.40 gold centimes (T 0.40 ct or) in Luxembourg, with the tax doubled on arrival in Bielefeld, Germany (Nachgebuhr 80).

Type 4 ─ Luxembourg and Foreign Franking Used in Combination

T-4 ─ Luxembourg & Italian Franking: 6-centime reply card from an 1875 6c+6c double card returned from Milan, Italy, September 23, 1906, used in combination with a five-centime Italian adhesive to make-up the ten-centime UPU rate then in effect. It was received in Luxembourg-Ville, September 24, 1906, and not taxed, as this practice was widely tolerated by European postal authorities although technically violative of UPU regulations, which required that the return card be entirely franked with the country of origin’s postage.


T-4 Luxembourg & German Franking: 5-centime Allegory postal card for domestic use, illegally uprated with a 5-pfennig German adhesive to pay the 10-centime postcard rate to Germany, posted from Luxembourg-Ville, October 21, 1892, to Cöln-Ehrenfeld, Germany, but the illegal combination franking apparently was not noticed by the Luxembourg post office.

T-5 ─ Postal Card Imprint Cutouts Used as Postage

T-5 ─ Use of a 5c postal card imprint: Attempted payment in 1915 of five centimes of the ten-centime letter rate to France with a five-centime Écusson postal card cutout, but noticed and taxed by the Luxembourg-Ville post office. The return address is that of the Carmelite Tertiary nuns, the frugality perhaps reflecting their vow of poverty.

T-5 Use of a 45c postal viewcard imprint cutout: Attempted payment in 1935 of part of the 70-centime domestic letter rate on a sealed letter to the suburb of Limpertsberg, otherwise franked only with a 35-centime Charlotte adhesive. Although an illegal use, the 45-centime imprint was nicely hand canceled and no postage due charged.

T-6 ─ Non-postal Uses

T-6 Oberpallen Private Overprint: Nicolas Gallé, who was the customs and immigration officer in charge of the Oberpallen border crossing between Luxembourg and Belgium in the late 1800s, must have been something of an eccentric. He apparently had five-centime Allegory postal cards overprinted “Oberpallen.” across the stamp imprint by letter press in purple. These cards were used to record the names of persons who crossed the border at Oberpallen each day and are all addressed to Mr. Gallé.

Oberpallen has never had a post office, and an examination of these cards readily reveals that none ever passed through the mails. They lead my list of dubious and questionable items. Use of the Allegory postal cards in this curious manner probably was unauthorized, may have been illegal, and likely served no revenue purpose.

T-7 & T-8

I have yet to discover a Luxembourg revenue stamp used in lieu of a postage stamp. Likewise, I have not (yet) seen an example of an attempt to reuse a previously cancelled Luxembourg stamp. Certainly such uses must exist.

Today might be a good time to organize the IDQs in your collection and share them with the others.

An earlier version of this article appeared in Castellum.

WWII German Occupation Tax Stamps

Fiscal (or "tax") philately often provides the collector with an adventure into uncharted (or at best, poorly cataloged) philatelic pastures. Thus, it is not surprising to find that little has been written about the tax stamps used in Luxembourg by the German administration during World War II. What I present here is just the tip of the tip of this philatelic iceberg. Surely others will contribute as well to help fill this immense philatelic knowledge gap.

Recently I acquired a WWII food ration card used in Luxembourg City. It bears the official imprint of the "Stadt Luxemburg Ernährungsamt" or Luxembourg City Nutrition Office and a 50 Rpf. "Quittung" (or tax receipt). A rubber date stamp showing the date September 2, 1942, ties the stamp to the card. In all, the card bears 17 such rubber-stamped dates, all between 1941 and 1943, and shows three different addresses for the cardholder. The text states that the cardholder must present the card each time food rations are requested.

The stamp is shown below along with the front and back of the ration card and the Municipal Nutrition Office official imprint. A similar 60 Rpf. stamp surcharged with a large "5 Frs" is shown at the beginning of this post. Was the German-issued stamp surcharged to Luxembourg francs after the occupation ended?

What else is known about these quaint tax stamps?

Centenary of the International Reply Coupon: 1907 - 2007

I. Introduction

The International Reply Coupon (IRC) was introduced at the 1906 Universal Postal Union (UPU) Congress in Rome. First issued on October 1, 1907, an IRC at that time could be exchanged at any UPU-member-nation post office for the postage required to prepay a single-rate, surface-delivery letter. Today, one hundred years later, an IRC can be redeemed for the minimum postage required for an unregistered priority airmail letter. UPU-member postal services must exchange an IRC for postage but are not required to sell them. IRCs remain popular with philatelists, autograph collectors, and radio amateurs exchanging QSL cards, who want to prepay return postage from a foreign country without sending cash or obtaining foreign postage in advance. They are sold in more than 70 countries.

Collectors classify IRCs by design (or “frame”), with the design taking its name from the city where the UPU Congress was held that adopted the design. Table 1 summarizes the five basic designs that have appeared over the past 100 years:

Luxembourg has issued IRCs in each of the five designs (including both Beijing models) and is one of only 35 countries to issue the recent Beijing Model 2 commemorative Centenary design.

The available information on Luxembourg’s IRC tariffs is summarized in Table 2.

II. Rome Design (1907–1930)

During this nearly 23-year classic coupon period, Luxembourg issued five Rome-design IRCs. They paid four different tariffs. Moreover, when the tariff was increased, some of the coupons were uprated with the new value in manuscript. All of the Rome-frame coupons are very scarce.

IRC-LUX 1

Luxembourg-Gare,
January 11, 1910.

IRC-LUX 3

Roodt, December 26, 1919,
and uprated in manuscript to 55 centimes

III. London Design (1930 – 1965)

During the 35 years that the London design was in use, Luxembourg issued IRCs in five different denominations. As the IRC tariff was increased to 2.75 F at the same time that the London design was released (i.e., July 1, 1930), Auguste Wéry, on the basis of reports in the philatelic literature, states that a 2.25 F IRC might have already been ordered but never put into circulation. Whether a 2.25 F IRC exists remains an unsolved philatelic puzzle.

Unlike the Rome design, inexpensive examples of the London design appear frequently in the philatelic market. But in acquiring examples, don’t overlook the fact that 14 varieties have been documented! They are summarized in Table 4 below.

IRC-LUX 8

Postmarked Luxembourg-Ville, September 1939
Redeemed, Shanghai, China, February 14, 1940

IRC-LUX 9

Luxembourg-Ville, August 29, 1947

IV. Vienna Design (1965-1975)

The four different Vienna-design IRCs known for Luxembourg are summarized in Table 5. A Vienna printing that I have not seen listed for Luxembourg reads in French on the front “letter ordinaire de port simple” instead of “premier échelon … par voie de surface.”

IRC-LUX 20
Luxembourg-Ville, December 28, 1973

V. Lausanne Design (1975-2002)

The Lausanne design first appeared on February 1, 1975. The price is not shown on this design; however, when Luxembourg increased the IRC tariff from 10 F to 16 F on January 1, 1976, postal clerks sometimes indicated the new price in manuscript in the center box.

Varieties that I have not seen listed for Luxembourg include Lausanne printings with (i) “par voie aérienne” instead of “par voie de surface” on the front, and (ii) “CN01” instead of “C22” in the front upper right corner, and (iii) printings without the broken circle in the box on the right. The only known varieties are summarized in Table 6.

IRC-LUX 20
Luxembourg-Ville, July 31, 1979
Horizontal UPU watermark

VI. Beijing Design: Models 1 & 2; Centenary Printing

2002 - 2007

Shown below are the two Beijing-model IRCs. The first appeared in 2002 and was valid for exchange until December 31, 2006. The second appeared in 2006 and is valid for exchange until December 31, 2009.

Beijing Design – Model 1 (2002)

Luxembourg-Ville, February 14, 2006

Beijing Design – Model 2 (2006)

Luxembourg-Ville, October 18, 2006

In February 2007, a special printing of the Beijing Model 2 IRC appeared to commemorate a century of IRC use. The Centenary IRC has the inscription “1907 – 2007” added, as shown below in a cut from the specimen posted on the UPU website. Since February, only Luxembourg and 36 other countries have ordered and placed on sale the Centenary IRC. A total of just over 180,000 Centenary IRCs were printed for the entire UPU membership, and the UPU states that this special commemorative printing will not be reissued. As some countries have ordered as few as 500 or 1,000, the Centenary IRCs will undoubtedly be much sought after by collectors. I have not yet received an example from Luxembourg, nor do I know how many the Luxembourg PTT ordered.

Centenary Inscription “1907 – 2007”
on the Bejing Model 2 Special Printing

VII. IRCs & Ponzi Schemes

IRCs gained international attention early in 1920 when Charles Ponzi (1882-1949), a renowned international swindler, touted them as the inspiration for what is now commonly referred to as a “Ponzi scheme.” The phrase denotes an investment scheme in which the investor’s returns are paid not from profitable investments but rather from the inflow of cash from new investors.

In August 1919 a Spanish businessman enclosed an IRC with a request for a publication Ponzi had been promoting. Upon seeing the coupon, Ponzi realized that based on post-war exchange rates, IRCs bought in much of Europe were worth more when redeemed in the United States than what they cost in Europe. This realization led Ponzi to offer to enrich investors by buying IRCs in Europe and selling them at a profit in the United States. He successfully convinced investors to give him money in exchange for a promissory note, promising them a 50% profit in 45 days based on his (supposed) transatlantic trading in IRCs.

In fact Ponzi never used his investors’ money to engage in IRC arbitrage. He quickly learned that the IRCs could only be exchanged for stamps, not cash, and that they were not intended for financial speculation. But by July 1920, Ponzi was taking in $250,000 a day in investments, and his success continued until Post magazine revealed that to cover the investments made with his company, 160,000,000 IRCs would have had to be in circulation—in fact, at that time only about 27,000 were actually circulating.

When federal agents shut down Ponzi’s company on August 10, 1920, they found that he indeed had no large investment stock of IRCs. Eventually, Ponzi was arrested, tried and incarcerated in federal and state jurisdictions for mail fraud. In 1924, his bankrupty estate was the subject of litigation in the United States Supreme Court brought by some of his defrauded investors. In the case report, Chief Justice Taft notes that Ponzi began his fraudulent arbitrage enterprise with capital of $150. (Cunningham v. Brown, 265 U.S. 1 (1924).) Similar schemes abound today on the Internet and through the mails. What was it that P.T. Barnum once said?

VIII. Conclusion

After a century of use, the IRC remains a viable means for writers to prepay the return postage for letters from their correspondents. And finding Luxembourg IRCs − particularly the various Rome and London designs used between 1907 and 1965 − continues to provide formidable challenges for postal history and postal stationery collectors. Don’t pass up an opportunity to add them to your collection.

References

Basien, Dieter & Hoffkamp, Fernand, Tarife der Briefpost in Luxemburg 1852-2002, (Luxembourg: P&T, 2002), pp. 160-162.

Hurtré, André, website: “Postal Reply Coupons—International Reply Coupons,” http://www.couponreponse.fr/

Paul-August Koch, Wim V. M. Wiggers de Vries, and Auguste Wery, Die Internationalen Antwortscheine von Belgien und Luxemburg (Krefeld-Traar: Bund Deutscher Philatelisten e.V., 1984).

Bridge-and-Bar Postmarks (1905-1940+)

 

Construction continues!

Introduction

Luxembourg's 131 face-different bridge-and-bar postmarks provide an excellent theme around which to collect stamps, postcards and covers from the first half of the 20th century. First introduced in 1905, many of the bridge-and-bar cancellers continued in use into the first six months of the WWII German occupation. By the end of 1940, most of them had been gradually replaced with the German administration's devices. A few resurfaced and saw limited use again shortly after the occupation ended in September 1944, while Luxembourg introduced new canceling devices.

During an era when most mail in Luxembourg was still hand canceled, the bridge-and-bar cancelers became the postal clerk's workhorse for canceling stamps, dating receipts, and dutifully documenting the dispatch, transit and receipt of mail. As the 35-year period of use was relatively long, examples of many of these postmarks are plentiful. For such, the challenge is to find clear strikes on postcards and covers and socked-on-the-nose strikes on loose stamps. Others, however, are uncommon, and a few very scarce, reflecting the small amount of mail handled by some of the rural post offices. Nonetheless, the uncommon postmarks still occasionally turn up in inexpensive mixtures and collections offered in auctions, on eBay and at stamp show bourses, their philatelic significance having gone unnoticed by the general collector.

A special challenge is to find bridge-and-bar postmarks on the Grand Duke Adolphe definitives. When the bridge-and-bar cancels were being introduced, the Adolphe definitives were rapidly being replaced by the Grand Duke William IV definitives late in 1906 and Ecusson definitives in 1907. And as of January 1, 1909, the Adolphe definitives lost their postal validity. By that time about half of the bridge-and-bar cancels had been introduced. The earliest was Luxembourg-Gare-Hollerich on April 24, 1905, followed by Berdorf and Differdange the next month. Shown on the left is the two-centime Adolphe definitive canceled at Wiltz, October 8, 1905. Bridge cancels showing 1905 dates are scarce. That's why I seldom pass up an opportunity to buy an Adolphe definitive with a readable bridge-and-bar cancel!

 

A related challenge is to find the Hindenburg overprints with bridge-and-bar cancels. Such cancels are possible beginning October 1, 1940 (when the Hindenburgs superseded Luxembourg's pre-occupation stamps) for post offices that had not yet been issued German administration canceling devices. But by about the end of 1940, most of the bridge-and-bar cancellers had been replaced with German canceling devices, bringing their use to an end. After the war ended, Luxembourg introduced new cancellers.

Dommeldange
October 30, 1940

Luxembourg's Federation des Societes Philateliques du Grand-Duche de Luxembourg (the "FSPL") cancel numbering system system designates the bridge-and-bar cancels (in German: die bruckenbarrenstempel) as "Type 33" in the comprehensive Catalogue des Cachets Usuels des Bureaux de Poste du Luxembourg. For a few of the face-different Type 33s, two or three varieties exist; likewise, colored inks are known for some. I have abstracted the period of use for each cancel from the FSPL catalog, although in some instances the periods may have to be expanded based on new discoveries.

Gary Little nicely categorizes the bridge-and-bar postmarks by the characters seen in the lower arc of the postmark, thus:

 

• Three stars (80)
  
• Two stars + Roman numeral (21)
  
• Two stars + capital letter (5)
  
• Two stars + "Ville" (1)
  
• One star + "Ville" + lower case letter (5)
  
• Text only (11)
  
• Text + Roman numeral (7)

ASPELT
T-33
1911 - 1940

Aspelt - Remerschen
June 12, 1915
5c (domestic postal card)

 

Aspelt - Luxembourg-Ville
March 20, 1913
20c (20-40 g domestic letter) + 30c (special delivery fee)

BASCHARAGE
T-33
1906 - 1940


Bascharage - Augsburg, Bavaria
August 8, 1906
(The FSPL lists February 15, 1907, as the earliest date of use)
5c (postal card rate to Germany)

BEAUFORT
T-33
1908 - 1940

 

Beaufort - Germany
March 26, 1917
17 1/2c (20 g letter to Germany)
Censored in Trier

BELVAUX
T-33
1905 - 1937

Belvaux - Frisingen [Aspelt]
June 18, 1909
10c (20 g domestic letter)

Belvaux - Luxembourg-Ville
February 7, 1933
75c (20 g domestic letter) + 1.75 F (registry fee)

BERDORF
T-33
1910 - 1940

Berdorf - Luxembourg Ville
March 20, 1933
75c (20 g domestic letter)

Berdorf - New Bedford, Massachusetts USA
August 21, 1939
1 F (UPU postcard)

Berdorf - Antwerp, Belgium
August 11, 1937
10c (viewcard sent at the printed matter rate)
Belgian franking disallowed & marked off in red crayon;
20c postage due charged at Antwerp, August 15, 1937

BETTBORN
T-33
1906 - 1940

 

Basel, Switzerland  - Bettborn
(incoming Swiss 10c+10c message-reply card)
October 9, 1907

 

Bettborn - Wormeldange
(forwarded to Limpertsberg)
July 12, 1933
10c (50 g printed matter) + 1.75 F (domestic registry fee)

 

 

BETTEMBOURG
T-33
1906 - 1940

Bettembourg - Differdange
July 18, 1940
70c (20 g domestic letter)
Luxembourg stamps continued to be used
during the WWII German occupation until October 1, 1940.

 

BETTEMBOURG *II*
T-33
1907 - 1940

Bettembourg *II* - Bruxelles, Belgium
January 23, 1920
15c (20 g letter to Belgium)
Rate in effect: 02/01/19 - 02/01/21)

 

Bettembourg *II* - Venezia-Udine, Italy
September 17, 1937
Insured Money Letter: 1.75 F 20 g UPU letter + 1.75 F registry
+ 1.75 F insurance fee (up to 300 fr)

 

BIGONVILLE
T-33
1922 - 1940
Very Rare

Bigonville - Luxembourg-Ville
July 16, 1936
70c (20 g domestic letter)

 

Mersch - Bigonville
January 29, 1925
25c (20 g domestic letter)

Bigonville backstamp,
January 30, 1925

 

 

BISSEN
T-33
1907 - 1940

Bissen - Bitton, England
September 15, 1927
2.40 F (20-40 g UPU letter) + 1.50 F (UPU registry fee)
Overpaid 25c

BONNEVOIE
T-33
1909 - 1940

 

Bonnevoie - Jajce, Yugoslavia
November 2, 1927
1.75 F (20 g UPU letter) + 1.75 F (UPU registry fee)

BOULAIDE
T-33
1912 - 1940

 

Boulaide - Paris, France
June 18, 1913
10c (postcard rate to France)


CANACH
T-33
1914 - 1940

 

Canach - Grevenmacher
July 17, 1920
15c (20 g domestic letter - overpaid 5c)

CAP
T-33
1906 - 1940

 

Cap - Le Mars, Iowa, USA
February 16, 1912
25c (20 g UPU letter)
The serifed font is distinctive.

CLERVAUX
T-33 (two types)
1906 - 1940

 

Clervaux
November 22, 1918
10-centime telephone tax receipt
'Quittance de taxes téléphoniques.'
Tax paid with two 5-centime telegraph stamps!

 

 

Clervaux - Remerschen
October 19, 1930
10c (domestic postal card rate: 4/12/20 - 4/1/21 --
paid by a 10c UPU postal card)

Clervaux
July 28, 1934
Viewcard - St. Maurice & St. Maur Abbey at Clervaux
Favor cancel - not posted

 

COLMAR-BERG
T-33
1907 - 1940

Colmar-Berg - Wiesbaden, Germany
March 8, 1912
12 1/2c (20 g Grand Duke William IV mourning cover to Germany), (underpaid 1/2c)

Official mail from Schloss Berg at Colmar-Berg (royal seal on the back),
posted shortly after the death of GD William IV and endorsed
"Service du Grand Duc,"

Colmar-Berg - Basthorst [post: Möhnsen], Germany
October 15, 1919

Official mail to Baroness Anna Marie Brusselle, G.D. Marie-Adélaïde's lady-in-waiting, but in whose distinctive handwriting, as Marie-Adélaïde had already abdicated and left Luxembourg never to return? Probably that of her mother, dowager Grand Duchess Marie Anne.

Auxiliary mark: Service de la Grande Duchesse
The "Officiel" overprint is shifted to the extreme upper left

17 1/2c (20 g letter to Germany)

 

Colmar-Berg - Basel, Switzerland
September 21, 1908
10c (UPU postcard rate)

85059   H. Steinhäser-Bartz, Ettelbrück, Luxembg.

CONSDORF
T-33
1908 - 1940

Consdorf - Wien (Vienna), Austria
January 16, 1932
35c (50 g UPU printed matter)

 

DALHEIM
T-33
1914 - 1940

Dalheim - Luxembourg-Ville
February 5, 1920
12 1/2c (20 g domestic letter) + 30c (special delivery fee)

Dalheim - Luxembourg-Ville
March 12, 1935
35c (20 g domestic letter)

 

DIEKIRCH
T-33 (two types)
1905 - 1940

Diekirch - Neuerburg, Germany
October 25, 1905
(12 days after the FSPL's earliest reported use)
12 1/2c (20 g letter to Germany)


Diekirch - Zurich, Switzerland
October 17, 1910
25c (20 g UPU letter)


Diekirch - Helsinki, Finland
June 22, 1921
50c (20 g UPU letter)



DIEKIRCH *II*
T-33 (two types)
1911 - 1940

Diekirch II - Munich, Germany
September 17, 1917
Correspondence between renowned stamp dealers,
N. Wagner & Otto Bickel,
censored in Trier, overpaid 7 1/2c
17 1/2c (20 g letter to Germany) + 25c (registry fee)

Diekirch II - Hamburg, Germany
December 5, 1923
30c (20 g letter to Germany) + 50c (registry fee)

Diekirch II - Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
February 26, 1929
to Luxembourg's Consul in Minnesota
1.50 F (20 g UPU letter) + 1.50 F (UPU registry fee)

DIFFERDANGE
T-33
1905 - 1940

Differdange to (and Differdange II on return from) - Trebitsch, Austria
May 13 & June 18, 1914

(front only)

25c (20 g UPU letter - underpaid 12 1/2c - taxed 25c (double the deficiency)) on return to Differdange after being unclaimed at poste restante in Trebitsch. Austrian due labels were affixed to pay the poste restante fee, but later were invalidated with red crayon when the letter went unclaimed.

 

Differdange - Grevenmacher
January 13, 1922
25c (20 g domestic letter)

 

DIFFERDANGE *I*
T-33
1912 - 1940

Differdange I - Eislingen, Germany
June 27, 1906
5c (postal card rate to Germany)

Differdange I
October 1, 1940
12 rpf. (20 g letter within Germany and German-occupied countries)
Used on the first day that use of the Hindenburg overprints was required.

 

DIFFERDANGE *II*
T-33

1906 - 1940
Differdange II - Berlin SO, Germany
November 2, 1906
5c (postal card rate to Germany)

 

DIFFERDANGE *III*
T-33
1907 - 1940

Differdange *III* - February 10, 1921

Differdange *III* - Remsen, Iowa, USA
June 23, 1908
10c (UPU post card rate)

 

Differdange *III* - Ludwigslust, Germany
February 14, 1921
25c (20 g letter to Germany) + 25c (registry fee)

 

Differdange *III* - Philadephia, Pennsylvania, USA
January 22, 1927
1.50 F (20 g UPU letter) + 1.50 F (registry fee)
(overfranked 20c)

 

 

Differdange *III* - Gare Mulongwishi, Belgian Congo
July 9, 1938
1.50 F (20 g letter rate to the Belgian Congo) + Belgian 3 F airmail supplement (on the back)

DIFFERDANGE USINES
T-33
1909 - 1940

September 16, 1925
"H a" Perfin
HADIR – Hauts Fourneaux et Aciéries,
Differdange Usines

 

Differdange Usines - Chincha, Peru
July 12, 1910
25c (20 g UPU letter) + 25c (registry fee)
New York registry exchange label - July 20, 1910 NYC transit
Very rare destination!

Differdange Usines - Strassburg, Germany
February 29, 1916
12 1/2c (20 g letter to Germany)
Censored in Trier

 

German Feldpost (Constantinople) - Differdange Usines
February 19, 1916 - received March 1, 1916
Censored in Trier
5c domestic postcard rate paid as postage due

 

 

Differdange Usines - Weidenau-Sieg., Germany
August 24, 1917
17 1/2c (20 g letter to Germany) - Censored in Trier
"D.L." Perfin
Deutsch-Luxemburgische Bergwerks- und hütten-Aktiengesellschaft

DIPPACH
T-33
1907 - 1940

Dippach - Echternach
June 20, 1922
25c (20 g domestic letter)

Paris, France - Reckange-sur-Mess [Post: Dippach]
September 9, 1925
(receiving cancel)

 

(Paris XVI Place Chopin, September 9, 1925)

 

DOMMELDANGE
T-33
1906 - 1940

Dommeldange - Berlin Steglitz, Germany
May 18, 191
17 1/2c (20 g letter to Germany) + 25c (registry fee)
Overpaid 20c - Censored in Trier

Dommeldange - Diekirch
April 11, 1917
5c (domestic postal card) + 20c (registry fee) + 10c (COD fee)
The Diekirch cds is noticeably smaller than the Dommeldange cds

 

DOMMELDANGE *II*
T-33
1907 - 1940

Dommeldange II - Esch-sur-Alzette
September 22, 1908
10c (20 g domestic letter)

DUDELANGE
T-33
1906 - 1940

Dudelange - Dielsdorf, Switzerland
July 3, 1907
10c (UPU postal card rate)

DUDELANGE *I*
T-33
1916 - 1940

Dudelange I, September 1, 1922


Luxembourg-Ville - Dudelange I
April 20-21, 1939
70c (20 g domestic letter sent by a government agency
with postage to be paid by the addressee)
70c postage due paid by recipient



DUDELANGE *II*
T-33
1915 - 1939

Dudelange II, May 14, 1935


Dudelange II
July 26, 1937
35c (postal card rate to Belgium and within Luxembourg)
Favor postmark

DUDELANGE USINES
T-33
1910 - 1921

Dudelange Usines - Konigshuthe, Germany
January 27, 1911
5c (postal card rate to Germany)

ECHTERNACH
T-33
1906 - 1939

Echternach - New York City, New York, USA
September 27, 1919
25c (letter card sent at 20 g UPU letter rate)

Echternach - Anvers (Antwerp), Belgium
August 7, 1928
10c (postcard sent at printed matter rate to Belgium)

Echternach - Besançon, France
February 7, 1939
1.25 F (20 g letter to France)
Advertising Cover

ECHTERNACH *I*
T-33
1908 - 1940

Echternach *I* - Washington, D.C., USA
March 17, 1908
25c (20 g UPU letter) + 25c (UPU registry fee)

Echternach *I* - Breslau, Germany
June 25, 1915
12 1/2c (20 g letter to Germany)

Echternach *I* - Grevenmacher
May 10, 1921
25c (20 g domestic letter)
Advertising Cover

ECHTERNACH *II*
T-33
1909 - 1939

Echternach *II* - Amsterdam, Holland
August 14, 1915
25c (20 g UPU letter) + 30c (special delivery fee)
Mixed William IV & Marie-Adélaïde franking
Overpaid 1/2c - Censored in Trier

 

Echternach *II* - Bruxelles, Belgium
July 26, 1930
10c (postcard sent at printed matter rate to Belgium)

 

Echternach *II* - Dommeldange
April 4, 1931
40c (domestic postal card rate)

 

 

ESCHDORF
T-33
1920 - 1940
Very Rare

Eschdorf - Diekirch
April 10, 1922
15c (domestic postcard rate)

 

Esch-sur-Alzette - Eschdorf
September 1-2, 1925
6c franking was insufficient to pay the 15c domestic postcard rate -
thus, taxed 10c  (as 5c was the lowest denomination postage due stamp)

 

 

Eschdorf - Peine, Germany
October 16, 1940
12 Rpf. (20 g letter to Reich) + 30 Rpf. (registry fee)

 

 

ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE
T-33
1906 - 1927

Esch-sur-Alzette - San Severin Marche, Italy
December 12, 1911
10c (UPU postcard rate)

ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE *I*
T-33
1912 - 1934

Esch-sur-Alzette I
October 5, 1920

 

ESCH-S-A *II*
T-33
1914 - 1940

Esch-S-A *II* - Bremen, Germany
July 3, 1919
17 1/2c (20 g letter to Germany)
American Expeditionary Force (AEF) censorship [U.S. 32]

Esch-S-A *II* posted locally
January 21, 1920
12 1/2c (20 g domestic letter - overpaid 75c)

 

Esch-S-A *II* - Bruxelles - Stockholm
September 26, 1937
1 F (UPU postcard rate) + Belgian 1 F airmail supplement

ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE *III*
T-33
1914 - 1940

Esch-sur-Alzette III - Luxembourg-Ville
December 12, 1929
60c (20 g domestic letter) + 1 F (registry fee)
Commercial mail curiously overfranked 90c


Esch-sur-Alzette III - Vaduz, Liechtenstein
October 3, 1940
12 Rpf. (20 g letter) + 30 Rpf. (registry fee)
Posted on the third day of mandatory use of the
Hindenburg overprints; returned to sender [m/s 'Zk' = 'zuruck'] as the 20 g UPU letter rate applicable to Liechtenstein was 25 Rpf.

 

Esch-sur-Alzette III - Berlin, Germany

November 5, 1940

12 Rpf. (20 g letter) + 30 Rpf. (registry fee to the Reich)

 

ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE *IV*
T-33
1914 - 1940

Esch-sur-Alzette IV - Trier, Germany
July 13, 1925
30c (20 g letter to Germany) + 75c (registry fee)
Rates in effect only:
06/01/24 - 10/01/25 (487 days)

 

ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE *V*
T-33
1919 - 1940

Esch-sur-Alzette V - Stade-Hamburg, Germany
April 15, 1924
20c (postal card rate to Germany) + 1 F (special delivery fee)

Esch-sur-Alzette V - Stargard, Germany
September 4, 1924
30c (20 g letter to Germany) + 75c (registry fee)
Rates in effect: 06/01/24 - 10/01/25

ESCH-SUR-ALZETTE Usines Gelsenkirchen
T-33
1912 - 1917
rare

Esch-sur-Alzette Usines Gelsenkirchen - Luxembourg-Ville
April 10, 1916
5c (domestic postal card rate)

 

ESCH-SUR-SÛRE
T-33
1907 - 1940

Esch-sur-Sûre - Bruxelles, Belgium
August 3, 1922
10c (postcard sent at the printed matter rate to Belgium)

ETTELBRUCK *I*
T-33
1907 - 1940

Ettelbruck I - Copenhagen, Denmark
June 21, 1916
25c (20 g UPU letter)

ETTELBRUCK *II*
T-33
1916 - 1940

Ettelbruck II - Flaxweiler (post: Roodt)
September 1, 1920
45c
10c (domestic postcard) + 25c (registry fee) + 10c (COD fee)

Ettelbruck II - Luxembourg-Ville
January 4, 1927
40c (20 g domestic letter) + 1 F (registry fee)
Overpaid 1.80 F

ETTELBRUCK *III*
T-33
1907 - 1940

Ettelbruck III - Lopheur lez Bruges, Belgium
September 2, 1933
40c (postal card rate to Belgium & within Luxembourg)

Ettelbruck III - Perlé
January 16, 1940
2.85 F
(35c domestic postcard; 1.75 registry fee; 75c COD fee)

Refused & returned, January 19, 1940

GILSDORF
T-33
1912 - 1940
Very Rare

 

1918

GREVENMACHER
T-33 (two types)
1905 - 1940

Grevenmacher - Berlin, Germany
July 31, 1916
10c (postcard rate to Germany)
Underpaid 5c but not taxed
(handwritten message; printed matter rate inapplicable)
Censored in Trier

Grevenmacher - Bruxelles, Belgium
November 30, 1918
10c (20 g letter rate to Belgium - overpaid 15c - UPU rate was then 25c)
Weight of 19 g noted at the lower left

 

Grevenmacher - Trier, Germany
December 8, 1927
50c+(10c) (40c postcard rate to Germany)

Overfranked 10c

Grevenmacher - Germany
June 27, 1928
1 F (20 g letter rate to Germany)

 

GROSBOUS
T-33
1906 - 1940

Grosbous - Brussels, Belgium
May 7, 1929
60c (20 g letter rate to Germany) + 1.50 F (registry fee)

Grosbous - Geneva, Switzerland
September 14, 1915
25c (20 g UPU letter), censored in Trier

HALLER
T-33
? - 1940
Very Rare

Never seen!

HARLANGE
T-33
1912 - 1940
Very Rare

 

Harlange, June 5, 1913

 Harlange - Diekirch
July 3, 1916
5c (domestic postal card rate)

 

Wiltz - transit: Boulaide - Tarchamps [post: Harlange]
June 28-29, 1932
40c (domestic postal card rate) + 1.75 F (registry fee) + 75c (COD fee)

 

Harlange - Hannover, Germany
October 16, 1940
8 Rpf. (printed matter rate - domestic and within the Reich)

 

HEIDERSCHEID
T-33
1920 - 1940
Very Rare

Heiderscheid
January 16, 1927

 

HESPERANGE
T-33
1909 - 1940

Hesperange - Luxembourg-Ville
November 10, 1924
15c (domestic postcard rate - overfranked 5c)

Dusseldorf [Germany] - Hesperange
August 17, 1916
(Incoming from Germany)

HOBSCHEID
T-33
1914 - 1916
Very Rare

Never seen!

 

HOLLERICH
T-33
1909 - 1940

Hollerich - Mondorf-les-Bains - Aspelt
August 24, 1914
5c (domestic postal card rate) + 20c (registry fee) + 10c (COD fee)

HOSINGEN
T-33
1906 - 1940

 

Hosingen - Franconville, France
August 30, 1921
20c (postcard rate to France)

Hosingen - Selzaete, Belgium
July 13, 1935
70c (20 g letter) + 1.75 F (registry fee) + 3.50 F (special delivery fee)
Returned to Niedhausen [post: Hosingen], addressee unknown

 

HOSTERT
T-33
1909 - 1940

Hostert - Limpertsberg
January 1, 1926
5c (Visitenkarten)
Sent at printed matter rate

Hostert - Luxembourg-Ville
June 30, 1937
70c (20 g domestic letter)

INSENBORN
T-33
1914 - 1940
Very Rare

 

JUNGLINSTER
T-33
1906 - 1940

Junglinster - Dudelange
August 5, 1915
5c (domestic postcard rate)

 

Junglinster - Paris, France
January 13, 1938
1.25 F (20 g letter to France) + 1.75 F (registry fee)

 

KAYL
T-33
1906 - 1940

 

Prague [Austria] - Kayl
August 5, 1907
5 heller paid by sender - taxed 10c in Kayl

 Kayl - Tres Aeroyos, Argentina
May 20, 1922
10c (UPU printed matter rate)

'Kayl mit Johannesberg'

'Gruss aus Kayl, Lxbg.'

(12708 Verlag N. Schumacher Bad-Mondorf)

 

 Kayl - Luxembourg Ville
April 3, 1940
70c (20 g domestic letter)

KLEINBETTINGEN
T-33
1907 - 1940

Kleinbettingen - Milan, Italy
November 5, 1920
25c (20 g UPU letter - 10c stamp on the back)




KOPSTAL
T-33
1930 - 1940
Rare

Kopstal - Luxembourg-Ville
May 5, 1933
1.15 F (50 g - second step -domestic letter)

LAROCHETTE
T-33 (two types)
1906 - 1940

 

Larochette - Trier, Germany
Type 1 (thick bars)
June 22, 1908
5c (postcard rate to Germany)

 

Larochette - Berlin, Germany
Type 2 (thin bars)
February 27, 1915
12 1/2c (20 g letter rate to Germany)

 

LEUDELANGE
T-33
1913 - 1940

 

Leudelange - Luxembourg-Ville
February 18, 1937
35c (postcard rate to Belgium)

Leudelange - Luxembourg-Ville
September 3, 1934
75c (20 g domestic letter)