Monday, October 31, 2016

Sure, Esch-sur-Sûre! And Happy Halloween.




Misaddressed Incoming Mail

 

 

001
  
New York, N.Y. Sta. A
22 Oct 1928
to
Esch-sur-Alzette, Belguim [sic]
 002



The Demuth brothers were prominent curtain makers in Esch-sur-Sûre. They received mail from many foreign countries, including mail from geographically challenged writers who simply addressed their correspondence to “Esch” (see below) or to “Esch-sur-Alzette” when “Esch-sur-Sûre” was the correct destination.
 Esch map

And the geographically challenged writer of the postal card shown above added to the confusion by directing the card to “Esch-sur-Alzette, Belguim” (his misspelling, not mine). A postal clerk has corrected the address to “Esch Sauer” (German for Esch-sur-Sûre). By car on A4, Esch-sur-Alzette and Esch-sur-Sûre are about 72 km. apart.

Elsewhere, I have blogged about mail to “Luxemburg, France.” That post is here.

003

004

San Francisco, Calif.
25 Feb 1924
to
Esch Sur, Luxembourg

transit
Esch-Sur-Alzette,
17 Mar 1924 [7:00-8:00 a.m.]

received at
Esch-sur-Sûre,
17 Mar 1924 [4:00-5:00 p.m.]

In the 1920s, postal clerks were amazing. Some still are!

Friday, October 07, 2016

Beware! Backdated Use of the Luxembourg-Ville V Cancel on Scarce Postal Stationery

 

24a

 

24

 

Used examples of the 12 1/2c Message-Reply card are scarce, seldom appear on the market, and command high prices.  But be careful.  Here the Luxembourg-Ville V double-circle cancel was backdated to 3 July 1879, making this 12 1/2c Message card appear to have been postally used to Metz.  But the double circle cancel did not come into use until 1883!  So obviously this is a backdated cancel. 

The absence of a receiving mark is another clue that this is a bogus use of the 12 1/2c card.

The card comes from an old German worldwide postal stationery accumulation of about 4000 cards, which were collected before WW1 and stored away until a few years ago.  So the fakery occurred long ago.

Let me know if you have seen other backdated uses of the Luxembourg-Ville V cancel, or any other cancels. 

Thanks to Luxembourg’s outstanding proofer, Lars Boettger, for alerting me to the bogus status of this usage!

Monday, October 03, 2016

Sometimes mourning need not be sad (updated below)


1918_Sep_23 Mourning Cover (front)
Luxembourg-Ville IV
23 Sep 1918
Censored at Trier
Special Delivery to
Munich, Bavaria

1918_Sep_23 Mourning Cover (back)

Nothing to be sad about when you find a mourning cover sent by special delivery with G.D. Marie Adélaïde franking!

But who was the sender who was in mourning?  Where is/was Koenig Rieg in Luxembourg?
F. Zimmer
Bei den Krankgebruedern
Koenig Rieg. Luxemburg

And who was the “high-born” recipient?

Hochwohlgeboren
Frau Oberst-Lieutenent
Rothlauf
Prinzregentenstraße 11a
Muenchen / Bayern

Dieter Basien kindly answers some of my questions:

Bei den Krankenbrüdern
= (Convent / Kloster)
Königs-Ring = Boulevard Royal
in Luxembourg-Ville