Explaining two-country frankings on the Allegory postal cards

 

Explaining two-country frankings — occasionally found on the Allegory postal cards, especially during the 1890s —  challenges even the most erudite postal historians.  Here are four on which to test your knowledge.

 

1.  Bettingen to Stuttgart in 1894, redirected to
Munich, Germany

 

Württemberg 5-pf definitive

 

10-centime Allegory postal card (3rd series)

Bettingen, 24 Feb 1894

* Stuttgart (faint incoming cds), 25 Feb 1894

* Stuttgart (outgoing), 26 Feb 1894

* Munchen [No. 1], 26 Feb 1894

While Württemberg and Bavaria were never separate UPU members, they participated in the UPU through the German Imperial Post Office.   Württemberg retained its postal autonomy until March 31, 1902; Bavaria until March 31, 1920.

From the inception of the Treaty of Berne on July 1, 1875, no additional postage was to be charged for the redirection of postal articles within the interior of the union.  So why was a 5-pf Württemburg stamp added when this card was forwarded to Munich?  The 10-centime Allegory stamp imprint paid the UPU postal card rate.  Perhaps because of the change in the addressee's name, five centimes were added to pay what I assume was the rate within Germany (from Württemberg  to Bavaria)?

 

2.  Luxembourg-Gare to Rappoltsweiler in 1893, redirected to Hamburg-Hohenfelde, Germany

 

5-pf German definitive

 

Message Card of a10c + 10c Allegory Message-Reply Card (3rd series)

* Luxembourg-Gare, 9 Dec 1893

* Rappoltsweiler, then German-Alsace, 10 Dec 1893

*Hamburg-Hohenfelde, 10 [or '11'] Dec 1893

As in the first example, a 5-pf stamp has been added to this card sent by the well-known Luxembourg rose growers, Gebrüder Ketten, when it was forwarded from Rappoltsweiler in the German Alsace to Hamburg, Germany.   (Rappoltsweiler, located in the Haut-Rhin department of today's French Alsace, is now known as  Ribeauvillé.)

  As the 10-centime Allegory imprint paid the UPU rate, was additional postage necessary to forward this card?

 

 

3.  Berlin, Germany to Poste-Restante, Brussels, Belgium
in 1892!

 

5-pf German definitive

 

Reply Card of a 5c + 5c Allegory postal card (3rd series)

* Berlin, Germany, 19 Oct 1892

*Bruxelles, Belgium, 20 Oct 1892

 

Here the reply half of a 5c + 5c domestic message-reply card was posted from Berlin, uprated to the 10c UPU rate with a 5-pf German definitive, and directed to Brussels, Belgium!  Remarkably, no tax was charged.  Reply cards were supposed to be franked only with postage of the country of origin, which was only valid to return the reply card to the country of origin. 

Was this possibly a philatelic creation?

 

4.  Luxembourg-Ville to Cologne-Ehrenfeld, Germany
in 1892

 

5-pf German definitive

 

5-centime Allegory domestic postal card (3rd series)

* Luxembourg-Ville, 21 Oct 1892

* Coln-Ehrenfeld, 22 Oct 1892

 

Here the uprating with a 5-pf German definitive to pay the UPU (and German treaty) rate is done in Luxembourg, but without the imposition of any tax, perhaps as a matter of convenience for the sender and acquiescence by the postal clerk.