10c 1886 Allegory Reply Card Returned from New York Taxed – Here’s Why!

10c Brown Allegory UPU Reply Card New York Station P 26 January 1886 Luxembourg-Gare 5 February 1886 Taxed 1/25 (single rate – letter rate) in New York City Why?

For a long time, I thought the New York postal clerk erred in taxing this card at the 25-centime letter rate (which would then be doubled upon receipt).  But that’s not the case.

Thanks to the kind assistance of an expert on UPU regulations, I have learned that as of April 1, 1879, the issuance of international reply cards and their acceptance could only be done by UPU members who were signatories to the Special Convention on Reply-Paid Postal Cards.  The United States was not.  This convention remained in force until after the Congress of Vienna, during what is referred to as the Period of Optional Use.

At the Congress of Lisbon in 1885, however, it was decided that all UPU members—not just the signatories—were to honor reply cards and return them to the country of issue.  The Lisbon 1885 rules took effect on April 1, 1886—a little over two months after this card was posted.  The period from April 1, 1886, to March 31, 1892, is referred to as the Period of Mandatory Return by
Non-Signatories.

The United States did not honor international reply cards until it was required to beginning April 1, 1886.  The Luxembourg Post Office may have allowed the originating double card to go to the United States under the mistaken understanding that all UPU members were advancing the acceptance date, but the United States and a number of other members did not.  Thus, the reply card was improperly posted in the United States and was properly marked for postage due, although it is unclear whether the addressee (J.B. Schock, Commissioner of Posts at Luxembourg-Gare!) paid the 50 centimes postage due.

And at the Congress of Vienna in 1891, it was decided that all countries would be required to issue reply cards.

So, yet another postal history mystery has now been solved!

Modern Postal History from Arsdorf

Collecting modern postal history can be even more challenging than acquiring classic covers from international auctions.  That’s because modern covers seldom appear in these expensive international auctions; they are more likely to be found on the Internet or in the stocks of vest pocket dealers at small bourses, local shows, or flea markets.  

If you can’t attend the bourses or shows, maybe a kind friend will help by searching for material on your behalf.  That’s how I was fortunate recently to acquire these three gems of modern Arsdorfian postal history.

Second-step Domestic Registered Letter in 1943,  during the World War 2 Occupation

20-250g domestic letter = 24 Rpf. Registry fee = 30 Rpf. Arsdorf to Ettelbrück 12 January 1943 Reich franking became mandatory in Luxembourg on 1 January 1942; before that, from April 1, 1941 onward, it was discretionary. Who has a third-step 40 Rpf. 250-500g cover from Arsdorf?  Maybe nobody!

Arsdorf c — Roller Cancel (FSPL Type 53.09)

3-Franc 20g Domestic Letter Rate  Arsdorf to Hostert 20 November 1970

When collecting cancels of your favorite towns and villages, don’t forget to look for the roller cancels.  They can be especially elusive, particularly on cover!

Registered in Arsdorf — but Cancelled in Rambrouch: A Modern Postal History Mystery

‘Arsdorf-Rambrouch’ to Luxembourg-Ville 3 November 1976 6-Franc 20g Domestic Letter Rate 20-Franc Domestic Registry Fee