The 5c Adolphe (2nd issue) postal card was intended for domestic use, but here this example was sent to Zürich, Switzerland. Of course, the UPU postal card rate was 10 centimes during the period that the Adolphe cards were valid, so why did the receiving clerk first mark the card “10” (for double a 5c deficiency), but then later cross out the marking?
A close examine reveals that the sender had inscribed the card Imprimé, thus enabling the card to travel at the 5c per 50g UPU printed matter rate. And from that observation, I now understand why the back side contains only a blue rubber-stamped message (apparently good enough for the card to pass as “printed matter”).
Don’t pass up postal history gems like this when digging deep into dealers’ boxes of otherwise ordinary (and often over-priced) old cards! You’ll find treasures amidst the trash, for sure.
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