Collectors Club Philatelist 105.5 September/October 2026

The Journal of the Collectors Club since 1922. September-October 2026

The Collectors Club

Philatelist

The Journal of the Collectors Club since 1922 Volume 105, Number 5

$10

50

Autumn Specialized Auctions October 4 & 5, 2026 Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 11:00 CET

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THE “PHILOKYPROS” COLLECTION OF CYPRUS POSTAL HISTORY Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 17:00 & 18:30 CET

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The Collectors Club Philatelist Editor & Advertising Manager: Tony Bard Telephone (WhatsApp): +44 7977 989812 editor.ccphilatelist@gmail.com

Proofreader: Richard Colberg

Publications Committee: John Barwis RDP Robert Gray Matthew Healey Daniel M. Knowles Executive Secretary and Librarian: Andrea Matura collectorsclub@collectorsclub.org Front cover: An example of the legendary New York Foreign Mail “Union Soldier’s Head” cancel (Kirke 66-04-21-PIC), as featured in Nicholas M. Kirke’s article, “New York City Foreign Mail: 12 “Perfect Days”, pp.268-282.

Feature Articles Bisected Classic Stamps of Norway Georg Størmer

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New York City Foreign Mail: 12 “Perfect Days” Nicholas M. Kirke

268

1871 Commune of Paris Prisoners’ Letters Louis Fiset

283

Boston 2026: Selections from Club Members’ Large Gold Medal Exhibits–Part 2 Tony Bard 294 The Postal History of WWI Internment and Repatriation of Siam’s Enemy Aliens Robert Gray and Rory Morissey 302

Regular Columns Guidelines for submitting articles for publication in The Collectors Club Philatelist are available from the Editor.

The President’s Message Editorial Musings The Clubhouse Chronicle

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The Collectors Club Philatelist (ISSN 0010-0838) is published bimonthly in January, March, May, July, September and November by The Collectors Club, 58 W 40th St. Mezzanine, NEW YORK NY 10018. A subscription to The Collectors Club Philatelist is included with dues paid by members of The Collectors Club. Subscription price for nonmembers in the United States is $70. Prices for foreign addresses and/or other classes of mail are higher depending on actual cost; consult publisher. Subscriptions for outside the United States should be paid in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. Back issues $9, including postage. For a complete list, write the publisher. Claims for undelivered issues will be honored only within six months of the date of publication. Beyond that, replacements will be provided at the single copy price. Periodicals class postage paid at New York, New York 10001 and additional offices. Office of Publication: The Collectors Club, 58 W 40th St. Second Floor, NEW YORK NY 10018. Copyright 2026 by The Collectors Club. All rights reserved. We do not give implied or other consent for copying for more than personal use. Indexed in PhiLindx by E.E. Fricks and included in the article index of the American Philatelic Research Library and the Global Philatelic Library. The opinions and statements contained in the articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of The Collectors Club, its officers or staff. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to The Collectors Club Philatelist, 58 W 40th St. Second Floor, NEW YORK, NY 10018.

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OFFICERS President Vice President Secretary Treasurer

Robert Gray Vincent Cosenza Matthew Healey Roger S. Brody RDP

GOVERNORS GOVERNORS EMERITI Mark Banchik Roger S. Brody RDP Stephen Reinhard CLASS OF 2026 Vincent Cosenza Joan Harmer Kathryn Johnson Behruz Nassre Steve McGill

CLASS OF 2027 Alan R. Barasch Jere Dutt Andrew Kelley Larry Lyons Robert G. Rose

CLASS OF 2028 David Fritz Robert Gray Matthew Healey Daniel J. Ryterband

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Lawrence Haber

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The President’s Message Live Programming at the Club - Coming Real Soon Bob Gray

P

hilately has two quite different aspects. The first is introspection, collecting, studying and exhibiting. The second is sharing the knowledge, the fun and comradery. The Collectors Club is booked for exciting fall and winter programs held live at our home, the mezzanine floor at 58 W 40th Street opposite beautiful Bryant Park. Our Board of Governors are working hard to make your membership filled with excellent programming, The Collectors Club Philatelist, monographs, books and more.

In September will see two hybrid programs. A hybrid program is not genetic engineering but rather holding the program both live at the club and on the webinar. The advantages of the live program include meeting the presenter and seeing the material mounted on the club’s frames, and the opportunity to share firsthand with others interested in this subject. Each of the IRL (In Real Life) programs also has a social hour with refreshments and dinner opportunities. The first hybrid program featured Howard Hughes FRPSL (pictured at the Club, at right). Howard is Past-President of the GB Philatelic Society (UK). His presentation was titled From Perkins Bacon to De La Rue: The Story of the 1879 and 1880 Tenders. September 23 will see what promises to be a fascinating program on Hindenburg Crash Mail presented by Cheryl Ganz R D P F RPSL, former Chief Curator of Philately at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, and renowned postal historian with a specialist interest in Zeppelin mail. Moving ahead, the Club will host a series of Philatelic Foundation workshops intended to train and identify future experts, share knowledge and techniques, and address complicated items that require hands-on examination. It is open to anyone who wants to attend in person and learn, so all are welcome. These workshops are scheduled approximately every two to three weeks and the focus will be on technical issues such as repaired or altered stamps and covers, fraudulent cancels and other markings, and specialist matters related to stamp identification such as plating, paper types, colors, etc.. Some workshops will focus on specialist areas such as proofs and essays and revenue stamps and will be led by recognized experts in these areas, Contact the Collectors Club or Board Governor and PF Vice Chairman Dan Ryterband, who is leading this initiative, for more information. 260 September-October 2026 • The Collectors Club Philatelist

The first meeting was held on September 15 at 5:30 pm EDT. The next meetings are scheduled for September 30, October 14, and November 5.The Collectors Club is a convening society for NOJEX from October2-4 and we will be there with exhibits, a club table for a social meeting point, Joan Harmer will present on mourning covers, there will be a celebratory dinner. The NOJEX chair is Bob Rose, who serves on the Collectors Club Board of Governors and is Chairman of the Board of the Philatelic Foundation. See the NOJEX website (nojex.org) for additional details. The club’s one frame exhibit program never ceases to impress me with amazing and entertaining material, a great social atmosphere and it puts meaning into the concept of a club. This is a must see on November 11th hosted by Stephen Rheinhard, former Collectors Club President, American Philatelic Society President and Lichtenstein Award winner. A few days later, on November 14th we will have perhaps a first for the Collectors Club, a Bourse between 11:00 AM to 3:00 pm This is anticipated to be an amazing and fun event. Bring something to show and sell or show and tell or come and brows to buy. Please put Saturday November 14th on your calendar. Bring a guest, we want a full house and are certain we will have one. Just let us know if you are planning on coming by contacting the office. There will be refreshments. It is also my pleasure as President to invite you to the Board of Governors’ Open House on December 9th. The Rockefeller Christmas tree will have been lit for a week, and the Bryant park Christmas market will be in full swing. We will keep you informed of these and other events so watch your emails for a message from the Collectors Club. We will be having a new contacts look which includes email addresses ending @collectorsclub.org rather than Gmail addresses. Our website is being updated and so much more, headed by a dynamic tech team of Behruz Nassre, Joan Harmer and Alan Barasch. If you would like to get more involved either at the club house, at philatelic shows where the club is a convening organization, or virtually, please LMK at president@ collectorsclub.org. There is a lot more going on, but I only have so much space allotted. Hoping to see you IRL or on Zoom or to hear from you by email.

Editorial Musings All in a Good Cause

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Tony Bard

G

iven the choice between providing readers with a jam-packed issue of the CCP, or refusing to relinquish my regular page of ramblings, you will guess from the size of this “column” that I plumped for the former! The decision was a no-brainer for me, because I would much rather make space for great articles, than have that worst of situations for an Editor, not having enough to publish. So, I trust you will honor my “sacrifice” by enjoying the whole journal. See you in the next edition. The Collectors Club Philatelist • September-October 2026

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Bisected Classic Stamps of Norway Georg Størmer

B

isected postage stamps represent one of the more intriguing irregularities of the classic philatelic period. Although their use was generally prohibited by postal administrations, bisects nonetheless emerged in numerous countries from the 1840s to the late 1850s. Their appearance was typically driven by temporary shortages of the correct denominations. This article examines the practice of bisected stamps through a series of documented examples from Norway. Particular attention is given to the extremely rare bisected 4 skilling Oscar stamp, from 1857, long regarded as one of the great national philatelic rarities. The cover bearing a bisected 4-skilling Oscar stamp illustrated in Figure 1 is item no. 028 in Norwegian Classics, (Størmer, 2024) published by Nordisk Filateli in 2024, where it is described as “one of the greatest rarities in Norwegian philately.” The cover has been known among Norwegian philatelists since its appearance in the auction of the Rothschild collection held by Phillips on 5 March 1981, The“Classic” Collection of Norwegian Postage Stamps (Phillips), where it appeared alongside item no. 007, the famous 39-block of Norway No. 1.

Figure 1. The cover was sent locally within Christiania on 5 March 1858, addressed to the National Archivist C. Lange at nearby Schultzehougen. It bears the red “CHRISTIANIA BYPOST / 5 / 3 / 9 EM / 1858” datestamp, the standard cancellation for the city post. The bisected stamp itself is cancelled with the three-ring numeral “364”, assigned to the Christiania city post office. (Author’s collection)

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The addressee, Christian Lange (1810–1861), National Archivist of Norway, was a wellknown figure in nineteenth-century Christiania, and today a street in Oslo bears his name. In 1845 he succeeded the poet Henrik Wergeland as National Archivist and held the position until his death in 1861

Figure 2. Christian Lange’s home at Schultzehougen (1929 photo from Oslo Museum).

The cover is addressed to Schultzehougen, originally agricultural property located along Maridalsveien between Old Aker Church and the western bank of the Akerselven River. In later years, the estate lent its name to the surrounding neighborhood (Figure 2). Lange lost his father at the age of two and grew up in relative poverty after his mother’s fortune was severely diminished by the Danish/Norwegian monetary crisis of 1813 towards the end of The Napoleonic Wars, before the 1814 Union with Sweden. Despite these difficulties, he was admitted to the Cathedral School in Christiania, passed his examen artium in 1827, and began theological studies. At the university he established a close relationship with his mother’s cousin Rudolf Keyser, later professor of history, who became both his mentor and colleague. Under Keyser’s influence, and together with P. A. Munch and the philologist Carl Unger, Lange became part of the group that formed Norway’s first modern historical research environment —referred to somewhat ironically by Danish historians as “the Norwegian historical school.” As National Archivist, Lange undertook the essential task of organizing the National Archives, which had operated under poor conditions since its establishment in 1818. In 1850–51 he also participated in negotiations with Denmark concerning the division of archival material. These discussions culminated in the archival convention of 13 September 1851, under which a significant body of important records was transferred from Denmark to Norway. The Collectors Club Philatelist • September-October 2026

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Figure 3. Letter within Christiania bearing a 2-skilling stamp, sent to the head of the local prison “Bodsfængselets Director” stamped Christiania City Post 8 September 1858, Ex Jared Richter 1987 (Ref. 5, #2068). From the author’s collection.

The 2-skilling postage for local letters.

The yellow two-skilling Oscar (Figure 3) was announced in Chapter XV of the postal circular of 28 February 1857, which established a “District Post for Christiania City and the immediate surroundings”. Within this area, letter postage of 2 skilling was charged for each item weighing up to 4 lod (about 60 grams) and 4 skilling for items weighing more than 4 and up to 32 lod. This new local rate structure made the issuance of a 2-skilling stamp necessary. (Størmer, 2021, CCP)

Bisects in Norwegian philately

Letters with bisected skilling-Oscar stamps have been documented in Norwegian and foreign philatelic literature since the 1880s, including articles in Nordisk Frimærkeblad 7/1887 and 10/1887. The use of bisected 4-skilling stamps appears to have been sufficiently widespread that the Postal Service issued a new circular on March 20, 1858 (Figure 4) stating, XV. On a given occasion, it must be noted that only whole stamps can be used to pay the postage on a letter. A half 8-Skillings Mark cannot therefore be used instead of a 4-Skillings Mark, and a half 4-Skillings Mark cannot be used instead of a 2-Skillings Mark. The circular therefore explicitly prohibited using half an 8- skilling stamp as a 4-skilling or half of a 4-skilling stamp as 2 skilling. At public auctions, the earliest indication of a genuine bisected Oscar stamp is found in the 6th sale of Ferrary’s collections April 25, 1923 (Gilbert), which featured a large cover fragment with a bisected 4-skilling stamp. This fragment is likely the item later sold at Moldenhauer’s auction on 16 November 2007 (Figure 4). 266

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Figure 4. Ferrary’s piece probably originated from a letter too large to be deposited in one of the approximately thirty street letter boxes in Christiania (Oslo). It would have been handed directly in at the city post office, where the postal clerk used a bisected stamp as an emergency measure due to the lack of 2-skilling stamps. The piece was postmarked “CHRISTIANIA BYPOST” on 8 March 1858, only three days after the cover in Figure 1 and twelve days before bisects were prohibited.

Today, only the two items shown here as Figures 1 and 4 are recorded as genuine uses of a bisected Oscar stamp. Other recorded bisects are believed to be philatelic fabrications or outright forgeries.

Acknowledgment

Thanks to my friend Sven Ole Fagernæs, for his valuable comments and assistance in preparing this manuscript.

References

Gilbert, M.G.G. (1923). The Ferrari Collections, 6th sale, 25-27 April, lot 425, Paris. Kjell Germeten A/S (1987). “The Vi King Norway”, formed by Jared H. Richter, Auction no. 31, [2 May], Oslo. Phillips (1981). The“Classic” Collection of Norwegian Stamps, ex Rothschild, [5 March]. Størmer, Georg (2021). ”The imperforate 4-Skilling Portrait of King Oscar (Scott No. 4a) Norway’s Most Valuable Stamp and the 1856-60 Issue (Scott Nos. 2-5)”, The Collector’s Club Philatelist, 100: 2, pp.103-119. Størmer, Georg (2021). “The Imperforate 4-Skilling Oscar, Plate studies”, Norsk Filatelistisk Tidsskrift, No. 2, pp.68-71. (In Norwegian) Størmer, Georg (2024), Norwegian Classics, pp.1-134, Nordisk Filateli AB, Stockholm.

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New York City Foreign Mail: 12 “Perfect Days”* Nick Kirke

L

ou Reed first recorded Perfect Day in 1972. Given the song’s title, most people would visualize a picnic in the park or feeding animals in the zoo. Philatelists know better. A so-called perfect day usually begins with an old envelope, a magnifying glass and the faint suspicion that today might be the day. Looking back over 65 years of collecting I realized there was not just one perfect day. So, I have chosen twelve of the most extraordinary covers from twelve particular days when time briefly stopped, my pulse quickened, and I forgot everything except the piece of paper in front of me. I describe these twelve covers as “Echoes from a Perfect Day”, with appreciation to Mr. Reed. Each cover encapsulates an attraction that makes it extraordinary. Sometimes, it is hard to define as it can be the overall combination of markings, not just one particular facet.

Cover 1: The First U.S. Postmaster`s Provisional stamp. The day history began.

In July, 1845, just two months after the post office commenced business in the Old Dutch Church, the New York City Postmaster, Robert H. Morris (Figure 1) pioneered the first Postmaster’s Provisional 5 cent stamp, seen on the cover at Figure 2. Morris had previously been New York City’s 64th Mayor. He served as Postmaster until 1849. On becoming Postmaster in May 1845, he ordered the engravers Rawdon, Wright and Hatch to produce a provisional stamp featuring George Washington. The stamps were delivered to the post office on July 12. On cover uses are known on July 15, 1845, (Figure 2). Morris paid for these stamps out of his own pocket. Morris was worried about fraudulent reuse of the stamps so began writing his initials, “RHM”, on them in red ink. Wearying of this, he asked his assistants, including his brother-in-law Alonso Castle Monson (initials “ACM”), to take over.

Figure 1. Robert H. Morris.

This story fascinates me. Here is an important civil servant trying to protect the public. In honor of his diligence, I label the cover below “The Birth Certificate”, the forerunner to the processing of literally millions of letters which later would be termed “Foreign Mail”. I hope I give him appropriate respect. Without his imagination this mail service might not have happened, let alone flourished. *Inspired by the song Perfect Day, recorded in 1972 by Lou Reed, produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson.

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Figure 2. July 15, 1845, cover originating in Cuba and routed to England via New York City The earliest use of a New York Foreign Mail date stamp on one of 4 earliest known uses of the 5 cent Postmaster’s Provisional stamp to England. The stamp is canceled with a strike of the same arched “PAID” that appears on the cover. Note the early date stamp indicating 5 cents inland postage had been paid for the transit between New York City and Boston.

The New York Provisional issue 5 cents stamp (the 1845–1846 5 cents black on bluish wove paper, (Scott #9X1), on the cover above) is the earliest stamp issue recognized as prepayment by the U.S. Post Office for domestic and foreign mail. The red, arced “PAID” was used as a cancellation until the introduction of the red square grid (on both domestic and foreign mail). All eleven documented July 15, 1845, covers are without a manuscript cancel (either pen strokes or, most commonly, “ACM”, the initials for Alonzo Castle Monson mentioned above) which is not recorded until July 17, 1845. The folded cover to London at Figure 2, dated July 15, 1845, was carried privately from Havana, Cuba, to New York City, where it entered the US postal system. It was prepaid with the postage to Boston. It was then carried by Cunard Line’s Acadia (not Hibernia, as endorsed) departing on July 16 from Boston and arriving at Liverpool on July 29. The letter arrived in London on July 30. Under the British open-mail treaty the 5 cents stamps on these Provisional covers paid the inland postage to Boston (as confirmed in the red date stamp). The manuscript “1/” notation represents one shilling due to be collected from the recipient. Although the stamps were delivered on July 12, 1845, July 15 is the earliest known use.

Cover 2: An 1869 New York City Foreign Mail (NYCFM) cover with near perfectly formed markings. The day perfection first appeared.

Figure 3 shows a March 12, 1870, folded cover to France carried on Cunard Line’s Weser going via Southampton and Calais 23 arriving at Bordeaux. This is the only known example of this grid cancel (Kirke 70-03-12-GR). The Collectors Club Philatelist • September-October 2026

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Figure 3. March 12, 1870 cover addressed to Bordeaux, France. The stamp is canceled by a strike of the NYCFM “grid” (Kirke 70-03-12-GR). It shows the “NEW YORK” exchange office date stamp in red, the “GB / 40c” credit to Great Britain oval and the French snake-like manuscript marking at lower right which indicated a charge of 5 décimes postage due.

The postage, prepaid by the US 1869 10 cents yellow (Scott #116), was for transmission at the Direct Rate, but as the cover was actually sent by British Open Mail only 4 cents was actually required. When this cover sold in the 1956 Caspary Sale, Stanley Ashbrook mused what factors could drive the price of this cover so high when it sold for $210. I paid an equally astonishing price of $3,833 in a Siegel sale in April, 2020 (the Scott catalogue value is only $425). I guess the moral of the story explains this conundrum. Some philatelic material cannot be judged purely on catalogue value. Perfection has other parameters. This story tickled my imagination. It makes a mockery of the charge that “money can buy you anything”. This phrase misses out the most important element. The phrase might better be rewritten “money without taste is irrelevant”. Money with taste is, of course the critical key. Of course, Caspary, that icon from years ago, probably understood that perfectly.

Cover 3: The first New York City Exchange Office marking recorded on outbound foreign stamped mail.

Figure 4 shows a folded letter carried “out of the mails” from New Jersey to New York addressed to England. Dated July 25, 1849, it was then carried by Cunard Line’s Caledonia, departing from Boston August 1, arriving in Liverpool August 14. The letter reached its destination in Mansfield on August 15. The `19` hand stamp at Figure 4 would later become integral to the date stamp. The letter was carried “out of the mails” from New Jersey to New York. The cover bears a margin strip of five of the first U.S. 1847 general issue 5 cents red brown (Scott #1), one of three such covers known, paying the 24 cents British treaty rate (in this instance overpaid by 1 cent). 270

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Figure 4. July 25, 1849 folded letter from New Jersey to England. The strip of 5 of the 1847 general issue 5 cents red brown, (Scott #1), was canceled with magenta ink as Foreign Mail. The 25 cents postage overpaid the British treaty rate by 1 cent. The “19” represents the amount in cents due to Great Britain under the 1848 Anglo-American Postal Treaty. The cover’s arrival was confirmed by the AMERICA / LIVERPOOL / PAID datestamp for August 14.

The strip is canceled by two magenta pen strokes solely used for cancelling foreign mail during this period. What made this cover such a `must have` was its pedigree. Ex-Gordon Eubanks, a remarkable Scott #I 5 cents issue student, whose collection won the American Philatelic Society Champion of Champions Competition. It also weened me off the idea that stamps should be canceled by circular date stamps. To have five in a strip seemed like excessive extravagance. But the cover grew on me. I love the strip of five. Indeed, I do.

Cover 4. An astonishing “Central star within an outer ring of 13 diamonds” (Kirke 68-02-05 IGEO) Fancy Cancel.

Figure 5 shows a February 8, 1868, folded cover to Germany carried by Inman Line’s City of London (not by French Line’s Ville de Paris as endorsed) to Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland, arriving on February 18. It then went by train via Aachen on February 20, arriving in Frankfurt-am Main the same day. This is the second recorded “intricate geometric” cancel (Kirke 68-02-05-IGEO) according to my new categorization of NYCFM cancel designs. It is one of two covers known bearing this cancel. I must pause here. This cover struck like an arrow to my heart. I went from the sterility of collecting graded stamps to collecting New York City Foreign Mail cancels. What a contrast! But in record time I learnt to adore these cancels, their brilliance and originality, their intricate designs, whether brilliantly struck or just splotches. 20 different cancels of the seemingly same design could actually give you 20 different cancels! The Collectors Club Philatelist • September-October 2026

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Figure 5. February 8, 1868, folded letter from New York to Frankfurt am Main, Prussia, via Queenstown, (Ireland), Verviers, (Belgium), plus Cologne and Aachen. The North German Union closed mail rate of 15 cents has been paid by 1861–1866 3 cents (Scott #65), 10 cents (Scott #68) and 2 cents (Scott #73). The cover shows datestamps of the exchange office “NEW YORK PAID ALL / BR TRANSIT” and the “VERVIERS / KOELN / FRANCO” railway journey. The stamps bear exceptional strikes of the NYCFM second “intricate geometric” cancel.

Considering that this is just about the first intricate design produced in the New York Foreign Mail Department it shows remarkable creativity for such an early Fancy. Postage paid the 15 cents per ½ ounce North German Union closed mail rate. The stamps are the 1861–1866 issues, 3 cents rose, Scott #65, 10 cents green, Scott #68, and 2 cents black, Scott #73. The two off-cover examples at Figures 6 and 7 show wear which make the cancels virtually unrecognizable. This canceller was almost certainly made of soft cork that might have lasted just a few days. Figure 6 and 7. 1861 issue 24 cents lilac and 30 cents orange, showing how the soft cork cancel degraded.

Cover 5. The `Armitage Cover`, a wonderfully rare and expensive NYCFM cover.

Figure 8 shows a January 26, 1861, cover to India which crossed the Atlantic on Inman Line’s Edinburgh, arriving at Queenstown, Ireland, on February 6. The letter arrived in London on February 8 and proceeded to Marseilles from where it departed February 13 by P&O’s Vectus to Alexandria, arriving 19 February. Then it went overland to Suez and from there, departed 21 February by P&O’s Nemesis via Aden and Galle, Ceylon, arriving at Calcutta March 16 (see routing at Figure 9). This is one of five 1860 issue 90 cents used abroad covers known, and one of two originating in New York. The stamps are the 1857–1861 12 cents black (Scott #36b), 30 cents orange (Scott #38), and 90 cents blue (Scott #39). 272

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Figure 8. January 26, 1861, cover from New York to Calcutta, India, showing a strike of the “NEW YORK. AM. PKT.” Foreign Mail date stamp. It was routed via Queenstown, London, Marseilles, Alexandria, through the Suez Canal to Aden and Galle (Ceylon) arriving in India on March 16 - a 49-day transit. Postage of $1.32 was affixed in New York for the rate via Southampton, but the sender had written “Overland Mail / Marselles” at the top of the cover. As a result, the additional charge for this faster route ultimately resulted in postage due of 1 rupee, 8 annas and 9 pies being charged to the addressee, as the postage already paid in stamps was only regarded as having covered the transatlantic leg of the cover’s journey.

Postage of $1.32 correctly prepaid the four times 33 cents progressive British mail rate to India via Southampton for letters between one and 1¼ ounces. However, the sender endorsed the letter to go via Marseilles (a faster route) that required $1.62 postage. As a result of this subsequent underpayment, all but the transatlantic element was ignored, and it was treated as paid only to England (indicated by the New York black Exchange Office date stamp, which otherwise would have been in red).

Figure 9. The letter’s route from New York to Calcutta, India.

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For the second leg from England (now treated as unpaid), the British open mail treaty rate by American packet to India was three shillings and eight pence, or 72 cents (now due from the addressee). The British post office debited 36 pence less the single rate British Colonial credit of 1 penny, i.e., 36 pence minus one penny equals 35 pence, or two shillings and eleven pence (note the manuscript “2/11”). However, on arrival, the Calcutta post office added a further two pence Colonial Credit, making a total due of 35 pence plus two pence, i.e. 37 pence or 74 cents payable. The Indian post office subsequently collected the equivalent exchanged amount of was one rupee, eight annas and nine pies from the recipient (back stamped “1/8/9”). Although a complex rate structure, everything accords precisely with the markings on the front and reverse of the envelope. In the 1950s, the renowned U.S. philatelist Stanley Ashbrook challenged the authenticity of this cover based on an inadequate understanding of the rates involved. Since that time additional information has become available that confirms the analysis above. The cover now has three clear Philatelic Foundation certificates, including one from 2020. This is the renowned “Armitage” 90 cents cover that featured in the magnificent William Gross Sale conducted by Siegel Auction Galleries in October 2019. It had an estimate of $75,000 to $100,000. Over the years Siegel have proved remarkably consistent in getting their estimates “in the right ballpark”. I consequently had no reason to doubt that an initial bid of $120,000 would probably secure the lot. I knew the cover’s history: that Mr. Gross had paid $300,000 (plus commission) for it some years previously, but at that stage there remained doubts about its authenticity. Whatever, as the sale approached, I became increasingly nervous my bid was insufficient, so I increased it incrementally up to $180k (plus 10% to break a tie). Watching the bidding, I was dismayed to see it get knocked down for precisely $200,000. Even with my 10% buffer this meant I had lost the cover. I was destined to bear that lonely title of `the under-bidder`. But relief came within the hour. Frank Mandel, my auction agent, had used discretion and gone to $200,000 on my behalf. The cover was mine. What bliss! As a child I had three levels of philatelic dreams beyond my diet of approval packet U.S. commemorative stamps. The first was to own any large Bank Note stamp from the 1870– 1887 issues. The second was to amass all the Washington / Franklin issues perforated 10, 11 and 12 in used condition. The third was to own an 1893 Columbian dollar value. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I would ever own an 1857 issue, Scott #39, 90 cents blue stamp on cover. The Philatelic Gods have indeed been generous, and I am so grateful to them and to all the people I have encountered who have made the impossible possible. It is ironic that this cover, perhaps the most valuable in my collection, should show a rather primitive red grid cancel (Kirke 50-06-05-GR), rather than a Fancy. But this is more than compensated for by ownership of the 1857 90 cents blue, an extraordinarily valuable stamp. Notably, I subsequently found that its inclusion in my New York City Foreign Mail Exhibit seemed to increase my exhibit award level to a minimum of circa 97 points. Maybe a coincidence, maybe not. Whatever, this was a deeply satisfying purchase. Thank you Mr Gross!!! 274

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Figure 10. 1871 Wells Fargo & Co. 6 cents envelope to Lewes, Sussex, England. Originating in Canada, the envelope bears a revalued British Columbia “5. CENTS. 5” denomination, and a U.S. 1869 6 cents ultramarine. On posting, Wells Fargo provided the sender with their envelope franked with the British Columbia 5 cents, and also applied a strike of the Company’s “WELLS FARGO & Co / EXPRESS / VICTORIA V. I.” oval marking. Arriving in New York on June 3, 1871, the envelope’s indicium and the U.S. 6 cents received clear strikes of the Foreign Mail “Shield” cancel. The British Columbia 5 cents stamp (Scott #9) remained uncanceled as the envelope never entered the British Columbia and Victoria Island mail system. The 12 cents total U.S. postage prepaid covered the treaty double rate for mail to England.

Cover 6: The first attraction - a kaleidoscope of extraordinary color.

The aspect that first struck me about this remarkable cover (Figure 10) was its amazing mix of six colors. Yes, even a red-green color-blind Nick Kirke could recognize this polychrome extravaganza! To list them; (1) the bright red imprinted Wells Fargo & Co. envelope; (2) the U.S. 6 cents ultramarine; (3) the British Columbia overprinted 5 cent dark red stamp; (4) the blue oval Wells Fargo & Co. Express, Victoria Island “V.I.” handstamp; (5) the bright blue straight-line GB and Ireland handstamp, and (6) the bright red U.S. Exchange Office datestamp. The second attraction - the cover originated outside New York City yet still attracted a bona fide NYCFM Fancy Cancel. The cover, which originated in another country (Canada), was carried “out of the mails” by private carrier to New York City where it entered the US mails for transit to another country (England). Postage was prepaid in full at origin. The imprinted Wells Fargo 6 cents envelope addressed to Sussex, England, was sent by Wells Fargo from Vancouver Island (the “V. I” in the Wells Fargo handstamp), British Columbia. It entered the US mails in New York on June 3, 1871, receiving the NYCFM pictorial “shield” cancel (Kirke 71-06-03-PIC). It then departed on the same day by Cunard Line’s Batavia, arriving at Queenstown, Ireland on June 13, and reached Lewes on June 14. Wells Fargo sold their imprinted U.S. postal stationery in Victoria and affixed the British Columbian single rate 5 cents stamp and the U.S. 6 cents stamp before sale to the ultimate user (the 6 cents stamp was not canceled until the cover arrived in New York). The Collectors Club Philatelist • September-October 2026

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The 5 cents stamp remained uncanceled because it never entered the mails in British Columbia and Victoria Island, which required Colonial postage to be fully paid even on privately carried mail (as in this case). The vertical blue “For Great Britain and Ireland” and the oval hand stamp at were also applied by Wells Fargo before being sold to the public. The British Columbia issue, Scott #9, 5 cents dark red (top left), paid the colonial rate to the border, and the U.S. 1869 issue Scott #115, 6 cents ultramarine, plus the 1870 issue 6 cents bright red stamped envelope (Scott #U85), paid the two times 6 cents treaty rate to England.

Cover 7: The iconic “Horse`s Head” cancel, a slice of pure postal history.

Here is a magnificent example of this rare representative cancel - two covers are known. How could I resist bidding through the roof? Strikes are problematic at best. Even on this cover one strike (on the left) is clear, the other not. But what a wonderful slice of cancel history.

Figure 11. March 31, 1866 folded bill of lading addressed to Paris, France. The 15 cents postage affixed was to pay for the French treaty rate. On posting the “NEW / PAID / YORK / 6” exchange office datestamp was applied to the cover, and the stamps received strikes of the iconic Foreign Mail “Horse’s head” cancel.

Figure 11 shows a cover (a folded bill of lading) dated March 31, 1866, to France carried by HAPAG Line’s Germania to Southampton, arriving April 11. It then went via Calais on April 12, arriving in Paris the same day. The postage affixed paid the 15 cents French treaty rate. The stamps are the 1861 issue 3 cents rose, (Scott #65) and 12 cents black (Scott #69). The cover shows a truly magnificent crisp strike of this iconic cancel (Kirke 63-03-31PIC), shown to best advantage on the left-hand light colored 3 cents rose, highlighting a complex cancel seldom seen clearly. This cancel is also known as a “Zebra’s head”. At the time it first appeared, there was great excitement in the Central Park Zoo. A zebra was on display there for the first time. Had a postal clerk used his initiative and made a copy of the zebra on his carving desk? 276

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Figure 12. May 5, 1866 folded letter addressed to Palermo, Sicily. The 42 cents postage affixed paid the double rate to Italy for a cover weighing up to 1 ounce via French mail. On posting the “NEW / PAID / YORK / 24” exchange office datestamp was applied to the cover, and the stamps received strikes of the very rare Foreign Mail “Union Soldier’s head” cancel. The “P.D.” denoted that postage was paid to the cover’s final destination.

Cover 8: Iconic and rare “Union Soldier`s Head” cancels. Yet another slice of pure postal history.

The day I was fortunate enough to buy this cover (Figure 12) at auction was surely a significant one, when my dreams continued to become reality. The consignor, a friend, apologized that I had to pay so much ($55k) to win the lot. No apology was needed, as I was definitely in seventh Heaven. This May 5, 1866, folded letter to Italy was carried by HAPAG Line’s Allemannia to Southampton, arriving May 15. Then, going via Calais, the letter arrived in Palermo, Sicily, on May 18. Postage of 42 cents paid the double 21 cents per ½ ounce rate to Italy by French mail. The stamps are the 1861 12 cents black (Scott #69), and 30 cents orange (Scott #71). The cover shows two perfectly struck examples of this legendary cancel (Kirke 66-04-21PIC). It is ironic that one of the finest and rarest of all the cancels used domestically or on foreign mail (four are known) should not have been previously regarded by some as a New York City Foreign Mail cancel. The doubt might have been caused by the fact that one domestic version exists, which I also own. I believe this to be one of the finest examples of this marvelous design concept. The clarity of the one strike on the 30 cents orange stamp perfectly etches every detail of the design. Unfortunately, the addressee, Giuseppe Verdi, was not the acclaimed composer of opera, but a fruit and vegetable seller. However, the cover is quite lovely just as it is without further embellishment. The Collectors Club Philatelist • September-October 2026

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Figure 13. September 30, 1874, mourning cover to Paris, paid with 10 cents postage (Scott #161). The stamp bears an incredibly clear strike of a New York City Foreign Mail geometric cancel. On posting the cover received a strike of the “NEW YORK / PAID” Exchange office date stamp.

Cover 9: The day perfection appeared. A plain geometric cancel, proving that plainness can have its beauty. This September 30, 1874, mourning cover to France (Figure 13) was carried from New York by Cunard Line’s Algeria to Queenstown, Ireland, arriving on October 9, and in a closed mail bag to Paris, arriving on October 12.

The adhesive used to pay the French treaty rate postage is a 10 cents ungrilled brown stamp, Scott #161, issued by the National Bank Note Company in 1870. The same stamp, but with a “secret mark”, was also issued by the Continental Bank Note Company in 1873. The stamp is the most widely used one on NYCFM post-1870, closely followed by the 6 cents denomination. The geometric cancel (Kirke 72-10-09-IGEO) on the stamp on this cover was used from October 9, 1872, until December 16, 1874. This cover, which under normal circumstances would retail for between $300 to $350, perfectly illustrates the price of quality. The cancel is common, the adhesive of low value, and the destination not uncommon. The postal markings are unexceptional. However, I had to pay $3,500 at a Robert Siegel Auction to win the lot. Why? Because of the sparkling condition and clarity of the markings. As mentioned elsewhere it becomes increasingly difficult to value excellence. But when a cover gives you an almost physical thrill you know something is special. You are just so lucky that it is safe in your collection not someone else’s. That may sound a little crass, but it states the absolute reality of collecting “gobsmacking” [for the benefit of nonBritish readers, this a colloquialism meaning “to leave speechless”. I personally would describe the impression of the cancel as an “absolute stonker”, denoting much higher praise – Ed.] first class material. 278

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Figure 14. April 25, 1874, cover to Bucharest, Romania, paid with 10 cents postage (Scott #161). The stamp bears a clear strike of a New York City Foreign Mail 8-segment cancel. The cover received a strike of the “NEW YORK / PAID ALL” Exchange Office date stamp applied on dispatch.

Cover 10: An understated rarity, a common NYCFM cancel (Kirke 74-03-30 -IGEO) to a rare destination. A perfect surprise to complement a perfect day.

Figure 44 shows an April 25, 1874, cover to Romania carried by Cunard Line’s China to Queenstown, Ireland, arriving May 5. The letter arrived in Bucharest on May 11. Postage paid the 10 cents North German Union closed mail rate to Romania. The stamp is the 1873 10 cents brown (Scott #161). The addressee, Benjamin Franklin Peixotto, was appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant as the US Consul General to Romania. In 1990 William Weiss commented in his book, “This cancel is a common NYFM beyond dispute but some dandy usages exist. Foremost is the cover to Romania. It was in the Milliken collection, then David Beals owned it, then I owned it. I will sadly admit that I have sold it, and I truly regret doing so, but I am sure the new owner is very pleased to have ownership.” Indeed I was, as the new owner. I believe only two such covers to this destination exist.

Cover 11: The only recorded NYCFM geometric cancel on cover in combination with a steamship company label.

Figure 15 shows an April 23, 1875, folded letter from New York to Carupano, Venezuela carried by the U.S. and Brazil Mail Steamship Company’s Merrimack to the Danish West Indies, arriving at St Thomas on April 30. HAPAG agents, possibly Schon Willink & Co., then affixed the HAPAG label for carriage on steamship Rhenania to Venezuela, departing May 2. The American packet postage to St. Thomas was paid with the U.S. 1873 10 cent brown (Scott #161).The 10 cents HAPAG label paid the charges for carriage onward to Venezuela. The Collectors Club Philatelist • September-October 2026

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Figure 15. April 23, 1875, cover to Carupano, Venezuela, paid 10 cents packet postage with Scott #161, to St Thomas, Danish West Indies. A geometric pattern Foreign Mail cancel was applied on dispatch from New York City. From St Thomas the cover was conveyed on May 2 by the HAPAG shipping line on one of its steamers, Rhenania, to Venezuela. HAPAG charged a carriage fee of 10 cents for this service, receipted for by the use of its Hamburg American Packet Company (West India Line) “private postage stamp”, affixed at bottom right. The stamp bears a clear strike of a New York City Foreign Mail 8-segment cancel. A unique example of a New York City Foreign Mail cover in combination with a shipping label.

Not only is this the only known NYCFM cover bearing a private HAPAG steamship letter stamp, but it is also unique in that the NYCFM intricate geometric cancel (Kirke 75-02-26-IGEO) has been applied on a cover with Venezuela as the eventual destination. This is the finest known strike of this complex cancel in existence. A quite stupendous item. This is an extremely difficult cancel to find clearly struck,. The HAPAG line (the abbreviation stands for Hamburg-Amerikanische-PacketfahrtAktiengesellschaft or Hamburg-American Packet Line Joint Stock Company) was founded in 1847 operating routes to New York and then from 1867 via New Orleans to Mexico. HAPAG labels were valid for letters carried on the Company’s steamships, transporting mail to and from ports in the West Indies as well as Panama and Venezuela. These labels were kept by the HAPAG agent, Schon Willink & Co., and were applied to letters with destinations en route from St. Thomas by the ship’s purser. These private postage stamps were in use from early 1875 until individual states joined the UPU between 1877–1880 (St Thomas, i.e. the Danish West Indies) did not become a full member of the UPU until September 1, 1879). One of the most significant elements of perfection for me is the color yellow, which appears twice on this item, and is the only example of this coloration in my collection of over 2,000 covers. Absolutely remarkable! 280

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Figure 16. November 23, 1872, cover to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, paid with $1.05 postage made up by the unique use of an 1870 National Bank Note Company ungrilled 90 cents (Scott #155) together with an 1870 National Bank Note Company ungrilled 15 cents (Scott #152). The heavy weight of the cover required the payment of seven times the 15 cents per ½ ounce rate. The stamp bears strikes of a New York City Foreign Mail segmented circle cancel (Kirke 72-10-24-SGEO). On posting the cover received a strike of the “NEW YORK / PAID ALL” Exchange Office date stamp.

Cover 12: The undisputed king of New York City Foreign Mail Post, 1870. When the world became my oyster.

To own such a cover (Figure 16) is to possess an incredible slice of philatelic history as delineated in the description below. As with many collections there are “Key” pieces. So, it is with this cover. There are more expensive and colorful items with far more attractive cancels in my collection, but none is as scarce and as meaningfully relative to the NYCFM story. Truly the day perfection appeared. A thrilling experience and a legacy to treasure. This November 23, 1872, cover to Brazil was carried by the United States and Brazil Mail Steamship Company’s Erie, arriving at Rio de Janeiro ca December 21. This is the sole example known of a NYCFM cover post-1870 bearing a 90 cents carmine and the only recorded cover bearing an 1870 National Bank Note Company ungrilled 90 cents (Scott #155). Postage of 105 cents paid the septuple 15 cents per ½ ounce rate (as indicated by the red crayon “7”). The cover also bears an 1870 National Bank Note Company ungrilled 15 cents bright orange (Scott #152). The addressee, Charles Paul Mackie, a mining engineer working for the Consolidation Coal Company, was the renowned author of With the Admiral of the Ocean Sea, a Narrative of the First Voyage to the Western World, based on the diaries of Christopher Columbus (Mackie, 1891). The Collectors Club Philatelist • September-October 2026

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It is interesting to repeat part of the sale notes when this cover was sold by Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries on April 16, 1974 (Sale No 449, Lot 201) which described it as “A stupendous rarity, one of the greatest Bank Note covers in existence.” It realized $5,000 on this occasion, the highest price for a cover in the sale. The purchase of this 90 cents cover marked a new and significant development for my NYCFM collection. It was a cover I had coveted for years, as I felt it was a key piece to telling a fuller story. I first saw it in William Weiss’s book The Foreign Mail Cancellations of New York City 1870–77, where he described it as the “Undisputed King of NYFM” and noted it as residing in the Coal Board Collection of one Robert Metcalfe. I asked dealer Jim Lee if he could put me in touch with Mr. Metcalfe. Mr. Metcalfe was in no hurry to sell his iconic cover. So began an amicable, if rather lengthy, correspondence.

< Figure 17. “Grandson – I owe you”. Treaty for the New Year, a painting by Joseph Leyendecker (1874– 1951), from the December 30, 1923, front page of The Saturday Evening Post, published from 1821 to 1951 in Philadelphia. It was, in its heyday, the most widelycirculated weekly magazine in the U. S. (Illustration provided by Curtis Licensing)

Figure 18. Production line – grandsons on demand. (Image credit: Shutterstock under licence).

I estimated a fair price would be around $50,000 so I offered $45,000. Bob replied that figure was far too low – he had many grandsons to consider. I offered $80,000. Bob then said he had discovered a grandson he had forgotten about. It had to be $100,000 dollars or the deal was off. By now I realized I was up against a superb and cunning negotiator, and I had no chance of winning this deal. I paid what he wanted. The pictures above at Figures 17 and 18 encapsulated my worst fears during the negotiating tussle. I accepted his counterproposal expediently before he produced more offspring!

References

Kirke, Nick (2024). New York City Foreign Mail 1845-1878, Collectors Club, New York City, NY. Mackie, Charles Paul (1891). With the Admiral of the Ocean Sea, a Narrative of the First Voyage to the Western World, A.C. McClurg and Company, Chicago, IL. Reed, Lou (1972). "Perfect Day", Track 4 on Transformer, RCA Records, vinyl. Weiss, William (1990). The Foreign Mail Cancellations of New York City 1870–77, Caspar Coin, New York City, NY.

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1871 Commune of Paris Prisoners’ Letters Louis Fiset Introduction

T

he Franco-German War hostilities finally ended in January 1871, culminating in a devastating, four-month Siege of Paris bringing severe food shortages and hardship. The new French government’s National Assembly, headed by Adolphe Thiers, sat at Versailles. Many Parisians, including workers, artisans, activists, and National Guard members (or Fédérés) who defended Paris during the war, feared the Versailles government was too conservative and would not represent their interests. Refusing to recognize the authority of Adolphe Thiers’ administration, Parisians held unauthorized elections that resulted in their own local government, known as the Commune. In it, many saw a future possessing greater local autonomy, more democratic control of political institutions, labor reforms, expansion of social programs, and the reduced power of traditional elites and the Church. The Paris Commune was proclaimed on March 28. Thiers, wanting to put an end to the unrest in besieged Paris, sent troops. Fighting erupted - French against the French; forces of the National Assembly against citizens of Paris and the Commune. The National Guard, a citizen militia that expanded during the Siege, became the main military force of the Commune. The Fédérés and local citizenry held off the Versaillais forces for 72 days before being crushed. During Bloody Week (Semaine sanglante), the final suppression of May 21-28, and in its aftermath, French troops killed 20,000 citizens while arresting more than 40,000 suspects throughout Paris, many randomly. Prisoners were marched to the Palace of Versailles to appear before military tribunals. The numbers overwhelming, thousands were held in crowded, harsh conditions in nearby depots, such as Camp de Satory and the French Military Academy at St. Cyr, as well as the Orangerie on the Palace grounds, itself. Communard detainees later passed through a network of detention sites along France’s Atlantic coast, at forts and islands, military depots, and prison ships known as pontons. [Endnotes 1,2] The prisoners were allowed to send and receive correspondence during their captivity, providing postal historians and collectors with a contemporaneous view of the experience. [Brown, pp.73-89; Parlange] Recently, a collection of 92 covers to and from Communard prisoners has surfaced after a hibernation of more than 60 years. Its contents provide the focus of this article. [Taylor, pp.6-11]

The Collection

The collection consists of 92 folded letters, and covers bearing contents, 41 written by prisoners, 51 by family members, employers, and advocates. The correspondence was generated between May 29, shortly after capture, and September 10, before prisoners’ fates had been determined. Early outgoing correspondence informed family members of the prisoner’s location and where to address mail. Often, writers expressed the shock and dismay of their capture. Later correspondence, outgoing and incoming, focused on acquisition of documents and testimonials to aid in prisoners’ release. [Fiset, pp.67-75] Virtually all outbound correspondence consists of unfranked folded letters bearing postage due markings. Incoming letters, fully franked, usually arrived in envelopes, often accompanied by enclosures such as certificates and testimonials. Postage stamps and postal money orders for purchase of food and scarce comfort items were also included. The Collectors Club Philatelist • September-October 2026

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Figure 1 shows a folded letter documenting a prisoner’s presence at the Orangerie on the Palace of Versailles grounds seeking help for his release. It is local (Paris district) mail postmarked June 2, 1871, received the next day and forwarded. It has been assessed 15 centimes postage due, to pay the 10-centime local letter rate plus 5 centimes surcharge for unfranked mail. He writes: I write you having been arrested for serving in the Medical Corps of the “Commune.” You are the only one who can take me out of the sad plight in which I involuntarily find myself.

This is why, in the name of my father, whom you know to be infirm and who has become sick because of what happened to me, I ask you to come to my aid quickly. I may have to leave here soon.

Figure 1. Local mail from a prisoner at the Orangerie on the Palace of Versailles grounds with postage due assessed.

Most correspondence (73 letters) was addressed to and from prisoners detained aboard prison ships moored in four Atlantic and Channel ports. Twenty-four of the 25 pontons used as floating prisons for the Communards are represented in the collection. Nineteen other letters, which are not included in this article, were addressed to and from prisoners held in coastal prisons located near the four harbors. Often taken by surprise during the chaotic final week of the Commune, most arrestees were marched off with only the clothes on their backs. Few had funds to pay the 20-centime inland postage rate then in effect. As a result, most letters were assessed at the unpaidletter tariff of 30 centimes, to be paid by the addressee. A double line “30” often appears on the front of such correspondence. Incoming mail, on the other hand, was invariably prepaid correctly. Occasionally, prisoners received postage stamps sent by correspondents, explaining the presence of two franked letters in the collection originating on the pontons. Figure 2 shows a small, folded letter from a prisoner detained at St. Cyr, one of the military detention depots in the Versailles area. Written May 29, it was postmarked two days later. Visible is the double line “30” indicating postage due for unfranked mail. The writer’s plea to his Paris correspondent is short and to the point: Please come and reclaim me. 284

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Figure 2. Unfranked prisoner’s folded letter from the French Military Academy at St. Cyr with 30 centimes inland mail postage due assessed.

The Communards

The prisoners’ letters in the collection reflect good literacy, enabling readers to gain clarity into the mindset of the authors and conditions of their captivity. Those most committed to the Commune appear to have been educated. They included political activists, socialists, anarchists, and others seeking to retain and advance political, economic, and social reforms. Artists and craftsmen, teachers, shopkeepers, and skilled workers made up the majority of insurrectionists. A major constituency of the Commune was the rank and file of the National Guard. During the Siege, many Parisians joined to help defend the city. A large portion later radicalized in support of the Commune revolutionary government. However, while every able-bodied man in Paris was required to serve, the actual active number was somewhere between 25,000 and 50,000, mostly from working-class neighborhoods. At the beginning of the Commune, as many as 20 percent of the National Guard was reported absent without leave. But the radical Communards frightened a lot of people, including small shopkeepers, the clergy, and much of the mercantile and professional classes. Those from upper- and middle-class neighborhoods tended to support the Versailles government. Thus, Parisian support for the Commune was not universal.

Arrests

The French Army officially recorded 43,522 arrests during and after Bloody Week. Among them were 1,054 women and 615 children under the age of 16. The women and most of the children were held in prisons rather than spending their captivity on the pontons. More than half (22,727) of the captives were released before trial for extenuating circumstances on humanitarian grounds. Trials were held for 15,895 prisoners, of whom 13,500 were found guilty. Death sentences were handed out to 95 prisoners. As government troops breached defense lines at the beginning of Bloody Week and advanced through the city, they made mass arrests of anyone suspected of being a Communard. Apprehensions often occurred indiscriminately. Several outgoing letters of prisoners reflect early experiences. For example, a son writes to his father from the decommissioned naval transport ship, L’Aube, in Brest harbor: I was arrested the 23rd of May at my home. Not having ever been a part of the National Guard and having always opposed the views of the Commune, I would never, for any price, have accepted their principles. I have always fought them, so they want to denounce me. The Collectors Club Philatelist • September-October 2026

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Another detainee on L’Aube writes to his brother on June 1: I was arrested on May 22 while going to pay a visit to Joseph. You know me. I have never been involved in politics. A husband aboard La Vengeance, in Lorient harbor, laments to his wife on June 3: I had hardly gone but several steps when two soldiers coming up jostled my elbow with the recoil of their guns. Upon my “Can’t you watch what you’re doing!” I was brutally led away. And without preliminary questioning they led me to Camp Satory. Some of the prisoners were apprehended upon hearsay. A suspicion, doubtful attitude, or grudge by a neighbor, sufficient cause for seizure by soldiers rampaging through neighborhoods. An acquaintance in Paris writes on June 28 to a prisoner on L’Orne, at Rochefort harbor: Someone had intentions to personally denounce you in a spirit of revenge or bitterness. Unfortunately, many have been victimized in this way. On my word of honor I did not give your name.

The march to Versailles

Following arrests in Paris, captives were marched to Versailles to face trial in military courts. Their numbers overwhelmed the court system. Thus, the vast majority were soon transported to captivity in the Atlantic and Channel ports of Brest, Lorient, Cherbourg, and Rochefort to await interrogations, trials, and their ultimate fates. Michel Passy, a 29-year-old Paris jeweler, writes to a colleague on August 16, 1871, describing in detail events surrounding his arrest. His experience appears consistent with other reports recorded in prisoners’ correspondence: Since my arrest, which took place at home in my house, we have had to suffer and endure every humiliation. From Paris we were taken to Bastion 43, and from there to the railroad station at Passy, where we spent the night; then to Versailles, and from there to the camp at Satory – constantly moving about, always surrounded by the infantry or the cavalry with the order to open fire at the least sign of escape. Thus, you can see that we were not fortunate and that we saw death at every step. From Satory we were taken to the Orangerie at Versailles, where we stayed four days, eating bad bread and drinking only water, and sleeping in 25 centimeters of dust. They made us leave the Orangerie in order to take us to the railroad for Brest. We did not yet know our destination, and on our arrival at Brest at three o’clock in the morning, we were put on board a steamboat which served the harbor. Finally, we were put on the vessel La Ville de Lyon, which had been converted to a hulk. It is here that we have been prisoners for the past three months. Now they are submitting us to interrogation, and we are waiting for the day when we will be put at liberty. Figure 3. First page of Passy’s letter with sketch of the ponton on which the author was incarcerated.

Passy annotated his letter with a sketch of his ponton worthy of a skilled jeweler. (Figure 3.) 286

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Figure 4. Le Fontenoy, decommissioned warship at Brest harbor, now a ponton.

The pontons

Passy’s prison ship, La Ville de Lyon, one of the largest of the decommissioned warships, a 90-gun, steam-powered, three-masted ship of the line, could house 1,200 prisoners. Among the 25 pontons in service in the four harbors, others of its class each confined 800-1,100. Decommissioned, 40- to 50-gun frigates, such as La Vengeance and La Prudence, held half the number of prisoners. Now obsolete and with many of the ships stripped down, prisoners were confined to the former gun decks converted into cage-like compartments. Figure 4 shows a phpto of the ponton, Le Fontenoy, a former 90-gun ship of the line now anchored at Brest harbor. As many as 843 insurgents from the Commune were detained on board. An English correspondent writing for Le Radical, observed that elderly men and children under the age of 16 were housed on a special unnamed ponton. [Le Radical] Paul Marillier, a 16-yearold writing to his parents four days after his arrival in Brest harbor, confirms the vessel’s name: I write you today from Le Tilsett where we were brought on the 23rd of June – young boys of 16 years and old men of sixty. We don’t know why we were brought here. Some say it is because we will be getting our release sooner; others say something else. Le Tilsett held 715 prisoners. The 25 pontons in the four harbors and the numbers of prisoners held aboard each vessel may be seen in Figure 5. [Endnotes 3, 4]

Figure 5. Census of Communard prisoners held aboard pontons and at coastal installations.

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Living conditions

Living conditions on board the pontons varied depending upon the ship’s size and the attitude of naval commandants at individual harbors. The largest warships had two gun decks, allowing more space per prisoner compared to the one gun deck frigates. Life aboard the pontons was regimented and tightly controlled; sanitation and health issues, both physical and mental, constant concerns throughout captivity. Food: In theory, the diet followed naval rations which would have included bread, hardtack, occasional fresh meat, salted beef, and sometimes rancid bacon or cheese. Beans and rice flavored with fish oil were reported as foul smelling and unpleasant. Prisoners with money could purchase more palatable food and other provisions brought alongside the pontons by vendors. As a result, numerous outgoing letters in the collection include requests for funds, while incoming letters sometimes mention postal money order enclosures. On November 15, 1871, Achille Cretin, in captivity for nearly six months aboard Le Rhone, at Cherbourg, writes to his brother in Paris: I received the two pounds of tobacco and the five stamps . . . . I have bought a half cheese for three stamps, for you know how long I have been deprived of it. I eat with good appetite. Every day at 11:00, I reward myself with a little piece of cheese. Cretin’s letter, shown in Figure 6, was one of two in the collection bearing franking that avoided the 10-centime penalty surcharge for non-franked correspondence. From the letter’s content it appears stamps and postal money orders could be used as cash.

Figure 6. Outbound mail from a prisoner franked with a stamp provided by his correspondent.

Achille Declerc writes his parents on June 3, 1871, from the frigate, La Penelope, at Lorient harbor: You would be good to me if you sent me a little money because I badly need to buy myself very necessary things such as tobacco, soap, a pen, a handkerchief, etc. For I left our home with one sou and I was lucky to have that. You only have to go to the clerk at the post office and give my address. Two days later I will receive the money order.

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Achille Declerc writes his parents on June 3, 1871, from the frigate, La Penelope, at Lorient harbor: You would be good to me if you sent me a little money because I badly need to buy myself very necessary things such as tobacco, soap, a pen, a handkerchief, etc. For I left our home with one sou and I was lucky to have that. You only have to go to the clerk at the post office and give my address. Two days later I will receive the money order.

Ernest Boyer, a slaughterhouse worker, aboard La Foudre, at Rochefort harbor, received the following text from his employer, posted August 18, 1871: I’m sending you a sum of ten francs in a postal money order to reduce a little of your suffering. I hope you will soon be returned to us.

These quotes, as well as content in other letters, suggest both safety in sending money through the mail and availability of provisions for purchase. The parents of their son aboard Le Tourville, at Cherbourg harbor, were not so sure. From Tours, on August 13, 1871, they write: You ask about the 20 francs that you requested before. You must remember that we don’t have much money. It is too hard to send. We can only send you five francs; try to use it well so it won’t be confiscated. Daily life: Conditions aboard the pontons were severe due to overcrowding. Poor ventilation, sanitation, and disease existed aboard the prison ships, as did restricted movement and inadequate food. Lice were everywhere. Deaths occurred regularly. Stresses over prisoners’ fates were constant because acquittal, imprisonment, or deportation were beyond an individual’s control. Required to perform cleaning and maintenance duties aboard ship, many prisoners did so without complaint, knowing cleanliness was a means to less misery. Short periods above deck brought fresh air and an opportunity for exercise. Boredom prevailed. From La Pandore, at Rochefort harbor, Alexander Nota writes to his wife on June 10: Almost all of us are from Vincennes so we are not quite so bored. For amusement, in each room we have the sea in front of our eyes. We watch it go up and down, and it distracts us a little. At night, on some pontons prisoners slept in shifts, as there were not enough hammocks for everyone.

Figure 7. Engraving published in Le Monde showing sleeping arrangements in shifts aboard a ponton.

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Figure 7 illustrates this in an engraving published in Le Monde (July 29, 1871) showing prisoners in a “dormitory” (dortoir) asleep on the floor with hammocks fully occupied overhead.

Pleading for release

Much of the correspondence centers on efforts to free prisoners from custody. This involved showing the individual was not involved in the insurrection but taken into custody by mistake. He had to show he was never a member of the National Guard, was employed throughout the life of the Commune, possessed good character, and was committed to the welfare of his family. Testimonials from family, neighbors, employers, and especially officials loyal to the national government were well tested means to convince the military tribunals of a prisoner’s innocence. Charles Joseph Beauvais, a sculpture from Paris, instructs his wife from La Penelope, at Lorient harbor: Will you ask my employer for a character reference, to be initialed by the Police Commissioner of the Quarter. This is necessary before I can be set at liberty. Figure 8 shows the front of an incoming folded letter postmarked July 28, 1871, to a stonecutter imprisoned aboard L’Orne, at Rochefort harbor. The correspondence has been signed by three Paris employers. One witness writes: The undersigned declares that the man Jeanrault Silvain, aged 29, born at Crozant, living in Paris for 20 years, husband of Abair, born at Valenne, has worked for me as a stonecutter at various times; that I have never heard anything but praise for him. I re-hired him a few months ago, and I am ready to take him back as soon as he returns. I am therefore making the present statement, to urge his release as quickly as possible.

Figure 8. Incoming folded letter with testimonials from three employers of the prisoner.

Several letters emphasize employment opportunities for released prisoners. For example, a Paris employer writes on September 11, 1871, to a prisoner aboard L’Hermione, at Brest harbor still awaiting trial three months after his arrest: 290 September-October 2026 • The Collectors Club Philatelist

I certify that you have remained in our employment since the 12th of last May, and that if you are determined to be not guilty you can take up your employment immediately upon return to Paris. In a folded letter, shown in Figure 9, seven individuals signed a certification on August 12,1871, on behalf of a prisoner aboard La Ville de Nante, at Cherbourg harbor: The undersigned certify and attest that the named: Andre Devignot, aged 50, living at 94 Blvd. Rochechouard, Paris 18, having been arrested and made prisoner the 22nd of May 1871, at 2 o’clock PM on the Blvd. de Courcelles, while going to lunch with a friend (Mr. Canvel, 2 Rue Lony) is today at Cherbourg on the vessel, La Ville de Nante. They certify also that he never was a part of the National Guard, that he has never borne arms, that he spent most of his time at the home of his parents in the country in the Department of the Seine & Marne and that in a word he has in no way participated in the civil war and that he has never caused any harm and that his conduct is above reproach. Therefore, we have executed the present certificate to help him be set free.

Figure 9. Incoming folded letter with a character reference signed by seven individuals.

Some testimonials may have carried more weight with the military tribunals than others. Official statements by Paris officials, attorneys, and others known to support the national government were sought by prisoners. A July 27, 1871, letter from Counsel to the Court of Appeals to a prisoner also aboard La Ville de Nante, reads: I have the honor of explaining to you that from inquiries made here of persons known to you... it appears you could not have had any part in the insurrection of the Commune. Another letter, written by an attorney at the Court of Appeals of Paris, on June 30, 1871: I have sent back to Versailles to General Appert a petition signed by Monsieur Demangeat, counselor to the Court of Appeals and by myself, as well as a certificate signed by the concierge and the tenants of the house where you live at number 8 Rue Delambre. I therefore think that in a few days from now you will be given your freedom.

Not all prisoners of the Versaillais were French citizens, as Figure 10 shows. The Chancellor of State’s office at Geneva writes on July 31, 1871, to a Swiss national held on L’Arcole, in Cherbourg harbor: The Collectors Club Philatelist • September-October 2026

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Dear Fellow Citizen: Your letter arrived at City Hall, but the Council of State will not read it until day after tomorrow, Wednesday August 2.

I do not wish, however, to make you wait longer for news of its receipt and assurance that all the official proceedings will be made with the view of hastening the evidence of your innocence and for setting you free.

Figure 10. Letter to a captive Swiss national from the Chancellor of State’s office, Geneva.

On June 25, 1871, a detained Italian national aboard Le Breslau, in Brest harbor, writes to the Italian consul: I solicit your kindness and help. I was arrested during the French insurrection but had nothing to do with it or the National Guard.

Mail censorship

It remains unclear the extent to which prisoners’ correspondence was examined by their captors. There may have been interest in controlling information concerning poor conditions aboard the pontons, or issues of unrest. Discussion of extremes appear to be absent from the letters. However, evidence of censorship is scant. Only two covers in the collection bear markings indicating inspection. Figure 11 shows a letter from L’Arcole, at Cherbourg, bearing the marking “VU: BON A EXPEDIER” (“Seen: Good to Send”). Brown documents 19 examples, 15 of them outgoing from prisoners. Interestingly, all 21 examples involved Communards detained in the Cherbourg area. [Brown, pp.79-80]

Figure 11. Censored letter from a ponton prisoner at Cherbourg harbor.

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Conclusion

On December 20, 1872, after more than a yearand-a-half in captivity, Communard prisoner, Hypolite Jeannot, was about to be released from Landerneau Prison, near Brest. He writes to Col. Gaillard, chief of military justice at Versailles concerning documents relative to his work as a mason-contractor:

Figure 12. From a Communard prisoner about to be released after 19 months of captivity.

As I prepare to leave here, in view of the pain I suffered on 12 February 1872 at the hands of the 11th military court at Rambouillet, I appeal to your kindness to retrieve three documents remaining in my record that will be indispensable in my private life, including finding a job.

Jeannot’s letter exemplifies the lengthy suffering of many prisoners in the aftermath of the failed Commune. At the end of 1872 more than 10,000 Communard prisoners remained incarcerated in Versailles government prisons and pontons. By then, roughly 15,000 people had been tried by military tribunals, 13,000 found guilty. Between 1872 and 1876 nearly 4,000 participants in the Commune would be deported to the penal colony of New Caledonia. The fates of these individuals, of course, extend beyond the scope of this article since the correspondence in this collection ends in September 1871. The letters during this brief period nevertheless provide a poignant record of the early weeks and months of Communard prisoner life -- circumstances of their arrests, attempts to gain their freedom, and anxieties endured as fates were yet to be meted out. The collection as a whole provides a narrative that would not be possible were the letters only presented individually.

Endnotes

1. For a concise, scholarly history of the Commune, see Robert Tombs (1999). The Paris Commune 1871, Longman Press, London. 2. A good summary of the history of the Paris Commune may be seen at https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Paris_Commune?utm_source=chatgpt.com 3. For a list of hulks and numbers of prisoners, see L’Annales de L’Assemble Nationale, Vol. 43, Décembre 1875, p.147ff. 4. Demographic data on the imprisoned Communards may be found at La répression judiciaire de la Commune de Paris: des pontons à l’amnistie (1871-1880). https://communards-1871.fr/index. php?page=cartes_donnees/tris_plat

Bibliography

An Anonymous English correspondent, Le Radical, October 17, 1871. Brown, Gardner L. (1992). The Postal History of the Commune Revolution, Paris 1871, The France & Colonies Philatelic Society, Inc, New York. See Chapter VII, “Prisoner’s Mail”. Fiset, Louis (2012). “1871 Commune of Paris Prisoners’ Mail”, France and Colonies Philatelist, [July]. Parlange, Michael (1958). “Des Pontons de France á la Nouvelle-Calédonie avec les Insurgés de la Commune et Missions Particularités de la Maritime,” La Révue Maritime, [January]. Taylor, Sterling S. (1957). “The Mail of the Prisoners of the Commune of Paris, 1871”, Covers, [September].

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Boston 2026: Selections from Club Members’ Large Gold Medal Exhibits–Part 2. Tony Bard

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any thanks to all those who kindly responded to this initiative. I hope readers will enjoy this final selection from the Large Gold medal exhibits. Viewing this article online will make it easier to read the small print!

Pre-Colonial Madagascar. Domestic and International Postal Services Jan Berg

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Cunard Line: The Ships and the Transatlantic Mail 1840-1867, the Monopoly Years Eigil Trondsen Eight frames; Postal History 3C

The Plan: Boston 2026

CUNARD LINE: The Ships and the Transatlantic Mail 1840-1867, the Monopoly Years five

The British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Founded by Samuel Cunard of Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1839 Updated plan for Boston 2026. Purpose and Scope: This Exhibit illustrates the evolution of the first steam ship liner service with scheduled sailings between Great Britain and North America with the purpose of better communication between the continents. Documenting Samuel Cunard’s development of Cunard Line between 1840 and 1867. The Exhibit displays rates, routes, first sailings, mail types, forwarding agents, and other aspects. Treatment: British North American, Caribbean mail is integrated with the US & British mail. Unusual sailings, routes, and postage rates are presented; social, hardship, and history are also documented. Mail carried on Halifax – Bermuda – St. Thomas and Nassau – New York services are included. The Exhibits’ last two frames conclude with mail connected with other shipping lines to destinations outside the trading areas. This section is arranged geographically. Exhibit Plan: The exhibit is for most part arranged consecutively as per postage rate periods. Seven Chapters are listed below as per the US-UK before and after the Treaty of 1848, but covers are not always in chronological order. The Chapters are listed below and marked on the upper left of each page. Black font is used for the Chapter Introduction page and gray font between Chapter introductions. The Cunard fleet of ships are marked as “BRITANNIA”, using capitalized blue letters.

1. Precursors: 1827-1840

This Chapter features mail that leads Samuel Cunard to secure the Transatlantic Mail Agreement with the British Admiralty. The American Falmouth Packets' influence on British Packet mail to New York. The British operated a Falmouth sailing Packet to North America from 1795 to 1827, calling at Halifax and New York. From 1817, Bermuda was included in four winter sailings. The Americans started their own Falmouth Packet service to New York in 1818 with modern, fast-sailing ships; the old, slow British Packets could not compete. By January 1827, British packet mail to New York was mostly official dispatches to the British ambassador in Washington; the call to New York was cancelled. The British Government was loath to entrust American packet captains. So, the monthly packets to Halifax were intercepted at Bermuda on their way to Halifax. Samuel Cunard, under contract to the Admiralty, provided two mail-boats to carry the mail to Annapolis, Maryland. This service delayed the mail considerably and ceased after nine sailings. The mailboats were transferred to Halifax, and the mail to the US was carried by the Falmouth-Halifax packet to Halifax and forwarded from November 1827 by Cunard’s mailboats to Boston. The steamships took over the US mail by June 1840.

Bermuda-Annapolis Packet Brig SUSAN, Captain Stairs, first sailing under the Agreement with the British Admiralty, 3 March 1827, with 1313 letters for Annapolis at a contract rate of 4d per single letter.

1. 1827-1840 Precursors, the development of steam engine, Samuel Cunard preparing for Cunard steamship Line 2. 1840-1845 Early Sailings, forwarding agents, postal markings, contract steamers, Interrupted recovered mail. 3. 1845-1847 Pre US-UK postal Treaty Impact of U.S. Postal reform, Privat carried, Closed mail and more. 4. 1847-1848 Preparation for New York Services, first sailings, Free Frank and postal anomaly. 5. 1847-1849 Pre US-UK Treaty, discriminating, retaliated, restored rates leading to the postal Convention of 1848. Registered mail, dead letters, highest treaty, door deliver, Crimea war, American Civil war and more. 6. 1849-1867Destinations Outside the Trading Area, Arranged, Hawaii, California, Caribbean, Europe, Atlantic Islands, Africa, India, Far East. 7. 1867 Epilogue: End of the Monopoly Aera.

Important and unusual covers are marked: o , Notable covers marked: o , Signifies Certificates, e The description of the covers is for the most part on the top three lines in the cover presentation. The red and green stickers are positioned on the presentation page near the description of the cover. Own Research: 1/- shilling hand stamps issued by the British Post Office to Cunard vessels in use between 1861 and 1868 to mark unpaid postage to UK. Published in M. Montgomery’s and Mulvey’s Handbook “Transatlantic Mail of British North America” page 165 & 168.

From R. Winters collection

List of some available literature used for research:

Transit time:

Arnell, J.C. Atlantic Mails. Sailing schedules to from Halifax. 1980 Arnell, J. C. Steam and the North Atlantic Mails. 1986 Arnell, J.C & Ludington, M.H. The Bermuda Packet Mails, Hallifax-Bermuda…… schedules, St. Thomas. 1989 1949 Hargest, G.E. History of Letter Post Communication. Postal rates to Europe. 1975 Hubbard & Winter, Richard North Atlantic Mail Sailings. Cunard sailing schedules P17-80. 1988 Kirk, The P&O Lines to The Far East, Postal History Volume 2. Far East schedules Montgomery, M.& Mulvey Handbook on the Transatlantic Mail of British N. America mail. P 165, 168 2015 Staff, Frank The Transatlantic Mail. 1980 Starnes, Charles J United States Letter Rates to Foreign Destinations. 1982 Tabert, Collins Roberson Revised, Record of the Maritime Markings. 1997 Winter, Richard F. Understanding Transatlantic Mail Volume 1 and 2. Postal rates. 2006,2009 In addition, Wikipedia has been helpful in research for information.

11 January 1827 East Bourns/63, UK via Bermuda, and Annapolis – New York, 67 days’ transit.

Carried by Falmouth Packet REDPOLE sailed 11 January 1827 to Bermuda, arrived 3 March 1827, 51 days’ transit. Carried by Cunard’s Brig SUSAN Bermuda 3 March to Annapolis 19 March, 16 days transit. Postal Markings: On reverse green straight-line cancel “EAST BOURN/63” front SHIP letter red tombstone “B/Paid/9 JA 9/1827” red “ANNAPOLIS/MAR/19”. Endorsed ‘by Liverpool’ for an American packet but redirected by Routing:

the Post Office to London for conveyance by the Falmouth Packet.

Postage:

1s 3d 20 ¾ cents

prepaid, 1/3 packet fee single British Contract by sailing ship, 1/- shilling British inland. Rate period 1825-1845. due US inland = 18 ¾ cents postage under 400 miles and 2 cents ship letter fee. Act of Congress of 9 April 1716, readjusted, 1825-1845.

About 1200 covers landed on each voyage.

Arnell: Steam and the Atlantic mail. P 21-23

17.05.26

4. Pre US-UK Treaty 1847-1848

The Postal War

Events leading to the first US–British Postal Convention of 1848, in effect 15 Feb 1849. In 1845, the United States Congress passed an Act granting a $100,000 annual subsidy for each ship contracted by the US Postmaster General to carry American mail to England and the Continent. In 1846, Ocean Steam Navigation Company was contracted to provide a fortnightly service to Southampton and Bremen. The British Government, on behalf of Cunard, protested the start of America’s subsidized Ocean Line by charging all prepaid American mail full postage from British recipients; this became the British Discriminatory Rate and marked the start of the Postal War of 1847 – 1849.

6. US-UK Treaty 1849-1867

Macao, Portuguese Colony in China.

American Civil War service: Seeking the Sea Rider CSS Shenandoah in Chinese waters. USS Wachusett, under captain Commander Robert Townsend, got underway on 5 March 1865 and sailed, via the Cape of Good Hope, for the East Indies. There, she joined USS Wyoming and USS Iroquois to track down the Confederate commerce raider CSS Shenandoah. She stayed in Chinese waters until 1867. After coming back to the United States, she was formally taken out of service on Febr 4, 1868. Bradley W. Barr, Ph.D.NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

26 June 1865, Albany, NY – 19 August via Hong Kong, to Macau, Transit Time:

20 August 1847, Habana, Cuba via New York 8 September to London 9 October, 50 days’ transit.

Postal Marking: Privately carried letter to New York, manuscript on reverse “N. York Sept 18-Forwarded by Curtis

Jr.” Endorsed “Pr. Mail Steamer WASHINGTON”, on Ocean Lines' SECOND voyage from New York, 23 September 1847 to Southampton, 9 October, 16 days transit. Postage:

24 cents 1/- shilling

Marked red PAID in New York, American packet rate, paid to British Port. due in London, British packet rate considered discriminatory.

Two steamers were built: WASHINGTON and HERMAN. On 1 June 1847, on her maiden voyage, the “Washington” carried prepaid mail to Southampton and Bremerhaven. When the Southampton mail arrived in London, the letters were charged the full incoming steamship rate of 1 shilling per ½ oz. (24 cents). The Americans considered the British charges discriminatory. On 4 November 1847, the USPG retaliated by refusing to transit BNA's closed mail to Canada. The mail had to be landed in Halifax, delaying delivery by 10-12 days.

Macao 1865

Routing: Cunard Overland P & O Steamer Overland P & Steamer Postage:

“SCOTIA” ‘’CEYLON” “MOOL TAN” “ORISSA”

53 cent 5 cent 48 cent 1d

from New York 28 June 1865 from Queenstown, London from Marseilles 12 July from Alexandria from Suez 19 July from Galle 4 August

54 Days to Hong Kong. to Queenstown 7. July. to Marseilles. to Alexandria 18 July. to Suez. to Galle 3 August. to Hong Kong 19 August.

Prepaid rate via Marseilles; Scott (71) 30c Orange, (65) 3c Rose, pair of 10c Green (68). US domestic postage. Credit handstamp to UK, 16c transatlantic, 24c far east packet. British Colony credit In August 1865, handstamp to Hong Kong. The Magnolia collection. Richard Canman, China collection. From Fedrick Mayers Exhibit the Postal History of Macao 1796-1900.

On 27 June 1848, the US Government retaliated again by imposing an additional charge on the regular British postage: a fixed rate of 24 cents per ½ ounce for mail to any area in the US from Britain, France, or any other foreign country not less than 3,000 miles away. The business communities complained bitterly, leading both countries to restore rates prior to the conflict by 3 January 1849. A new Post Convention was negotiated and came into effect on 15 February 1849.

Ocean Line’s contract with the American Government expired on 20 June 1857, and the Line was offered a much less attractive subsidy package. The service was suspended by the last sailing of “Washington” from New York on 13 June 1857 and from Bremen on 11 July. No mail was carried on the last voyages.

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Geographic Expansion of Commercial U.S. Mail to Foreign Destinations by Airmail (1918-1941) Murray Abramson

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A Country Divided: Effects of the American Civil War on the Mails Daniel Ryterband

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Fiscal Stamps of Ceylon Peter Cockburn

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Historic American Domestic and International Mail 1860-1869: The Decade of Turmoil, Expansion and Resurgence Daniel Knowles Handling American Domestic and International Mail 1860-1869: The Decade of Turmoil, Expansion and Resurgence Purpose: This postal history exhibit explains and illustrates domestic and international mail handling by the United States during 1860-1869, the decade of turbulence created by the American Civil War, expansion into the previously unsettled American Western frontier, and post-Civil War economic resurgence leading to markedly increased communication and trade with Europe and Asia. Background: Six Southern states seceded from the Union and created the Confederate States of America (CSA) February 4,1861. Five states followed. Growing hostilities between the North and South erupted into the American Civil War, which occupied mid-1861 through mid-1865. Concurrently, belief in Manifest Destiny and numerous gold and silver discoveries in the American West attracted homesteaders and fortune hunters to settle the West. This necessitated the development of new private and government mail routes and services. Post-war economic resurgence accelerated international communication and commerce, fostering new postal treaties with Europe and steamship service to Japan and China, resulting in changing postal rates and routes. This constellation of historical events renders 1860-1869 the most significant decade of 19th century America.

Federal Postage Rates, Fees and Services First Class (Letter) Mail

Pro-Union Patriotic Envelopes

September 30,1863 Washington, D.C. to Theresa, NY. Magnus hand-colored pro-Union patriotic envelope Lincoln and McClellan “Review of the Army”.

Scope and Organization: 1. Secession, CSA Creation and USA Demonetization 6. Civil War-related Mail Conveyance 2. Federal Postage Rates, Fees and Services 7. Western Mail and Territorial Expansion 3. Confederate Postage Rates, Fees and Services 8. British North America Mail 4. Regional Mail Conveyance in the USA and CSA 9. International Inbound and Outbound Mail 5. Civil War-related and Armed Forces Mail Epilogue Treatment: This exhibit shows the most important and distinctive postal rates and fees, postal routes, myriad services performed by the United States and Confederate governments and by private carriers to transmit mail, and the markings they used during 1860-1869. Space limitations preclude showing all rates, fees, routes, services and markings employed during this period.

March 7,1864 Martinsburg, WV to Green Spring, OH.

Rarity and Condition: Only small amounts of mail were transported successfully by many of the government and private mail handling services employed during 1860-1869, and very little survived in quality condition. The covers included here are among the finest examples extant that illustrate American domestic and international mail handling during this period. 66 of the 281 covers are the only recorded example of that postal use.

Hand-drawn pro-Union patriotic envelope Eagle and Ribbon.

Personal Studies: The exhibitor’s discoveries and published research are indicated on the exhibit pages.

Only recorded example of this design.

Keys: Red Border: Significant cover. Blue Border: Newly recorded item. Cert: Certificate from PF, CWPS. Abraham Lincoln, opposed to the spread of slavery, was elected President of the United States November 6,1860. Lincoln’s election was the impetus for Southern Secession and the Civil War.

Berlin & Jones hand-colored pro-Union, anti-Southern cartoon patriotic envelope July 15,1861 Providence, RI to Wrentham, MA.

Abraham Lincoln presidential campaign envelope (“The Rail Splitter”) Newbury, VT October 23 (1860).

“North” Uncle Sam saving the “South” who has fallen into “secession” alligator waters.

International Mail The German Mails

British North America (BNA) Mail Outbound via the United States to BNA British Columbia and Vancouver’s Island were separated from the rest of BNA by 2,000 miles of impassable terrain. Their mail system piggy-backed onto the USA postal system. Mail from there to other parts of BNA were taken by ship to San Francisco, where it entered the USA mail. Their post offices stocked USA stamps which were used to prepay USA postage. The USA stamps were cancelled in San Francisco. British Columbia to Greenwich Hill, New Brunswick via San Francisco, where posted October 5,1864. Pair BC/VI 2½d stamps and pair USA 10 cent stamps pay the double rate colonial and USA postage.

A postal convention for the transmission of closed mail between the United States and Prussia via England at the rate of 30 cents per ½ oz. became effective October 16,1852. The mail from the USA was placed in closed bags at the New York or Boston exchange offices and conveyed via American or British packets through Great Britain and Belgium to the Aachen, Prussia exchange office. Bags were opened there and the mail entered into the German postal system. The rate was lowered to 28 cents January 1861.

Lichtenstein September 26,1865 Wabash, ID, 30 cents USA postage overpays 28 cent PCM rate by American packet, to Schaan, Lichtenstein. (Rate in effect September 1861 to January 1868).

Cert

Earliest known cover to Lichtenstein.

September 20,1863 British Columbia to Dunnville, Canada West via San Francisco, where posted October 12,1863. BC/VI 2½d stamp pays colonial postage and USA stamps pay 15 cents postage. Arrived November 7,1863.

March 2,1866 New Westminster, British Columbia to Bowmanville, Canada West via San Francisco, where entered the USA mail March 9,1866. Pair BC/VI 5d stamps and pair USA 10 cent stamps pay the double rate postage. Arrived April 3,1866.

Outbound Prussian Closed Mail (PCM)

Austria Pro-Union patriotic envelope, January 28,186? 28 cents USA postage pays carriage via PCM by British packet to Vienna, Austria.

Russia January 18 (1867) Salem, MA, 35 cents USA postage pays carriage via Prussian Closed Mail by American packet, “14 “ cents credit, “f2 “ (Silber groschen) due, to St. Petersburg, Russia. (Rate in effect May 1863 to January 1868).

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Anglo-Danish Mail c.1800-1875 Chris King

Anglo-Danish Mail c.1800-1875 This exhibit charts the changing postal rates and routes between Denmark and the United Kingdom, and vice versa through the nineteenth century until both countries became founding members of the General Postal Union which came into force on 1 July 1875. The final page shows a first day of use for the 2½d stamp issued by Great Britain for the new GPU rate. The exhibit begins with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte to First Consul of France and its postal consequences for the disrupted British and Continental mails during the Napoleonic Wars and charts the reduction and simplification of postal rates during the period. There was no postal agreement between Denmark and the United Kingdom before 1846, and while both charged postage based broadly on weight and distance, the British largely controlled the packet boats and other ships that exchanged mail at either Hamburg or Altona - although many other ports were used depending on conflict or weather. Most routes are shown in the exhibit, together with material showing the inland rates payable, and those charged for the packet service. Ship letters offered a parallel service to the packet boats, by 1832 the service from Harwich to Hamburg had given way to ships departing from the River Thames, and the long sea crossing gave way to the shorter Channel crossing with virtually all mail carried by rail via Belgium and The Netherlands to Hamburg for onward transmission to Denmark from the end of 1853. Distances and weight were calculated using different standards, with the Danish mile being 7.532 km and the Danish Lod weighing 15.6 grammes, while the British Ounce was 28.35 grammes - making the postal weight steps different in the two countries. Initially each country treated registered mail differently, postal agreements saw prix courants bearing mixed frankings between Danish and British stamps, and when stamps were permitted, at times neither country issued stamps which could exactly prepay the published rates. With the Treaty of 1846 all through postal rates were agreed, meaning that mail for the first time could be paid to destination, and the following 30 years saw rates fall from the prohibitive levels at the beginning of the century to 2½d or 20 øre in 1875. The exhibit shows chronologically the key developments in mail between the two countries, with all basic postal rates and routes illustrated. Where possible different routing and payment handstamps are shown. 1

The North Sea Packets during the Napoleonic Wars North Sea Packets The British Fleet North Sea Packets Resume Thames Ship Letters and Packets

1797-1806

2 3 4 5 6 7

Hull Ship Letters The 1846 Postal Convention

1841-1845 1846-1853

1807-1814 1807 1811-1814 1828-1845

8 9 10 11

Danish West Coast Ports Price Circulars Privately Carried Ship Letters Reducing Rates: 11½d, 10½d, and 9d: 39, 34 and 30 Skilling rates 12 Reducing Rates: 9d, 8d, and 4d: 32, 30, 24 and 14 Skilling rates 13 Reducing Rates: 4d, 3d, and 2½d, and 14, 10 Skilling and 20 øre rates

1851 1851-1874 1855-1865 1854-1864 1864-1866 1866-1875

Much of this material is difficult to acquire and rarity statements are included in the descriptive text or indicated in the right hand header thus þ.

Bibliography: British Letter Mail to Overseas Destinations 1840-1875. Jane & Michael Moubray. Briefverkehr vom Vereinigten Königreich nach Skandinavien vor Juli 1875. Brauers & Kirschneck. An Introduction to the Postal History of Denmark 1625-1950. David Cornelius. Danske Frimærkefrankerede Forsendelser til og fra Udlandet 1851-1905. Karsten Jensen. British Long Distance Mail Packets 1793-1815, and Vol. 2, The Harwich Packets 1816-1834. Colin Tabeart.

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Cunard Line: The Ships and the Transatlantic Mail 1840-1867, the Monopoly Years Eigil Trondsen Eight frames; Postal History 3C

The Plan: Boston 2026

CUNARD LINE: The Ships and the Transatlantic Mail 1840-1867, the Monopoly Years

1. Precursors: 1827-1840

This Chapter features mail that leads Samuel Cunard to secure the Transatlantic Mail Agreement with the British Admiralty.

five

The British and North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company Founded by Samuel Cunard of Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1839 Updated plan for Boston 2026. Purpose and Scope: This Exhibit illustrates the evolution of the first steam ship liner service with scheduled sailings between Great Britain and North America with the purpose of better communication between the continents. Documenting Samuel Cunard’s development of Cunard Line between 1840 and 1867. The Exhibit displays rates, routes, first sailings, mail types, forwarding agents, and other aspects. Treatment: British North American, Caribbean mail is integrated with the US & British mail. Unusual sailings, routes, and postage rates are presented; social, hardship, and history are also documented. Mail carried on Halifax – Bermuda – St. Thomas and Nassau – New York services are included. The Exhibits’ last two frames conclude with mail connected with other shipping lines to destinations outside the trading areas. This section is arranged geographically. Exhibit Plan: The exhibit is for most part arranged consecutively as per postage rate periods. Seven Chapters are listed below as per the US-UK before and after the Treaty of 1848, but covers are not always in chronological order. The Chapters are listed below and marked on the upper left of each page. Black font is used for the Chapter Introduction page and gray font between Chapter introductions. The Cunard fleet of ships are marked as “BRITANNIA”, using capitalized blue letters.

The American Falmouth Packets' influence on British Packet mail to New York. The British operated a Falmouth sailing Packet to North America from 1795 to 1827, calling at Halifax and New York. From 1817, Bermuda was included in four winter sailings. The Americans started their own Falmouth Packet service to New York in 1818 with modern, fast-sailing ships; the old, slow British Packets could not compete. By January 1827, British packet mail to New York was mostly official dispatches to the British ambassador in Washington; the call to New York was cancelled. The British Government was loath to entrust American packet captains. So, the monthly packets to Halifax were intercepted at Bermuda on their way to Halifax. Samuel Cunard, under contract to the Admiralty, provided two mail-boats to carry the mail to Annapolis, Maryland. This service delayed the mail considerably and ceased after nine sailings. The mailboats were transferred to Halifax, and the mail to the US was carried by the Falmouth-Halifax packet to Halifax and forwarded from November 1827 by Cunard’s mailboats to Boston. The steamships took over the US mail by June 1840.

Bermuda-Annapolis Packet Brig SUSAN, Captain Stairs, first sailing under the Agreement with the British Admiralty, 3 March 1827, with 1313 letters for Annapolis at a contract rate of 4d per single letter.

1. 1827-1840 Precursors, the development of steam engine, Samuel Cunard preparing for Cunard steamship Line 2. 1840-1845 Early Sailings, forwarding agents, postal markings, contract steamers, Interrupted recovered mail. 3. 1845-1847 Pre US-UK postal Treaty Impact of U.S. Postal reform, Privat carried, Closed mail and more. 4. 1847-1848 Preparation for New York Services, first sailings, Free Frank and postal anomaly. 5. 1847-1849 Pre US-UK Treaty, discriminating, retaliated, restored rates leading to the postal Convention of 1848. Registered mail, dead letters, highest treaty, door deliver, Crimea war, American Civil war and more. 6. 1849-1867Destinations Outside the Trading Area, Arranged, Hawaii, California, Caribbean, Europe, Atlantic Islands, Africa, India, Far East. 7. 1867 Epilogue: End of the Monopoly Aera.

Important and unusual covers are marked: o , Notable covers marked: o , Signifies Certificates, e The description of the covers is for the most part on the top three lines in the cover presentation. The red and green stickers are positioned on the presentation page near the description of the cover. Own Research: 1/- shilling hand stamps issued by the British Post Office to Cunard vessels in use between 1861 and 1868 to mark unpaid postage to UK. Published in M. Montgomery’s and Mulvey’s Handbook “Transatlantic Mail of British North America” page 165 & 168.

From R. Winters collection

List of some available literature used for research:

Transit time:

Arnell, J.C. Atlantic Mails. Sailing schedules to from Halifax. 1980 Arnell, J. C. Steam and the North Atlantic Mails. 1986 Arnell, J.C & Ludington, M.H. The Bermuda Packet Mails, Hallifax-Bermuda…… schedules, St. Thomas. 1989 1949 Hargest, G.E. History of Letter Post Communication. Postal rates to Europe. 1975 Hubbard & Winter, Richard North Atlantic Mail Sailings. Cunard sailing schedules P17-80. 1988 Kirk, The P&O Lines to The Far East, Postal History Volume 2. Far East schedules Montgomery, M.& Mulvey Handbook on the Transatlantic Mail of British N. America mail. P 165, 168 2015 Staff, Frank The Transatlantic Mail. 1980 Starnes, Charles J United States Letter Rates to Foreign Destinations. 1982 Tabert, Collins Roberson Revised, Record of the Maritime Markings. 1997 Winter, Richard F. Understanding Transatlantic Mail Volume 1 and 2. Postal rates. 2006,2009 In addition, Wikipedia has been helpful in research for information.

11 January 1827 East Bourns/63, UK via Bermuda, and Annapolis – New York, 67 days’ transit.

Carried by Falmouth Packet REDPOLE sailed 11 January 1827 to Bermuda, arrived 3 March 1827, 51 days’ transit. Carried by Cunard’s Brig SUSAN Bermuda 3 March to Annapolis 19 March, 16 days transit. Postal Markings: On reverse green straight-line cancel “EAST BOURN/63” front SHIP letter red tombstone “B/Paid/9 JA 9/1827” red “ANNAPOLIS/MAR/19”. Endorsed ‘by Liverpool’ for an American packet but redirected by Routing:

the Post Office to London for conveyance by the Falmouth Packet.

Postage:

1s 3d 20 ¾ cents

prepaid, 1/3 packet fee single British Contract by sailing ship, 1/- shilling British inland. Rate period 1825-1845. due US inland = 18 ¾ cents postage under 400 miles and 2 cents ship letter fee. Act of Congress of 9 April 1716, readjusted, 1825-1845.

About 1200 covers landed on each voyage.

Arnell: Steam and the Atlantic mail. P 21-23

17.05.26

4. Pre US-UK Treaty 1847-1848

The Postal War

Events leading to the first US–British Postal Convention of 1848, in effect 15 Feb 1849. In 1845, the United States Congress passed an Act granting a $100,000 annual subsidy for each ship contracted by the US Postmaster General to carry American mail to England and the Continent. In 1846, Ocean Steam Navigation Company was contracted to provide a fortnightly service to Southampton and Bremen. The British Government, on behalf of Cunard, protested the start of America’s subsidized Ocean Line by charging all prepaid American mail full postage from British recipients; this became the British Discriminatory Rate and marked the start of the Postal War of 1847 – 1849.

6. US-UK Treaty 1849-1867

Macao, Portuguese Colony in China.

American Civil War service: Seeking the Sea Rider CSS Shenandoah in Chinese waters. USS Wachusett, under captain Commander Robert Townsend, got underway on 5 March 1865 and sailed, via the Cape of Good Hope, for the East Indies. There, she joined USS Wyoming and USS Iroquois to track down the Confederate commerce raider CSS Shenandoah. She stayed in Chinese waters until 1867. After coming back to the United States, she was formally taken out of service on Febr 4, 1868. Bradley W. Barr, Ph.D.NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

26 June 1865, Albany, NY – 19 August via Hong Kong, to Macau, Transit Time:

Jr.” Endorsed “Pr. Mail Steamer WASHINGTON”, on Ocean Lines' SECOND voyage from New York, 23 September 1847 to Southampton, 9 October, 16 days transit.

Routing: Cunard Overland P & O Steamer Overland P & Steamer

24 cents 1/- shilling

Postage:

20 August 1847, Habana, Cuba via New York 8 September to London 9 October, 50 days’ transit.

Postal Marking: Privately carried letter to New York, manuscript on reverse “N. York Sept 18-Forwarded by Curtis

Postage:

Marked red PAID in New York, American packet rate, paid to British Port. due in London, British packet rate considered discriminatory.

Two steamers were built: WASHINGTON and HERMAN. On 1 June 1847, on her maiden voyage, the “Washington” carried prepaid mail to Southampton and Bremerhaven. When the Southampton mail arrived in London, the letters were charged the full incoming steamship rate of 1 shilling per ½ oz. (24 cents). The Americans considered the British charges discriminatory.

Macao 1865

“SCOTIA” ‘’CEYLON” “MOOL TAN” “ORISSA”

53 cent 5 cent 48 cent 1d

from New York 28 June 1865 from Queenstown, London from Marseilles 12 July from Alexandria from Suez 19 July from Galle 4 August

54 Days to Hong Kong. to Queenstown 7. July. to Marseilles. to Alexandria 18 July. to Suez. to Galle 3 August. to Hong Kong 19 August.

Prepaid rate via Marseilles; Scott (71) 30c Orange, (65) 3c Rose, pair of 10c Green (68). US domestic postage. Credit handstamp to UK, 16c transatlantic, 24c far east packet. British Colony credit In August 1865, handstamp to Hong Kong. The Magnolia collection. Richard Canman, China collection. From Fedrick Mayers Exhibit the Postal History of Macao 1796-1900.

On 4 November 1847, the USPG retaliated by refusing to transit BNA's closed mail to Canada. The mail had to be landed in Halifax, delaying delivery by 10-12 days. On 27 June 1848, the US Government retaliated again by imposing an additional charge on the regular British postage: a fixed rate of 24 cents per ½ ounce for mail to any area in the US from Britain, France, or any other foreign country not less than 3,000 miles away. The business communities complained bitterly, leading both countries to restore rates prior to the conflict by 3 January 1849. A new Post Convention was negotiated and came into effect on 15 February 1849.

Ocean Line’s contract with the American Government expired on 20 June 1857, and the Line was offered a much less attractive subsidy package. The service was suspended by the last sailing of “Washington” from New York on 13 June 1857 and from Bremen on 11 July. No mail was carried on the last voyages.

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The Postal History of WWI Internment and Repatriation of Siam’s Enemy Aliens Robert Gray and Rory Morrisey

T

he history of Siam (now Thailand) during the World War 1 era can be divided into the neutral period, declaration of war, internment, deployment of Siamese forces and Versailles Treaty negotiations (Garner). This article focuses on the internment of Siam’s German and Austro-Hungarian community. A review of Siam’s involvement in the First World War provides extensive background information (Hell and Ruangsilp). The article uses the historic place names with the modern name in parenthesis after its first use.

Internment in Siam: July 1917-February 1918

Siam declared war against Germany and Austria-Hungary on 22 July 1917. The US chargé d'affaires telegraphed the news to the US Secretary of State: Bangkok, July 22, 1917, 9 a.m. [Received 5.40 p.m.] Siam declared war against Germany and Austria about 6 o’clock a.m. to-day. Germans and Austrians are being interned. German and Austrian Legations protected by special guards. All German ships interned at once. (Office of the Historian) A few diplomats were allowed to leave Siam; however, the remaining German and AustroHungarian expatriate communities were all immediately interned except for a few who were too ill or aged (Hell and Ruangsilp). The men were interned at Camp I in Bangkok and Camp II at Ayutthaya, about 60 miles north of Bangkok. Camp III was the family camp in Bangkok. The German and Austrian owned businesses, shops, assets and ships in Siam waters were seized, and their new ownership was assigned. These included nine ships over 1000 tons and several smaller craft.

Family Camp, Bangkok. July 1917-February 1918

Women and children were interned at the German Club in Bangkok. Figure 1 is a postcard from the family camp with a handstamp “Camp for families of prisoners of war/Bangkok, Siam” and “Controle Postal Militaire/Controle / 348” censor handstamp. The addressee name on the postcard has been obliterated.

Figure 1. Postal stationery postcard from the family camp at the German Club (Deutscher Club), Bangkok possibly dated 21 July 1917. Source: http://siamstamp.net/POW-Mail.html

Figure 2 illustrates a prisoner of war letter from Camp III to Switzerland with framed “Camp for families of prisoners of war” handstamp (as seen also in Figure 1) and censored by (manuscript signature) “Colonel of Gendarmerie” dated 19 November 1917, and censor cachet “Controle Postal Militaire / 348” in violet of 20 November 1917. The Colonel of the Royal Gendarmerie was Palle Warming, a Danish military advisor. His signature appears on other covers from this camp.

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In this instance it is a Lt. Colonel who signed presumably as Colonel Warming’s adjutant. It was delivered to Bern, Switzerland on 5 February 1918, a transit of 77 days. Other covers sent from the family camp to Switzerland had long delivery times. Steamers traveled 1011 knots and during peace time the journey would have taken around 40 days. Delays at the Suez Canal and the number of port stops may also have impacted transit time.

Figure 2. Front and verso of a printed envelope from Bangkok passed by censor at Bangkok 19.11.17 but not delivered to Bern, Switzerland until 5 Feb 1918. On the back are transit date stamps from Bangok post office # 2 and Bern. The cachet 'Controle Postal Militaire / 348' on the front appears to be French, from Marseille. Source: Corinphila (2014), Auction 220, [November 22-24], Lot 3513. See: https://corinphila.ch/en/_auctions/&action=showLots&auctionID=14&catalogPart=120&country =6200&show_all_lots=1

42 of the male prisoners of war held at the hospital compound in Bangkok were transferred in September 1917 to a camp near Ayutthaya, where they remained for seven months. Figure 3 shows a prisoner of war cover from Siam to Germany. The sender’s name is not identified but an address at “Civil Internment Camp, Bangkok, Siam” is shown. Postal mail was processed at the Bangkok 1 and Bangkok 2 post offices and typically bore the "CONCENTRATION CAMP SIAM / PRISONER OF WAR LETTER" handstamp. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) served as the intermediary for transmitting mail to Germany and Austria-Hungary (Hell and Ruangsilp). Figure 3a. Cover from the Bangkok Camp to Regensburg, Germany. Both Bangkok cancellations are dated 1 January 18.

Source: Mossgreen Auction, Lot 1203, 29 September 2015 from the Leski website.

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Figure 4 is also from the Siam internment period. The cover is endorsed "Service des Prisonniers de Guerre”, addressed to the Bureau International de la Paix in Switzerland, with a Bangkok CDS of 27 July 1917, just five days after the declaration of war, and censor handstamp, and "Passed by Censor / Singapore". The verso shows a Siam transit mark dated 28 January 1918 and Bern (14 March 1918) arrival postmark. The sender’s address is "A.Berman, Detention Camp Ayutthaya, Siam". Alfred Bermann, age 31, was a member of the German Landsturm (inactive reserve) and was employed by Nai Lerts (a Bangkok entrepreneur with a shop and an ice factory). On arrival in India, he was interned at Ahmednagar. The reasons for the seven-month transit time to Switzerland is not known.

Internment in India

All enemy alien internees were transferred to India in February 1918 (Hell). The internees were transported from Bangkok to Madras (now Chennai), with the men on the Don Samudh, and the women and children on the Pin Samudh. These were previously German ships, S.S. Samsen and S.S. Deli respectively. (The Thai names are phonetic and found spelled differently elsewhere.) The ships arrived in Singapore on February 17, 1918 (NAI, 1918a) and at Madras on February 26, 1918. A postcard view of the S.S. Deli is shown as Figure 5. Figure 4. Cover endorsed “Service des prisonniers de guerre”cancelled Bangkok 1 23 1 18 CE and passed by the The S.S. Deli ran a regular mail service Singapore censor. It was delivered at Bern March 1918. between Singapore and Bangkok. Source: Cherrystone Auctions, July 2022, Lot 1447.

Figure 5. Postcard showing the S.S. Deli, an East Asian coastal steamer docked on the Menam River, Bangkok. It had a crew of 49 an average speed of 11 knots. Source: Collection R. Gray. Postcard published by Norddeutscher Lloyd.

Upon arrival at Madras, women, children and married men beyond military age were sent to Sholapur (Solapur) by train. Men, over military age, were sent to Yercaud and men of military age were sent to Ahmednagar (now Ahilyanagar). The sketch map in Figure 4 shows the general location of these three camps relative to the larger cities in India. Table 1 provides the numbers interned at each camp. from the end of February 1918 to the end of December 1919 as internees. All of those interned at Sholapur were Germans or Austrians, some with Siamese wives. The German legation registration of Germans totaled 267 (Germans: 150 men, 37 women, 42 children; Austrians: 35 and Hungarians :3). 304

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Comparing this to Table 1, it appears that not all enemy aliens were registered by the German Legation. The Siamese Foreign Ministry recorded different numbers: 193 total, 139 men, 54 women and 44 children. In addition, there were 72 “relationships” between German men and Siamese women, four of which were legalized with a total of eight children.

Figure 6. Sketch map c.1918 with Indian camps initially holding enemy aliens from Siam.

The remaining relationships resulted in 104 children. There were also nine marriages between Siamese men and German women (Manalapanacharoen). This likely accounts for the small differences in the numbers reported of enemy aliens in Siam prior to the deportation.

Table 1. Category, number and camp assignment upon arrival in India Group Men of Military Age Single Men over 45 years Married men over 45 years Women & Children Total Total Men* Grand Total

Number 144 33 18 101 195 296

Camp Ahmednagar Yercaud Sholapur Sholapur

The interned captains of the vessels seized in July 1917 are listed with their ships in Table 2 All but two of the ships belonged to the Norddeutscher-Lloyd line (Benjidog). These names are provided because ship captains are more likely to send and receive correspondence and their names on the cover would identify it as being linked to Siam and internment. There were other ships seized without known enemy national captains. Most of the ships were handed to the United Kingdom. (Manalapanacharoen) Table 2. The ships seized, its interned captain, transliteration of the new Thai name of the ship and the nation awarded the ship Ship Name S.S. Bangakapong S.S. Chantabun S.S. Chiengmai S.S. Deli S.S. Kohsichang S.S. Landrat Schieff S.S. Menam S.S. Patani (Patano3 S.S. Petchaburi S.S. Pitsanuloke S.S. Samsen Steam Tug Cyclops S.S. Trautenfels [sunk] ◊

Captain Julius Meyer Georg Meyer Heinrich Wildsen Fritz Prohl Christian Kumpel Alfred Struve Otto Malitz Bernard Hovers Karl Gasewich Willie Taubert E. Grosse Lohmann Richard Schulz Johann Metz

Renamed Han Thale Not known Doen Samudi Don Samudh Sri Samud Not known Thon Thale Thong Samudi Kaeo Samud Phan Samudh Pin Samudh(Smud) Not known Yiam Samud

Awarded to United Kingdom United Kingdom United Kingdom United Kingdom United Kingdom United States United Kingdom France United States France United Kingdom United Kingdom Siam, but sunk

◊ Sunk February 3, 1918 off Alligator Island, off Foochow, China. See https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/ newspapers/digitised/article/pinangazette19180301-1.2.19.

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Sholapur

Sholapur was inspected by the Swiss Consulate in April 1918 (Ringger) and again in August 1918. (NAI, 1919) The report stated that the camp held about 100 inhabitants, mostly German women and children. They were held in new hospital buildings which although under construction, were nearly completed. It was located about two miles from the railway station. The report mentions that the only real hardship was the separation of 26 families from their husbands and fathers. There was considerable freedom of movement from the camp, provided they returned at night. About 10 covers, all outbound from Sholapur, have been identified through an internet and auction catalog search. These include covers to Germany, Australia, Netherlands and Switzerland. None addressed to Siam have yet been found, nor have the authors seen any inbound covers. These may have been destroyed or abandoned with the closure of the camp in February 1920. Figure 7 illustrates a Sholapur outbound cover to Switzerland with Lt. Colonel Hill’s handstamp, a six-pointed star (possibly a mail sorting mark), and the “Service of Prisoners of War” handstamp. A “Passed Censor Bombay #24” cachet is found above Switzerland in the address.

Figure 7. Front and verso of Cover to Switzerland from Sholapur, with Colonel Hill’s signature. Source: Collection R. Gray. Note that the cover has been digitally enhanced to improve definition of the otherwise faint handstamps.

The general armistice of November 11, 1918, permitted changes in the holding of prisoners of war. There were 20 men of military age at Ahmednagar who had families at Sholapur, 19 of whom rejoined their families in December 1918. One of these was Lt. Otto Schaefer who had been the editor of the Siamese magazine Umschau (i.e., Look around) which the British believed to be the home of a German spy network in Siam. He was sent to Sholapur on a temporary basis, until his wife recovered from her illness. Umschau had been founded by Theodor Rabus, formerly a railway worker in Siam (Manalapanacharoen, 2022). Rabus, unmarried, remained at Ahmednagar. Adolf Link, owner of B. Grimm & Co., whose wife was interned at Sholapur, was not on the transfer list, perhaps because of poor behavior as an Ahmednagar prisoner. Sholapur covers are also known with other handstamps. Figure 8 shows the “Lieut Colonel / Supdt / Civil Camp” with Lt. Colonel J.R. Hill’s initials and separately “PASSED CENSOR/SHOLAPUR”. Figure 9 has a boxed “Forwarded as a / Special Case” cachet in addition to Lt. Colonel Hill’s signature and personal handstamp. The postal history of Sholapur as a civil internment camp effectively lasted from March 1918-December 1919. 306

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Figure 8. Lt. Col. Hill initials and “PASSED CENSOR/SHOLAPUR”.

Figure 9. “Forwarded as a / Special Case” means that either the frequency or length of the correspondence was outside the normally accepted volume but was nonetheless forwarded to the post office.

Ahmednagar PoW Camp

Ahmednagar Prisoner of War camp had a capacity of 1,700 prisoners. Around 500 of these were Schutztruppe from the former German East Africa (Gray, 2025), others were sailors, business people, professionals and missionaries. The camp was divided into three groups. The boundaries of Camp A and B were enclosed by wire and were well-guarded. Prisoners were housed in barracks style housing. The Parole Camp held about 400 prisoners without barbed wire and had no guards.

Figure 10. Cover endorsed “Service of Prisoners of War” and processed at Bangkok 2 post office. No censor marks. R. Morisey Collection

The prisoners there signed a parole form and could move about, but had to avoid the post office, railway office and were not to have conversations with the local population. Most of the enemy aliens resident in India were interned by 1915. Figure 10 shows a cover from Siam to W. Englehardt, who was interned in Bangkok in 1917. Postage to prisoners of war from Siam were sent postage free. Other covers from Siam to Ahmednagar show a Madras censor mark (Figure 11). The cover is addressed to John Zimmerman, and is marked with a “T” enclosed in a triangle, indicating postage due and with “free” in manuscript. The postcard was cancelled on 19 April 1917, prior to the arrival of Siam’s enemy aliens at Ahmednagar. Captain Zimmerman, S.S. Braunfels of the Hansa Line, was initially interned August 1914 with other sailors at Calcutta, and likely arrived Figure 11. Cancelled 17 April 17 to Joh. Zimmerman, at Ahmednagar in November 1914. Prisoners of War Camp Ahmednagar, India with Madras censor mark. Source: Harlos Auction #47, Lot 1093. (2025).

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Since the prisoners arrived from Siam in February 1918, mail from Ahmednagar consisted of the the current standard PoW envelopes or the Ahmednagar Prisoners of War postcards. The only way to determine if a cover was to or from a German or Austrian former resident of Siam is to refer to the list of those interned from Siam. (NAI, 1918a)

Figure 12. Front and verso from Lt. Rabus, PoW 2229, Ahmednagar, Off[icers] Camp, British India to Moorestown, NJ USA. 28 Oct 1918. Cancelled 28 Oct 18. Uncensored and unfranked. Collection R. Gray.

An example of an outbound cover sent by enemy aliens from Siam held at Ahmednagar is shown in Figure 12. The cover is from Lt. Rabus, linked with the Bangkok published journal Die Umschau. (Manalapanacharoen) Rabus was initially a railway engineer in Singapore and later in Bandung, Dutch East Indies. When WW1 broke out, he went to Bangkok and worked for the Siamese government’s Ways and Communication Department. As an officer he was assigned to the Parole Camp’s Officers barracks, as noted in his return address. The cover is addressed to Elanor Groff, in New Jersey, USA. The connection between the correspondents is not known. The cover bears a New York handstamp “We charge no postage for Prisoners / of War Mail. New York, N.Y.” It was cancelled at Ahmednagar Camp, meaning the PoW camp post office workers handled this cover not the local or railway post office. Other Umschau connected prisoners at Ahmednagar included its editor, Dr. Otto Schaefer and Herman Ficker.

Figure 13. Registered cover from Siam to Yercaud with “Opened by Censor / Bangkok” label. Source: Christoph Gärtner Auction.

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Yercaud Civil Camp

Yercaud camp in southern India was a group of small hotels which held over 120 men of military age, including around 30 from Siam. Yercaud has an altitude of about 5,000 ft providing a comfortable climate. Inbound and outbound coverers to and from the interned enemy aliens from Siam are known. Figure 13 is a cover to Georg Rexhausen from Siam. He was the assistant manager of the Government Medical Depot in Siam before being interned at Yercaud, and a member of the Vorstand (Board) of the Deutscher Club in Bangkok. The registered cover was received on 14 July 1918. It was opened and resealed with the Bangkok censor label. Outbound mail from Georg Rexhausen is also known, as shown in Figure 14 with a Bombay #75 passed by censor handstamp. The enclosed letter was signed by Georg Rexhausen and is partially reproduced to illustrate the censor had cut out a sentence. Elsewhere in the letter is a handstamp “Passed by Censor Bombay #75”. (Gray, 2017, pp.339-344)

Figure 14. Cover dated April 15, 1919 from Yercaud to Germany, sent by Georg Rexhausen, an interned Siamese German.

The accompanying extract of his letter shows it was censored by having a sentence cut out (top).

Repatriation

The armistice ended combat of First World War on November 11, 1918, but repatriation had to wait until the signing of the treaties of Versailles (Germany) in June 1919 and St. Erman (Austria-Hungary) in September 1919. Hungary’s peace treaty, the Treaty of Trianon, was not signed until June 1920. Most prisoners of war held in India were to be repatriated in December 1919, ahead of the 10 January 1920 effective date of the Versailles Treaty. The last group of Austrians were repatriated on the S.S. Egypt, which left India on December 7, 1919. The Germans had difficulty organizing transportation for the ex-PoWs, and eventually the British arranged for the S.S. Main to transport them from Bombay on December 29, 1919. Mail arriving after repatriation was returned to the sender’s address in the name of the addressee. The example in Figure 15 was addressed to Georg Rexhausen at Yercaud and was returned care of the sender to Pommern (Pomerania), Germany. Those internees requesting repatriation to Siam remained at Sholapur until the camp’s closure in February 1920 and were then transferred to Belgaum, about 180 miles southwest of Sholapur. Individuals who petitioned to be repatriated to Siam and had one ethnic Thai parent were ultimately allowed to return. (NAI, 1921) The Collectors Club Philatelist • September-October 2026

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Figure 15. Postcard arrived January 11, 19220, after the general repatriation and was returned to the sender.

Before being relocated to Siam, the adult men had to sign a letter renouncing their German nationality. Women and children followed their husband or father’s nationality. The text of this renunciation is shown below: I, the undersigned, Bernard Lampe, son of Captain Louis Lampe, (German) born in Bangkok, Siam on the 11th of June 1869, herby declare that I renounce German nationality, and desire to become a subject of HM. the king of Siam. This example was witnessed by Colonel Hilliard Superintendent, Civil Camp, Belgaum 5 July 20. Signing similar declarations and returning to Siam were Willie Kruse, Bernard Lampe (five family members), John Russell, Anton Sandrecski (wife Gertrude), Leo Fritz Schmidt (four family members), William Vil (eight family members) and Adolf Ulrich (wife Siuwgee) Having renounced their prior citizenship, 31 individuals were repatriated on the S.S. Thongwa (incorrectly referred to as the Thonga in some archive documents) on 20 August 1920. The Thongwa was used throughout the First World War to ferry Indian Expeditionary Forces and prisoners of war. It was a large ship of the British India Steamship Navigation Company and held 38 first class passengers, 32 second class and 2,800 deck passengers. The ship left from Madras to Singapore enroute to Bangkok, retracing the route that brought them to India 30 months prior.

Figure 16. The S.S. Thongwa, British India Steam Navigation Company. Source: https://poheritage.com/collections/fa53b388-572d-3627-bbf9455ae3659925/

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September-October 2026 • The Collectors Club Philatelist

References

Benjidog (n.d) “North German Lloyd Company/Nord-deutscher Lloyd”, Benjidog Historical Research Resources.The Ships List, online at https://www.benjidog. co.uk/TheShipsList/NorthGermanLloyd.php Garner, J. (2016). “Thailand in World War I”, The Thai Times, [August], pp.23-36. Gray, R. (2017). “The WWI Prisoner of War Camp at Yercaud, India”, The Collectors Club Philatelist, 96, pp.339-344. Gray, R. (2025). The Ahmednagar Prisoners of War Camps India 1914-1920. A Postal History, Military Postal History Society. Hell, Stefan (2015). “Siam”, International Encyclopedia of the First World War. Online at https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/siam/ Hell, Stefan, and Ruangsilp, Bhawan. (2017). Siam and World War I: An International History, River Books, Bangkok. Manalapanacharoen, Suphot (2022). Die deutsche Community in Siam zwischen 1850 und 1917. Eine Geschichte von Transkulturation und Integration (The German Community in Siam between 1850 and 1917 A History of Transculturation and Integration), FID4SARepository, Heidelberg, Germany. Online at https://fid4sa-repository.ub.uniheidelberg.de/4618/1/The%20German%20Community%20in%20Siam1.pdf Ringger, K. (1918). German Women at the Civil Camp at Sholapur. Applications from. Praying that their husbands may be interned with them. National Archives of India 1919. Letter from K. Ringger, Consul for Switzerland April 3, 1918. Digitized document. NAI (1918a). Sholapur for the accommodation of enemy aliens from Siam. National Archives India (New Delhi) 1918-03. Digitized document. NAI (1918b). Establishment of a Civil Camp at Sholapur for the Accommodation of Enemy Aliens from Siam. National Archives India (New Delhi). 1918-03. Digitized Public Record. NAI (1919). Report by the Consul for Switzerland at Bombay on the Ramandroog, Yercaud, Belgaum and Sholapur Camps. National Archives of India (New Delhi) 1919-04. Digitized document. NAI (1921). Matters connected with the disposal of German and Austrian prisoner of War interred in India on behalf of the Siamese Govt.- Proposal repatriation of Siamese, German and Austrian Eurasians from India to Siam. Request of the Siamese Govt. for a formal renunciation of German and Austrian nationality before being admitted into Siam as Siamese subject expenses those incurred to be borne by the Siamese Government. National Archives India (New Delhi) 1921-09-01. Digitized document, public domain. Office of the Historian (1917a). Papers relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1917, Supplement 1, The World War, Office of the Historian, File No. 763.72/5925. Online at https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1917Supp01v01/d644 An earlier version of this article appeared in The Thai Times (the journal of the Thailand Philateic Society, http://www.thailandphilsoc.org.uk/) April 2026 issue [dated “December 2024”]. That article contains additional information and a list of the men interned in India.

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Chronicle

Membership News Club Programs Calendar Program Previews 312

September-October 2026 • The Collectors Club Philatelist

The Clubhouse Chronicle 2026 Club Programs and Events Calendar September 30

India stamps used in Iraq Akthem Al-Manaseer

Philatelic Foundation Workshop at the Clubhouse, from 5:30 PM

October 14

Poland. Airmail of the Siege of Przemysl (1914-1915) Jerzy Kupiec-Weglinski

Philatelic Foundation Workshop at the Clubhouse, from 5:30 PM

November 4

Suspended Mail Services Across-the-Lines During the American Civil War Daniel M Knowles MD

November 5

Philatelic Foundation Workshop at the Clubhouse, from 5:30 PM

November 11

Single-Frame Competition, 5:30-7:00 PM

November 14

Collectors Club Bourse, 11 AM-3 PM

November 18 Transatlantic Mail to and from the United States 1840-1868 Carol Bommarito December 2

Panel Discussion on the Hobby's Future

December 9

Governors’ Open House

December 16

Postcard exhibiting Liz Hisey

All programs are presented via Zoom unless stated otherwise and run from 5:30-7:)) PM. Videos of all programs will be posted at https://www.collectorsclub.org/videos/

Other events October 2-4

NOJEX, Hilton Hasbrouck Heights NJ, 650 Terrace Ave, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604. Details at nojex.org

October 2 Collectors Club Dinner at NOJEX, from 18:30 to 21:30. Venue: Segovia Restaurant, 150 Moonachie Road, Moonachie, NJ 07074. For tickets visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/collectors-club-dinner-at-2026-nojex tickets-1994365286258 October 3-4

MSDA, Midwest Stamp Dealers Association, St. Louis, MO. 20 Westbury Drive, St. Charles, MO 63301

October 9-10 MSDA WI-IL Stateline Show, First Christian Church, 13022 Wilmot Rd., Kenosha, WI 53142 October 15-18 Italia 2026 International Philatelic Literature Exhibition, Villa Eur Parco dei Pini Hotel, Rome, Italy October 23-24 MSDA Quad Cities IA, Durant Community Center, 606 5th Ave., Durant, IA 52747 October 28-31 STAMPEX, Business Design Centre, 52 Upper St, London N1 0QH, UK November 14-15 MSDA Indianapolis. Lawrence Community Park District, 5301 Franklin Road, Lawrence, IN The Collectors Club Philatelist • September-October 2026

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Program Previews

October 14, 2026. Jerzy Kupiec-Weglinski Poland. Airmail of the Siege of Przemysl (1914-1915) This presentation explores the postal history of the Siege of Przemyśl, one of the most devastating military sieges of World War I. During the winter of 1914-1915, the fortress city in Galicia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was surrounded by Russian forces and cut off from the outside world. To maintain vital communications, the Austrian Air Force established a provisional airmail service, marking the first documented use of aircraft to carry civilian mail from a besieged fortress. Introduced only a few years after the world's first official airmail flight in India in 1911, this pioneering operation holds a unique place in aerophilatelic history. Surviving cards, covers, and military correspondence offer valuable insights into early aviation, the logistical challenges of wartime communication, and the human experiences of those who endured the siege. October 6, 1914, an envelope possibly containing some of the 150 postcards flown on the first flight from Przemysl. The plane was piloted by Lt. Aladár Tauszig and Capt. Heinrich Raabl, who were forced down and had to hire a car to deliver the mail to the 3rd Army HQ. Tauszig was known to have been injured, and the envelope shows signs that may be bloodstains.

December 9, 1914, unique field postcard written by pilot Hans Wennek and carried by him on the third “Carpathian” flight. Diverted over the Carpathian mountains, the plane landed in Hungary, where the card was cancelled at the Hungarian FPO 30 at Tabori, before entering postal channels to Switzerland.

January 17, 1915 card, flown on the next day to Cracow from where it continued its journey by surface via Vienna to Basel, Switzerland. The journey from Przemysl took 24 days. On arrival it was charged 10 Rappen postage due as an incoming unpaid card from Austria.

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This presentation will explain and illustrate mail handling across the Union and Confederate lines by government and private carriers between the United States closure of the Washington, DC - Richmond, VA postal route on May 24, 1861 and its termination of all communication with the Confederate States of America on August 26, 1861.

The Louisville, KY postmaster applied the unique “SOUTHN LETTER / UNPAID” handstamp to this cover sent from the Confederate State of North Carolina, to indicate that US postage applied in the seceded states was not valid in the loyal states.

Cover carried by the Adams Express Company southbound across-the-lines outside the mails from their New York office to their Knoxville, TN office.

Cover carried by the Southern Express Company northbound across-thelines outside the mails from their Nashville, TN office to the Adams Express Louisville office where it was placed in the United States mail.

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Program Previews

November 4, 2026. Daniel M Knowles MD Suspended Mail Services Across-the-Lines During the American Civil War

Program Previews

November 18, 2026. Carol Bommarito Transatlantic Mail to and from the United States 1840-1868 This story is presented from a U.S. point of view. It covers major postal history events of the period with a particular focus on those leading up to the first U.S./GB postal treaty.Why is this called a treaty while other postal accords are called agreements or conventions? How much mail was traveling transatlantic at that time, how and why? These questions will be reviewed. Included in the presentation are first issues of the U.S. and other countries on cover going transatlantic, pre-treaty and early post-treaty mail such as first sailings. Also, rates throughout the period, starting with pre-treaty, through the Crimean war and the United States Civil War will be shown with unique and unusual examples. February 18, 1849, 5¢ 1847 issue used on the first sailing under the new U.S.-G.B. Treaty to Great Britain, from Baltimore. The Treaty took effect with this February 21, 1849 Cunard sailing of the Niagara from Boston. The new treaty rate was 24¢, no part payments were recognized. The 5¢ was disallowed and the cover rated 1sh postage due.

August 15, 1874, from Chester, VT, diagonally addressed to “Frank Cook, Barque Le delitia, Capt. Craw Muyhee, Sea Shells [sic] Islands, by British Mail”. Paid at the full 24c rate, via New York (August 18), Queenstown (August 28), and London (August 31). Then by British packet through the Mediterranean via Marseilles to Alexandria, across the Suez, through the Red Sea, Indian Ocean to the Seychelles. The barque Le delitia was a British ship in the Indian Ocean fighting pirates

August 25 1859, cover from Luxembourg to New York via France, prepaid 110 centimes. Routed via Paris (August 26), Southampton (August 27), arriving in New York on the Vanderbilt European Line Steamship, Ocean Queen, September 14. The largest franking of this Luxembourg issue to the U.S. known.

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September-October 2026 • The Collectors Club Philatelist

Fine Postal History, Stamps & Historical Documents Our October 14th-15th, 2026 Stamps & Postal History of Canada & British North America sale features exceptional offerings from three important collections of Canadian postal history and classic philately. • The Dr. Joachim Frank Collection — Canadian Contingents in the Anglo-Boer War • The Art Bunce Collections — 1908 Quebec Tercentenary and 15c Large Queens • The Per-Olof Jansson Collection — Admiral Issue of Canada: Rates & Destinations

OTTAWA | CANADA 613-567-3336 | info@sparksinternational.ca sparksinternational.ca

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198

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Germany’s Oldest Stamp Auction House

The Fascination of Philatelic History 390th Heinrich Köhler Auction, 5–10 April 2027 The Wolfgang Maassen Archive Heinrich Köhler is delighted to announce the auction of The Wolfgang Maassen Archive— one of the world’s most outstanding collections of historical philatelic literature, pioneer correspondence, early albums, and unique ephemera. Curated over decades by RDP signatory Wolfgang Maassen, this landmark sale offers an unprecedented look into the material culture and history of stamp collecting. Key Collection Highlights: • Early Precursors: 1840 Rowland Hill letters, Sir Henry Cole correspondence from 11 Downing Street, and the 1858 Prussian cover herald of German philately. • Rare 19th-Century Albums: The 1854 Royal “Belvedere Album”, Justin Lallier’s 1862 first edition, and Alphons Bruck’s 1897 Brazil album in blue velvet. • Literary Cimelia: 1863 Leipzig Handbuch für Briefmarken-Sammler (1st edition), Moritz Ruhl’s 1864 Der Briefmarkenfreund, and early Berger-Levrault catalogues. • Specialist Archives: In-depth documentary studies on Philipp von Ferrari, the Senf brothers, Hugo Schwaneberger, and early pioneer Elise Tobler. Advance preview catalogue available now View Online: Access the digital preview catalogue at www.heinrich-koehler.de Order Printed Copy: Request your complimentary copy directly from Heinrich Köhler.

Heinrich Köhler Auktionshaus GmbH & Co. KG Hasengartenstr. 25 65189 Wiesbaden, Germany

Phone +49 611 34 14 9 0 WhatsApp +49 172 666 72 45

Web www.heinrich-koehler.de E-mail info@heinrich-koehler.de

Birth Certificate of German philately, considered to be the earliest surviving letter written by a German stamp collector. The first printed stamp album with a foreword by Justin Lallier (1862). The so-called 'Royal Belvedere Album', bound in dark green leather with gold lettering on the cover and an inner title page also embossed in gold. Stafford Smith, believed to be the earliest surviving selection booklet.

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SCHUYLER J. RUMSEY AUCTIONS IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE SALE OF:

THE OMAR RODRIGUEZ COLLECTION OF 1856 FIRST ISSUE OF MEXICO BY DISTRICT

This outstanding collection of Mexico’s 1856 Hidalgo First Issue is among the most complete ever formed by district. It features handpicked superb singles and multiples, on and off cover, including many pristine covers and unique rarities not seen on the market in decades. To be offered Fall 2026. Visit our website for forthcoming auction details.

415 781 5127

srumsey@rumseyauctions.com

visit us at www.rumseyauctions.com

Siegel’s Fall sales present a cornucopia of delights

THE GEORGE LEVASSER COLLECTION OF UNITED STATES STAMPS

This important collection will be featured in the October sale of United States Stamps

UNITED STATES STAMPS In addition to the LeVasser collection, the October sale includes an array of rare stamps

THE GOLDEN GATE COLLECTION Outstanding quality United States and Canada, to be offered in a special single-owner sale in November

WORLDWIDE STAMPS AND POSTAL HISTORY Featuring The Asheville Collection of Germany and Colonies

For buyers or sellers, Siegel Auction Galleries offers unparalleled expertise, a worldwide client base, financial reliability, intelligent marketing, and the best internet resources and search tools.

ROBERT A. SIEGEL AUCTION GALLERIES, INC.

America’s premier stamp auctioneer since 1930

21 WEST 38TH STREET, 7TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10018 Phone (212) 753-6421 • Email: stamps@siegelauctions.com