VOL. XXIV, NUMBER 3MAY 1998

American HelvetiaPhilatelic Society

The Red Cross in Action During World War I I

One of the most memorable events during thatperiod from hell came in form of an exhibition trainassembled by the International Red Cross . Startingon April 1, 1944 in Geneva, it was open to the publi cat most major cities' main railroad stations thru Jul yof that year. Machine cancel 4 .1 .129 (shown here inits Italian language version) was used by the posta lauthorities to promote the event . There was, however ,not much need for promotion, as the exhibit with it svaried display of enlarged photos - some of them ingruesome detail - from the war zones, prisoner of wa rand concentration camps spoke in grim detail abou tthe horrors of war and attracted huge crowds, withmany schools making a visit mandatory for students .See Fig. 2 .

Although better known today for its tireles sdisaster and hunger reliefmissions around theworld, the InternationalRed Cross in Europe wasbetter known then for itshumanitarian work incaring for thewounded, forprisoners ofwar,

thei rtransport, and their exchanges amongwarring parties, all done in the traditiona lspirit of its founder Henri Dunant and agroup of 25 likeminded Swis sphilanthropists (1864), and backed by th ewell-known Geneva Convention . Its first testof will came during the Franco-Prussian warof 1870/71, when the RC Committee spreadits first massive aid across the war zone i nFrance and western Switzerland (see Tell ,Vol . XII, #2 of April 1986, pp. 61-67). Theheadquarter in Geneva printed an ddistributed some colorful labels to be use dby a few local organizations as franchisestamps. See Figure 1 .

They are considered today byphilatelists as precursors to the world's firs tfranchise stamps as described in the above

by Henry Ratz

Figure 2

Tell article. Unfortunately, and mainly due to their

scarcity, I am not qualified to go into details of these .

Postally used ones on cover will make a serious hol e

in your pocket book. So look them up in Zumstein' s

Spezialkatalog, pp . 939-40 . See Figure 2 .The Red Cross expanded its operatio n

exponentially during WW I, as conditions from the

protracted trench warfare required massive amounts

of volunteer help to care for the wounded . The

Committee in Geneva formed a special clearing agency(cont. on page 4 )

Figure 1

Figure 3a

ContentsRed Cross in Action During WW II 1President's Musings 3Philatelic Research Library 7AHPS Auction 112 8Paragon - New Franking Machine 12Postal History Seminar 13Letter to the Editor 13Profiles of Swiss Stamp Collectors 13, 1 4Matterhorn Meanderings 14AHPS Treasurer's Report 15Auction 111 Report 15Rohrpost 16The Long Way Around 16

Copyright 1997, The American Helvetia Philatelic Society (AHPS) .TELL (ISSN 1042-2072) is the official journal of the America nHelvetia Philatelic Society, affiliate #52 of the American Philateli cSociety and a member of the Union of Swiss Philatelic Societies .TELL is published bimonthly (Jan/Mar/May/Jul/Sep/Nov) .

Opinions expressed in this journal are those of the authors and arenot necessarily endorsed by AHPS or the Editor .

Letters and articles on Swiss, Liechtenstein, UN Geneva an drelated philately are welcome and should be sent to the Editor .Whenever possible, submit material on 3 .5" PC or Macintos hcomputer diskettes . Late material may by submitted by e-mail i ntextfile format . Illustrations are encouraged and may be submittedas full size photocopies; or, we can copy/scan your originals (pleas econtact the Editor before sending actual stamps, covers, etc .) . Pleaseinclude your name, address and telephone number .

Subscriptions for 1998, include AHPS dues : North America, $20 ; byfirst class mail, $25 ; overseas air delivery, $30 . Request membershipapplications from the Secretary . Change-of-Address should b esent to the Secretary .

ERRATA

In the January 1998 issue of THE TELL, pleasenote the following corrections :

• Page 6, under figure 2, please strike the word s"Switzerland to "

• Page 6, under figure 3, the caption should rea d" . . .the missing 5c"

• Page 13, The Bergman vermeil for STAMPSHO W97 was for APS 1940-Present; and the Stone goldfor TEXPEX 97 was for APS 1900-1940 .

We regret these errors .

American Helvetia Philatelic Society

ELECTED OFFICERSPresidentDick Barto n2800 Crestview Ct.Loveland, CO 80538-307 8Home : 970-669-8130E-mail : cdbarton@info2000 .net

Past PresidentErnest L . Bergman1421 Harris St .State College PA 16803-3024Home : 814-238-0164

Vice-PresidentJames A. Anderso n14463 E . Wagontrail Pl .Aurora, CO 8001 5Home: 303-617-7836E-mail : clande1211@aol .co m

Secretary & LibrarianRichard T. Hal lP .O . Box 666Manhattan Beach, CA 9026 7Home: 310-546-5226

Publicity ChairmanAwards Chairma nEditor Emeritu sHarlan F . StoneP .O . Box 770334Woodside NY 1137 7Home : 718-478-2374

REPRESENTATIVESUnion of Swiss Philateli cSocieties Representativ eRalph SoderbergP .O . Box 36067Grosse Pointe WoodsMI 48236Home : 313-885-412 5

American Philatelic SocietyCharles J . LaBlond e2940 Underwood Point #5Colorado Springs, CO 80920719-593-5974E-mail : clablonde@dsai .co m

Liechtenstein Study GroupChm: Ralph R .Schneide rP .O . Box 2304 9Belleville IL 6222 3

Commercial advertising copy and rate inquiries should be sent t othe Treasurer . Advertising deadlines are six weeks prior t opublication date (Jan, Mar, May, July, Sept, Nov) .

Printed by Kettle Moraine Printing, West Bend WI 53095 .

Officers 1997-1998

APPOINTED OFFICERSTELL EditorDavid E . Durham, Pasto r#7 Allenhurst RoadBuffalo, NY 14214-120 1Home: 716-833-6504

E-mail : dedur@juno .co m

TELL Associate EditorSteven S . WestonP.O . Box 86 8Del Mar CA 92014-0868619-752-781 2

Circuit Sales Manage rEmil L . ToblerP .O . Box 26Bradford RI 02808Home : 401-377-223 8

Auction Manage rBruce Marsden1920 Carmelita AvenueBurlingame, CA 9401 0Days: 415-636-3864E-mail : bmarsden@slip .ne t

TreasurerFrank Young412 North Main Stree tHerkimer, NY 13350Home: 315-866-7822

Regional Director WestDonn Luec kP . O. Box 1158 2Phoenix, AZ 8506 1Home: 602-841-1322

Regional Director CentralRalph SoderbergP. O. Box 3606 7Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 4823 6Home: 313-885-4125

Regional Director EastDavid E . Durham, Pastor#7 Allenhurst Roa dBuffalo, NY 14214-120 1Home: 716-833-6504

Plan to attend/exhibit at thes eAHPS Conventions and shows :

MILCOPEX'9 8September 18-20, 1998Milwaukee, WI

FLOREX '99November 19-21, 1999Orlando, FL

Slide ChairmanRichard W. BlaneyPO Box 1100Easton MA 02334-1100508-238-3134

2 TELL May 1998

President's Musings

To be perfectly honest about the matter I havenot spent any time on philatelic matters over the pas ttwo months . Rather I spent a week skiing at Whistlerin British Columbia (awesome!) and a week visitingZion and Bryce National Parks (very interesting!) . Butalas, our fine editor has prodded me to submit m ycolumn to him so he can send off the May TELL to th epublisher and go on vacation himself. So I wil lattempt to train my thoughts towards philateli cmatters in general and AHPS matters specifically .

I went to Whistler via Seattle where I met afriend who drove up to Whistler . I had planned t ospend a couple days in Seattle at the end of the skiweek, but it seems that the airline that I flew out onwent belly up while I wasskiing. My flight choices wereseverely limited, so I had toleave about 8 hours earlie rthan planned. I had intendedto meet with an AHPSmember, Steve Ellis, who live sin Seattle and had written mea few months earlier saying hewould like to hear from othe rmembers in the Northwest ,but I had to settle for atelephone

conversatio ninstead. That I regret ,because I have always found i tvery interesting to spend tim ewith members and see theircollections and discuss ourmutual interests . However Idid have an enjoyabl econversation . Steve considershimself a philatelic novice (a smany of us are and all of uswere at one time), so Iinquired how could AHPS be ofbetter service to him and other" novices " .

One suggestion that Iwould like to follow up on i shaving TELL publish a serie sof articles on the differentissues of Swiss Stamps . Ibelieve that this would b evaluable for all of themembers . Thus I amrequesting volunteers to offerto write about a specific Swis sissue. I will start by offerin gto write about the William Tellissue of 1914 to 1942, which Iexhibit . If you would like to

write about your favorite issue, please send me a notestating the subject and when you think that you couldhave the article ready . I would prefer to publish thearticles in TELL in the order in which they appear i nthe catalogues over the next few years . If I do not getvolunteers for an issue, I will arm twist those that Iknow exhibit the issue, or are knowledgeable abou tthe subject . So here is your chance to start you rliterary career .

MILCOPEX planning is proceeding well and theThursday afternoon sessions should be well wort hattending. If you haven't already done so, let Ro nBuege know that you are planning on attending (se eaddress on pg . 14 of March 1998 TELL) . I hope to seea number of new faces there .

Dick Barton

May 1998 3 TELL

The Red Cross (Cont. from pg. 1 )for missing persons as well but due to its manualoperation and slow mail was not as efficient as i nlater years. The letters and covers from that period i ncollections today are accordingly less numerous, a smost correspondence by prisoners of war and internee sshows a more direct route from Camps to government sand individuals . Shown here as Figure 3a/b is apreprinted envelope by the Swiss legation in Moscowaddressed to the Prisoners of War Agency of the RC i nGeneva. The back shows a postage of 20 Kopecks ,covering the Registry premium. The handwritten (inblue pencil) Copenhagen and 99 could be a routin ginstruction by a Moscow postal clerk, but I think i twas applied by a RC volunteer once he or sh edetermined that the problem the letter was dealing

with could better be solved by someone in neutra lDenmark .

As we know now, the war to end all wars wa sonly a prelude to things much worse to befall Europ eand the rest of the world . For the philatelist theensuing WW II generated an endless stream ofmaterial from censored covers to prisoner of war cam pcancels, etc . Going thru thedealer boxes today one stil lencounters oodles of covers thatwould fit into one or anotherspecialized collection . Not theleast, covers to and from the RedCross in Geneva . For decades Iargued with many dealers ove rtheir prices, maintaining ,without knowing details, thatthere were still millions of themin circulation . For decades I triedto nail down the numbers invain, but persistency finally pai doff. And they turn out to be quitefantastic numbers that clearl ydemonstrate the size of th ecalamity that engulfed Europeand the scope of dealing with th ehuman misery created by thi swar .

On September 1, 193 9Germany invaded Poland an dthe Swiss Federal Council

ordered a total mobilization of the Swiss army . TheInternational Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), o nthe first day of the hostilities, informed th ebelligerents by mail that a Central Agency forPrisoners of War, as provided for in Art . 79 of theGeneva Convention and relating to the treatment o fsuch, was being set up in Geneva . The agency was inoperation some two weeks later on September 14 andwas staffed by 50 volunteers working out of amakeshift building. By the end of the war, in Summerof 1945, the agency showed a head count of 250 0volunteers, scattered all over Switzerland. Their maintask was to list all prisoners of war in update drecords and handle all their mail with their families .At war's end, that list contained the names of 3 6million men & women and the agency had fielded b y

then a total of 123 million inquiriesconcerning prisoners of war or missingsoldiers as well as 23 million searches forlost civilians. By all accounts it was ,however, a far bigger task than just keepingtrack of names. Information on missin gpersons had to be researched an dtransmitted to millions of anxious familie sand the circumstances under which personshad disappeared or died . Witnesses had t obe found, documents had to be be secured .The numbers are indeed staggering . How

did this small dedicated group manage the dail ycrunching of such a huge load? There is fine humantouch involved by a single individual. I'll get to thatstory later, but first let's examine some of these RC

covers .The mail emanating from the ICRC in general

looks like Figure 4 for an overseas destination ,

Figure 3b

Figure 4

4 TELL May 1998

Figure 5

pre-printed in 2/color, metric C format, on thin pape rfor air mail delivery . The overland envelopes fo rdestinations within Europe were slightly smaller ,printed in red on a greenish war-quality recycledpaper, a title across the top with the Red Cross in theupper left-hand corner . The various department swithin the ICRC used small handstamp cancels, likethe one shown here applied by the Health Servicesdepartment as SERV.SANIT. All letters for overseaswere stamped with FRANC DE PORT, since theSwiss PTT absorbed all cost for all basic shippin gmethods . However, requests for special treatment, likeRegistry, Special delivery, Ai rmail had to be paid for, as in ou rcase with 70 cts for the air mailsurcharge to the USA. . Mostcovers for Europe were not evenstamped with the FRANC D EPORT, but most covers needin gextra postage show no stampsbut rather a pass thru a Haslermeter franking machine with thecustomer number 4552 . Thecover's back (not shown here )reveals a routing thru Berlin ,where it was held up by amilitary censor for almost a fullmonth, then Lisbon (marked byan endless wave roller machinecancel dated January 22, 1943) ,then a Bermuda Censor stationclosure .

Cover Fig. 5 shows atypical piece of mail from eithe ra French civilian or military

person in Algiers, dated January 1, 1943 . 1have noticed many of such Algerian coverscoming from cities like Oran, Bone, etc . Somebear the large round cancel of the ProvisoryGovernment of France in North Africa (the Fre eFrench). The dates coincide with thei rconsolidation following the American landingson the Algerian and Moroccan beaches a fe wweeks before . The very high number of mailpieces points to a concerted effort on the part ofthe French soldiers, sailors, and officers who didnot capitulate, to establish a link with thei rloved ones left behind thru the good services ofthe Red Cross in Geneva .

The cover also reveals one other importantaspect afflicting Red Cross mail : Knowing thatSwitzerland was a hot breeding ground for spyactivities by all warring parties, very few coversto and from the ICRC in Geneva were leftuntouched by either civilian or military censors .Figure 5 shows the effect clearly as well : a) justunder the Algiers cancels you can see th ePASSED BY US ARMY BASE EXAMINERmark. b) the British examiner's London closur etape . c) The German's censor mark from Paris .Cover Fig . 6 is kind of a hybrid . Although I have

been unable thus far to establish the exact point oforigin within England (see rectangular cancel), it mus thave come from a camp, otherwise it would not bear acensor closure strip . Maybe one day some astut ereader will recognize that stamp and let us know th emeaning of these abbreviations . Whatever the source ,the message had some importance or urgency attachedas this letter traveled by diplomatic pouch and ende dup in the hands of the Swiss Dept . of Exterior Affairs ,notice the large circular cancel (in blue) with th e

(Cont. on pg. 6 )

Figure 6

May 1998 5 TELL

The Red Cross

(Cont. from pg . 5 )

"Official" to right . I filtered it out in Figure 7 for easierreading . They, in turn mailed it out in Bern asdemonstrated by machine cancel 3 .6 with crown C-18for its last leg on the way to the ICRC .

How was it possibl ethat such a small groupof volunteers coul dhandle such a vastvolume? Sheer luck anda timely dose o fphilanthropy : Theoutbreak of hostilities inEurope forced amultinational accountin gfirm to close its Genevaoffices . The company

operated an array of IBMPunched-Card collators an dsorters for their statistica lnumber crunching. In theirclosing days someone had th ebright idea to approach the RedCross people to determine if the ycould possibly use suc hequipment to keep track ofprisoners of war, wounded, etc . ,while at the same time askingthe IBM people in Geneva if saidequipment could b ereprogrammed to handle larg enumbers of names . IBM Genevareferred them to headquarters inNew York. Late October 1939 atelegram signed by Mr. ThomasWatson, majority owner andpresident of IBM, arrived ,authorizing to put the machine sat the disposal of the Red Crossand offering unrestricted use o foffice space, material an dtechnicians, all free-of-charge forthe duration of the war !

Aside from tracking andsupplying information of people ,the RC performed a multitude ofother tasks that evolved as th ewar went on and the sufferingincreased . Camps needed to b einspected, relief parcelsdistributed, pleading withgovernments in case ofconvention violations ,representing prisoners of war i nthe hands of governments thatwere not signatories of th econventions (Russia, for one) ,reuniting families, providing

6 TELL

medical supplies, protecting warring bodies, such a spartisans, that were not covered by the conventions ,offering relief missions to concentration camps,(although most were held off-limits to any outsiders b ythe Germans), and above everything, trying toexchange prisoners of war and medical personnel, notan easy task given the inhumane and paranoia cattitudes of certain governments. Many suchoperations were spontaneous and succeeded onlythanks to the moral stature and prestige the ICRChad reached over the years . The fact that mostpersonnel were citizens of neutral countries and tha tthe headquarters was located in Geneva added to thesuccess of this fine organization .

Ref. : K.Riemer, Überwachung des Auslandsbriefverkehr swährend des 2 . Weltkrieges .U .Schwarz, The Eye of the Hurricane .Figure 7

May 1998

Helvetia Members & The America nPhilatelic Research Library

by Ernest L Bergman

For years, our Society has had a close workingrelationship with the American Philatelic Researc hLibrary (APRL) in State College, PA. APRL wasfounded in 1968 and is an independent legal entity .It owns the building in State College and shares i twith the American Philatelic Society (APS) .

Historic Aspect : Our collaboration started i n1984 when then President Dale R . Eggen appointedKarl E. Henson and a committee to make an AHP Slibrary inventory and make recommendations as t owhat to do with this material . Based thereon, theHelvetia Board of Directors approved donation of th eholding to APRL . Having been part of the above-mentioned committee, living in State College and lateran elected APRL Trustee, the writer volunteered to b ethe middleman between Helvetia and APRL . Allmaterials received by Helvetia - e .g. by our SecretaryDick Hall - is being forwarded to State College an dhanded over to APRL .

The Library: The American Philatelic ResearchLibrary is the largest public philatelic library in th eUnited States . At present, APRL occupies 10,00 0sq.ft ., but it is estimated that it will run out of spaceby the year 2001 at the current rate of expansion, anda minimum of additional 5,000 sq .ft . is needed. Anexpansion of the facilities is being seriously consideredat this time .

The APRL has more than 14,000 book titles ,3,000 periodical titles, several hundred differentauction firms' catalogues, many indices andspecialized collections such as the Ernest A . Kehrclipping files . The library is under the Direction of Gin iHorn, Director of Library Services . APRL is a publi clibrary under Pennsylvania Law . It is also anauthorized, tax-exempt, non-profit institution under

Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code and yourdonations may be tax-deductible under prevailing IR SCode regulations .

Material pertaining to Swiss Philately : Al lmaterial donated by Helvetia is integrated into thelibrary collection and not kept as a separate collection .To-date, approximately 300 books connected withSwiss Philately are available . Among the manyjournals one finds - "Tell", the "Schweizer BriefmarkenZeitung" (SBZ) ; "Berner Briefmarken Zeitung "(Zumstein) ; "Communication" - a German languag epublication for workers in Swiss TELE Communication ;"Die Revue für die Post" - Journal for Swiss postalemployees in German ; "Der Poststempelsammler"published in German & French by the Swis sAssociation for Poststempel Collectors ;"Postgeschichte" (Postal History) -in German &French, as well as ARGE material pertaining to SwissPhilately - just to mention a few .

APRL Rules : Any member of APRL or AP Smay borrow material from the Library . Helvetiamembers are notAPRL and/or APS members, exceptif they joined independently . Hence, as is the cas ewith non-members, they may obtain APRL booksthrough inter-library loan, by contacting their loca llibraries .

Borrowing Material : One may write, call, fax ,or send e-mail to request material from APRL. Specificauthors, titles, and/or subjects must be indicated . Thelibrary staff will prepare the shipment .Fax for mailing as soon as possible . Because someitems are loaned out more frequently, they may not b e

available at the requested time. As a result , they

may take longer to arrive . The APRL includes a

return-mailing label and an insurance form to mak e

sending back easier .Contacting APRL:

Phone :

814-237-380 1

Fax :

814-237-612 8

E-mail, :

gini@stamps.org

Card catalog* internet http://www.stamps

APRL address :

P .O.Box 8000 ,State College, PA 1680 3

*To-date, only titles, etc . in the collection are oninternet but not their content .

APRL User Fees : The following fees ar echarged to everybody. When requested through inter -library loan, it depends on the specific library if thes echarges have to be reimbursed by the borrower or arecarried by the local library .

Photocopies :

20 ¢ per page

Computer search:

$ 8 for up to four pages ,an additional 20 ¢ per page after the first four .

Books :

$ 1 per each

Postage/handling:

$ 4 for each shipment ofbooks and/or photocopies .

Only five books will be loaned per shipment . .All borrowed items must be returned insured for at

least $ 100. In some cases, APRL will ask fo r

additional coverage . Borrowers will be notified i n

advance of any such additional insuranc e

requirements .. . . .For further information or possible APR L

membership contact APRL directly . Good luck in yourresearch - you could really be surprised what you find

in print !

May 1998 7 TELL

AHPS Auction 11 2

The Zumstein 1992 Specialized Switzerland catalog is the basis for the value column except where noted ; theconversion rate used is SFr . 1 = US$.70 .

Please send your bids to Bruce Marsden, AHPS Bids, 1920 Carmelita Ave ., Burlingame, CA 94010 or byemail to bmarsden@slip .net . Bids must be received by June 15, 1998 . All lots except the standing helveti aaccumulation are illustrated at our new web address : http://www.slip.net/~bmarsden/AHPS If you do notown a modem-equipped computer with Internet access, inquire at your local public library as many libraries ar einstalling Internet access for public use . Alternatively, send me an SASE and I will send a black&white prin tout of lots you are interested in .

I am pleased to present the offerings of a number of consignors with particular strength in Strubels and anumber of rarely seen speciality items . It has been a treat for me to prepare this material for sale . I want totake the opportunity to thank George Struble for his prior service as Auction Manager and for his extensiv eadvice which is helping me transition into this role . Thank you George !

One change that I am introducing with this sale on a trial basis is to change the presentation of "minimum bids "to "indicated reserves" . I believe it is in the best interest of our member consignors, bidders, and the Society t omaximize the sales of lots through the auction. To this end, I am encouraging bidders who are interested i npurchasing lots but at prices below the indicated reserves to go ahead and bid at their best price . In the absenceof a winning bid at or above the reserve, I will advise the consignor of the highest bid received and give them a nopportunity to accept the offer . Sometimes stamp condition descriptions or competitive lot offerings may revea lvaluation adjustments that the consignor was not aware of when first establishing their reserves .

To our bidders, I would say this . Bids received at or over the indicated reserves will guarantee that the lot wil lbe sold to the highest bidder . Bids below the reserves, while encouraged, will be more speculative as even th ebest such bid may not be accepted . I'll report in the next auction the success of this experiment and I appreciat eyour feedback in the meantime .

Consignments are wanted for the September/October auction . The consignment deadline is July 1, 1998 .Consignments will be immediately acknowledged by return postcard . Please mail to: Bruce Marsden, AHP SAuction, 1920 Carmelita Ave., Burlingame, CA 94010 .

Remember bid high and bid often! And thank you for your support .

The American Helvetia Philatelic Society is pleased to announce that it sAuction #112 of Swiss stamps and postal history is now viewable on-line at :

http://www.slip.net/~bmarsden/AHPS

IndicatedLot

DescriptionClassi c

1

Z . 1711 (Sc . 10), 5r Rayon I light blue and red, used 3-1/2 margins, in at lower left, oilydiamond grid, creases that do not affect front appearance, '92 Zst SFR 220, '97 Scott $125 .00

Strubels

2

Z. 23B (Sc 21), 10 Rp . blue . clean grill cancel . Three margins, '92 Zst SFR 160, '97 Scot t$110.00

3

Z . 25B (Sc. 23), 20 Rp . orange, Grill cancel plus small pieces of two others . Two margins.Signed. '92 Zst SFR 190, '97 Scott $200 .00

4

Z . 26C (Sc. 29), 40Rp . yellow green, 3-1/2 frame lines, generous left margin, indistinct CDS,paper inclusion in upper right . '92 Zst SFR 125, '97 Scott $80 .00

5

Z . 27D (Sc . 31) . 1 Fr. grey violet, used, four framelines and margins on three sides ; lightcircular cancel, very fine appearance, thinned, Rellstab certificate, 1997 SBK cat 1300 FR .

6

Z . 23E (Sc . 27a), 10 Rp . blue, grill cancel . three margins, including left sheet margin . '92 Zs tSFR 550, '97 Scott $375 .00

7

Z . 24F (Sc . 33), used, 3 frame lines, diamond grid cancel, '92 Zst SFR 460, 98 Scott $300.

Value

Reserve

154 34

112 3 5

133 45

88 29

910 100

385 120

322 99

8 TELL

May 1998

IndicatedLot

Description

Value

Reserve8

Z. 24F (Sc . 33), 4 frame lines with three white margins, 1857 Geneva CDS, horizontal crease,Ziegler certificate, '92 Zst SFR 460, 98 Scott $300.

9

Z. 22G (Sc . 36), used, four full frame lines, straight line cancel, very fine condition, 1997 SB Kcat 30 FR .

10 Z. 22G (Sc . 36), used with four frame lines and margins plus portion of adjoining stamp a tright, superb, 1997 SBK cat 30FR.

11 Z. 23 G (Sc . 37), used four margins with Underveiler S-O-N cancel, superb, 1997 SBK ca t30FR.

12 Z. 23G/2 .01, used, four framelines with light circular date stamp, this is the comet variety ,1997 SBK Cat 315FR .

13 Z. 24G (Sc. 38), 15 Rp . rose used, four margins, very fine, Chur May 6, 1861 cds, 1997 SB KCat 80FR .

14 Z. 24G.2 .05 15 Rp . rose used, trace of double impression, CDS cancel, two margins. '92 Zs tSFR 325

15 Z. 24G (Sc. 38), 15 Rp . rose used, 3 3/4 frame lines and margins, bottom is cut, strong GeneveMay 26, 1862 Socked on the nose, 1997 SBK Cat 80FR

16 Z. 24G (Sc . 38), 15 Rp . rose used CDS, 2 frame lines, '92 Zst SFR 75, '97 Scott $52 .5017 Z. 25G (Sc . 39), 20 Rp . orange used, 4 frame lines, Neuchatel CDS, Ziegler certificate, '92 Zs t

SFR 100, '97 Scott $65 .

18 Z. 25G (Sc . 39), 20 Rp. orange used, Geneve 1862 CDS, 3-1/2 frame lines, in at lower left ,'92 Zst SFR 100, '97 Scott $65 .

19 Z. 26G (Sc . 40), 40 Rp. green used, CDS, 3-1/2 frame lines, in at upper right, '92 Zst SFR100, '97 Scott $72 .50.

20 Z. 25G & 26G (Sc. 39 & 40), 20 Rp. orange & 40 Rp . green on piece (to England) . 25G 3-1/2frame lines and part of adjacent stamp at bottom, 26G four frame lines . Slight soiling on edges ,1862 Vernex CDS . 92 Z. SFR 200, '97 Scott $137 .50

21

Z . 26G (Sc. 40), 40 Rp. green used, four framelines, bright color, light circular cancel, veryfine, 1997 SBK Cat 110FR, '97 Scott $72 .50 .

Sitting Helvetia22 Z. 33 (Sc. 46), 300 vermillion used, F, couple "blind" perfs, '92 Zst SFR 47 .50 , '97 Scott

$32.50

23 Z. 34 (Sc. 47), 400 green unused, hinged, disturbed original gum, nice color, fine centering,1997 SBK Cat 1500FR

24 Z. 34 (Sc. 47), 400 green used, F-VF, 92 Zst SFR 82, '97 Scott $52 .50

25

Z . 35 (Sc. 48), 600 bronze unused, original gum, lightly hinged, nice color, fine centering, on enibbled perf, 1997 SBK Cat 1500FR.

26 Z. 35, (Sc . 48), 600 bronze F-VF, light indistinct CDS, '92 Zst SFR 250, '97 Scott $165 .00 .27 Z. 35 (Sc. 48), 600 bronze used, F, '92 Zst SPR 250 , '97 Scott $165 .00

28 Z. 43 (Sc . 59), 500 lilac used, F, '92 Zst SFR 65, '97 Scott $45 .00

29 Z. 44-52 (Sc . 60-80), mint original gum, unhinged, fine to very fine, '97 SBK Cat SFR 125 .

30 Z. 48 (SC. 64), 200 orange on granite paper, used, F-VF 1993 Zumstein cv SFR 160

31 Z. 51 (Sc. 67), 500 deep violet on granite paper used, very fine centering, two missing perfs ,with Zeigler certificate, 1997 SBK Cat 650FR .

Cross & Numerals, Standing Helveti a32 Z. 56, (Sc . 80), 120 chalky blue on white paper used, centered lower right, just fine 92 Z . SFR

40, '97 Scott $26.00

322 80

21 8

21 1 2

21 1 2

221 8 8

56 32

228 56

56 24

53 1 570 3 4

70 22

70 22

140 4 9

77 3 6

33 1 6

1050 80

57 20

1050 80

175 42

175 45

46 14

88 24

112 40

455 40

28 12

May 1998

9 TELL

IndicatedLot Description Value Reserve33 Z. 57a (Sc. 81), 15c yellow on white paper used, F-VF, '92 Zst SFR 500, '97 Scott $300 .00 .

350

11 534 Z. 69C, 400 dark gray used, fine centering, Willis boxed cancel, 1997 SBK Cat 200FR .

140

48

35 Z. 75D (Sc . 97), 1Fr. carmine used horizontal pair, 1905 Grimsel-Hospiz CDS, F, '92 Z . SFR

15

1 022 , '97 Scott $ 16 .00

36 Z. 76F (Sc. 85), 400 gray unused, centered to right but quite F, light toning in left margin,

56

1 5small HR, disturbed og . '92 Z. SFR 80, '97 Scott $42 .50

37 Z. 76F (Sc. 85), 400 gray unused, F-VF, pale shade of gray, minor gum bend, small HR, og .

56

1 3

'92 Zst SFR 80, '97 Scott $ 42.50

38 Z. 76F (Sc . 85), 400 gray used, centered to bottom left, just F, Geneva CDS '92 Zst SFR 25

18

1 0, '97 Scott $ 21 .00

39 Z. 89A (Sc . 108a), 400 gray used, F, 1907 CDS, signed Rellstab, '92 Zst SFR 250 , '97 Scott $

175

5 590 .00

40 Z. 89A (Sc. 108a), 400 gray used, F, 1908 CDS, '92 Zst SFR 250 , '97 Scott $ 90.00

175

4 841 Z. 92A (Sc. 111), 3Fr . yellow-brown used, F-VF centering, 1905 SON Degersheim CDS, 4

133

3 5

pulled perfs at right, '92 Z . SFR 190 , '97 Scott $70 .0042 Z. 93B (Sc . 112a), 25¢ pale blue unused bottom margin pair, centered to top right, cutting in,

298

9 0VG, minor gum bends '92 Zst SFR 425 , '97 Scott $ 120.00

43 Z. 96A (Sc. 121), 300 red brown unused block of four, centered to lower left, F, 3 stamps NH,

35

1 51 stamp VLH, '92 Zst SFR 50, '97 Scott $24 .00 .

44 Standing Helvetia used. Accumulation of 190 stamps with 39 different numbers included .

1260

80

Wide variety of cancels . Owner states 1992 Zumstein was over 1800FR. Condition on most isfine to very fine .

UPU and Later Regular IssuesHinging Discounts reflected in Zumstein prices on lots listed belo w

45 Z. 114 (Sc .141), 700 brown and buff, unused, small HR, F, '92 Zst SFR 150 , '97 Scott $75 .00

105

50

46 Z. 135 .2A.01 - 800 on 700 chocolate, broken 8 variety, Mint, hinge remnant, Fine . 1993

245

100Zumstein cv SFR 35 0

47 Z.160z 1932 300 blue on granite paper, mint, og, VLH, VF, 1993 Zumstein cat SFR 275 less

96

7 5

50% hinge discount48 Z. 176 (Sc . 138), 400 red violet and green, unused LH VF, '92 Zst SFR 80, '97 Scott $14 .00

56

9

49 Z. 189 (Sc . 214), 600 olive brown unused, F-VF, very small LH '92 Zst SFR 42.50 , '98 Scott

30

1 4

$22.50

50 Z. 205y (Sc. 232 var), 200 carmine unused, F-VF, LH '92 Zst SFR 188

131

5 8

51 Z. 267 (Sc. 298), 500 dark red PAX used, VF 1945 SON Brunnen CDS '92 Zst SFR 42, '97

29

1 0

Scott $ 21 .00

52 Z. 268 (Sc. 299), 600 dull gray PAX used, vertical right margin pair, VF, 1946 Riehen CDS

18

1 0

'92 Z . SFR26, '97 Scott $ 13 .50

Pro Juventute, Pro Patria, Other Semi-Postal s53 Z. WI 2-3 (Sc . B2-3),1915 Pro Juventute issue, mint, VLH, og, F-VF, '92 Zst SFR 269, '97

188

40Scott $115 .00

54 Z. WI 2-3 (Sc . B2-3), unused, disturbed og, F-VF, '92 Zst SFR 269, '97 Scott $115 .00

188

78

55 Z. WI 3 (Sc . B3), 100 red used, thin, creased lower left corner perf, '92 Zst SFR 190, '97 Scott

133

32

$ 70 .00

56 Z. WI 4-6 (Sc. B4-6),1916 Pro Juventute issue, mint, LH, og, F-VF, '92 Zst SFR 176, '97 Scott

123

25

$77 .0057 Z. WI 4 (Sc . B4), 30 violet used corner CDS, F-VF, '92 Zst SFR 75 , '97 Scott $20.00

53

1 2

58 Z. WI 5 (Sc . B5), 5¢ green unused, LH, F-VF; '92 Zst SFR 32 .50, '97 Scott $12 .00

23

1 0

59 Z. WI 5 (Sc . B5), 5¢ green used CDS, F-VF, '92 Zst SFR 22, '97 Scott $4 .50

15

5

10 TELL

May 1998

Indicated

Lot Description Value Reserve

60 Z. WI 6 (Sc . B6), 100 red unused, disturbed gum, hinged, VF, '92 Zst SFR 130, '97 Scot t$60 .00

61 Z. WI 6 (Sc . B6), 100 red used 1916 Ruti CDS, F-VF, '92 Zst SFR 150, '97 Scott $50 .00

62 Z. WI 7 (Sc . B7), 3¢ violet used Rothenburg 1917 CDS, F-VF, '92 Zst SFR 100, '97 Scot t

$35 .00

63 Z. WI 9 (Sc. B9), 100 red used, Basel 1917 CDS, F, '92 Zst SFR 55, '97 Scott $16 .0064 Z. WI 10 (Sc . B 10), 100 Arms unused, HR, inclusion, F-VF, '92 Zst SFR 25, '97 Scott $8 .00

65 Z. WI 11 (Sc . B11), 15¢ Arms unused, HR, F-VF, '92 Zst SFR 26 .25, '97 Scott $10.00

66 Z. WIII 8 (Sc. B80), 1936 Pro Patria SS unused, hinge thin not affecting NH stamps, smal l

corner crease, normal wrinkles, '92 Zst SFR 60 , '97 Scott $35 .0067 Z. WIII 21 (Sc. B 143), 1945 Lifeboat SS unused, HR, small thin, '92 Zst SFR 187 .50 , '9 7

Scott $150.00

68 Z. WIII 23 (Sc. B 144), 1945 Pro Juventute SS unused, LH, minor corner mount impression a tlower right, pencil mark on face in upper left corner, one stamp NH, '92 Zst SFR 100, '9 7Scott $75 .00

Airmail sHinging Discounts are not reflected in Zumstein prices on Airmail lots listed belo w

69 Z. F12(Sc. C12), 1Fr . violet unused, HR, VF, '92 Zst SFR 210, '97 Scott $ 40 .0 070 Z. F13 (Sc . C15), 2Fr . black brown and red brown unused, hinged, VF, '92 Zst SFR 440 , '97

Scott $100 .00

71 Z. F13 (Sc . C15), 2Fr . black brown & red brown airmail, mint, og, fine, '92 Zst SFR 440, '9 7

Scott $100 .0072 Z. F27-34 (Sc . C27-34),1941 views and aircraft airmail set of 8, unused, og LH F-VF, 199 3

Zumstein cat SFR 150, '97 Scott cv $38 .9 0

Postage Du e73 Z. P7II (Sc. J7), 500 ultramarine used, just F with attractive partial boxed GE(neve) cancel,

'92 Zst SFR 35 , '97 Scott $20 .00

74 Z. P21BbK (Sc . J27), 100e olive green used, 1887 Basel CDS, Ziegler certificate, perfs into

design at right, one short perf at lower left corner '92 Zst SFR 25 0International Agencies, Kochermarke n

75 Z. D VII 12-17 (Sc . 7012-17),1950 UN 80ct . to 2 fr. VF M HR except 2fr . NH

76 Z. Kocher 2a , used, unusual Neuchatel CDS dated 7 .3 .10, F-VF couple short perfs as i s

common for these stamps, '92 Zst SFR 12 0

77 Z. Kocher 2b, used 1910 Chaux-de-Fonds CDS, F-VF couple short perfs as is common forthese stamps, 92 Zst SFR 12 0

78 Z. Kocher 2c, used 1909 Chaux-de-Fonds CDS, F-VF very attractive, 92 Zst SFR 12079 Z. Kocher 2d, used 1910 Chaux-de-Fonds CDS, F-VF few short perfs as is common for these

stamps, 92 Zst SFR 120

80

Perfins, group of 16 different used (mostly Tell issues) .Covers

81

1858 stampless folded letter Zürich to Marseille. . Carries blue-green stamp of the sendin g

company, and cancels of Zürich, Marseille, and two others . See the photo on our web page !

82 Postcard (5rp stationery) with socked-on-the-nose Locle cancelled "Pharmacie Locale red and

gold label? and 5rp . Numeral. Interesting piece includes additional comments from Felix83 Forgery. Postcard to Canada May 13, 1894 with 10rp Numerali plus a Zumstein #49 adde d

and "cancelled" to increase value . Good piece for a forgery collection .84 RF 26 .4h Clean registered small cover Basle-Köln flight 15 .V .26, forwarded to Löbrach .

Franked with Z . F4, 162 (Sc . C4, 142) . Carries red Mit Luftpost befördert Köln I ,

backstamped Köln and Löbrach . Luftpost cat .

91 43

105 2 570 20

39 1 518 918 1 142 32

131 98

70 50

147 3 5308 60

308 2 7

105 40

25 8

175 70

68 4084 11 2

84 8 5

84 8 584 85

5

35

4

4

875 430

May 1998

11 TELL

Indicated

Lot Description Value Reserve

85 RF 26.5d Small registered cover Basel-Karlsruhe flight . Franked with Z . F7, F9 (Sc . C7, C9)

Carries red Mit Luftpost befördert Karlsruhe (Baden) 1 Black stamps return the cover t o

Basel ; some comparable stamps from adjacent covers smudge onto this one ;

86 Z. W III 19-21 (Sc . B 141-43) Registered FD cover St . Moritz to New York of the two stamp s

and the Lifeboat sheet . The two stamps are corner margin copies . Censor tape . Crease in th e

sheet.Miscellaneous & Liechtenstei n

87 Postcard: Lake Steamer "Rorschach " , ca 1892, unused, F-VF.

88 Postcard: Lake Steamer "Unterwalden" ca 1901/02, unused, F-VF.

89 1899 Biel Shooting Festival . Three different vignettes VF M NH .

90 Hotel stamp of Hotel du Mont Prosa in St. Gotthard . 1889 wine red without value indication ,

perf 12-3/4 with F centering, without gum . Fresh . Has bottom sheet selvedge but short perfs

on the right. Z. 1992 Spec . cat. SF450

91 Hotel stamp of Hotel du Mont Prosa in St. Gotthard. 1889 wine red without value indication ,

perf 12-3/4 with F centering, without gum . Fresh. Z. 1992 Spec . cat . SF45 0

92 Liechtenstein Z . W14 (Sc. B14), 1936 Postal Museum SS, unused hinged, horizontal crease i n

bottom 3 mm of sheet, handling wrinkles as common for this issue, '98 Scott $15 .00 .

"PARAGON - A New Franking Machine from Pitney-Bowes "by Heiner Dürs t

Translated by Charles J . LaBlonde from the Bulletin of the Swiss Cancel Collectors Society,(with permission )

Recently we have noticed on the correspondence of large firms a postage meter that enclosed the mete r

stamp as well as the citycrown in a largerectangle . This is thenew franking machine"Paragon" from Pitney-Bowes that is built intotheir newest mailprocessing system .

The entire systemis called "Mail Cente r2000" and includes a totally new letter feed and sealing system, automatic weighing "on the move" (i .e ., as the

letter is fed into the machine) and finally the meter imprinting . The capacity of the system is 14,400 letters per

minute of the same postal class or 5,400 unsorted letters from the daily mail stream of various size, shape an d

thickness where the postage is determined by the weight of the piece . A small control module makes operationsimple .

The meter can have an A for priority mail or not and advertising, if desired . It is understood that this

complete system is only intended for large mailers . (Translator's Note : So far I have seen very few of these, onlyfrom Geneva and Zürich . )

This type of meter will be included in the Dürst catalog as Type 4T . The good news for the collector is thatthis type is very simple to determine .

490 23 0

1120 50 0

7

1 0

2 5

315 160

315 160

32

12 TELL

May 1998

Postal History Seminar at Milwaukee

Second Call

Only five people have responded to the first callfor speakers for the HELVETIA 98 postal histor yseminar in conjunction with MILCOPEX 98 i nMilwaukee on Thursday, September 17 . Theafternoon program can include up to 12 participants .

Using a show-and-tell format, each speaker wil lhave up to 15 minutes to comment on up to 1 6display pages . This format was a great success a tHELVETIA 96, when AHPS held its conventionduring ARIPEX 96. More than 50 members an dfriends attended that seminar .

Interested members should write or call me (seepage 2 for my location), giving me their Swis sphilatelic subject. The seminar can include any topic ,classic or modern . Show-and-tellers are also urged toconvert their material into brief articles fo r publicationin TELL .

Harlan F. Stone

Letter to the EditorI wish to express my appreciation to all wh o

have done translations of articles for publication i nTELL. I received a letter from Ernest Bergman after Iwrote to the TELL Editor to say how interesting Ifound the article on Strubel "Comet" varieties whic hMr . Bergman translated . Mr . Bergman said healways wondered whether such effort was useful andworthwhile. So, for Mr. Bergman and so many otherswho have done the translations, here is an expressio nof thanks from a language challenged AHPS membe rwho feels he has benefited much from your willingnes sto use your abilities on behalf of the rest of us .

About a year or so ago, I sent off to Richard Hallto purchase a copy of all available back issues o fTELL. Every now and then I read another one of th eissues and learn a little more about our mutualcollecting interest. Purchasing these back issues i sone of the smartest things I did to further my interes tin Swiss philately . For the knowledge I have gained Ihave to thank all those who have contributed article sand all those who have done translations .

This leads me to one other subject and that i sdirected to AHPS members like myself who are not s oexpert and are language limited . Reference materia lis a super way to increase enjoyment of Swis scollecting . Naturally, TELL is one of the tools . TheZumstein specialty catalog (along with a good thicklanguage dictionary) is another . And, if you ar efascinated by airmail, as I am, or even have only aslight fancy for it, the SCHWEIZERISCHE SLUFTPOST-HANDBUCH is another . Other areas ofSwiss philately also have their reference materials .

Some of the materials may be difficult to use becauseof the language, but all are worth the effort . Theknowledge they contain helps increase the collectin ginterests .

Sincerely,Richard L. Fath

Profile of a Swiss Stamp CollectorDr. Clemens E . Prokesch

by Rudy Schaelchl iThat our hobby crosses all social boundaries is

shown in the story of this 78-year-old AHPS member .His story is as follows :

"My interest in collecting stamps began at theage of eleven, thanks to my father's overseas busines scorrespondence . My parents surprised me with a re d"Modern Stamp Album" from Scott . I pursued thehobby until I entered Yale at the age of sixteen . Istarted out as a major in organic chemistry, thencame medical schooland internship andstamp collecting tooka backseat. Whenvisiting a doctorfriend, he showed mehis stamp collectio nthat re-awakened myinterest . The twoyears as a physicianin a US air forcehospital near Geneva,New York gave methe occasion to joinmy first stamp club, the Finger Lakes Stamp Club .My next move was to New London, Connecticut whereI practiced Internal Medicine. I joined the ThamesStamp Club and was elected president, serving for th enext 25 years . To fill my spare time I was also a two -year president of the now defunct Connecticu tPhilatelic Society and was one of the tw oCommissioners from Connecticut for INTERPHIL 76 .

My first visit to Switzerland years ago got meinterested in the country's stamps and every time Ivisited there the love for the country and its philatelydeepened . My Swiss collection is not complete, but Ienjoy what I have, expanding it with the new issu eservice and slogan cancels .

I belong to about twenty-five Philatelic Societie sand was honored by becoming a life member of th eAPS . I'm still active in our Thames Stamp Club ,including our annual October show THAMPEX .

Philately is my great relaxation for body an dmind after a day long stress of medical practice an dthe tension of HMO's etc . I'm sorry to say that I havenothing rare and unusual in my Swiss stampcollection that I could contribute in any way to theAHPS, but I'm open to suggestions .

May 1998

13 TELL

Matterhorn Meanderingsby Dick Hal l

This issue of Matterhorn Meanderings is goingto be short for a couple of reasons, the principal ofwhich is that yours truly and my wife are headed offto Paris, Strasbourg, and western Switzerland (Baselto Geneva) for a couple of weeks to celebrate our big 6ohs! One stop on our trip is the printing facility ofCourvoisier in La Chaux–de–Fonds . I hope to com eback with a description of this quality operation ,maybe even with some pictures. Stay tuned .

Because of conflicting deadlines between ou rleaving for Europe and when the Editor needs his copyfor the next issue, there hasn ' t been enough time sinc ethe last issue of TELL came out for me to hav ereceived any feedback or new questions . Remember ,this column exists to answer your questions, an dthere are no stupid questions .

I did find out one interesting thing related to m yquestion of several months ago regarding the strange ,and sometimes non–contiguous, boundaries of thecantons of Switzerland. I was reading up for our tri pand found this little tidbit in a description o fSolothurn :

"The town first set up a mayor and eleven–mancouncil in 1182, with the support of th eZähringen family . As the noble families began todie out from the mid 14th century, a strugglebegan between Bern, Basel and Solothurn for th efeudal inheritance, in the course of whichSolothurn secured its present ragged cantona larea. "

(Quotation from Switzerland, A Phaidon Cultura lGuide . Prentice–Hall, Inc ., 1985)

So my original answer that the boundaries wereprimarily based on religious differences at the time o fthe Protestant Reformation is not complete . Plain oldpower struggles between the ruling family groups wer eresponsible for some of the boundaries we find i nSwitzerland today. History can be a fascinatingsubject .

Please provide me with more topics to discuss i nthis column. Each and every new question, comment ,answer will be discussed . Keep those cards andletters coming .

Profile of a Swiss Stamp CollectorRaymond Reakes

by Rudy Schaelchli

Today we hear from one of our AHPS member snorth of the border . He writes, "When I was about 9years old, a next door neighbor gave me a stampalbum and a packet of worldwide stamps forChristmas. I knew nothing about that hobby andneither did I know anyone who collected stamps . Sofor several years it was something I did by trial anderror, mostly by the latter . Eventually I met othe rcollectors and joined the EAST TORONTO STAM P

CLUB. That is now 45 years ago and for the last 3 8years I filled the post of Secretary .

"Now at the age of 70, I can look back at 6 1years of stamp collecting and enjoying it, too . I stil lcollect the stamps from many countries, but my mai ninterest is the Swiss stamps, thanks to the exchange

with two collectors in Switzerland. They helped m eenlarge my Swiss collection bot hwith stamps and First Day

Covers . After corresponding withboth for many years, they passedaway, but my interest in tha t

country's stamps continued . Idon't have many of the classic sdue to their high cost, but I stil lfind the 20th 'century issue sinteresting, looking for varieties ,booklets, stationary, etc .

"I have exhibited the mor emodern definitives in a semi-specialized fashion in our stam pclub shows and have been lucky toearn awards . My membership inthe AHPS and receiving TELL hashelped me increase my knowledgeof this great country we collect ."

14 TELL May 1998

AHPSTreasurer's Report for the Year 1997 - As of November 3 0

Balance November 30, 1996 $ 10,558 .67Ordinary Incom eAdvertising $

569 .70Dues-1997 6,564.83Other Dues 107 .50Donations 94 .00Swiss Verein grant 264 .20Verein payment-exchange 314 .00Pacific `97 Literature Group 67 .50TELLs sold 30 .00Interest 494 .71 $

8,506 .44

Other Incom eMembers ' subscriptions-Swiss Verein $1,365 .0 0Members ' subscriptions-G .B. Society - 1997 646 .0 0Felix Ganz book sales 225 .00 $

2,236 .00

TOTAL INCOME $ 10,742 .44

ORDINARY EXPENS ETELL publication & distribution $ 7,322 .3 6Postage, Printing, Supplies 867.1 0Miscellaneous 166 .00 $

7,855.46

Other ExpenseVerein & G.B . Society remittances-1996 $ 2,033 .2 5Felix Ganz book distribution 26.10 $

2,059.3 5

TOTAL EXPENSE $ 9,914 .81

$ 11,386 .3 0Balance November 30, 1997

LIFE MEMBERSHIP FUND

Balance November 30, 1996 $

3,053.9 1Interest earned 173 .0 5

Balance November 30, 1997 $

3,226.96

Respectfully submitted, Frank Young, Treasure

At our last Annual Convention, the AHPS voted to change its fiscal year from 1 January t o1 December, thus putting dues receipts into the same year as expenditures . This change of

dates is reflected in the 12-month report given above . However, to justify last year's report with

the current one, some may wish to note that in December of 1996, we received $5,200 .92 in

income (mostly dues) and had no significant expenditures .

(The Editor )

AHPS Auction 111 - January 1998 - Prices Realize d

May 1998 15 TELL

ROHRPOST(Pneumatic Tube Mail)

by Michael Peter

Mail placed into small containers and then propelled by compressed air through tubes which were part o fa pneumatic tube system or "Rohrpost" was a widely used method of communication from the late 19th centuryuntil the telephone became more available and cheaper .

Such pneumatic tube systems were widely used in Vienna (see American Philatelist, Feb . 1998), Parisand Berlin . Smaller systems operated in Prague, Marseilles, Munich, Rome, Milan, Naples, Buenos Aires an dRio de Janeiro, and all were open for general use by the public at a special rate of postage .

Eleven places in Switzerland had tube systems : Zurich from 1913, Lausanne 1 .11.26, Geneva 5 .3 .26 ,Lucerne 1927, Basel 1928, Bern 1928, Often 1953, Chur 1957, Locarno 1965, Lugano 1968 and Montreu x1973 . None of these systems are said to have any markings to indicate that the mail had been sent throughthe tube .

One office in Zurich ,however, did cancel the stamp son mail sent through the tube .This was situated in th eSchmidhof, a large office buildingwhich was built over a tube lineand connected to the CentralPost Office . Tenants of theoffices in the Schmidhof wereallowed to send mail by thi stube, free of additional postage ,so that it would arrive at theCentral Post Office and b esorted more quickly . Anemployee of the Telegrap hDepartment staffed this officeand canceled the stamps withthe octagonal " Telegraph"canceller. Non-tenants of theSchmidhof were also allowed to use this system on payment of an additional 10c, and in this case anotheroctagonal canceller was applied, inscribed "Rohpost T.T. Zurich T .T. 10cts" . This service ceased in 1941 .

The cover (Figure 1) was mailed by a non-tenant of the Schmidhof and bears all the appropriat emarkings. It was also flown on the Graf Zeppelin's 4th flight to South America in 1932 . It is a rarecombination of "Rohrpost" and "Zeppelin Mail" . Only two or three such Swiss items are known to exist .

"The Long Way AroundBy Charles J. LaBlonde

The letter shown herecame to me from Zumstein inBern, by way of Honolulu! Th eBern postmark is dated 20November 1997 . The Honolulutransit mark is dated 23November 1997 . And Ireceived the letter on 2 7November 1997 . So, eventhough it took the long wa yaround, the time in transitwas quite normal for mai lfrom Europe to Colorado . Youfigure it out !

Figure 1

16 TELL May 1998