Not What They Seem - Postal History Sunday

Welcome to my version of Halloween for Postal History Sunday on the Genuine Faux Farm blog and cross-posted on the GFF Postal History blog!

I see you with your Trick or Treat bag.  Since I don't have any candy for you, you'll just have to accept the gift of a blog that features something I enjoy - postal history!  Grab yourself something to drink and pull out your favorite treat that you've already collected form other houses.  Or, if you celebrate Dia de los Muertos, consider that one of the things we do here is visit the past and the lives our ancestors by exploring the items that once carried communications between them.

Either way, I welcome you and I hope you enjoy what follows.

--------------

The ugly and occasionally scary side of hobbies like postal history is that sometimes items are offered to collectors that are not what they seem to be.  Paintings have their forgers, rare wines are faked and even designer handbags have sites that tell you how to tell the real from the fake.

There are individuals who have manipulated and modified pieces of postal history so they look like something that is better than they are.  The hope, of course, is that someone will pay much more than the item was worth.  There are also pieces of postal history that have succumbed to the ravages of time.  They may look like one thing, but be another simply because the whole story is no longer visible.  In this case, no one purposely altered the cover to make it more valuable, but a collector might still purchase it thinking they are getting something that they aren't!

Let's take a quick trip to the scary side of postal history.

Entering the Wading Pool

Sometimes it makes sense to get into the wading pool first, because the sharks like the deeper water.

Over the last several years, I have been attempting to learn more about mail between Western European nations in the period from 1850 to 1875.  One of the risks of expanding into a new collecting area is that it is more likely that you will not immediately recognize a good item from one that is... well... not so good (or one that is VERY good).

This is why I set ground rules for myself that reduce the risk and help me to build up the best defenses for any collector - knowledge and experience.  

The first rule is to familiarize myself with the most common items from that region and period of time.  Simply looking at, without buying, images of covers can train my eye to what is normal - and what is not.  Then, if I like what I have been seeing, I can safely add some of the more common uses, that fit all of the normal characteristics, to my collection.

The folded letter above is a good example of a cover that represents what most existing artifactsfrom the United Kingdom to Sweden in the 1860s look like.  A six penny stamp pays for the single rate of postage.  A "PD" marking indicates that the British post counted it as fully paid and a "3d" marking indicated how much of that postage was passed on to Denmark for their share.

After seeing several examples that had the same characteristics, it felt safe to say that this one would be a good example of the postal rate and route.

The second rule is to place a strict limit on how much I will pay for any item until I feel I have gained sufficient expertise to "splurge" on something.

I find this to be a useful approach because I learn rapidly what standard mails for this period look like.  As a result, I am now much better at recognizing when a cover is different.  And, when it is different it may be for one of the following reasons:

1. It might be illustrating a different aspect of mail handling for the time that could be very interesting.
2. Something is "not right" with an item.

The problem?  I am not always certain which of these two things I am observing! 

Was One Shilling Enough?

Here is an example of case #2 - something is not right.

This envelope went from the United Kingdom to Sweden in 1862.  The are two six-pence stamps that are heavily post-marked.  So, my first thought was that it could be an example of a double rate letter - just a heavier version of the first example in this blog post.  

But, there were numerous differences in the markings - and the back gave me even more information to tell me that I was not seeing a simple double rate for a letter similar to the first one.

So why did I buy this if it was not consistent with the first item?  Well, that was EXACTLY why I was interested.  It was different!  And, the markings all "agreed" with each other, showing a fairly clear set of travels.  Most of it felt right to me, but I did not, at the time I added this to the collection, know all of the postage rate options between the British and Swedish post office.  So, I took a gamble at low cost - and I actually still think I won because I learned so much!

Verso of the cover above.

What is this item supposed to be?
The piece of letter mail shown above was mailed in London on June 16, 1862 and arrived in Stockholm, Sweden on June 22 of the same year.  The front of the cover shows markings for London and a very faint marking just under the stamps that is likely Helsingborg (June 20).  The back shows markings for Hamburg's mail office on June 18 (the oval) and the Swedish mail office (rectangle).  It is possible some of the blurred markings are the Royal Danish mail service markings.  And, finally, there is a receiving mark in Stockholm on June 22 (circular marking over the rectangular marking).

The route for this mail, starting in London, shows the letter crossing the channel to Ostende, Belgium.  Belgian railways carried the item across the country so it could enter Prussia at Aachen.  Prussian railways carried this item to Hamburg.

The Hamburg mail service received the item and then transfered it to the Danish mail office in Hamburg.  They, in turn passed the letter on to the Royal Swedish post office in Hamburg.  The Swedish post then sent the mail via Danish rail services to Helsingor.  From there, crossing the Oresund to Helsingborg (Sweden).  At that point, the letter likely went overland to Stockholm.

Here is the front of this letter yet again.  Warning!  We're about to get into the weeds a bit here!

The "P" in an oval is a British marking indicating the item was prepaid to the destination.  There is a red "10" that looks a bit like a "W" over the spot where the "P" in the oval resides.  And there is a red "5" at the lower left.  What did these numbers mean?

• 10 pence were passed on to the Hamburg mail service.
• Hamburg passed 5 silbergroschen (about 6 pence) to the Scandinavian posts
• Hamburg kept 3 1/2 pence
• Hamburg gave  1/2 penny to the Belgians for their transport
• 4 pence in postage were kept by the British
• they passed an additional 1/2 penny to the Belgians as well.

Ok, back out of the weeds.  I told you all of that so I could say this:

The total postage was 14 pence (1 shilling and 2 pence).  And there are 12 pence (1 shilling) in postage on this envelope.

Hmmmmmmmm.

To make a long story a little shorter, this is a genuine example of the 1 shilling 2 pence rate to Sweden.  But, there appear to be two one penny stamps missing that were once located at the top right.

Alas.  And, yet - look at how smart I sound now!  Maybe I should not have told you I bought it without knowing the rate of postage in the first place.  I could have come across as sounding very wise if I told you I noticed this item and immediately could tell there was a problem.

Well, probably not.  But, one can hope.

What were the warning signs?

1. The postage is underpaid, but it appears to have markings for a paid item.

This is why it is important for a postal historian to have knowledge of postal rates.

The British rate for prepaid mail via the Belgium to Hamburg route was 1 shilling 2 pence for every half ounce of weight.  This was the normal route for mail to Stockholm from August 1 of 1852 until Dec 31, 1862.  The first letter shown in this blog shows the rate AFTER 1862!

When you find an item that clearly has too little postage to cover the postage rate and it was still treated as unpaid, you have a few options:

1. the postal clerk made an error
2. the sender paid for the remaining amount in cash and the clerk opted to not put stamps on it (maybe they were in a rush to get it into the mail stream)
3. at one time, there was enough stamps to pay the postage, but they have fallen off.
   

2. There are shadows at the upper right that are the right size and shape for 2 additional stamps.

Water activated adhesives on these stamps could release if exposed to moisture over time (it is over 150 years old, you know).  It is also possible that the stamps were never very well attached, coming off at some point even as it traveled through the mails - we'll never know for certain.

To help you see what I am talking about, I enhanced some of the area at the top right of the cover.  You can see what appears to be the shadow of the edge of a perforated postage stamp where the arrow is pointing in the image above.
 
Conclusion
This is a genuine cover with no intentional modifications made.  However, two stamps have fallen off at some point after it was processed as a paid item.

My mistake was not being certain of the rate for a prepaid item via this route to Sweden.  I was much more familiar with the rate structure from 1865 to 1875.  I took a shot with a guess and I was wrong.

Live and learn!

Experience Pays Off

The second part of this "horror show" illustrates an item that someone "improved" at some point in time.  I was considering adding this cover to my collection several years ago, until it became apparent there was a problem.

My interest in this piece of letter mail from the United States to Belgium was in the fact that it was forwarded on to Cherbourg, France after getting to its original destination in Antwerp.

I was also attracted to this cover because its travels were so easy to follow. Postal transit markings on the front and back clearly trace the cover's route from Boston, England, Antwerp, Paris and Cherbourg. The cover was clearly to an individual on ship (the USS Colorado), which explains the bit of a "merry chase" so the letter could catch up to Midshipman C.H. Davis. The 27 cents in postage was correct for such an item from the US to Belgium, as are the markings.

 

What were the warning signs?

 

Cutting right to the chase -  we should all look closely at the 3 cent stamp on this cover (it is the rose/red colored stamp - the other is a 24 cent stamp).

1. Strong Boston transit marking does not tie to the stamp

 

In postal history, we often talk about how postal markings "tie" a stamp or label to a cover.   Simply put, if the stamp was on the cover when it was mailed, and the Boston postal clerk struck this letter with the Boston postal marking in red ink, it should appear both on the envelope AND the stamp.  When that happens, we say that the stamp is "tied" to the envelope because the markings around it are consistent between the two.

In this case, there isn't ANY trace of this red marking on the 3 cent stamp.

There was clearly enough red ink on the stamping device because the marking on the envelope is very clear and strong.  The odds are very low that the stamp would get NO ink on it from this marking.

 

 2. Different cancellations on the two stamps.  

 

Postal services used cancellation devices to deface postage stamps so they could not be re-used.  In this case, a circular handstamp of nine bars was used to apply black ink to the 24 cent stamp.  The 3-cent stamp also has nine bars on its cancellation, but it has a slightly different shape.

 

The orientation of the cancels is slightly different, but not enough to cause great concern.  However, the width of the bars is definitely different. The right grid cancel gives more of an appearance of a 'rim' - or a more definite termination to the bars than the left cancel. The dark cancellation on the left stamp makes it seem odd that the right strike should be so light - except for the ink that is actually on the envelope. 

 

Blacklight image of lower left

 

And, if you look even more carefully - it appears that someone used some black ink to extend the bars on the 3 cent stamp so they could match up with some markings that were on the cover.

 

3. Cancellation ink from the left cancellation goes under the perforations on the 3 cent stamp.  

 

Some of the longer bars on the first cancellation should touch the 3 cent stamp. As a matter of fact, they should "tie" to the 3 cent stamp. Instead, some of the cancellation ink goes UNDERNEATH the 3rd perforation from the bottom on the left of the 3 cent stamp.  

 

Unfortunately, I cannot illustrate this very well, but it became obvious when I viewed the item in person.

 

4. Aging shadow inconsistent with orientation of the 3 cent stamp.

This is another thing that is hard to show on a blog.  But, as a piece of postal history ages, evidence that there once was something on the envelope but is no longer there shows up.  Just like the British item that was missing two stamps, there is a bit of shadowing that shows us there was another stamp on this cover - and it is NOT the 3 cent stamp we see here.

5. Liquid staining in the area of the transit mark not apparent on stamp.
 

This envelope got wet at some point in time - with staining right about where the 3 cent stamp resides.  Yet, the 3 cent stamp doesn't show that staining.  In fact, it is possible the original stamp came off when the cover got wet.  

 

Conclusion

This is a genuine cover with a replacement 3 cent stamp for the stamp that was lost at some point in the cover's lifetime. The person who modified this cover carefully placed a decent candidate 3 cent stamp with a grid cancellation on the cover and it looks like they may have added a little ink to persuade us to think it was "tied" to the cover.  I am fairly confident the 24 cent stamp did originate on the cover.

 

--------------------------

Thank you again for joining me for Postal History Sunday.  I hope you enjoyed a slightly different look at the hobby I appreciate.

Have a great remainder of your day and a good week to come.

Too Late Again? - Postal History Sunday

Welcome once again to Postal History Sunday on the Genuine Faux Farm blog and cross-posted on the GFF Postal History blog.  

We'll start a little bit differently this week so I can take a moment and give a shout out to Michael Cortese and Charles Epting for their Conversations with Philatelists.   Their enjoyable podcasts are, much like Postal History Sunday, another pandemic inspired project and I admire their continuing efforts.  For those who are curious, my favorite "conversation" that I listened to/watched this past year features Dr. Christy Pottroff: Postal History as a Teaching Tool and Literary Influence.  Those who know me and have been reading PHS for a while probably won't be surprised that I would appreciate that particular episode.

It's always good to meet others who are also interested in learning something new and are willing to share things they enjoy.

This week's Postal History Sunday is actually a continuation, of a sort, from last week's PHS post.  If you will recall, we were looking at the different ways postal services protected themselves from the perception that their efforts deliver the mail were slow. 

-----------------------------------

Today piece of postal history has been a favorite of mine for some time - in part because it features, not one, but four copies of the 24 cent 1861 stamp I enjoy so much.  It was sent from San Francisco, California in November (or December) of 1867, arriving in England, January of 1868.  

How Much Did It Cost to Mail?

This cover must have weighed more than 1.5 ounces and no more than 2 ounces. Since the rate of postage for mail from the US to the UK was 24 cents per 1/2 ounce, 96 cents of postage was required.

The processes and postage rates for mail between nations in the 1860s were set by postal treaties (also known as postal conventions) that were negotiated between countries.  This envelope was sent under the postal convention between the United States and United Kingdom that was in effect from 1848 to the end of 1867.  A new treaty became effective on January 1, 1868 that set the postage rate at 12 cents per 1/2 ounce (exactly half the previous postal rate).

And that is where the story starts to get a bit more interesting for this particular cover!

This letter entered the US postal system in 1867, so it was correctly rated for postage to be collected under the first treaty (1848-67).  

Now we have a chance to learn something that might be new to some of you.  The postage paid was 96 cents in US stamps, which means the US postal service had all of the money to pay for this letter's travels.  But, the US would not provide all of the services required to get the letter to its destination in Liverpool.  So, the money was split between the US and UK to cover the expenses incurred by each country.

The accounting between the British and American postal systems would have been as follows:

The United States would keep 20 cents

• Surface mail (steamship from San Francisco to New York City) postage = 5 cents x 4 = 20 cents

The United States would send 76 cents to the British postal system

• Trans-Atlantic mail packet (steamship) postage = 16 cents x 4 = 64 cents
• Surface mail (train) in the UK = 3 cents x 4 = 12 cents
  

But, as luck would have it, this item did not leave the United States until the new year (1868) had begun.  That means the ACTUAL accounting between nations was done using the new postal convention even though the letter was paid under the old treaty:

The United States would keep 84 cents

• Surface mail (steamship from San Francisco to New York City) postage = 3 cents x 4 = 12 cents
• Trans-Atlantic mail packet (steamship) postage = 6 cents x 4 = 24 cents
• Extra postage = 48 cents
  

The United States would send 12 cents to the British postal system

• Surface mail in the UK = 3 cents x 4 = 12 cents

What Changed Accounting for this Letter?

There were two major changes that resulted in different accounting, that clearly benefited the United States.  After all, they got to keep 64 MORE cents than they would have under the old agreement.

1. The postal rate was reduced form 24 cents to 12 cents

All of a sudden, HALF of the postage collected did not even need to be disclosed to the United Kingdom!  Before you get confused, remember, the postage rate that needed to be paid was the amount due at the time the letter was mailed.  The sender HAD to pay 96 cents (or wait until January...)  But, since it did not leave the US until January 1868, the US did not need to report it as a letter that had been posted under the old agreement.

Don't feel too bad for the British mails.  They probably had their fair share of mail that was mailed in 1867 and did not leave until 1868.  I am sure they also kept this excess postage for themselves.

2. The sending country was always responsible for paying the trans-Atlantic shipping company.  

Under the old agreement, certain shipping companies were under contract with one country or the other.  The contracting nation was responsible for paying the shipping company - sometimes that was the country that sent the mail, sometimes it was the one who received the mail.  It was a bit more confusing than this new system. 

So, Why Was This Item Delayed?

If this piece of letter mail had gone on its way immediately, we would never have had the opportunity to talk about the change in postal convention and the new postage rates.  As it was, this item sat at the San Francisco post office for ten days before continuing on its journey.  That makes this cover even more fun for me!

A company marking for Eric W Pierce shows a date of November 30, 1867 on the back - yet there is a docket on the front left that reads November 29, 1867.  So, why in the world would there be a December 10, 1867 postmark from San Francisco?  Ooooo!  A mystery!  Let's see if we can solve it!

A typical reason for this sort of delay on a cover usually lies with the sender of the item.  Eric W Pierce put some docketing on the cover indicating they expected a November 29 departure from San Francisco.  But, they clearly did NOT get to the post office in time.

In fact, their own company handstamp makes it clear that they probably still had the letter in their possession on November 30, which is probably the day they actually got to the post office to mail this fairly heavy letter.

First, it is important to know that exchange offices and post offices that put mailbags aboard steamships were instructed to postmark the item with the date of departure for the ship it was to board.  The docket at the top left reads "Steamer,"  which tells the postmaster to send it on a steamship via Panama rather than sending it overland.  That seems an odd decision, as we'll see later, but the post office was bound to honor the request. 

The steamship departure schedule for mail carriage around the time this item was mailed was:

• November 29 - steamer Golden City departs SF
• December 10 - steamer Sacramento departs SF
  

It is clear that Eric W Pierce wanted this item to go via the November 29th steamer, but his own handstamp betrays the fact that he was not able to get to the post office on time.  He has clearly directed that it was to go by steamer

Journeys via Steamship

Upon receiving the item, the San Francisco post office realized there would be some wait until the next steamer departure for Panama.  As a result, they struck the envelope with a bold and clear "Too Late" marking, postmarked it for the next departure (Dec 10) and probably opened up the new mailbag for the next steamer and put this letter into it.  There it sat until the whole bag was placed aboard the Sacramento for its departure ten days later.

The rest of the journey was fairly typical for an item via Panama. 

San Francisco, Cal Dec 10
     Pacific Mail Steamship Company Sacramento
Aspinwall (Panama) Dec 23
     Pacific Mail Steamship Company Henry Chauncey
New York Dec 31

Boston  Jan 1
     Cunard Line Africa
Queenstown Jan 12
Liverpool Jan 13

Here's where we notice one more thing.  The Cunard Line was still alternating departures between Boston and New York.  One departure every week, alternating ports.  Once again, New York was the exchange office that held the letter.  They marked it for the January 1 departure in Boston and put it in the mailbag.  Once mails closed, that mailbag was sent on to Boston for departure from the port the next day.  

If there had been a trans-Atlantic ship departure on December 31, it is possible that this item would have left on that ship - which means it would have gone under the old convention's accounting.  How's that for cutting it close on the difference between a nice, long, complicated story and a simple one?

Why Did Eric W Pierce Choose via Panama?

Letters leaving San Francisco could be sent on steamships via Panama, or they could go overland, taking the train for much of the trip by the time we get to late 1867.  Overland mail took about 16-18 days to go from San Francisco to New York.  Via Panama would typically take 21 days.  

In fact, most letter mail, by the time we reached 1867, was carried overland by default.  If you wanted a letter to go via steamship, you had to state that fact on the envelope (which Pierce did do with the word "steamship" at top left).

It would still be a year and a half before the 'Golden Spike' was driven at the trans-continental rail line completion, but much of the route did have rail service. Also, overland mail left more frequently than steamship mail.  Typically overland mail was the better choice.

So, why would Eric W Pierce choose the via Panama route on a steamer?  It would almost certainly be slower!

After a very short dig into the archives of the Sacramento Daily Union, I found this little snippet indicating mail up to November 12 from New York via overland routes had been received (reported in the December 2 paper).  This seems to indicate that the overland mail had not been delayed up to that point.

However, there is mention of some big storms in the Chicago area around November 30.  Perhaps there was some knowledge of potential overland mail delays that I fail to find with a quick look.  Maybe Eric Pierce new about those delays (if there were any) and decided the steamship mail would be more reliable (especially if he got it to the November 29 departure)?

The possible reasons Pierce might have opted for steamship mail via Panama might be:

• There were reports of delays due to weather via the overland route, there is some evidence in contemporary reports that there were some difficult storms around that time.
• Perhaps Mr. Pierce was sending something he felt was valuable and he had rumor that overland mail was less secure?
• Since it was a heavier letter, is it possible that it was required to go via Panama?  Printed matter, newspapers and parcels typically took the slower steamships.  I don't see anything that should have resulted in this letter mail being required to take this route in the regulations of the time - but I could be missing something.
• Perhaps Eric Pierce had something to gain from a delay?  Since there are no contents with this envelope, I will never know the answer to this question.

More About the Adelphi Hotel

The docketing for "Steamer" is in the same hand as the directive that this item was to go "Care of Adelphi Hotel" in Liverpool (see bottom left of the envelope).   

The current Adelphi Hotel is actually the third hotel to be built in that location.  At the time this letter was sent, the first building was still active.  Originally constructed in 1826 and replaced in 1876, the building currently holding the name and location was opened in 1914 and designed by Frank Atkinson.    Apparently, this hotel was a favorite of Charles Dickens - according to this article.  

The first photo comes from the hotel's own history page linked in the prior paragraph.  The second photo, shown below, comes from the Liverpool Record Office found in the Dickens' article linked above.  Take a moment and appreciate the differences between these two renderings.

The center portion of this building is sufficiently different to call into question accuracy.  However, there are enough similarities, including the configuration of the windows, number of floors and the odd curve in the structure at the left.  It seems to me that perhaps the first photo shows less detail at the roof line and may be the least accurate of the two.  However, it is also possible that some rebuilding of the front facade and roof-line occurred at some point in time.  

It's a nice little puzzle for people who are into architectural history.

More About Cunard Line's Africa

This cover gets even better when you consider that this is the final mail sailing of the Cunard Line's wooden-hull, paddle-wheel steamship Africa.   This ship was sold and fitted as a sailing ship in 1868.  Details about this ship can be found at the Norway Heritage site.  

The Africa was part of a series of ships commonly referenced as the "America-class" steamship, though I have seen other designations as well.  She was replaced by speedier screw-propelled steamers that also had iron-clad hulls.  Still, 17 years and 120 round trip voyages was a significant accomplishment for this ship using the paddle-wheel and wooden hull technologies!

 The image above can be found at this location.

--------------------------------

Thank you for joining me for this week's Postal History Sunday.  I hope you enjoyed the visit and maybe you learned something new.

And, a quick welcome to those who have recently joined us!

When I embarked on writing Postal History Sunday, I was not necessarily looking for attention.  I was, as I often say in these blogs, simply looking to share things I enjoy in a way that a broad range of people might find it interesting.

Well, PHS has been getting a little attention of late.  You will find that Episode 75 of Conversations with Philatelists actually features yours truly and ... Postal History Sunday.  Also, the US Philatelic Classics Society asked if I would provide a quick interview for the Chairman's Chatter (society newsletter).

As a result, there are a few people who might be relatively new to all that goes on here!  You're all welcome.  This is a 'no pressure environment.'  There are no exams and you don't have to understand everything you see here - we're all at different stages of learning and that's ok.  If you have questions, thoughts, corrections or suggestions, feel free to use the contact form on the blog.  If you want to leave a comment, you may do that as well.

Have a great remainder of your day and wonderful week to come!

Too Late - Postal History Sunday

Welcome to Postal History Sunday on the Genuine Faux Farm blog, which is also cross-posted on the GFF Postal History blog each and every Sunday.  This is where the farmer (Rob) gets to share a hobby he enjoys with you.  It doesn't matter if you collect stamps or postal history or if you just like to learn a new thing or two, all are welcome here.

Now, let's take our troubles and worries and crumple them up into as tight a ball as you can manage.  Give that ball to your cat, or your dog... or your goldfish.  The cat will probably end up batting them under the refrigerator, the dog will chew them up so you won't recognize them anymore, and the goldfish...  well, it probably won't do much, but once you soak your troubles in fishtank water for a few hours, they don't look as impressive as they once did.  Don't have a pet?  Well, we are crumpling up virtual pieces of paper, so give them to your virtual pet - maybe an elephant, if you'd like.

Let's see what new things we can learn this week!

----------------------------------

One thing that I think most of us can relate to is the way time can get away from us all.  And the other thing is how valuable time can be to us.  Postal services around the world, for as long as they have been in operation have been intensely aware of both of these things.  They know that we will wait until the last minute to get that envelope full of important, time-sensitive materials (like maybe - a tax return?) to the post office to be mailed.  They also know that their customers pay attention to how long things take to get from here to there!

How have postal services defended themselves when their customers push that time envelope and still expect the miracle of quick delivery to the destination?  I thought it might be fun to look at mail in the 1800s and see how it was handled then.

I'm sorry, but we didn't get this letter in time

During the mid-1850s, speedy and affordable mail services were desired, and even demanded, by the business communities who relied on the post to execute their business.  They were swift to point out failures to deliver in a timely fashion, which encouraged post offices to mark letters and mail that were received after the mails closed.  It was a simple line of defense."Hey!  The people who sent this to you messed up, so talk to them if you got it later than you wanted!"

The French were proud of their rail system and the 'star' configuration that set Paris at its center.  They utilized mail processing cars on these trains and there were complex schedules for mail transit using these rail lines.  

Often, rather than going overland via a shorter distance, mail would travel to Paris on one line of the 'star' and then go outward towards its destination from Paris.  This resulted in a faster delivery than a direct coach service would have provided.

The reliance on speedy railway services raised expectations for timely delivery of the mail, which means a May 18 postmark at Cambrai in France was typically expected to arrive on May 19 for delivery at Tournay, Belgium.  After all, Belgium's rail system actually advanced more quickly than France's.

So, here I am looking at a folded letter that was postmarked on May 18, 1860.  It is properly prepaid with a 40 centime French postage stamp.  The red box with the "PD" marking shows that the postage was recognized as paid.  And then there's that additional marking in black ink:

The words "après le départ" translate to "after the departure."  Post offices had to set a cut-off time after which items could no longer be accepted for that day's scheduled conveyance.  Trains, in particular, had a schedule to keep and the mailbag had to be ready to go and be on time.

The individual who trotted in with this piece of mail was probably breathing heavily and might have even tried to convince the postal clerk that there must be some way to get it on that train.  But, alas!  They were too late, and the postal clerk made absolutely certain to document that fact by putting this marking boldly in the center of the address panel, for all to see.
 

Arrival at Tournay two days after mailing.

 The French postal service was sensitive about their reputation for timely mail service, so they applied an "Apres Le Depart" marking to any item that was received after the scheduled close of the mail.  It is important to recognize that the closing of the mail for a particular departure does not imply that the post office itself was closed for business.  In fact, some post offices had multiple mail closing times to reflect mail bound for different directions or conveyance methods.... or a different train on the schedule.

a sample train schedule from Basel (Switzerland) to Strasbourg (France)

I suppose two days for the delivery of a letter may not seem all that terrible in the grand scheme of things.  But, we need to remember that the post was the primary method of communication between businesses and time... as they say in business... is money.

The Dutch wanted timely mail too...

"Na posttijd" is translated literally as "after post time," which clearly fits the same purpose as the French marking shown above. This folded letter was mailed in Wageningen on September 6, 1858.

Wageningen and Arnhem were both located on an operating rail line at the time of the posting of this letter in 1858.  So, it seems that it is likely the na posttijd marking was an indicator that the mail train was missed.  Perhaps no such marking was used for coach or other service?

However, 20 km is equivalent to 4 Hollands Mijls, and each mijl was equivalent to roughly an hour long walk.  Technically, any service could have arrived at the destination in one day as long as the letter was received at the post office prior to the carrier's departure!  Sadly, I suspect no one was willing to walk this item to Arnhem, so it waited for the mail train that came through the next day and the letter arrived in Arnhem on September 7.

You might notice that this letter bears no postage stamps, something that is uncommon for items in my collection.  However, it was not at all uncommon in the 1850's for items to be mailed unpaid with the intent that the recipient pay the postage in order to take possession of the letter.  The large, penned "5" on the front of this letter indicated that the 5 Dutch cents of postage were due on delivery from the recipient.

Maybe it wasn't the sender's fault...

In 1855, Milan was part of Lombardy, which was considered a part of Austria.  Parma was a duchy ruled by a member of the Bourbon line, but had as recently as 1847 been ruled by a Habsburg.

Wait!  What's this Habsburg/Bourbon stuff?

If you are like me, I have only so much brainspace.  And references to the Bourbons and the Habsburgs don't mean much to me without a quick reminder - so maybe the same holds true for you?  The Bourbons have a French origin and the Bourbons in Parma were Spanish.  The Habsburgs, on the other hand, were Austrian (remember the Holy Roman Empire?). 

It is this Austrian connection that explains Parma's participation in a postal agreement (Austro-Italian League) that maintained favorable rates for mail between its members.  Members included Austria, the Kindgom of Lombardy & Venetia, Parma, Modena, Tuscany, and the Papal States.  

The letter below was sent from Milan (Lombardy) to Parma, which was both the name of the primary city and the duchy.  Mail between them could be prepaid at rates that were roughly equivalent to Austria's internal postage because they were part of this postal league.

Rail service was still extremely limited in the Italian states because Austria wanted to suppress development of anything that might support a growing sentiment for the unification of Italy.  It would not be until 1859 that the Milan-Bologna rail line, which ran through Parma and Modena, would be fully placed into service.  

This letter was mailed in 1855.  Perhaps there was a short railway spur in Milan that carried this item towards its destination.  But, it probably was carried in a mail coach most of the way to Parma.

Whether this folded letter was put on a train or not, there is a marking in Italian that reads "dopo la partenza" or "after departure."

There is a September 2 postmark in Milan followed by an arrival in Parma on September 4 for a 120 km trip - mostly by coach.  With an average speed of 8 km per hour, it would take 15 hours of continuous travel, but the dedicated mail coaches probably traveled faster than this. So, it is possible a person in Parma might expect to receive a letter from Milan in a single day.

So - perhaps there was another reason this letter was delayed?

 

There are two slits in this folded letter that are indicators that the item was disinfected at some point on its journey.

The third cholera pandemic had been particularly deadly in 1854 and reached places in Italy where it had not previously been found in the following year (see p 30 of the monograph linked here).  It was at this time that various individuals were discovering that contaminated water was the source for most outbreaks.  But, even so, disinfection of the mail continued, if only to show the public that something was being done to control the disease.

In fact, you can see that I featured this same cover in this Postal History Sunday that talked about treatments of the mail in attempts to halt disease.

So...it is possible the reason for the dopo la partenza marking had nothing to do with the late arrival of the sender at the post office and everything to do with the disinfection process itself.

Or maybe, we just missed the boat...

The letter below was mail in February of 1858 from Triest to Pola.  There was no active rail line between these two cities on the Istrian peninsula at that time and the entire area used Austria's postal services.

Nach Abgang Der Post

Triest was a major port city on the Adriatic Sea and there were significant business concerns that utilized mail services regularly in that community.  Pola, at the time this letter was written, was also a port city on the Adriatic*.    Sadly, the backstamp is not clear enough to determine the arrival date with certainty, though it looks like February 9 (after a Feb 6 sending date).   

Another postal service and another language.  This time, our marking on the letter is in German and it reads "nach abgang der post" which means "after the post has left."

It does not seem possible that this marking had anything to do with a train since I cannot find any record of railways there until decades later.  Of course, it is always possible that a mailcoach was missed, but I think that this letter may have missed the boat!

Both cities were reasonably significant ports on the Adriatic Sea and it seems reasonable to expect coastal steamers to carry mail between them.  It is also reasonable to expect that there were also mail coach routes.  So, I can't say for sure whether this missed the next scheduled boat or the next scheduled mail coach.  But, one thing is for sure - it missed something! 

*Pola is now a part of Croatia and is known as Pula.  The distance, via ground routes, is approximately 140 km between Trieste and Pola.

It's nice that you wanted to catch the Asia, but....

Persons who availed themselves of trans-Atlantic mail services in the 1860s were often well-versed in the comings and goings of the mail packets (ships) and would often write a directive on the envelope or wrapper for a particular ship sailing.  On the bottom left of the envelope shown below we see the words "p(er) Cunard Steamer Asia from Boston April 25."  The docketing at the left indicates that the contents were datelined April 24, 1866 but, sadly, the contents are no longer with the envelope.

Generally speaking, the postal clerks at exchange offices (those post offices that handled mail to and from countries outside the United States) were charged with getting the mail to the destination via the fastest available route.  So, the docket indicating which ship this item should sail on was not as necessary as it might have been in prior decades. Still the sender of this piece of mail found it necessary to try to show that an April 25 sailing departure was expected.  

Is it possible they put it there in an attempt to impress upon the recipient that if it did not go that way, the postal service might be to blame for any delay?

It was well known that Cunard Line sailings left on Wednesdays, alternating between Boston and New York.  The next available sailings (by other lines) were on Saturdays.  This Wednesday sailing was in Boston, but the letter was mailed in New York, which means the letter probably had to be in the New York exchange office on Tuesday (Apr 24) to reach the Wednesday ship departure in Boston*.  But, what happens when you get to the post office too late and the mailbags intended for the Cunard Line's Asia have been closed and are no longer available to stuff one more letter into them?  

Well, the postal clerk takes note of your intent for a April 25 departure by putting a marking that reads "Too Late" on the front of your piece of mail.  Then, he strikes the cover with a red New York marking with the date of the NEXT available sailing (April 28), providing an explanation to the recipient that it was NOT their fault that this item arrived a few days later. 

I wonder if the clerk would have bothered with the "Too Late" marking if the sender had not tried to place an intended departure date on the cover?  My guess is that they would not have done so.

*The Appletons' United States Postal Guide gives some of the postal schedules for some of the larger cities including New York and Boston.  However, it only provides a look at the Boston foreign mails and no mention is made of the New York foreign mails.  In Boston, letters destined for a New York sailing were to be posted no later than 7 pm the previous day.

------------------------

Well, once again, you have frittered away a chunk of time and politely listened (or read) while I shared something I enjoy.  I hope you found parts and pieces of it interesting and perhaps you learned something new.  I hope you join me next week for a new Postal History Sunday.

Hey!  Where did that wadded up ball of troubles go?  Oh, the elephant took it?  Ok, that's fine with me.

A Couple of Resources

There are numerous philatelic and postal history resources out in the world that have helped me get a foothold on some of the things I share here.  Here are two that had some influence on this week's Postal History Sunday.

"Appletons' United States Postal Guide - 1863," D. Appleton & Co, reprint by J. Lee

Lesgor, R, Minnigerode, M & Stone, R.G., "The Cancellations on French Stamps of the Classic Issues: 1849-1876," Nassau Stamp Company, 1948.

Having Fun Yet? - Postal History Sunday

I took a look at the calendar and, much to my surprise, it was Saturday already!  One day until Postal History Sunday!  So, what does the farmer do when he finds himself a day away from Postal History Sunday and he has yet to start on the current week's offering?

Well, one option, of course, is to panic.  But, I rejected that idea because the whole point is to enjoy sharing something with others and to learn something new.  So, my direction for this week's post became clear.  I'm going to have a little fun - and I hope you enjoy some of what I present too.

Things that Catch the Eye

If you are not a postal historian, you may find yourself wondering exactly what it is about the envelopes and wrappers I collect that attracts my attention.  Even if you ARE a postal historian, you may wonder why I choose to collect what I do.  And, I know people who read these blogs often wonder how I select the items that show up here.

One thing all sighted people can appreciate and understand would be visual appeal.  If it looks good or if it stands out in some fashion visually - it becomes a candidate for collecting and sharing.

The envelope above has outstanding visual appeal.  It is clean.  It is in excellent condition.  The hand writing is attractive.  The stamp is in excellent condition.  And it stands out because most envelopes are not colored all in black except for the address panel.

This piece was mailed in the early 1900s when the letter rate was 2 cents per ounce, yet there is a one cent stamp applied and it was apparently treated as having proper postage for it to be delivered.  The next clue is that the postmark shows it was mailed in Boston and the address panel IS Boston.  So, this was a local letter.  Sometimes local letters had special rates - hmmmm.

Well, the local letter rate for towns and cities that did NOT have mail carriers was 1 cent per ounce, maybe that's it?  Well, sorry to pop my own bubble, but Boston clearly did have mail carriers - so the rate for local mail in Boston was still 2 cents.  This leaves us with the likelihood that this was some sort of printed matter - an advertisement, or a society announcement of some sort that did not include a private message.  As a piece of printed matter, it qualified for the special, lower, third-class mail rate.

Sadly, the contents are gone, so it is likely that I won't figure out why the envelope is all black, but it sure does stand out from most other postal history in my collection!

Here's another one that stands out for me because I do grow vegetables at the Genuine Faux Farm.  The illustration is bright and attractive, making it stand out in a crowd of old envelopes.  Yes, it has a small chunk out at the bottom right and a hole just under the 2 cent stamp.  But, be honest, did you notice those problems until I pointed them out?

This is where I remind myself that postal history is the study of items that were used in the mail.  The envelopes were opened, sometimes roughly, to get to the contents.  Recipients were not concerned about some silly farmer 100 years later who finds joy in old envelopes and pieces of paper.

Instead, mail pieces were a resource to be used.  It was common practice for businesses and individuals to keep envelopes as a part of their transaction records.  Did you notice the pin in the first cover?

I have seen paper filing systems where the envelope and the contents were fastened together with a pin, with paper clips, and, of course, with staples.  I just found it fascinating that this particular envelope was freed from the items it had been attached to - but the pin was left with the envelope when it was made available to collectors.  And, I have no desire to remove it because it is more interesting this way to me!

The punch hole in the second cover is probably a filing artifact as well.  Multiple envelopes with their contents could be threaded with a string or wire in a drawer or cabinet.  If done in such a way where the hole did not go through the contents, a person could find an envelope on the string, remove the contents to view the required record and then put them back when done.  You could think of the envelope as a miniature filing folder.

Can I say for certain that this is exactly how each of these particular envelopes were treated?  Of course not.  But, I can say that I have seen each of these filing methods in person.  It's called putting 2 and 2 together.  Usually you get four.  But, sometimes you get five for extremely large values of two!

Things That Puzzle Me

I am also one of those odd people that enjoys a bit of a puzzle.  Now, before I get too far into this, we need to recognize that some things can be a puzzle for me and a simple answer for you (and vice versa).  In any event, I like learning new things and exploring within the realm of postal history.  So, here are a couple of examples:

This item was mailed in August of 1862 from Napoli (Italy) to Rome (Papal States).  It is a folded letter that bears three postage stamps from the Two Sicilies for a total of 5 grani in postage.  The big black scrawl in the middle of the envelope is the amount of postage due in Rome expressed in bajocchi.

***We interrupt this program for an explanation ***

Ok.  Wait a minute.  Perhaps we should recognize that you might not know what I mean by a grani or a bajocchi.

The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies operated with a monetary system based on the ducat, which could be divided into 100 grani. The Papal States were based on a scudo that was made of 100 bajocchi.  Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Italy - they used the Lira, which was equal to 100 centesimi.  It is important to remember that these currencies were not equivalent to each other, so one ducat was NOT the same as one scudo or one lira.  What did I say last week about monetary systems potentially giving a person a headache?

***and back to our scheduled program ***

Initially, this piece of postal history might be confusing to a person because, in our world, Napoli (Naples) and Rome are both in Italy.  So, if 5 grana was the correct rate for internal letter mail in Italy, you would think there wouldn't be any postage due, wouldn't you?

But, in 1862, Rome and the surrounding territory was independent from the rest of Italy.  In fact, the rest of Italy was still in the process of forming the Kingdom of Italy.  Southern Italy was a bit slower to adopt the Kingdom's postal and monetary systems, hence the continued use of their own stamps and the grana for the monetary unit instead of centesimi.

So, the point is - this was a piece of foreign letter mail.  Rome was a destination outside of the Two Sicilies and thus, the Kingdom of Italy, so it required MORE than internal postage.  But, because the Papal State had no agreement with the Kingdom of Italy to allow mail to be prepaid, mail could only be paid to the border.  

I told you all of that so I could say this: Five grani paid the internal mail rate from Napoli to the border with the Papal State (at Isoletta).  The recipient had to pay 12 bajocchi to collect the letter in Rome.

It seems that I have much of this one figured out, except for this.  I still have not quite figured out how Rome decided on the amount due.  Ah!  A puzzle that keeps on giving.

And then, there are puzzles that I have yet to make much headway on.  

I do pretty well with Northern Italy, but when it comes to Southern Italy, I am afraid I am still a bit lost.  Above is an item mailed from Venezia to Napoli (uh oh, there's Naples again!) in 1856.  At the time this letter was mailed, the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia was under Austria's control.  The Papal States actually included all of central Italy and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies encompassed the south.

There was no agreement between Austria and the Two Sicilies for the exchange of mail.  And any mail between the two would have to go through the Papal States if it was to use ground transportation.  Apparently, this one DID go through the Papal States.  The marking on the back that reads "Transito per lo Stato Pontif"  translates roughly to "transit via the Pontifical States."  It is my belief that this marking was placed on the letter at Ferrara, a city on the border between the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia and the Papal States at the time.

The real puzzle for me comes with figuring out how the postage due is calculated, once again.  The Two Sicilies determined postage by the number of sheets of paper that were in a letter, as compared to Austria and the Papal States that were using the weight of a letter to determine postage in 1856.  One day, I'll crack the code.  But, for now, I'm just working on the puzzle as I find time and inspiration (anyone out there have a pointer for me on this one?).

Things Where I Recognize Something Others Don't

How does a person, such as myself, manage to play in a sandbox where the cost to play can easily be higher than what I can afford to pay?  The simple answer is - it's not simple, you have to substitute capital with knowledge AND you have to accept that you cannot do everything you might want to do.

But, over time, knowledge will pay off.

Here is an envelope mailed from the United States in 1867. It bears a 24 cent stamp and a 3 cent stamp, for a total of 27 cents in postage.  The cover itself is not particularly pretty.  The markings are not as clear as I would like.  But, it had a 24 cent stamp on it, which always encourages me to look more.  It was in combination with a 3 cent stamp, which usually tells me this would be a letter to Belgium.  And, if it was to Belgium, I would probably pass. 

Here is what caught my attention next.

It was the way the letter "V" in "Via" was written.  I had seen this style of writing in Dutch internal letters of the period in Holland.  The numeral "5" in red also reminded me of some of the credit and due markings found there.

Aha!

So, this letter was to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  The 27 cent rate to prepay the postage from the US to Holland was available from July of 1866 to December of 1867, and it apparently was not used often.  There was, at the point I noticed this item, exactly one other example of this rate known to me.  Could there be more?  Of course.  But, I have enough knowledge to know there won't be many.

Now - watch this - pride goeth before the fall.  Now that I put this out there, someone will show twenty examples of this sort of item and they'll ALL look better than mine.  But, until that happens, I'll stick by my story.  Building up your knowledge and knowing what to look for is the best way to find interesting and enjoyable pieces of postal history.

Things That Tell A Story

Of course, I also love finding things that have the promise of a good story behind them.

Things like this one!

Ok.  It's also a puzzle.  But, the real fun will be in telling a "merry chase" story, as can be evidenced by the back.

There is so much here, that this particular piece of letter mail will merit its own Postal History Sunday.  But, a very brief explanation is that the 1866 envelope shown above was sent from the United States to Bremen via the mail convention between the two postal services.  The initial destination was Heilbronn in Wurttemburg using the 15 cent per half ounce rate.  The 24 cent stamp obviously overpays that amount.  Clearly, the addressee was no longer in Heilbronn and a merry chase ensues!

Another item that is begging me to research and tell it story is shown below:

This is a 1945 letter that had to work to find Private Agee.  This also is a likely qualifier for a merry chase.  But, because of the military connection at the end of World War II, there are potentially many other story lines that might be uncovered.

Then there is this folded letter, mailed from France to Newcastle, England in 1867.  So, why is the name "Cowen" ringing a bell for me here?  For some unknown reason, I remember reading or hearing about the "Blaydon Brick."  As a result, when I noticed this business letter involving the Cowen family's brickmaking, it intrigued me.  Once again, I suspect we'll hear more about this one in a future Postal History Sunday.

Did I Learn Something New Today?

A couple of weeks ago, someone asked me what I learned that was new after writing that post for the week.  I can't remember what I gave for an answer, but I thought I would share a "something new" I learned as I researched and wrote today's post.

If you will recall, this envelope was initially addressed to Heilbronn.  For some reason, I was familiar with the location, but I could not think why that might be.  It turns out that my first exposure to it might be through a Sherlock Holmes movie where the villain Moriarty gains control of a munitions factory in that area. It is possible that the fictional Meinhard Munitions in the Holmes movie was loosely based off of the company founded by Franz Mauser in 1812.

As a bonus, it turns out that Napoleon used Heilbronn as an early munitions depot in the early 1800s.

Looking Ahead

Well, that certainly was fun to do!  I hope you enjoyed it and maybe you even learned something new.

As some have noted, Postal History Sunday posts can often be a bit more than a quick moment or two of research and writing.  There are times when I have more energy and time for it, and others when I do not.  Hence the reason I actually have a dozen or more posts in varying stages of development just so things are ready for the alignment of both the time and the energy!

Coming up in the not so distant future:

• A look at a piece of mail sent during the Cariboo Gold Rush in the 1860s
• Another merry chase that starts in north Africa and lands in Italy.
• A survey of the shipping companies that took mail across the Atlantic in the 1860s
• And we'll take a foray into mail with connections to education
• We'll even have a PHS dedicated to fertilizer.... take that how you will.
• And, yes, we may even get the Blaydon Brick post done someday!
  

Thank you again for joining me.  I hope you have a fine rest of your day and an excellent week to come.