NEWSOLDIER STAMP

CATALOGUE1914 -18

1939 -45

NOS. 73/74/75 1978

By H.SULSER

Most of our readers alreadyknow about this superb work andhave ordered their copies. Ifanyone is still hesitating (orby chance does not have fulldetails) please contact us with-out delay. The Catalogue iscompletely sold out at the pub-lishers and with orders stillcoming from overseas our ownsupplies will not last muchlonger. Mr.Sulser informsus that there will be no re-print but that he is actuallyengaged in collecting addit-ional information (oftenkindly sent in by readers) fora supplement, in a year or so,which will also include pricechanges. Even before thepublication of this Catalogueit was virtually impossibleto buy Soldier Stamp materialon the market. Prices paidat Swiss Auctions would not

have permitted us to sell at current prices. We can still offer Approvals, but from a fastdwindling stock.

Price for the two volumes, post free by second class post is £ 13.30 ($ 26.00).

If the above headline seems familiar we do not apologise.For collectors of Swiss Stamps on both sides of the Atlanticthe quite exceptionally large movements between Swiss Franc,Pounds and Dollars (be they US or Canadian) can be a sourceof irritation; but, if properly understood, they can alsobe turned into a source of considerable gain.

It is not often understood that, without actually buyingfrom Switzerland, the level of the Swiss Franc determinesprices of Swiss Stamps internationally. Even the littledealer who does not daily consult his newspaper to studyexchange-rates soon learns that Continental Dealers do notmind paying high prices - because they can buy Pounds andDollars cheaply.

Why is the Swiss Franc so much stronger than other currencies(even against the so envied German Mark)? The answer issimple: There is no inflation at all in Switzerland - evenlast year's 1% has been wiped out! Swiss Francs thereforekeep their purchasing power, while other currencies do not.

On pages 10 and 11 you will see our annual price index for across section of Swiss Stamps. This index was compiled inSeptember 1977 when £ 1 was equal to SFr 4.20 and $ 1 toSFr 2.37. Now (on January 12th 1978) £ 1 is worth onlySFr 3.81 and $ 1 only SFr 1.99:! This represents a rise inthe value of the Swiss Franc of 9% against the £ and 16%against the $, in less than four months.

When will it end? Not until there is Nil inflation inEngland, the USA and in Canada.

IT FOLLOWS THAT PRICES FOR SWISS STAMPS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE.

H.L.K.

Stamp Printers to the World

"Reprinted by kind permissionfrom The American Philatelist"

La Chaux-de-Fonds, a name that is as musical tothe ears as its location is pleasing to theeyes (in one of the loveliest spots in theNeuchatel Jura Mountains), is a little city inSwitzerland that is world famous for precisionindustries - watches and intricate watch-makingmachines. La Chaux-de-Fonds also is the homeof the fabulous Helio-Courvoisier, stampprinters of 63 nations on five continents ofthe world.

La Chaux-de-Fonds, literally translated fromthe French as meaning a pasture at the troughof a valley is a city of about 43,000 in-habitants, twenty five kilometers fromNeuchatel (the capital of the canton of thesame name in the foothills of the Swiss Jura).Delightfully situated on the crest of a seriesof slowly rising hills amidst the lush country-side, it is a most unlikely setting for theseindustries; but like so much of what one seesin Switzerland, the pastoral location concealsthe art and technology that have made thislittle country in western Europe the envy ofits formidable competitors throughout themajor industrial countries of the world.

It has been my good fortune to have hod the"once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity to visitCourvoisier on two occasions and to have hadpersonally conducted tours through the plant,which ordinarily are not available to thechance visitor. I was able to talk withmanagement and plant personnel and thus learnfirsthand the many things that have madeCourvoisier unique among the giants of thegraphic arts that print stamps for the postalservices of the world.

As companies are measured, Courvoisier is nota large security printing plant. It has fewerthan 100 employees; however, the expertise ofthese and of the hundreds of people thatpreceded them in the 96 years of the firm's

history has created an esprit de corps, and aprinting technology that has enabled the organ-ization to outstrip the output of many much

by S.S. Kahn

larger plants with double or even triple thenumber of employees.

To better understand this unique, internation-ally famous firm and how Courvoisier achievedits well-deserved reputation for quality andintegrity of its product, we must delvebriefly into the family that gave its name tothis enterprise.

The name "Corvoisier" now "Courvoisier",first appeared in print in the register ofcopyholders of Blaise Hory who was ClerkBourgeois, Counsellor of Neuchatel, in 1507.In 1806 there appeared on advertisement ofone Philippe Courvoisier in a local news-paper offering a stock of hats and bonnetsfor women and children. Later he becameassociated with the publisher of the paperand, in time, he became the owner. His son,Eugene Courvoisier, followed in his father'sfootsteps and initiated for the first timein a publication the serialization of a book,Dumas's Count of Monte Cristo, whichappeared in 1846.

The sons of Eugene, Paul and Alexandresucceeded their father in the operation ofthe publishing plant, and in 1881 establisheda new independent newspaper L'Impartial whicheventually came under the sole management ofAlexandre. Many innovations were introducedby Alexandre, and his name and the publica-tion gained stature throughout the region.Alexandre was succeeded by his sons, Henriand Paul. The latter's son-in-law, GuidoEssig-Courvoisier, was taken into theorganisation and his contribution, amongmany others, was the creation of a helio-gravure department that improved the facilitesof the publishing plant and made it possibleto handle work that could not be performed onthe newspaper presses.

The business continued to grow and prosper;in 1929, a new and improved photogravurepress was purchased. Unfortunately, thisacquisition come at the wrong time becausethe world was sliding rapidly into the morassof financial depression. Switzerland soonfelt the effects of the depression, and thewatch-making industry in the Chaux-de-Fondsarea suffered particularly badly. The plansthat Courvoisier had envisaged and promptedthem to buy the new press had to be curtailed.Seven employees who had been trained to oper-ate the press were in danger of losing theirjobs because there was no work in sight forthem.

Fabulous Courvoisier

How They Began With Stamps

The Courvoisier organization is aclosely knit family. The owners,managers, and personnel are unitedby ties of consanguinity, marriage,loyalty, and mutual interest. Henceanything that may affect adversely

one individual affects them all. So, when theowners foresaw that the economic conditionswhich were rapidly worsening would soon forcethem to dispense with the services of theirseven pressmen, it was imperative that some-thing be done immediately or these peoplewould be deprived of their livelihood throughno fault of their own. Therefore, the ownersspent much time in a compassionate program,searching for ideas that could be translatedinto work for the presses and thus enable thecompany to keep their loyal employees on thepayroll.

Many ideas were considered and discarded; buteventually their search for a workable projectbore fruit. The printing of postage stampsseemed the perfect solution to the problem. Itwas a happy thought; but as they investigatedthe proposed project in detail, they soonlearned that stamp printing was fraught with ahost of problems which never before had con-fronted them in their publishing business.

The logical first customer was the SwitzerlandPostal Service. The Swiss government printedpostage stamps in their own mint by intaglioor typography; photogravure was a process thatwas different from both and required a greatdeal of skill which the mint did not possess.Thus, the postal officials had to be con-vinced that the process would be acceptable ata par with other methods in use, and thatCourvoisier had the capabilities of handlingall of the collateral functions such as theuse of special paper, gumming, perforating,packing, shipping, and of course, the matterof security.

Courvoisier received its first contract fromthe Swiss postal administration in 1930 andthen, with the usual Swiss progressiveness,satisfactorily analyzed and solved eachproblem as it became apparent.

At last the company was in the stamp printingbusiness, and the first order was for the ProJuventute issue of 1931 (Nos.57 - 59), threesingle-colour semi-postals. Since the firstPro Juventute set was printed, Courvoisierhas enjoyed orders from the Swiss PTT for mostof the semi-postal stamps that have beenprinted by photogravure. Now Switzerland hasthese and most of the commemorative stamps ofthe country printed by Courvoisier.

Liechtenstein, with its close customs andpostal ties with Switzerland, was the second

customer for the company. The first series ofstamps was made in 1933; and since 1935 themajority of Liechtenstein stamps produced byphotogravure have been made by Courvoisier.

The high quality of the printing soon attractedthe eyes of officials of other countries, andthe Grand Duchy of Luxembourge placed its firstorder in 1935 and has been a steady customerever since.

Swiss PTT Maintains Security

Security was of primary importance, and thiswas a function of the Swiss Postal Officials,who not only established the procedures thatgoverned the security supervision of the plant,but also saw that they were implemented bygovernment security agencies.

The special paper made to the specificationsof the Swiss postal administration is a farcry from the sulphite paper used in theprinting of a newspaper. Two kinds of paperare presently in use: 1) For printing Swissstamps, a type of stock called "granite"with violet fibres and containing flourescentadditives was employed until recently. Thepaper now used is a white postage stamp papercontaining luminous substance with or withoutfibres. 2) For printing stamps for othercountries, a type of granite paper is alsoused, only with fibres of different colours.In both instances, the paper is sent from thepaper manufacturers to the printing plant. Allstamps produced by Courvoisier are printed onpregummed paper.

There are two types of gumming: one fortropical use that has a high resistance to"blocking" caused by humidity, and the othermore suited for use in other areas of theworld. The gummed paper is delivered toCourvoisier in rolls weighing about 100 Kilo-grams each. They are stored in a securityroom where temperature and humidity of the airare controlled to exceedingly close limits.Each roll of paper must have the same co-efficient of expansion and contraction; other-wise, when the printed design is applied theregistration of suceeding colours would givea blurred impression. Thus, the importanceof aging the paper under controlled conditionsis understandable.

From time to time, certain rolls of paper maybe deficient in their moisture content andthus have characteristics that would notmeasure up to the standards required for thejob. In such instances, the paper is rerolled

on another spindle, and the paper in thewinding process is sprayed with steam toachieve the desired moisture level.

Helio-Courvoisier is managed by André Tripet.He came to Courvoisier from the Swiss Diplo-matic Corps, where he had first represented hiscountry as Chargé d'Affaires to Congo (nowZaire) and eight other African states.Previously he was posted in Canada for severalyears. His last mission took place in Cubaas Chargé d'Affaires of Switzerland and chiefof the Swiss Service of Foreign Interests,responsible for the defence of the interestsof the United States and ten Latin Americancountries. During the late 1960's, he wasespecially helpful to the hundreds of Americansand others who had the unfortunate experienceof being marooned in Cuba after their planeshad been hijacked and the hijacker soughthaven in Cuba. His experience in handlingdiplomatic situations has been most helpfulto his company in negotiations with the Postalservice administrations and the civil servantsof the many countries served by Courvoisier.

The co-director in the organization is MaxFrei, whose many years of experience in thefine-printing industry has brought theexpertise to the company that has been mainlyresponsible for the high degree of perfectionin the product that it produces. These twomen, in great measure, have been responsiblefor the maintenance of the traditions thathave done so much to foster the increasedstature of Courvoisier in the field that it soadmirably serves.

Tripet Featured SpeakerAt U.S. Postal Symposium

The business of making postage stamps is far Ifrom being an easy one, even though to stampcollectors it appears to be a most glamourousoccupation. Tripet was a featured speaker atthe ceremony dedicating the opening of theHelio-Courvoisier Stamp Exhibit sponsored bythe United States Postal Service in the Post-master General's Reception Room at Washingtonon February 2, 1973. In his address he stated,in effect, "that were it not for stamp collec-tors there would be no need for Cour-voisier or others like it. The collector ismost discerning in his ability to judge andappraise quality and to cherish the beautyof artistry that is the hallmark of perfec-tion in a postage stamp....he has no equal."He went on to say "This hobby of stamp collect-ing raised to the height of a science is nownearly one and a third centuries old; it isthe most popular hobby in theworld and shows no signs ofdeclining. As a matter offact, with the increased de-gree of specialization, greaterattention is being given to all

aspects of production- including gumming,perfection of perfor-ating, printing tech-niques, and design(all of which imposegreater demands onthe stamp printer).

Thus the importance of the postage stamp liesnot only as a receipt indicating prepayment ofpostage; but it is also as a most amazingmedium for the diffusion of cultural, spiritualhistorical, artistic, scientific, economic,political, and social values of the countrythat it represents. The stamp becomes amagnificent representation of human traditions.What more can be asked of a bit of printedpaper? It is for these reasons that thepostage stamp in its way represents the soulof the country that issues it."

The Evolution of a Stamp

The first step in the design of thestamp, after its conception by theartist, is to translate the embryoidea into a workable project. Thepostal service of the country thatplaces orders with Courvoisieroften prepares its own artworkwhich is in the form of a painting or photo-graphic reproduction.

In numerous cases, however, these designscannot be used in the way they are preparedand necessitate adaptation. The demandingrequirements of the printing process and theneeds of artistry require the knowledge andexperience gained from printing billions ofstamps to translate the original concept intoa design that can be miniaturized yet whichretains all of the features of the originalartwork. Furthermore, the problem is com-pounded by the fact that the design must bereproduced by the millions without the loss ofessential detail.

Courvoisier's art department is staffed withartists skilled in the execution of originaldesigns and in the adaptation of the client'sartwork to the rigid requirements of theprinting process. The size of the artwork,as it is originally received, may be anywherefrom four to ten times the format of the stampthat it will eventually portray. Thus, everydetail must be scrutinized carefully to besure that the clarity and effectiveness willnot be lost when it is reduced in dimensionsto stamp-size. Here is where the consummateskill of the retoucher is of paramount im-portance. If the stamp scene is a landscape,special care must be taken to reshape theclouds for the reduction in size and intensity;leaves and branches of the trees must be limi-ted in size and number; certain lines must beaccentuated whereas others must be softened.

The sum total is a design which, when re-duced to stamp-size, retains the identityand strength of the original yet permits theprinted reproduction faithfully to portraythe original concept.

The printing process used by Courvoisier iscalled, in French, "helio-gravure" which inessence is a form of intaglio or recess en-graving combined with a photographic trans-fer used for the implementation of thedesign onto the printing surface.

The rotary presses used in the Courvoisierplant were designed, engineered, and builtin their own shops and incorporate many uniquefeatures that are necessary to produce thesuperb quality of their product. The press-room is air conditioned with a carefully con-trolled humidity content. Thepress, when it is in operationproduces heat from unavoid-able friction of the compon-ents. This heat causes aninfinitesimal expansion of thevarious units; and this expan-sion of the parts produces variation in thedimensions of the printing rollers, the fluid-ity of the inks and the paper (all of whichhave different coefficients of expansion andall of which contribute to minute variationsin the registration of successive colour im-pressions). For a single-colour stamp, thisposes no problem; but when two or more coloursare superimposed one onto another, the regis-tration faults quickly become apparent. Thuselectronic controlled sensors monitor themovement of sensitive parts and make theminute corrections necessary to have perfectalignment of the impressions.

The gummed paper in roll form is fed into thepress at one end, and the paper emerges at theopposite end in the form of perforated sheetsof stamps. Each sheet is numbered and control-led as it leaves the press and is stacked readsto be packed and shipped to the Swiss postalheadquarters in Berne where it undergoes finalcontrol. A miraculous achievement, when theoperation of these presses is compared to thesingle-colour press that was used in printingthe first Swiss stamp.

Helio-gravure is the process of photographingthe finished artwork onto a chemically pre-pared film which then is transferred to asensitized sheet. This is a positive image.It is next transferred to a copper roller whichafter acid etching, becomes the negative. Theetched area is below the surface of the rollerand this etched space retains the ink when theroller comes in contact with the ink reservoirSurplus ink is removed from the surface of theprinting roller by means of a device known as

a doctor blade. Helio-gravure is readily dis-tinguishable from the photolithographicprocess commonly used in printing postagestamps as the image is screened with micro-scopic dots appearing diagonallyin regular lines and forming ahoneycomb pattern of ink-holdingdepressions, the edges of thedesign have a soft unbroken con-tour.

Colour separation is made byphotographing the artwork throughfilters that eliminate the unwanted colours.Thus, a plate is needed for each colour inproducing multi-coloured stamps.

One of the interesting features of the Cour-voisier printing system is the perforation ofthe stamps. Each stamp, whether it be a singlespecimen in a souvenir sheet or 100 stamps ina sheet, is mathematically centered in rela-tion to the four sides. The perforation isone of the last operations done on the press,and it precedes the final numbering and sheet-cutting stations.

The perforating process is performed while theprinted paper stock is moving, so perfectsynchronization of the perforating machineryand the movement of the paper is essential.Otherwise, the holes in the paper made by thepins would be elongated. This synchronizationis accomplished by machines perfected byCourvoisier.The ink used in stamp printing means littleto the collector. His concern is that stampcolours are resistant to light to preventfading from exposure to ultra-violet light.They must resist oxidation to avoid discolour-ation from the atmosphere, and they should notfade nor should the colour run (bleed) if,after being canceled, they are soaked free fromthe paper to which they may have been affixed.

But to the stamp printer, inaddition to these attributes, awhole technology is involved inthe production and use of printinginks. The physical and chemicalproperties must be maintainedwithin exceedingly close limits.

One batch of ink used in producing one issueof stamps must be identical with the batch that

preceded it. The one that follows must beidentical to all the others in the same print-ing. The ink must flow smoothly and have goodcovering power. Some inks are opaque whereasothers are translucent or transparent. Theinks must be absorbed and dry quickly whenapplied to the paper. If one colour isprinted over another to obtain a third colour,!the base colour cannot be the dominant shade.The matching of tints is exceedingly important.(Once a colour is selected and used in printing

and a further printing is required, the secondrun must match exactly the first in tint, hue,and intensity. Any variation of these threecomponents will make a marked difference inthe appearance of the stamps, and the collect-or will be the first to notice the variation.

Metallic inkes are radically different frominks containing dyes or coloured pigments;actually they contain metallic particles sus-pended in the ink menstrum. As the metallicparticles are microscopic bits of metal, theyhave great opacity; this is the reason whythese inks are used in blanking out areas inthe event of the necessity of overprinting,such as a new surcharged value.

Courvoisier has its own printing ink labor-atory that establishes criteria and inspect-ion procedures for ink suppliers. Thus, thequality of the ink is controlled so that eachcolour used in printing a stamp has the sameshade and intensity of every other stamp ofthat issue.

The security arrangements in effect at Cour-voisier are unique. All aspects of guardingthe integrity of the printer are undertakenby the Swiss Postal Administration. Thisrequires the Swiss Postal Administration to berepresented within the quarters of the estab-lishment, and this staff has the supervisionof every phase of the stamp printing opera-tion, including protecting the paper from thetime it leaves the mill to be stored and agedfinally in Courvoisier's warehouse. All make-ready sheets and paper that is spoiled, soiledor misprinted (one way or another) are collect-ed and stored in locked containers to be del-ivered to PTT headquarters in Berne, where itis weighed and then burned. Included are thepunched discs from the perforating operation.

Whenever stopped, presses are locked and se-cured with a seal applied by the Swiss PTTofficer. Only this delegate can break theseals. This same precaution is applied to theprinting rolls. When not in use, they arestored in safe; and each roll is provided witha metallic tape that carries a seal that canbe broken only by the Swiss postal authorities.

No Reprints Possible

Once a stamp run has been completed, the rol-lers bearing the photogravure images, are putinto o lathe and the image is removed by acutting tool. The roller is then shavedsmooth, reconditioned by electroplating, andpolished to be used again in printing otherstamps. Thus, there are no rollers that canbe used for reprinting obsolete stamps. Allof this is done in the presence of a SwissPost Office security officer.

As mentioned previously, the final printingoperation is the numbering of each sheet be-fore it is cut from the roll, and the fini-

shed stamps are put into specially made steelcontainers and then sealed. They are thendelivered to the PTT offices in Berne. TheSwiss Postal Administration has full controlover the entire output of postage stamps

whether it is for the Swiss Postal Serviceor for any other of Courvoisier's manycustomers throughout the world.

From 1931, when Courvoisier first startedstamp production, there have been hardly anymisprints and no theft of unfinished orfinished stamps from the establishment.Nothing of this nature has marred the inte-grity of the organization - a record that maybe unmatched by any stamp printer in theworld, which is another reason why thecompany has been held in such high esteem bycollectors and government agencies everywhere.

From time to time, Courvoisier has beenapproached by concerns or private individualswho have expressed interest in having the firmproduce stamps for certain unnamed countries.None of these proposals has been accepted,because Courvoisier does not deal throughintermediaries; business is conducted directlywith sovereign countries through theirregularly appointed civil servants. This isanother reason why Courvoisier has a spotlessphilatelic record.

Neither has Courvoisier produced proofs fordistribution. Such proofs that are necessaryto conduct normal business operations remainin the company archives. Stamps marked"Specimen" that exist may be distributedthrough UPU channels by the country that issu-ed them, but of course not by Courvoisier.

Courvoisier often is represented at theinternational exhibitions sponsored by theFederation Internationale de Philatelie,which are held periodically around the world.Specimens of Courvoisier's work in tastefullydesigned folders are regularly sent to postaladministrations. These booklets containrecently issued stamps that proudly displaythe superb quality of the firm's handicraft.Incidentally, the stamps in these bookletsgenerally are allocated by the principals oron certain occasions must be purchased byCourvoisier from the various countries thatthey print stamps for, because they cannot betaken from production runs. The bookspresented in this manner often find their wayinto philatelic commercial channels and aremuch esteemed by collectors. Likewise, the

(Concluded on Page 11)

Swiss Proofs by R. F. BULSTRODE, O. B. E.continued fromNOS. 67/68/69PART 7

EssaysSince starting this series of articles in 1968the author has been lucky enough to be able toexamine many more rare and interesting items.Amongst the Rayon Its quite the most excitingis a print in black, on yellow paper withoutthe red shield. The paper is more orange-yellowthan that of the one with the red shield andalso slightly thicker. It is a beautiful print,not from one of the issued stones.

Amongst the Standing Helvetia proofs in black onwhite card the 30c., 50c. and 1 Fr. are the mostdifficult to come by. Of the 3 Fr. a fascina-ting item has recently been seen, consisting oftwo pairs in intense black with a white gutterbetween them measuring 31.7 mm. across. This isthe breadth of the gutter separating two panesof 100 on the plate from which these stamps wereprinted. The chances against survival of suchan item, to say nothing of its recognition, mustbe enormous: There must have been more than oneprinting of this particular proof, as the ink isappreciably blacker than that of other specimensseen. None of these proofs on card should beconfused with those on paper, also in black,which are of nothing like the same high standarcLike the issued stamps the proofs did not havethe same die for all values so that differencesin detail between some of the values are to beexpected.

An unexpected Standing Helvetia Essay, apparent-ly not previously recorded, has turned up. Thisis an unissued 40c. of the normal layout butslightly flamboyant details to the framework attop and bottom. The author's copy is in steel-blue on card, and about three other copies havebeen heard of in rather similar colours; it isevidently a really rare item. The PTT have asmall sheet of the design in steel-grey with anote that it was used for the first trials ofthe Oerlikon recess printing plant in 1904 fromplates by Girardet (steel engraved recess print-ing). The dates of the die and plate areapparently unknown.

Of the Libertas Essay, which preceded the Stand-ing Helvetias and provided the frame, figures ofvalue, and general layout, two interesting itemshave been seen. These are both apparently two-colour prints of the 25c. value using the"unissued" central oval, without "Libertas" inthe diadem. Close inspection showed that one isindeed a two-colour print on one piece of paper,but the other turned out to be two separateprints with the central oval perfectly located in

the frame and hinged so that it can be liftedleaving the "picture frame" blank! The qualityof the prints is so good that they are probably"official".

The study of Swiss Proofs and Essays will continueto provide fascinating problems for generationsto come. They are always providing new andexciting questions and, more rarely (!) intrigu-ing answers, some of which produce knowledgepreviously unpublished.

The question of the status of various items canbe dealt with in general terms, but the finaldecision what to collect and what to leave forothers must rest with each individual collector.The highest status must go to artists' originalsketches of issued stamps; obviously the origi-nal supply was minute and the proportion tosurvive and "escape" equally tiny, particularlyamongst the "earlies", so that most of us willnever see them except perhaps in national colle-ctions. Next come the early Essays up to 1850,mostly amongst the major rarities; here onemust be cautious not only for forgeries but alsofor bogus items, some of which are themselves soearly and so rare as to be "collectable" intheir own right. This applies particularly tothe "Tessin" stamp, wholly bogus, based on the"Neuchatel" issue of 1850, lithographed in Lyonsand very rarely seen on the market.

Of the Strubels and Sitting Helvetias originalproofs are real treasures, but normal printingtrials are mostly relatively "easy", due toinadequate control at the printing works and inmany cases to thefts from the Post Office archi-ves - to say nothing of unauthorised gifts -before their superb collection came under adequ-ate supervision. With these issues, and evenmore with the Standing Helvetias and Figures ofValue much the same applies, but the lists ofavailable colours are far from complete as moreand more turn up, with and without control markand various papers. The "Paris Prints" of theStanding Helvetia 25 and 40c., last type in eachcase, cannot be regarded as proofs in the accept-ed sense, since they are printed absolutelywithout official authority. They are generallygood prints, in every possible colour and onmany different papers, sometimes in most effect-ive colour combinations.

(To be continued)

WalterMittelholzer PTT New Issue ProgrammeHINTS FROM A PRESS CONFERENCEHELD ON JULY 21ST, 1977 AT THEP.T.T. MUSEUM IN BERN.

Walter Mittelholzer Born 2 April 1894 atSt.Gall. A photographer by trade, he beganhis brilliant aviation career by joining thearmy's flying corps as an observer in 1915 andacquiring his pilot's licence two years later.After the war he and his former flight instruc-tor, Comte, founded the first Swiss airline,which in 1920 merged with other companies intoAd Astra Aero. Mittelholzer ran its aerialphotography division until, in 1931, he wasappointed managing director and chief pilot ofSwissair, which had been formed by a merger ofAd Astra and Bolair. He became widely knownfor his pioneer flights across Spitsbergen(1923), to Persia (1924/25), to Africa (1926/27: first north-south crossing; 1929: Kili-manjaro), and to Abyssinia (1934), some ofwhich are described in his travel books. Hedied in a mountaineering accident in Austriaon 9 May 1937.

To commemorate Mittelholzer's historic flightfrom Zurich to Cape Town, the first North-Southcrossing of the African continent by air, theP.T.T. officially sanctioned four flights, onFebruary 13th 1977, as follows: Zurich - CairoZurich - Gao, Zurich - Nairobi, Zurich - CapeTown. The four special flight covers are eachfranked with two copies of the Fr 1.50 Mittel-holzer stamp and cancellations depict Africanwild life and Mittelholzer's first sea plane.A historic set which must be represented inevery airmail collection. Our price: £8 forthe set of four covers.

A publicity conference took place to which allthe media were invited. Generaldirektor GuidoNobel, the highest authority in the Swiss PostOffice, personally released highly interestinginformation. He admitted that the P.T.T. re-garded philatelists as their most demandingbut also best customers, who annually spendabout 20 million Swiss Francs on New Issues(approximately £ 5 million, $ 9 million). Thisenormous sum underlines the popularity ofSwiss stamps. The New Issue programme for thecoming years was openly discussed: Definitivedesigns for the low values up to Fr 1.- willbe changed every four years. There ispopular demand for such changes, as long asthey do not tak the pocket too highly. Simi-larly, there will be a four-year cycle ofdesigns for the Pro Juventute and Pro Patriaissues. After 1977's roses (to commemorate65 years of Pro Juventute stamps) will followfour years of Municipal Arms. The castleseries of Pro Patric stamps continues until1979. No subject has yet been chosen for theyear 1980 and onwards.

Nearer at hand is the 1978 programme whichwill be as follows: March 9th: Publicitystomps; 4 values 20, 40, 70 and 80c. and onthe same day a Miniature Sheet for theLemanex Stamp Exhibition with a face valueof Fr 5.- and depicting ships from SwissLakes (this promises to a very popular sheet);the Pro Patria, Europa and Pro Juventute setsat their usual time and on September 14th twosets: Second Publicity which will consist ofthree different 40c. stamps, printedSe-Tenant; a Portraits series of 4 values: 20,40, 70 amd 80c. The famous Portraits will bethose of Abbe Joseph Bovet, Henri Dunant,C.G.Jung and Auguste Piccard.

Finally, a look into 1979 where possibly thelowest value (Fr 3.-) of the Evangelistsseries in the Architecture and Applied Artdesign. It was stressed that the other threeEvangelists stamps will not, for the timebeing, be "in danger".

THE REVENUE STAMPSOF BASEL CITY

Compiled by Wing Commander R.F. Bulstrode, O.B.E.

PART 2

During the second World War the "KantonaleZentralstelle für Kriegswirtschaft" (CantonalWar Economy Office) issued some sets whichappear not to have been fully listed yet. Thethree sets mentioned here are all printed inblack on coloured paper, and all bear serialnumbers - of five figures for the first setand six for the other two. The first setbears the name of the issuing office, Basel-Stadt, the Bishop's Crozier and the value;listed by Schaufelberger are five values ofwhich 30c. green and 50c. red seem the mostoften seen; like the other sets these are im-perforate at the sides but perf. top andbottom. The next set, large stamps measuring4cm. square are inscribed "KZK Basel-StadtBrennstoffzentrale" as a heading and"Ausgleichsgebühr für Gasholz", showing thatthey were issued by the Fuel Office to collecta fee on timber used for gas production; valuesso far seen are 50c. for 100Kg., on ochre;Fr 5.- for 1000Kg., on grey-brown; Fr 25.- for

5000Kg., on green. The next set, of the somedimensions and the same heading as well as"Ausgleichsgebühr auf ausserkantonalemHolzbezug", represents a fee for timber import-ed to the Canton; values seen are Fr 1.50for 100Kg., on pink and Fr 3.- for 200Kg onblue. Other values may well exist for thesetwo sets.

In 1884 a set of eleven oblong pale blue stampswas issued labelled "Obligationen-stempel" atthe foot. These were used to collect a fee onPromissory Notes and Shares; each value incor-porates a statement of the value of the trans-action involved, the 10c. being valid to Fr 200and the Fr 30 from Fr 49,000 to Fr 50,000.There are many varieties of shade and two perf-orations, of which 11Z is relatively easy tocomplete and 13 distinctly difficult.

The first of the "Borderauxstempel" (Contractstamps) were also issued in 1884, in six valuesall in light brown with considerable shadevarieties; like the preceding issue each valueshows the value of the transaction involved,

and again perforations 11+ and 13 are available,both being fairly easy to get; imperforatevalues are also known but are rare. A newdesign appeared in 1899 in which the backgroundis lilac-brown with considerable shadevarieties; the value is in black for thecentime values and in red for the franc items;the Fr 2.- value was issued with the figureeither to the right or left of the centralbishop's crozier, the "Fr" being the other side;two perforations exist, 111 and 121 with nogreat difference in rarity for most values,though "2 Fr" seems difficult in 11Z - if itexists. Schaufelberger states that an issueof the same design but more finely executedand with a grill background appeared in 1914,but did not know which values were produced;these must be rare as up to the present we havenot found any!The "Stempelmarken" (Tax stamps) of 1884provide a puzzle. According to both Forbinand Schaufelberger three values were issued,10, 20 and 40c., perfs. 11 and 13, all ingreen. In fact two distinct printings existfor each value; in one the background behindthe central basilisk is pale green and appearsto be part of the main lithographic stone, butin the other the background is yellow-greenand from a second stone.

The Stemplemarken design in use from 1899 toabout 1930, similar to the 1899 Bordereauxissue, is more complex than the cataloguesuggests. As listed there are two of the 10c.,differing in the figures of value, and thewhole set exists perf.13; Schaufelbergerlists the second 10c. and the 40c. alsoperf.11, but in fact at least the 20 and 60c.and 30Fr. exist in that perf.; how many othervalues con be found perf.11? In 1914, perf.11½this time, the same design was re-issued, for19 values, more finely executed and with agrill background in place of the solid blocksof colour previously used. Two clearly dis-tinguishable varieties of this set are statedto exist; the second may be a series issued

(Continued on page 10)

TIHIE REVENUE STAMPS OF BASEL CITY ( continued)about 1920, still with fine detail but withdifferent rather less clear-cut figures ofvalue and slightly deeper colouring. Finallyin 1930 at least 12 values were re-issued withrather coarse detail but the grill backgroundstill discernable, again perf. 11½; the 60c.has been seen in dark green and also in brightalmost emerald green.

The "Wechselstempelmarke" of 1870 provide agood field for specialists. The threelowest values are normal sized stamps, listedas perf. 11½; the 7c. is also known perf. 13;these stamps and the higher values, all ofwhich are tall vertical stamps, provide awealth of shade varieties; the 80c. existswith a second horizontal perforation 18mm fromthe top!, and the silver and gold 5Fr. valuecan have the gold print considerably misplaced.The tall type was re-issued in 1883 in roseand carmine for eleven values, perf. 11½ and 13;three distinct versions of this set are saidto exist, but a specialist would probably in-crease the number! This set bears thefigures "1883" in minute characters differentlyplaced on each value, and it's quite an exer-cise in patience to find them all! The 1 Fr.exists with the lowest perfs. missing on bothsides, and the 5 Fr is known imperf. - a realrarity!

"Schülerunfallversicherung" (Scholars'Accident Insurance) stamps were issued annual-ly from 1922 - 1956; all are large, 42 x 52mm.,and the year of issue can only be determinedfrom the catalogue by noting the colour ofprint and paper, as it is not given on thestamp; from 1922 to 1927 the value was always50c., and the design showed a galloping horseand an injured boy. From 1928 onwards thevalue rose from 80c., to a maximum of Fr 8.-and then back to Fr 5.50, the design showingthe purpose of the stamp, the bishop's crozierand the value. These stamps also exist diago-nally overprinted "Garderobe" and figure ofvalue, to cover insurance of property left inthe cloakroom; the angle of the overprintvaries slightly from year to year; from 1937to 1952 the value was 20c., and from 1953 to1955 it was 30c.

In our next issue we will discuss numerousfascinating cancellations used by Banks, Firms,Notaries, Solicitors, Railways etc. in Basel.

FREDHILLIARD

WE HAVE TO ANNOUNCE WITH GREATREGRET AND SORROW THE SUDDENDEATH OF FREDERICK NICHOLLSHILLIARD ON DECEMBER 6th 1977,AT THE AGE OF 74.

FRED CAME TO ENGLAND FROMCANADA IN 1945 AND WAS A MEMBEROF OUR STAFF SINCE 1948, ALWAYSWORKING BEHIND THE SCENES WITHTHE TREMENDOUS KNOWLEDGE HE HADOF SWISS STAMPS. AMONG HISDUTIES WERE THE REFILLING ANDPRICING OF APPROVAL BOOKLETS,EVERYTHING CONNECTED WITH POST-AGE DUES, WORLD WAR I SOLDIERSTAMPS AND THE BREAKING UP OFCOLLECTIONS.

HE WAS ALSO A DEAR AND PERSONALFRIEND. FRED'S TOLERANT WAYSAND GREAT SENSE OF HUMOUR WILLALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AND SADLYMISSED BY US ALL.

HOTEL POST DISCOVERIESAs a result of research by Mr. E. Merki ofBasel, who has kindly placed his results atour disposal and allowed me to see the actualmaterial, we are able to pass on some fascin-ating information concerning the Rigi-Kaltbad"Essays".

These were printed in sheets of 40, unlikeNos. 1 - 3 which were in sheets of 100.Prints were made on two types of paper, whiteof medium thickness, and yellowish thickpaper. Two different colours were used, brickred and carmine, and two sorts of print existof which one is blurred and faulty and theother clean and clear. All these prints canbe "plated", the individual peculiaritiesbeing common to all the prints. But therealso exist a few rare copies, very clearlyand cleanly printed, bearing dividing lineswhich do not exist on the known sheets andsome of which cannot be plated into any knownposition.

The big problem arises - were these stampsreally "Essays"? Mr. Merki's work proves theoriginal existence of at least seven sheets,which is too many for any normal Essay. Thequestion of forgery can be ruled out as theydiffer too greatly from the "normal" stamps,even bearing their producer's initials "LS".And a copy is known clearly postmarked "Rigi-Kaltbad 6 IX 78".

The evidence seems to be pointing increasing-ly to these stamps being an actual issuerelatively late in the usage of Rigi-Kaltbadstamps. There have been so many changes inmanagement of the hotel, to say nothing of adisastrous fire, that there is practically nohope of access to original records on thesubject.

R.F. Bulstrode

FABULOUS COURVOISIER (Cont'd from page 6)

various postal administrators of the country(members of the UPU) also distribute to otherdelegates presentation packs, folders, orsmall pocket-sized stock books containingstamps currently in use, and these too end upin philatelic channels. With approximately250 member-countries of the UPU, the numberof book stamps received by each delegatemakes an impressive collection in itself.In addition to printing stamps for theircustomers, Courvoisier also produces des-criptive bulletins or advertising matterthat illustrates in full colour the stampsthat are being promoted by the postal ad-ministrations. This literature is made byphoto-lithography. While the printing processillustrates faithfully the design and colours,the superb quality of the original stampsstill cannot be matched.

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