SWITZERLAND MISCELLANEOUS

Return To Catalogue - Switzerland

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the cd's;
contact me if you want to purchase them: evert@klaseboer.com.

Postage Due stamps

1878 Number surrounded by stars, no inscription

  1 c blue (with lines in cirlce)
  2 c blue
  3 c blue
  5 c blue
  10 c blue
  20 c blue
  50 c blue
  100 c blue
  500 c blue

For the specialist: some of these stamps exist on paper with small silk threads.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1883 Different colours

  1 c green and red
  3 c green and red
  5 c green and red
  10 c green and red
  20 c green and red
  50 c green and red
  100 c green and red
  500 c green and red

For the specialist: there are three shades of green for this issue.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1910 Swiss cross, roses and alps, no inscription

  2 c green and red
  3 c green and red
  5 c green and red
  10 c green and red
  15 c green and red
  20 c green and red

These stamps exist with a control number printed at the top of the stamp. These stamps are franchise stamps(?).

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1910 Similar design as above

  1 c green and red
  3 c green and red
  5 c green and red
  10 c green and red
  20 c green and red
  25 c green and red
  30 c green and red
  50 c green and red
 

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Surcharged
  '5' on 3 c green and red (1916)
  '10' on 1 c green and red (1924)
  '10' on 3 c green and red (1924)
  '20' on 50 c green and red (1924)

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1924 Children(?) holding shield with value

  5 c green and red
  10 c green and red
  15 c green and red (1926)
  20 c green and red
  25 c green and red
  30 c green and red
  40 c green and red (1926)
  50 c green and red

Surcharged (1937)
  5 on 15 c green and red
  10 on 30 c green and red
  20 on 50 c green and red
  40 on 50 c green and red

Private stamps made by Sekula, reduced size. The inscription is: 'Gebuhr bezahlt taxe percue Helvetia'. I have seen the following values: 3 c black on yellow, 5 c black on green, 10 c black on violet and 20 c black on red. Tete-beche pairs exist.

Military Stamp

1871 Military stamp, inscription 'Militaires francais internes en Suisse. GRATIS.', for french soldiers in Switzerland

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

At least the forger Fournier has offered forgeries of these stamps (he offers them for 0.50 Swiss Francs each in his 1914 pricelist as second choice forgeries), I have no pictures available of these forgeries right now.

I've been told that this is a forgery with forged cancel.

Railway Stamps

1913-1957 Railway stamps, inscription 'Schweiz. Bundesbahnen Chemin de fer federaux Strado ferr. federali', value in black (except otherwise mentioned)

Many other values exist: 5 c brown, 10 c blue, 20 c olive, 25 c yellow, 30 c green, 40 c green, 50 c blue, 60 c orange, 70 c violet, 80 c olive, 90 c blue, 100 c red, 200 c violet, 300 c violet, 500 c grey, 1 Fr orange, 2 Fr red, 3 Fr violet, 4 Fr yellow, 5 Fr grey, 10 Fr black and red (value in red), 20 Fr brown, 30 Fr violet and 50 Fr red. A complete listing with all the types can be found on: http://www.timbressuisses.ch/cadre.htm.

Other labels

1920-30's(?) "FRANCO" label for military mail, different styles exist

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Postal Stationery

1871 Laurated value with Swiss cross

  2 c red
  5 c red

1867 Ellipse with arms and dove

  5 c red (postcard)
  5 c brown (envelope)
  10 c red (envelope)
  25 c green (envelope)
  30 c blue (envelope)

1873 Ellipse with number, Swiss cross in a shield on top of the stamp

  2 c red
  2 c brown
  2 c black
  5 c red
  5 c brown
  5 c black
  10 c red

The following other values are known to me: 5 c orange, 5 c green. Some of the above stamps have a slightly different design, the value is slightly smaller (and other small differences).

Inscription 'TAXE 20 TASSA' in a small ellipse

Later issue, '10 HELVETIA' green

CAMPIONE, Italian Territory in Switzerland

(Issued stamps during the second world war)

1944 Arms, inscription 'R.R. POSTE ITALIANE COMUNE DI CAMPIONE', all identical design

  0.05 F green
  0.10 F brown
  0.20 F red
  0.30 F blue
  1 F violet

With large 'T' overprint

I've seen the values 0.10 F and 0.30 F with a large 'T' overprint (postage due?).

1944 Inscription 'R.R. POSTE ITALIANE COMUNE DI CAMPIONE'

(Reduced sizes)

  0.05 F green (lake view)
  0.10 F brown
  0.20 F red (larger size)
  0.30 F blue (town view with lake)
  0.40 F violet (church) 
  0.60 F brown (scene from church)
  1 F green (townhall?)

I've seen the values 0.05 F, 0.10 and 0.20 with a large 'T' overprint (similar to the previous issue, postage due stamps?).

Telegraph stamps

1868 Cross in ellipse with inscription 'TELEGRAPHIE'

  5 c black and red
  10 c red
  25 c grey and red
  50 c blue and red
  1 Fr green and red
  3 Fr brown and red (also gold and red?)
  20 F lilac and red

These stamps were no longer valid after 31 December 1886 and the remainders were sold in 1887. Forged cancels exist on these remainders, made with the genuine cancelling devices (but after the validity period of the stamps).

Air-Labels

Examples (all of them issued in 1913):

'Sweiz Flugpost Start Aarau', 'Flugspende Basler Flugtage', 'Flugspende Bern', 'Journee Valaisanne d'aviation Sion', 'Flugspende Langnau', 'Erste Flugpost Burgdorf Bern', 'Herisauer Flugtag', 'Flugtag in Liestal', 'Lugano Pro Aviazone Nazionale' and 'Solothurner Flugpost' (as far as I know, all the labels presented here are genuine):

Forgeries: I know that the 'Langnau' label has been forged by a forger from Hialeah Florida; large numbers of these forgeries are offered on Ebay. General remarks about these forgeries: the forger has probably used a computer scanner and printer, the details are mostly lost in most of his forgeries, the paper is modern and the size does in general not correspond to genuine stamps.

The Lugano label as shown above was used on 8th June 1913 on a flight from Lugano to Mendrisio. The cancel applied was 'Posta Aera Svizzera Lugano 8 Guig 1913' in black or blue (rare). 4100 stamps were issued, in sheets of 10 (five rows of two stamps each). They were very soon sold out in Lugano, such that some of the letters intended to be taken on the flight did not have this stamp. In Bellinzona, Chiasso, Locarno and Mendrissio, these stamps were also for sale. About 700 stamps were not sold at the event finally, but later sold to stamp collectors (unused stamps are thus quite rare). Source: Bulletin of "Helvetia", society for collectors of Switzerland', vol. XII, no7, July 1949; available online (http://www.swiss-stamps.us). Forgeries appeared in 1926, the distinguishing characteristics (mainly the color shades) can be found in the above mentioned source.

Airmail Stamps

Besides the 'propellor with wings' overprint of 1919 on postage stamps, the first airmail stamps were issued in 1923.

1923 Various designs

  15 c red and green
  20 c green (1925)
  25 c blue 
  35 c brown
  40 c violet
  45 c red and blue
  50 c black and red
  50 c green and red (1936)

Surcharged
  '10' on 15 c red and green (1935)
  '1938 PRO AERO 75 75' on 50 c black and red (1938)

In 1924 the next airmail stamps were issued with the image of a man with wings

  65 c blue
  75 c lilac and orange
  1 F violet 

Surcharged 
  '10' on 65 c blue (1935)

In 1929 two airmail stamps were issued with a letter with wings

  35 c brown and yellow
  40 c blue and green

1929 New design, eagle carrying letter

  2 F black and brown on grey

1932 Peace conference in Geneva

  15 c green and grey
  20 c red and lilac
  90 c blue and grey

Essays

I have been told that the following stamps are essays for Switzerland:

(Reduced sizes)

They have the head of a woman with inscription 'HELVETIA FRANCO', I have seen the imperforate values: 50 c blue, 50 c orange, 50 c black, 50 c lilac, 1 F blue, 1 F orange, 1 F red, 1 F black and 1 F green. I have also seen a 50 c green on red and a 1 F orange perforated.

Labels

1870 Red Cross label, inscription 'COMITÉ INTERNATIONAL GENÈVE':

This label was a postage free stamp.

I have often seen the following label for the 'EXPOSITION NATIONALE SUISSE' in Geneva 1896:

(Reduced size)

Private overprints

1918 'Industrielle Kriegs-wirtschaft' (War Board of Trade)

(reduced sizes)

Tell's son:
  3 c brown
  5 c green
  7 1/2 c grey
Tell:
  10 c red on yellow
  15 c violet on yellow
Woman:
  20 c red and yellow
  25 c blue
  30 c brown and green

The two types of overprint.

All values exist with two types of overprint: the lettering is different. See for example the 'g' of 'Kriegs'.

The official status of these overprints seems questionable. Furthermore, I have seen forged overprints.

Another overprint 'SOCIETE DES NATIONS' also exists (1922); this overprint also exists forged. Genuine stamps exist cancelled to order as well (genuine cancels are usually smudged). Genuinely used stamps almost almost have a Geneva cancel, any other town cancel is highly suspect. Double overprints are always forged.

Another overprint 'S.d.N. Bureau international du Travail' was made in 1923

Example of this overprint

The peace issue of 1932 also exists with this overprint.

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer