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A confusing cover

Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:00 pm
by Robinr
Dear All,

The attached cover has a block of four stamps that went on sale in Britain on the 13th of May, 1937, but it appears to be cancelled in Delaware, USA, on the 14th of May - and bears the cachet, "Returned for postage". The actual stamps are not directly cancelled, but the pointed ovaloid mark looks as if it has been positioned very carefully.

Has anybody an idea of what this cover actually represents, please?

Thanks a million for any input.

Robin

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Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:05 pm
by mozzerb
Psst -- the Delaware cancel is actually 17th May. :)

"Returned for Postage" is a US mark -- presumably this was someone at the US news company creating a philatelic cover by using recently-issued foreign stamps and seeing what happened. (I guess new issue supplies would have had time to get there by airmail.)

As far as I know a common practice of post offices when confronted with such a cover was to leave the stamps uncancelled (perhaps to avoid suggesting they were valid?). So yes, the Wilmington mark may well have been struck carefully away from the face of the stamps.

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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 7:00 pm
by Robinr
Thanks, Mozz. I'll guess you're spot on. An interesting item, but not exactly exhibition-shattering! Cheers, Robin