Interesting Czechoslovak – Swedish Mixed Franking
by Lubor Kunc
(
Originally published in
the Zpravodaj SSCSZ journal no. 2/2000
I have found a
letter sent from Swedish Lulea town to Prague on Jan. 2, 1938. The letter has
been franked by one 40 ore stamp to pay for its air mail delivery to
Czechoslovakia. It reached Czechoslovak post office for foreign mail ”Praha 7 –
cizina” on Jan. 7, 1938.
The post office
forwarded the one to Praha 1 post office (main post office in the city) being
responsible for the part of Prague, where addressee lived (Ambassador Hotel at
Wenceslau Sq.). The addressee was a manager, who in the meantime moved from
Prague to Zlin town. The Zlin town
was (and it is) famous because of its shoe production. In the town worldwide
popular Bata company
was founded, before WWII the company moved its HQ from Czechoslovakia to Canada
to escape the country occupied by Nazis.
The addressee
left the Prague hotel with ask to forward all correspondence to his new hotel
in Zlin by express mail. This order caused bellow shown interesting mixed
franking. Sender of the letter paid postage for normal delivery of the letter
only. The express surcharge was not contained in the postage, so it was paid by
the Ambassador Hotel by forwarding the letter to Zlin. The express mail
surcharge for letters delivered between 6 am and 10 pm amounted to CZK 2,-. The
amount has been paid as two Czechoslovak stamps confirm.
It was really
delivered by express mail: the hotel staff posted it at the Praha 1 post office
on Jan. 7 at 9 pm and it reached Zlin post office on the next day at 8 am.
We will for sure agree, that such entire
makes happy every collector !
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