Swiss Stamps
Definitives of 1854-1862
Strubel Type - Part 3
1856-1862 Printings
For Swiss stamps, the period from 1856 to 1862 witnessed the final issues of the Imperforate Sitting Helvetia or Strubel designs. With the exception of the 2 Rappen denomination, the Bern III Printings on thick paper are quite abundant and relatively inexpensive. Along with multiple shades and relatively abundant postal history, these final Strubel issues provide many opportunities to general collectors, as well as to specialists.
Thin Paper Special Printing 1856
(Zumstein Group: F)
 |
 |
 |
 |
The thin paper Strubel stamps issued in 1856 are somewhat of a mystery. Their features more resemble the early Bern II Printings than the coarse
looking Bern III Printings. The majority of these stamps also
have grid cancels which had been replaced by circular date
stamp postmarks sometime near the end of 1855.
Unfortunately, these thin paper special printings are very scarce today, and authenticated examples can be very expensive.
The 1856 thin paper printing attributes are as follows:
- Paper: Thin Munich paper (0.055 - 0.074 mm).
- Plates: Plates of 25 positions with orderly arrangement. Variable spacing (0.2 - 0.8 mm)
- Printing: Frame lines variable. Fair embossing.
- Cancellations: Grid or town cancellations.
- Silk Threads: Green.
The 1856 thin paper printing catalog details are as follows:
- 05 Rp. (1856 - ZU #22F, Mi #13IIBzm, Sc #32) - Pale Gray Brown.
- 10 Rp. (1856 - ZU #23F, Mi #14IIBzm, Sc #32A) - Blue.
- 15 Rp. (1856 - ZU #24F, Mi #15IIBzm, Sc #33) - Pale Dull Rose.
- 20 Rp. (1856 - ZU #25F, Mi #16IIBzm, Sc #34) - Pale Dull Orange.
Bern III Printing 1857-1862
(Zumstein Group: G)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Swiss stamps of the Bern III Printings are all shown above.
The
2 Rp. denomination stamp was issued in 1862, to pay the newspaper rate. However, shortly
after that, the perforated Sitting Helvetia Issues appeared, and there
was no longer any use of the imperforate 2 Rp. denomination stamp. Used examples are
very scarce, and many of the used ones on the market today have fake
cancels.
The Bern III Printing attributes are as follows:
- Paper: Thick Zurich paper (0.09 - 0.11 mm).
- Plates: Plates of 50 positions. Misaligned arrangement. Narrow spacing (0.1 - 0.7 mm).
- Printing: Rough impressions. Frame lines not uniform. Little or no embossing. Moderate to heavy color accumulations around Helvetia.
- Cancellations: Town cancels.
- Silk Threads: Green silk threads.
The Bern III Printing catalog details are as follows:
- 02 Rp. (1862 - Bern III - ZU #21G, Mi #19, Sc #35) - Gray.
- 05 Rp. (1857 - Bern III - ZU #22G, Mi #13IIBym, Sc #36) - Brown.
- 10 Rp. (1859 - Bern III - ZU #23G, Mi #14IIBym, Sc #37) - Blue.
- 15 Rp. (1860 - Bern III - ZU #24G, Mi #15IIBym, Sc #38) - Rose.
- 20 Rp. (1857 - Bern III - ZU #25G, Mi #16IIBym, Sc #39) - Yellow Orange.
- 40 Rp. (1860 - Bern III - ZU #26G, Mi #17IIBym, Sc #40) - Green.
A Bit of Postal History
The two scans, directly above, feature a 19 Feb 1859 Folded Letter from Basel to Glarus, with Zumstein #22D & #23C (Bern II Printings). On the back of the cover is a 20 Feb 1859 transit marking and a Railroad Station cancel.
Smaller format Swiss stamps, perforated 11 3/4 and printed on two different
paper types, were issued between 1862 and 1881, utilizing the same
central design as the Strubels. They will be the subject of a
separate web page category.
eBay Auction and Store Links
Switzerland
The following links feature category-focused affiliated seller listings on various eBay sites worldwide. They may enable visitors to shop
for and to buy specific items for the
particular collecting subject they've just read about.
The
affiliated eBay seller auction lots provided by eBay,
Inc. are not the responsibility of the management of this
website. On high priced material, make sure the lots you are buying are properly authenticated.
Remember
that the lots on most of the European eBay sites are priced in EUROS. The lots on the Switzerland eBay site are priced in SWISS FRANCS. The Swiss Franc is roughly equivalent to the US Dollar. Shipping
charges may be more, and the lots may take longer to arrive. Also, make
sure the foreign seller ships to your country, before bidding on or
buying his lot.
Return to Switzerland Stamps from Swiss Stamps
Definitives of 1854-1862 - Strubel Type Part 3
