Stamp Collecting

Stamps -> Europe -> Switzerland

Some people, even those who have been collecting stamps for years, may never have heard of Swiss soldier stamps. That’s because these stamps weren’t actually postage stamps for use at large, they were created for the Swiss soldiers who were activated to full duty to protect Switzerland’s borders during WWI. They were good only at the soldiers’ field posts.

The first of these Swiss soldier stamps were designed in 1915 with two different motifs, and were really intended just to be souvenirs for the soldiers. Then in 1916, stamps that were cancelled on envelopes were sold to provide money to help support Swiss soldiers and their families who were in a financial crisis over the long period of time the soldiers were on alert for invasion. Swiss stamp dealers recognized the value in these small circulation stamps, and profited from them.

Because Swiss soldier stamps were issued by the regiment or individual company and not good for mail in general, they were then classified as charity stamps. In 1939, many Swiss units began issuing soldier stamps, with many of them being overprints of the original WWI stamps. They had official approval to print stamps, and even though the Swiss mail had to approve each issuance, they didn’t recognize them as valid postage outside of military use.

Very quickly, though, stamp collectors and dealers recognized how dangerous the unlimited printing of these stamps could be, and the Swiss army had to set rules allowing only one print runoff Swiss soldier stamps and one stamp design per unit. Plates were supposed to be destroyed after this time to prevent unlimited printing and overflooding the market for the stamps, as well as making it impossible for collectors to acquire every stamp.

By the time these rules were in place, though, collectors weren’t interested in Swiss soldier stamps anymore, so few were printed. Today they’re a collectible stamp and can add interest to any stamp collection. Whether it’s a world stamp collection, a European collection or a collection of stamps aside from official postage, Swiss soldier stamps are an interesting addition to even the largest collection.

Because so many different types were printed in the early 20th century, though, it’s all but impossible to achieve a complete collection of the stamps. It’s difficult to even manage a comprehensive collection. A better aim might be to attempt to collect certain types of Swiss soldier stamps from one year, or even just choose stamps from a particular period, like the first ones issued during WWI or those issued during WWII.

Online auctions like eBay are a great place to look for Swiss soldier stamps, because the variety is usually much larger than you can typically find through a stamp dealer or a local shop. Do try to purchase from sellers who are knowledgeable about the stamps and can answer any questions you have about the stamp’s origin and how its condition would be classified—uncirculated, mint, circulated, and other stamp-collecting terms should be right in the auction description.

Originally posted 2008-12-13 14:00:51. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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