Postage stamps and postal history of Switzerland

According to Napoleon, the country was "liberated" to form itself into a new State, which assumed the title of "Republique Helvetique Une et Indivisible."

[citation needed] The first Republican Decree of the Helvetic State relating to postal matters was one of suppressing the old and colorful cantonal uniforms worn by the letter carriers, and[2][circular reference] As a symbol of national service, a new uniform was issued in the Republican colors of green, red and yellow[3] Swiss stamps are inscribed with the word Helvetia, rather than "Schweiz", "Suisse" "Svizzera", or "Svizra".

"Confoederatio" means "confederation" and "Helvetica" is a reference to the Helvetians, a Celtic tribe that lived in Switzerland when the Romans invaded.

This was a 2½-rappen value featuring a white embossed dove carrying a letter in its beak, and inscribed "STADT POST BASEL", a design by the architect Melchior Berry.

In 1675, Beat Fischer von Reichenbach was granted permission to operate a private postal service in Bern, Switzerland.

Beat Fischer von Reichenbach was knighted by Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor for establishing postal services between Germany and Spain.

[citation needed] In 1975 a postage stamp dedicated to Beat Fischer von Reichenbach was issued in Switzerland.

This even resulted in some reprimands from their superiors to stop playing “vulgar” opera arias that the post office thought undignified.

[citation needed] There are of course, recognized misprints called "Freaks" Some Bern covers dated June to December 1799, with the Central Post Bureau wording, and one cover that was dated July 1799, from Lucerne with the postmark applied in red ink; although the use of red ink had been curtailed earlier.

Like the first Zürich issue, it consisted of pairs of stamps; these were each printed in black on yellow-green paper, depicting the city's arms, and inscribed "Poste de Genềve" at the top and "Port local" at the bottom.

[citation needed] But, an additional inscription, reading "10 PORT CANTONAL Cent" ran across the top of each pair.

[citation needed] Because all Postal Departments were in Lucerne, the volume of official correspondence was extremely heavy there; but purely private letters were quite rare.

The issue consisted of two imperforate stamps printed separately, each in five types, in sheets of 100, one with a large numeral "4" and the other with a "6", both inscribed "Zürich" at the top.

The design was lithographed in black by Orell, Fuessli, and Company, with a pattern of fine red lines underneath, to discourage counterfeiting.

These stamps were popular from the start, but were not printed in large numbers and are quite scarce today, with values ranging from US$1,500 to $20,000 depending on type.

[citation needed] The adoption of the federal constitution in 1848 made it practical to issue confederation-wide stamps, and the first of these came out in 1850 (the exact date is uncertain).

Initially the stamps were issued with a black frame separating the white cross from the red background, but as a technically incorrect rendition of the Swiss arms, these were withdrawn.

The "zone" (Rayon) system, in which the letter paid according to the distance travelled was later abolished: a fixed price took the mail to anywhere within Switzerland.

This was the first issue to deal with the multiple languages of Switzerland; in addition to the word "FRANCO" at the top, the other three sides listed the denomination in rappen, centimes, and (Italian) centesimi.

)[citation needed] A number of values were printed between 1854 and 1862, ranging from 5 rappen to 1 franc, and philatelists distinguish them further by type of paper and color of thread.

The stamps continued in use until 1883; many of them are common and cheaply available today, although legitimate cancellations on the granite paper varieties are uncommon because of the short period of use.

1900 saw Switzerland's first commemorative stamps, a set of three values issued for the 25th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union, with an allegorical design featuring various symbols of communication.

The William Tell's son design (by Albert Welti) went through several redrawings, including a temporary move of the bowstring in front of the crossbow's stock.

Another definitive set in 1945 marked the end of the war; the higher values of this were issued in small numbers, and are relatively expensive today.