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A Philatelic Endeavor?
A Debate Topic: Were the Przedbórz stamps a philatelic endeavor?
Yes: The argument in favor of the proposition that this was entirely a philatelic endeavor, even though there was real postal usage.
- Abramson, the probable instigator, was a local stamp dealer later implicated in Zarki forgeries.
- Why else have the fantastic system of allowing recipients to avoid paying the local delivery fee by removing the contents and returning the cover or wrapper to the postman?
- Why print two-sided proofs (A relatively uncommon phenomena.)
- Why produce Issues 6-8 after their postal use had been prohibited?
- Why print the 6th Issue in an obsolete currency? (Groszys were discontinued in March 1918; these issues appeared in August, according to most writers.)
- Why have a proof (or souvenir) sheet in two currencies, one of which is obsolete?
- Why was there a disproportionate volume of items originating in one part of Warsaw and going to a small
number of people in Przedbórz?
- There are many underfranked items, far more than normally seen in philately. Is that because stamp dealers were the only people interested in these items?
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No: The argument that this was primarily a postal enterprise, with incidental philatelic value.
- (No argument submitted.)
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To me, the cover below adds weight to the "Yes" side, because it appears to be a registered cover containing printed matter that Abramsohn sent to himself. (Although other explanations are possible.)
A Fascinating, Provocative Cover
Illustrated here is a cover listed on eBay in the summer of 2009.
I would argue that the cover was sent by Abramsohn to himself or his family.
- First, while it is common to obliterate the recipient's name on a Przedbórz cover, I have never seen a cover with the sender's name obliterated. The carrier could do that only if he knew the item would never be returned to the sender. (This is obviously true if the contents have been removed and the cover returned to the carrier. Is it just as obviously true if the cover remained with the recipient?)
- Second, while the sender's name has been obliterated, Abramsohn is consistent with the part that IS visible.
The cover is hand-stamped DRUKI, or printed matter.
- Why would he need to send printed matter to himself in a registered letter?
- What sort of printed matter was in the cover?
The philatelic literature often describes Abramsohn as an entrepreneur and stamp dealer.
- What cities were listed on his letter-head and obscured by the local delivery stamps?
- Were these cities in which he just had correspondent relationships and ventures with other stamp dealers, or did he have other ventures in these cities? If the latter, what other ventures were they?
© 2008,2009 Sam Ginsburg;
Last modified 10 August 2010