Canton Zurich, Switzerland
Wednesday, March 1, 1843.
Imperforate, no watermark, lithographed.
Printed by Orell Füssli, & Cie, Zurich.
| Description | # printed | # issued | Scott # |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 1, 1843 | |||
| 4 rappen black | ? | ? | 1L1 |
| 6 rappen black | ? | ? | 1L2 |
The 4 rappen stamp is inscribed Local-Taxe and was used for mail within the city of Zurich. The 6 rappen is inscribed Cantonal-Taxe and was used for mail within the canton, but outside of the city.
There are 5 different types. Printed on white paper, with vertical red lines in the background. These red lines were applied just before use. The gum has brown colour. The plate layout was somewhat unusual, arranged as 20 rows of 5 stamps each.
In 1846 the stamps were issued with the red lines applied horizontally.
A reprint on paper without red lines was made in 1862 before the lithographic stones were destroyed.
Local letters in Zurich were cancelled in red, others in black. Blue cancels were used after federation in January 1849.
A few sites are well worth a visit:
- Bill Claghorn's site on forgeries
- A Swiss dealer Gottfried Honegger has some eye-candy - and stamps for sale!
This page was last modified on Monday, 03-Nov-2003 13:57:45 PST