A few years back I purchased an item that had black cloth on it. I was told that I could use it whenever I wanted to use something black. This week I decided I wanted to use it and I thought it would be good for something like, Black September or Jews had to wear special cloth or during mourning we wear torn material or even, we were looked on without value, the sky’s the limit.
I didn't understand the philatelic explanation and wanted to learn more. This sparked me to go on on a philatelic research endeavor.
The black cloth here is what is known as a “sample without value” or in French “échantillon sans valeur” in essence a merchant could send a sample through the mail system at a special rate, a kind of precursor to today’s parcel mail.
In France and French territories, meaning those that Napoleon conquered, in Article 16 of the law of 22nd August 1791, "samples without value" were charged at 1/3rd of the single letter rate. This was again confirmed by the “Instructions Générale” of 28th April 1808, article 18. Of course this was under certain conditions, the main condition being that the sample must be mailed under a wrapper or in any manner that it was very visible that this was a sample; if not full postage would be required to be paid.
As of the first postal convention between France and the German Empire, dated 14th December 1801 (article 14), this was also implemented in international mail exchange.
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After the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the Congress of Vienna created a kingdom for the House of Orange-Nassau, which combined the United Provinces of the Netherlands which included Belgium. When the Dutch took over the postal administration, it suspended the Napoleonic special rate for “samples without value”.
Belgium gained her independence in 1830, and kept some of the Dutch postal instructions, including the suspension of this special rate.
This letter was sent within Belgium from Brussels to Verviers in 1843, a distance of 116km. From 1st January 1836, new rates were in implemented, so the postage rate was 5 décimes (50 centimes) for a distance between 100km and 150Km. It was sent in the countryside, SR or service rural to Francomont and this required additional cost, an extra 1 décime making the postal rate of 6 décimes = 60 centimes.
New rates were implemented in Belgium on 14th September 1864 and cheaper rates for samples under were re-enacted. So in Belgium from 1830 to 1864, samples without value were sent at the regular postage rate.
I would like to thank my friends Michaël Smorowski and Mr. Paul Wijnants for there help here. It was invaluable.
I didn't understand the philatelic explanation and wanted to learn more. This sparked me to go on on a philatelic research endeavor.
The black cloth here is what is known as a “sample without value” or in French “échantillon sans valeur” in essence a merchant could send a sample through the mail system at a special rate, a kind of precursor to today’s parcel mail.
In France and French territories, meaning those that Napoleon conquered, in Article 16 of the law of 22nd August 1791, "samples without value" were charged at 1/3rd of the single letter rate. This was again confirmed by the “Instructions Générale” of 28th April 1808, article 18. Of course this was under certain conditions, the main condition being that the sample must be mailed under a wrapper or in any manner that it was very visible that this was a sample; if not full postage would be required to be paid.
As of the first postal convention between France and the German Empire, dated 14th December 1801 (article 14), this was also implemented in international mail exchange.
After the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the Congress of Vienna created a kingdom for the House of Orange-Nassau, which combined the United Provinces of the Netherlands which included Belgium. When the Dutch took over the postal administration, it suspended the Napoleonic special rate for “samples without value”.
Belgium gained her independence in 1830, and kept some of the Dutch postal instructions, including the suspension of this special rate.
This letter was sent within Belgium from Brussels to Verviers in 1843, a distance of 116km. From 1st January 1836, new rates were in implemented, so the postage rate was 5 décimes (50 centimes) for a distance between 100km and 150Km. It was sent in the countryside, SR or service rural to Francomont and this required additional cost, an extra 1 décime making the postal rate of 6 décimes = 60 centimes.
New rates were implemented in Belgium on 14th September 1864 and cheaper rates for samples under were re-enacted. So in Belgium from 1830 to 1864, samples without value were sent at the regular postage rate.
I would like to thank my friends Michaël Smorowski and Mr. Paul Wijnants for there help here. It was invaluable.
