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I have brought these prices up to date and added currency selection. I have had to make a few additions. This has required re-numbering. To avoid confusion, I will give these RH numbers (Revised Hiscocks). I have though retained the old Hiscocks number for reference. CheckList Setup |
Steve Hiscocks wrote:
The telegraph stamps of Luxembourg were introduced on 1 January 1883 and remained in continuous use with the same design and colours
throughout, until 1 October 1940. This otherwise orderly series is however complicated by the existence of no less than six different perforation types,
including compounds, from 11 to 14. Information on the dates of these perforation varieties seems to be lacking and attempts to correlate them
with those of the postage stamps of the period add little. The fact that perforation 14 does not appear in postage stamps until 1938 suggests that
the perf. 14 x 11½ varieties may correspond to the last couple of years of issue while the most common variety, perf. 11 x 11½, may correspond
to the 1906 to 1920 period when this particular combination prevailed. What is needed is an analysis of perforation versus date of use
from a large number of used copies but I have not, unfortunately, had access to such a stock. Information would be welcome.
My Notes: I have recently been shown an article by Dieter Basien of Luxembourg. I do not know the date of it, but it references Steve Hiscocks, so must be later than 1982.
I have been given three email addresses for hium, but they all fail. I sent a letter to the address that he gave, but it was returned as unknown at that address.
I would be gratefull if someone can put me in touch with him.
He has used information from the Enschedé printing works in Haarlem, Netherlands that produced the stamps, together with
Postal records of Luxembourg and the works of previous writers as well as available examples to produce
something close to a definitive work on the subject. I will endeavour to integrate it into this web-page.
1883 (1 January) White wove un-watermarked paper. Perf. 11 x 11½, etc. as indicated.
Printed by typography at the Enschedé printing works in Haarlem, the Netherlands.
Sheets with 5 rows of 10 stamps.
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| H1 5c | H2 25c | H3 50c |
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| H4 1F | H5 5F |
Yvert & Tellier only list Perf. 11 to 11½, Perf. 14 and Perf. 14 x 11½.
Whilst the mint stamps could be bought at any time, the used stamps should under normal circumstances, have been destroyed along with the forms that they were affixed to.
It is possible that the 5c which is common used, were used postally. Receipts could be obtained for a fee, initially 10c, then later 25c for which a telegraph stamp was affixed to it and stamped.
As in other countries though, human nature led to the 'liberation' of used examples. Dieter Basien gives 2 examples, "In the years 1924/25, the post office sold a number of stamps (including telegraph stamps)." and says that
in 1945/47 a large consignment including telegraph forms "from previous decades" was sent to the Manderscheid paper mill in Lintgen in sacks for pulping. Some of it survived.
My used examples are mostly 1886, 1894, 1920 and 1921, though it is impossible to tell on many of them. Thus the scarcity of used perforation types is different to that of mint ones.
Most of these have a time code, either at the bottom of the provincial ones, or at the end of the Luxembourg Station ones.
The exception would seem to be the early Luxembourg-Ville. The Luxembourg-Gare (station) have a code letter at the bottom, A and E are shown.
In trying to date these, be aware that the right hand end of the metropolitan ones is the time period, not the year, which is near the centre.
The time period indicates a range of one hour in the Morning (M) or afternoon (S).
The "imperf., on glazed paper" examples are not proofs, but instead were produced especially for luxury souvenir albums in 1912 to celebrate the accession to the throne of Grand Duchess Marie-Adelheid.
Only four such albums were produced, and 2 of them still exist intact. At least one of the remaining 2 were broken up. They contained postage stamps of the time as well as the telegraph stamps.
The telegraph stamps were in imperforate miniature sheets having 2 rows of 5 stamps for each denomination, so there are at most 20 of each denomination available.
| Perforation | Earliest known Date | Denominations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 30.4.1898 | 25c | Only a philatelic example known |
| 11 x 11½ | 25.4.1895 | All | Most common, also known from 1920s/30s |
| 11½ x 11 | 1898 | 5F and probably more | Recorded 1913, then forgotten until 1990 |
| 11½ | 25.4.1890 | All | |
| 12 x 11½ | 5.4.1915 | All, but 5c very rare | 5c only known used |
| 13 | 24.1.1923 | 5F | only one example known |
| 14 | 2.4.1883 | All | this was the first |
| 14 x 11½ | 13.4.1888 | 5c, 25c, 1F | probably no 50c or 5F |
There are also exotic Perforations reported 13 x 11½ x 14 x 11½ (measured clockwise, starting at the top) and 10½ x 11 x 11 x 11½.
I have not seen them, but it reminds me of the 5L telegraph stamps of Romania. Perhaps some re-perforating was involved, the stamps are not all of the same width and height.
A telegram congratulating a couple getting married. The year wasn't important enough to complete the "Année 19", but the Form number "335 - 1944" strongly suggests that the form was printed in 1944.
The form was simply folded and sealed for delivery. A range of seals are known. They are shown at: seals
There should be many more types. Here is a range of unused Télégramme forms, apparently just for the 1960's
Courtesy of Les Bottomley.
Last updated 26th. March 2022
©Copyright Steve Panting 2012/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22 except where stated.
Permission is hereby granted to copy material for which the copyright is owned by myself, on condition that any data is not altered and this website is given credit.
