Page 47 - Prepaid Reply Cards
P. 47
4.1 REGULATIONS AND PRACTICES –GENERAL UPU REGULATIONS
THE SEA SURTAX
Art. 3 of the GPU Agreement of 9.10.1874 contained the provision that member countries could introduce a
sea-post surtax up to the amount of half the normal postage on each item going over 300 miles – approx. 500
km – by sea. This surtax was not mandatory and some countries never introduced it. For postcards at10
goldcentimes according the UPU rate, the surtax equalled 5 centimes. The sea surtax was abolished at the Madrid
UPU Convention in 1920, with most European countries had abandoned the sea surtax by the 1890s already.
This resulted in varying rates for international reply double cards, with the reply part prepaid in full.
Gibraltar 1887 reply card at the equivalent of 15 goldcentimes overprinted for new Spanish currency 1889.
This card includes the sea surtax and is printed in brown not red.
The card was initally mailed from Germany back to Mazagan, Morocco; but returned after not beeing picked
up. Why it received taxmarkings – 1D, respectively 20 Pfennig – is not certain.
1897 Congo Freestate reply card at the 15 c covering the UPU plus the sea surtax.
The card was used back in 1907 from Lausanne/Switzerland.
46
