Page 51 - Prepaid Reply Cards
P. 51
4.1 REGULATIONS AND PRACTICES –GENERAL UPU REGULATIONS
HARMONIZATION OF POSTAL RATES AND THE GOLDFRANC‐SYSTEM
The break-up of the Latin Monetary Union and the inflation made it more and more difficult to follow an easy
path of harmonization of rates. The very frequent changes of rates during hyperinflation also made it difficult to
determine the correct postal rates for reply cards. Which rate was correct? The current rate at the date of posting
of the reply card or the rate at the time of the original mailing of the question card?
German reply card franked with 20 thousand marks, returned from London on 10.09.1923. This rate never
existed. But the rate for international postcards saw frequent changes: 01.08.23 1.8 thousand marks, 24.08. 36
thousand, 01.09. 120 thousand!
German reply card returned from Amsterdam on 05.09.1923, franked with 124 thousand marks, just
overpaying the rate from 01.09.23 by 4 thousand!
50
