Page 57 - Prepaid Reply Cards
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4.2 REGULATIONS AND PRACTICES –SPECIFIC UPU REGULATIONS FOR REPLY CARDS
RETURN MAIL ONLY TO ORIGINATING COUNTRY
Until the Vienna UPU congress in 1891 no provision was given to prevent the return usage to another country
but the country of the double cards initial provenance. In 1891 an additional regulation was added making it
mandatory to return the card to the country of its original provenance. Otherwise the card should be considered
as unfranked.
German reply card mailed from the German postal agency in Constantinople to Palermo, Italy, in 1886 – before
the Vienna regulations.
Swiss international reply card mailed from Israel to the UK instead back to Switzerland. The card bears the
correct tax marking since this was against regulations but not postage due was charged.
It is uncertain, if the postal clerk was aware of the Vienna regulations or just considered the Swiss franking
unfit. One of the very few known examples.
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