Saturday, April 19, 2014

Centennial Period International Surface Post Card Rates (1968 -1971)

Dozens of posts dealing with the Canadian Centennial definitive issue (1967 - 1973) have been published in the nearly four years Postal History Corner has been on-line. The original post dealing with international surface letter rates was published on June 9, 2010.

[Note: U.S. rates are not included in this article]
 
1. Rate structure

There were two international surface post card rate destinations in effect during the Centennial period: :
  • Destinations to which UPU Rates Applied
  • Destinations to which Preferential Rates AppliedGreat Britain and places within the Commonwealth, Republic of Ireland, France, Spain, countries of North, Central and South America, and West Indies.
The higher UPU rates applied to countries which were not given preferential status.

2. Rate Periods

Period 1 : to October 31, 1968
Period 2 : from November 1, 1968 to June 30, 1971
Period 3 : from July 1, 1971


Period 1 : to October 31, 1968

 Standard UPU Rate

The UPU surface post card rate was 6 cents. The 6 cent rate came into effect on January 1, 1966. This is one of the most difficult postal rates to find.

Netherlands

Calgary to s'Gravenhage, July 13, 1967
6 cents UPU surface post card rate

 Germany

 Waterloo to Frankfurt, September 18, 1968
6 cents UPU surface post card rate

 Meter paying the 6 cent rate


Insufficiently Paid

Sweden

Guelph to Katrineholm, Sweden, July 8, 1968
6 cents UPU surface post card rate
Shortpaid 2 cents
Canada Tax Fraction : 4/10
Swedish postage due : 30 ore


 Ethiopia


 Expo 67 Montreal to Addi Ababa, October (?), 1967
6 cents UPU surface post card rate
1 cent shortpaid
Canada Tax Fraction : 2/10
No indication that Ethiopian post office charged the addressee

Hungary


Beloeil, Quebec, to Budapest, September 12, 1967
6 cents UPU surface post card rate
Shortpaid 1 cent
Canada Tax Fraction : 2/10
Hungarian postage due : 40 filler


Greece

 Halifax to Athens, May 4, 1968
Air mail service requested (manuscript)
Probably not noticed, but would have been sent by surface mail because it was insufficiently franked for air mail service
6 cents UPU surface post card rate
Shortpaid 2 cents and large Canadian T 4/10
No indication that Greek post office charged addressee postage due

An unusual Canadian T marking


Preferential Rate

The international preferential surface post card rate was 4 cents which had been in effect since April 1, 1954.

Great Britain

 Expo 67 to Ilford, August 9, 1967
4 cents preferred surface post card rate to Great Britain


Niagara Falls to London, June 5, 1968
4 cents preferred surface post card rate to Great Britain


Guelph to Oxford, October 25, 1968
4 cents preferred surface post card rate to Great Britain


b) Period 2 : from November 1, 1968 to June 30, 1971

UPU Rate

The UPU surface post card rate was increased from 6 cents to 7 cents on November 1, 1968. The international surface letter rate was increased from 10 cents to 12 cents on November 1, 1968.

I do not have a fully paid 7 cent surface post card to show. It is a very scarce rate. The examples shown below are all insufficiently prepaid with Canadian tax fractions.

Poland

 Niagara Falls to Warsaw, March 16, 1970
7 cents UPU surface post card rate
Shortpaid 1 cent and taxed 2/12
No indication that Polish post office charged the addressee postage due

Greece

 Windsot to Athens, August 31, 1970
7 cents UPU surface post card rate
Shortpaid 1 cent and taxed 2/12
No indication that Greek post office charged the addressee postage due


 Jugoslavia

Toronto to Zagreb, August 30, 1970
7 cents UPU surface post card rate
Shortpaid 1 cent and taxed 2/12
Jugoslavian postage due 0.40 dinars

 Switzerland

 Powell River to Lausanne, Switzerland, May 17, 1971
7 cents UPU surface post card rate
Shortpaid 1 cent and Canada tax fraction 2/12
Swiss tax was 10 centimes

Hungary

Vancouver to Budapest, May 9, 1969
7 cents UPU surface post card rate
Unpaid : Canada Tax Fraction 14/12
Hungarian postage due 2 forint (the Hungarian international post card rate)


Italy

The post card shown below was shortpaid for air conveyance. 6 cents paid 60% of the 10 cents air mail rate. Since 75% prepayment was required, the card was sent by surface mail (7 cents).

Toronto to Pavina, May 28, 1969
Shortpaid for air conveyance and sent by surface mail at 7 cent UPU surface rate
Shortpaid 1 cents and Canada tax fraction 2/12 applied
No indication that the Italian post office charged the addressee postage due


Preferential Rate

The international preferential surface post card rate was increased from 4 cents to 6 cents for on November 1, 1968.

Halifax to York, March 9, 1970
6 cents preferential surface post card rate


Kitchener to Lisburn, Northern Ireland, May 25, 1971
6 cents preferential surface post card rate


From July 1, 1971

On July 1, 1971 the surface post card rates were abolished. The post card rate to all destinations was now 10 cents, the same as the air mail rate. The international letter rate  to all destinations was changed to  15 cents for the 1st ounce, eliminating the surface letter rate for items less than 8 ounces in weight.

Sweden

 Quebec to Orebro, July 6, 1971
10 cents international post card rate

Great Britain

Calgary to London, October 1, 1973
10 cents international post card rate

 Insufficiently paid

Hong Kong

 Winnipeg to Hong Kong, October 13, 1972
10 cents international post card rate
Shortpaid 5 cent : Canadian tax fraction 10/15
No indication that Hong Kong post office charged the addressee postage due

Great Britain

 Wellington to Douth Benfield, England, July 17, 1973
10 cents international post card rate
Shortpaid 2 cents
British tax 2p