US / San Juan: Numbers on back of censored covers

[GassmannP]

Hi All

I have 3 registered covers from Argentina to Switzerland, censored in San Juan, which have number stamps on the back. Does anyone have an idea about the source and meaning of these number stamps?

Cover 1:





best regards, Peter

[GassmannP]

Cover 2:

[GassmannP]

Cover 3:

[LuzA]

Good evening,

Is it possible to see if the red number is over or under the Neuhausen datestamp? (Or even over or under the brown vertical ink zone).

[GassmannP]

hmm, the Neuhausen postmark is on top of everything (applied as last marking)

The blue (crayon) markings have been applied before the sealing tape, but after the red number (on top of the red number, goes below the sealing tape)

The red number has been applied after the chemical ink markings, but before the blue crayon marking and therefore before the sealing tape!

best regards, Peter

[LuzA]

hmm, the Neuhausen postmark is on top of everything (applied as last marking)

The blue (crayon) markings have been applied before the sealing tape, but after the red number (on top of the red number, goes below the sealing tape)

The red number has been applied after the chemical ink markings, but before the blue crayon marking and therefore before the sealing tape!

best regards, Peter

Good evening,

Fine answers.
That said... could those red, blue and black numbers be any kind of control marks? (I am thinking in the chemical control or even in the registered mail)

[LuzA]

Good evening,

Just a brief note to say that, as a reference about the censorship rules in Bermuda, the General Order nº47, Section XVI, June/1941, established that the registered mail would have a distinctive code number applied "centrally" to the reverse... etc.

These matters are explained in FLYNN (2006:88). Intercepted in Bermuda / The Censorship of Transatlantic Mail During the Second World War [...].

Regarding these code numbers Flynn also referred the red ink for the Bermuda and the purple for USA. The USA code number of the cover showed in page 88 (circulated in 1943/44) also have one letter ("c" crossed by a vertical line) after the number.

[GassmannP]

interesting! I do not have other material to follow-up on this topic, would be interesting if a US censorship specialist can dig up something.

[dannmayo]

John Wilson did an excellent article, San Juan 1942, censorship of 'LATI substitute' flights in CCSG Bulletin V, 44, no. 2 (April 2017) , pp 61-67. In it he identifies these numbers are representing the batch and mail sack from which covers were taken for censorship examination at San Juan. There were similar numbering schemes for tracking at least some covers (registered mail is what I have noticed) in the US, and also in Bermuda.

Dann Mayo

PS The chemical ink test stripes are American, and rare. D.

[GassmannP]

great, thanks Dann!
best, Peter