!!! 17 Nov 1882: postal card sent by Herr Scholem, from the city of Roman (Romania) to Herrn Josef Landau [?] in Stettin, Prussia/German Empire [present-day Szczecin, Poland]!!!

Ladies and gentlemen from around the world, this is the oldest postal/philatelic item that I own, so far!!!

Isn't that cool? :

I hereby make an appeal to everybody who has an advance knowledge of philately (especially postal history), and German language to help me uncover the story of this very old postal card.

Thank you!

What can I decipher?

17 Nov 1882: postal card sent by Herr Scholem, from the city of Roman (Romania) to Herrn Josef Landau [?] in Stettin, Prussia/German Empire [present-day Szczecin, Poland]!!!

The monetary sums appear to be denominated in K; I think that's Kreuzer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kreuzer

More deciphering brainstorming about this - is happening here:

http://forum.postcrossing.com/viewthread.php?tid=54903&page=14

"Roman (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈroman]; Hungarian: Románvásár, German:Romesmark) is a mid-sized city, having the title of municipality, located in the central part of Moldavia, a traditional region of Romania. It is located 46 km east of Piatra Neamţ, in the Neamţ County at the confluence of Siret and Moldova rivers.

It is thought that the name was taken from Moldavian Voivode Roman I of Moldavia, believed to be its founder.^{[weasel words]} Roman's first son was Alexandru cel Bun."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman,_Romania

"Stettin developed into a major Prussian port and became part of the Prussian-led German Empire in 1871. 

While most of the province retained an agrarian character, Stettin was industrialized and its population rose from 27,000 in 1813 to 210,000 in 1900 and 255,500 in 1925.^[51] 

Major industries prospering in Stettin since 1840 were shipbuilding, chemical and food industries and machinery construction.^[47]

Starting in 1843, Stettin became connected to the major German and Pomeranian cities by railways, and the water connection to the Bay of Pomerania was enhanced by the construction of the Kaiserfahrt (now Piast) canal.^[47]"

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szczecin}

Now, don't ask me about the text, coz Ich weiss nicht Deutsch so gut; nur ein wennig...:)

The coat of arms on this historic postcard belongs, of course, to the Kingdom of Romania. It has the royal motto:

"Nihil Sine Deo, Latin for "Nothing without God", is used as a motto by the German Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen royal family.

This formula was the motto of the Kingdom of Romania, while ruled by the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen dynasty (1878 - 1947). The motto is proudly displayed in the arms room of Peleş Castle."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihil_Sine_Deo

"Timeline (1859 - 1939)

1859	Alexander John Cuza unites Moldavia and Wallachia under his personal rule.
1862	Formal union of Moldavia and Wallachia to form principality of Romania.
1866	Cuza forced to abdicate and a foreign dynasty is established. Carol I signed the first modern Constitution.
1877	April 16. Treaty by which the Russian troops are allowed to pass through Romanian territory April 24. Russia declares war to the Ottoman Empire and its troops enter Romania May 9. Romanian independence declared by the Romanian parliament, start of Romanian War of Independence May 10. Carol I ratifies independence declaration
1878	Under Treaty of Berlin, Ottoman Empire recognizes Romanian independence. Romania ceded southern Bessarabia to Russia.
1881	Carol I was proclaimed King of Romania on March 26. [MY NOTE: The postcard is dated in 1882, remember?]
1894	Leaders of the Transylvanian Romanians who sent a Memorandum to the Austrian Emperor demanding national rights for the Romanians are found guilty of treason.
1907	Violent peasant revolts crushed throughout Romania, thousands of persons killed.
1914	Death of Carol I, succeeded by his nephew Ferdinand.
1916	(August) Romania enters World War I on the Entente side. (December) Romanian Treasure sent to Russia for safekeeping, but was seized by Soviets after the Romanian army refused to withdraw from Bessarabia. [MY NOTE: cheese of the B type...]
1918	Greater Romania is created.
	By the Treaty of Versailles, Romania agreed to grant citizenship to the former citizens of Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires living in the new Romanian territories.
1919	A military conflict occurs between Romania and Hungarian Soviet led by Béla Kun. The Romanian Army takes over Budapest on 4 August 1919. The city is ruled by a military administration until 16 November 1919.
1920	The Treaty of Trianon upholds Romanian unification." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Romania You thought "it's a long way to Tipperary"? [that's a cultural reference, don't worry about it] It was a long, long way for the Romanian lands/principalities to achieve unification and independence from all those ancient and feudal enemies and invaders. Them B cheese... (Hint: read aloud, until you get it...) http://www.zazzle.com/yes_thats_an_euphemism_postage-172784866997600135?rf=238693463283865848

===============

Happy Sunday Stamps meme!

Please visit: http://viridianpostcard.blogspot.com/

Fwd: [D*] Seller in the spotlight: Clems112 / New Big Delcampe Contest

This is a test, to see how I can forward to my blog a whole email message.
As such, I see that it appears truncated, so I'll try decreasing the font size.

No, the seller in the spotlight is not me - I didn't allocate yet too many resources to posting items for sale.
The following, up to the actual forwarded email, is just my email signature.
I guess that some email recipients' settings freak out when they encounter so many website links as in my signature.
Oh, well.

"Dorin Cojocariu

Philately (stamp collecting) in general, and maximaphily in particular, as a confluence of domains: learning, writing, web design, business administration, etc.
http://dorincard.blogspot.com
http://dorinco.webs.com
http://www.squidoo.com/dorincard
http://www.delcampe.com/stores/dorinco
http://www.zazzle.com/dorinco*/
http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll201/dorincard/

Maximaphily (especially the non-traditional one) could become one of the coolest hobbies, because it is at the confluence of:

- philately (stamps collecting)

- deltiology (postcards collecting)

- marcophily (postmarks collecting)

- scrapbooking (collages collecting)

- mail art ("artistically-personalized mailpieces" collecting)

When I say "collecting", I mean "creating and collecting". :)"

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Delcampe.net Auctions <info@delcampe.com>
Date: Sat, Apr 2, 2011 at 7:15 PM
Subject: [D*] Seller in the spotlight: Clems112 / New Big Delcampe Contest
To: dorindorinco@gmail.com

If this message does not display properly, click here to open it in your web browser.

You received this newsletter because you are a member of our site. If you do not want to receive it anymore, unsubscribe here.

Buy | Sell | Community | Contact Delcampe Your name: Dorin Cojocariu Nickname: dorinco Password: (Lost ?)

More than 39 million collectibles are waiting for you on Delcampe ! Dear members, The Delcampe team is proud to give you the possibility to discover its best sellers thanks to: Seller in the spotlight! You can discover with us how the seller lives and works thanks to an article. Feel free to print it out for your ease of reading. The interview is filled with useful information from which you may benefit yourself! This time, you have an appointment with Clément Maréchal, our seller Clems112! Enjoy your reading! Best regards, your Delcampe Team Clems112 Name: Clément Maréchal Seller since: 2004 Active in: Postcards "For me, postcards are collectibles that are highly underestimated. Because of this and the fact that certain postcards are very rare, collectors are able to obtain fantastic collections at a reasonable price. This means that postcard collecting is a branch of collecting with a future!" Presentation and activities of Clems112... Could you present yourself to our members? Who are you? I'm Clément Maréchal. I started selling ancient postcards four years ago and I have been a part of the world of collectors since I was very little. What is your working method? Do you work alone or with a team? I work alone. I try to divide my work into several stages: filing my latest purchases and placing them on Delcampe. I always take the time to examine every detail of the postcards that are offered to me by colleagues or collectors who decide to sell their collection or who have found postcards in their attic. Why did you choose the nickname "Clems112"? "Clems" is short for Clément and the fact that I've chosen "112" is pure coincidence: I was the 112th member of the website that provided me with my email address (Nothing special about it!) The passion for collecting... How did you enter the world of collecting? I have been a part of the world of collectors since I was born; I started out by collecting stamps thanks to my father (who has been a stamp and stamp document dealer for over 30 years). Afterwards, I discovered postcards when I finished high school. I was immediately seduced by ancient postcards, especially postcards made by "Art nouveau" or "Art deco" artists like Raphaël Kirchner or Alfons Mucha. Clems112 on Delcampe... When did you start selling on Delcampe and why did you choose Delcampe? I've been a member of the Delcampe community for 6 years; I prefer this website over its competitors because the website is easy to use and provides a personal approach from the team, who are at your service in case of problems. In short, the website has a human touch, which is hard to find in similar websites! What type of items do you sell on the website? I only sell postcards which can be collected (especially cards produced before 1950). I try to list high quality cards. Which strategy do you have to sell as efficiently as possible? I don't really have a "strategy". I'm only listing postcards that I buy while keeping an eye on the sales of my colleagues to detect postcards from which places are wanted. How do you think your Delcampe store wil evolve during the next years? I hope that the website will keep improving, as it has done since the beginning. In that case, I will be there to benefit from the opportunities that are created thanks to Delcampe. Which is the favourite item in your collection? What's the best experience on Delcampe? My favourite item is a set of 12 postcards from Gisbert Combaz that depict "Les Eléments" (The Elements), produced in 1898. The best experience is noticing with surprise that a postcard with starting price 12 euro is sold for 100 euro! Could you give members who want to start selling on Delcampe three guidelines? If you want to sell on Delcampe: Carefully monitor what other members are selling. Make sure that the postcards you are placing on Delcampe aren't already present on the website. Be honest about the description and condition of the postcard. A message for our members? For me, postcards are collectibles that are highly underestimated. Because of this and the fact that certain postcards are very rare, collectors are able to obtain fantastic collections at a reasonable price. Postcard collecting is a branch of collecting with a future! The 3 keys to success from Clems112 Carefully monitor what other members are selling. Make sure that the postcards you are placing on Delcampe aren't already present on the website. Be honest about the description and condition of the postcard. See the store of Clems112 See all postcards from Clems112 ... and his team D* News 1. New Big Delcampe Contest 2011-03-23 16:38:33 Dear members, We invite you to participate in our new contest, which allows you to win a Ministerial Album of the Brussels World's Fair in 1958! Click here to participate! Ended contest(s) The winner of the contest "Postcard - Romanichels sur la route d'Octeville" is member "Ceccone". View the answers Another contest is ongoing, which allows you to win a coin of  "Silver 50 Euro coin Semeuse France 2010" Get started... and we wish you the best of luck!  ... and his team Events for collectors! Brno BRNO 2011 FAIR Meeting of Collectors Fri, 8 Apr 2011 00:00:00 - Sat, 9 Apr 2011 00:00:00 Venezia Venezia 2011 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:00:00 - Sun, 1 May 2011 00:00:00 LONDON THE PICTURE POSTCARD SHOW 2011 Thu, 1 Sep 2011 00:00:00 - Sat, 3 Sep 2011 00:00:00 Prague 1 COLLECTOR / SBERATEL FAIR Thu, 8 Sep 2011 00:00:00 - Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:00:00 Murray Bridge, South Australia Murray Bridge Auction and Trading Day Sat, 9 Apr 2011 00:00:00 ADELAIDE SOUTH AUSTRALIA The Inaugural Postcard Exhibition Sat, 14 May 2011 00:00:00 - Sun, 15 May 2011 00:00:00 Woking WOKING Postcard fair 2011 Fri, 20 May 2011 00:00:00 - Sat, 21 May 2011 00:00:00 We are sponsoring your show ! (Click here) 1. Public Auction #396 Receiving offers from Sun, 20 Mar 2011 until Mon, 11 Apr 2011 Browse the catalogue... 2. Public Auction #397 Receiving offers from Sun, 20 Mar 2011 until Mon, 11 Apr 2011 Browse the catalogue... 3. Public Auction #395 Receiving offers from Sun, 20 Mar 2011 until Mon, 11 Apr 2011 Browse the catalogue... 4. Vente sur offres N° 52 Receiving offers from Fri, 11 Mar 2011 until Tue, 12 Apr 2011 Browse the catalogue... 5. 415. nordphila Auktion - 415th nordphila auction Receiving offers from Tue, 15 Mar 2011 until Mon, 18 Apr 2011 Browse the catalogue... 6. VENTE SUR OFFRES N° 72 Receiving offers from Thu, 24 Mar 2011 until Thu, 21 Apr 2011 Browse the catalogue...

© Copyright 2000-2011: Delcampe International sprl

The most damaged postcard that I ever received! HOW TO avoid getting damaged postcards or maximum cards, with over-cancelling, scratches and missing chunks/corners?

I share here some useful info from the postcard exchange great website http://www.forum.postcrossing.com, where my username is dorinco.

That is also my username for the primary website http://www.postcrossing.com.
This website is good - it facilitates "blind" (you don't choose your partner) exchanges of postcards with addresses chosen at random by their computers.

But the forum http://www.forum.postcrossing.com is much better, in my opinion, because you can choose your exchange partners for postcards, stamps, maximum cards, and other items!

The messages below are about a Round Robin exchange of maximum cards - the thread path (sub-folders) is this:
Postcrossing Official Forum » General » Tags, Trades, Notebooks, Round Robins and Pen-Pals » Round Robins » NEW Maxicards/Maximum cards RR!! Group3 Need ONE for travelling!!New groups!!!(always OPEN)

dorinco [that's me, remember?] said:
"Thank you, gracefool, for the very cute MC from Gr.6!

Unfortunately, it is the most damaged postcard that I ever received! :flaming: [emoticon]

Australia Post/Adelaide put our MC face-down over a heavily-inked mailpiece, so ink migrated onto the face side of our kangaroo MC.
It also roller-stamped it across the address-side, although it says that it's PREPAID!

Then, between Australia Post and US Postal Service, a chunk was ripped of a corner!

See also some roll marks, near the left, at about 45 degrees angle.

Not your fault, but next time you either talk to your postal clerk, or you send it in a transparent bag to have the stamps on the postcard visible, or you just send it like a CIA agent - "undercover".

==========
gracefool replied:


"Dorinco - A self-made Wintery Lighthouse MC, I really love it thank you. Your cancellations are very nice.

Also, Dorin, I am so sorry about the condition the MaxiCard arrived to you in!! 
That is terrible!!! I have sent so so so many MCs and I have not had any report like this before. 
However I have received quite a few cards myself which have heavy cancellations on front and back (but not ripped), it is the risk we all take when putting mail through the postal system(s) I think. 
I have never sent in "transparent bag" before, can you explain this?"
==============
dorinco replied:

"Thank you, gracefool, I'm glad you like the unique/UNICATE/UNIKAT in the world MC that I created for you! :)

Transparent bag can be any transparent plastic bag that looks like a transparent envelope - you can cut and modify it to desired size.
After you get the needed postmarks on the due postage (that may or may not include the stamp for the MC), seal that bag with scotch tape.
Or you can use a re-sealable bag, like Ziploc - best option, since it allows postal postmarking in the arrival country, with re-insertion of your MC back in the bag to reach you.

This is a custom MC, that I made from a page from a book.
Why? Coz I like it! :)
To you (and any other viewer here) and my US Postal Service, it's just a postcard with a stamp.
It's not terribly thick, but it's thick enough to be accepted as a postcard by USPS.

Instead of mailing it as a naked postcard, subject to postal damage, I tested this: I inserted it in a transparent plastic bag/envelope and I put mailing address labels for sender and receiver (which is me in both cases) on the outside of the bag.
I could have postmarked it, but personalized stamps in USA don't necessarily require postmarking - their encrypted value (little B&W squares) is supposed to be voided by the scanner of the Post.

So I mailed it like this:

It arrived to me by mail, without any postmark and any damage.
The value of the stamp is presumably voided, as it should.

The point is that whenever you suspect that your MC sent as a naked postcard will get damaged or over-canceled, you can enclose it in a protective transparent bag, or a glassine envelope, etc.
You just tell your postal clerk that you have a "philatelic item, sent under protective cover/bag."
In USA, currently it's 98c to mail either a postcard or a First-Class (1 to 3.5oz) letter internationally, except Canada and Mexico.

The advantage of using a transparent bag instead of a normal opaque envelope is that:
you could use the maximaphily stamp as part of the postage, totaling from both sides,
IF that stamp is still valid for postage
and IF you get all the stamps postmarked with that date when you send it.

In your case, gracefool, I already had the MC stamp cancelled in December, so I had to put now 98c on the address side."

==========

Please visit http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/

Wordless is good, but if you simply look at the above images, you may miss some of the important aspects about them.

Some images are best left wordless, but some could use some meaningful words. :)

=================

Please visit and join ABC Wednesday meme!

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/

Today,  J is for JOEY = baby kangaroo.

Also:

"JUNK MAIL? No, protect your mail! Don't let the Automated Postal System or the postal associates ruin your mail!" :)