Activities

After a pleasant New Year's chat, Olaf Hoffmann showed us some of his new acquisitions. In addition to a document from a place with a direct family connection (which will be published in the future), a letter from the Swiss Consulate General in Riga to Switzerland was of particular interest. According to official sources, there was a consulate in Riga until 1940 (but no consulate general). However, the stamp on the back proves that there was one.

Letter typed at the Swiss Consulate General in Riga on November 3, 1938, with the sender's stamp on the back.

Friedhelm Doell showed some bank letters from Estonia. The Estonian state bank, Eesti Pank, had the privilege of free postage within the country, as did other state authorities, but had to keep a list of the letters, whose numbers had to be written in the bottom left-hand corner of the front of the envelope. However, every letter sent abroad by Eesti Pank had to be stamped.

Unlike Eesti Pank, other banks had to pay postage for every letter, even domestic ones.

Letter from Eesti Pank dated August 21, 1928, following the currency conversion from mark and penni to kroon and senti, to the Federal Reserve, the US central bank, and specifically to the library of the Board of Governors, the seven-member executive committee. This is located in Washington D.C.; despite the incorrect spelling of the place name (with a "German-style sch") and the missing country name, the letter arrived safely.

The stock market prices quoted in Tallinn were regularly sent to other national banks and documented there. As these prices were sent out frequently, they were printed, as evidenced by their dispatch as printed matter ("Trükitöö").

Our monthly video chat, where anyone with an interest in Baltic philately is welcome, takes place on every first Saturday of the month at 17 h CET more technical information on this here).

Next date: February 7, 2026

Special theme: none so far

Join the Zoom meeting with:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85338222428?pwd=WGpZRXJTZVpnSnB6eHg4Ukx2aFVHdz09