COVER N. 611 - SWITZERLAND 

Postmark: 3000 Bern 6 Kirchenfeld 17.07.2025

Posted on the 17th July; Received on the 23rd July 2025

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A mix of old and new stamps on a cover from beautiful Switzerland, Vielen Dank, Vural!

According to the pertinent entry in Wikipedia, "Pro Patria, officially Stiftung PRO PATRIA Schweizerische Bundesfeierspende, is a Swiss patriotic and charitable organization. Its purpose is to give meaning to the Swiss national holiday, August 1, by collecting donations to the benefit of social and cultural works of national public interest".

Donation to Pro Patria have been collected since 1910 trough direct collaboration with Swiss Post.

Quoting again directly from Wikipedia: "Post offices sold Federal Celebration postcards from 1910 to 1960 and postage stamps since 1936. The price of these cards and stamps (marked with "Pro Patria" since 1952) exceeds their denomination, with the surcharge representing a donation to Pro Patria"

The stamp on the left, with a face value of 20 + 10  centimes,  illustrated with a detail of a stained glass window of the church of Véchy, a town in the French speaking part of Switzerland,  is part of the 1971 Pro Patria issue of 1971, issued on 27MAY1971, which comprised 4 stamps, all illustrated with details of stained glass windows; 

The one on the right, with a face value of 70 + 30  centimes,   illustrated with a painting of the castle of Porrentruy, a town in the Jura canton, is part of the 1979 issue, issued on 25MAY1979, also comprising 4 stamps, showcasing Swiss Castles; 

The 1 Franc stamp, with the format of an apple, is part of a four stamp set (2 x 1; 2 x 1.2 SWF), issued on 08MAY2025, dedicated to summer fruits and berries. Further to the apple, the set comprises stamps cut to the format of a pear, a couple of  cherries and a strawberry.

The postmark hails from the country's capital, Bern. 

 COVER N.93 - SWITZERLAND

Postmark: Zürich-Mulligen (?)
Posted on (?); received on the 6th April 2022
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The second Swiss cover I got on the 6th April (Thanks a lot, Urs) intrigued me. On first look I thought the image on the very large stamp to be just an excavator, but then I looked more carefully and I realised there was more to it.

This is a specialist tool.... an excavator for the rough and steep terrains that are so common on mountainous areas... small wonder then, that its design would come the pen of a Swiss. 

Ernst Menzi (1897–1984) was the man behind the invention that would become known as the walking excavator. According to the notes on the Swiss Post website the excavator chassis is fitted with  "spider-like legs to which both wheels and stabilizers can be attached", thus ensuring that the vehicle can negotiate and hold on to the difficult terrains it is meant for. 

The 2 Swiss Franc stamp on this little souvenir sheet, issued on 09SEP2021, has several areas covered with a special granulate varnish to mimic soil, thus imparting a 3d feel to it.

COVER N.92 - SWITZERLAND

Postmark: Nesslau 18MAR2022
Posted on the 18th March; received on the 6th April 2022
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On the same day, I got two covers from Switzerland, one being this one adorned with two stamps from a particularly well achieved (from my point of view, of course) set, composed of four monochromatic stamps dedicated to trees. Thank you so much T.S.

The 85 Swiss Franc cent stamp, printed in brownish red, depicts a larch. Not any larch, though. According to the Swiss post site, this larch is 900 year old and is located in "Valais, beneath the Dent de Nendaz, at an altitude of around 2,000 metres".

The 1 Franc blue printed stamp is dedicated to one of my favorite trees, the oak. Again quoting the Swiss Post site, it depicts a tree "located to the south of Delsberg and is called “Chêne des Bosses” – presumably because of its distinctive bumps. The tree is around 430 years old and has grown in a distinctive, unusual shape typical of solitary oaks" .  The text goes on to inform us that the trunk of this particular tree is nine metres in circumference. It must be a joy to behold!

 

I would love to have the other two stamps in the series. They depict a Sycamore (1.50 Franc) in green and a sepia Swiss stone pine (2 Francs) and  I'll be hoping that the  Swiss friends of the London Cover Circuit Club will use them if sending me a cover in the future.

Of note is also the very poshy Munken paper used for the stamps, that adds to the beauty of this little works of art.

The postmark is also very nice, with a miniature contour drawing of the village of Nesslau with mountains in the background.

COVER N.73 - Switzerland

Postmark: 9000 St. Gallen - Annahme - 3-2-22 (?)
Posted on the 3rd February; received on the 12th February
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A nice and clean cover from the land of watches, mountain ridding trains and cheese with holes. Thank you so much Charlotte! 

Stamps left to right:

10+10 Swiss Franc cents stamp, issued on  29MAY1970, as part of a 4 stamp set (10; 20; 30; 50 Swiss Franc cents) with a 10 cent fund raising surcharge for  Stiftung PRO PATRIA Schweizerische Bundesfeierspende a "Swiss patriotic and charitable organization. Its purpose is to give meaning to the Swiss national holiday, August 1, by collecting donations to the benefit of social and cultural works of national public interest" (cf. Wikipedia).

The stamps in the set are illustrated with images of contemporary stained glass windows, that on  my cover, entitled "sailor", being authored by Gian Casty (1914-1979), a prolific artist who specialised in glass painting and left a sound body of work in both profane and religious buildings.

100 and 85 Swiss Frank cents stamps, part of a four stamp set issued on 04MAR2021 (incidentally, my birthday...) dedicated to "animals in the city". The stamps depict an ermine  (Mustela erminea) and a wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus), respectively, the other stamps in the set being graced with images of a mole (Talpa europea) -1.50 CHF and a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) - 2 CHF.

The postmark, although difficult to read, indicates that the cover was mailed from Post Branch 9000 St. Gallen 1 Annahme.

St. Gallen is the capital city of the canton of... St Gallen, located in the eastern part of Switzerland, very close to the Bodensee, the natural border with Germany.

COVER N.42 - Switzerland

Postmark: 6442 GERSAU 17SEP21
Posted on the 17th September; received on the 6th October
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Same as Germany, Switzerland chose to focus the limelight of the EUROPA 2021 stamp emission on the often forgoten and even maligned insects, dedicating the two se-tenant stamps that comprise the set, issued on 06MAY2021, to two beautiful butterflies that have endangered status in Switzerland.

These are the stamps that grace the cover I received from the land of the cheese with holes and evergreen pastures. Thank you so much, Rosmarie!

The woodland brown (Lopinga achine), a member of the Nymphalidae family rests on the stamp on the left side of the pair. It can be found in warm openings of damp unmanaged mature forests. The scarce large blue (Phengaris teleius) is the subject of the right side stamp. Like other Lycaenidae butterflies it relies on a parasitic association with a specific species of ant to thrive.

Both of then cannot be found in my own country.

The very clear postmark tells us that the cover was posted in Gersau, a city in the canton of Schwyz, on the shores of Lake Lucerne.