Here is a scan of some covers I found in a mixed lot at my local stamp club last night. These are the smallest covers I have, they will go into the odds and ends collection. The smallest measures 55mm x 80mm. There are no markings in the backs.
Vince
It was posted September 10, 1942 by a Jewish refugee in the internment camp at Isle Aux Nois, Quebec.
Considering the current crisis that Syrian refugees are experiencing, the history of Jewish internment in Canada is worth considering. Here's a write-up I did a few years ago about this cover's provenance:
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In 1938, after the infamous Kristallnacht, when Nazi thugs vandalized and burned Jewish businesses and synagogues, 10,000 Jewish males Jews from Germany and Austria were allowed to enter Britain as refugees. In the late spring of 1940, following the debacle at Dunkirk and fearing sabotage by Nazi “fifth columnists†among the refugee, the British government ordered the arrest of thousands of them. Winston Churchill is said to have growled “Collar the lot!â€
These innocent and persecuted men were gradually freed but it was only at the end of 1943 that the last 83, by then transferred to Hull, Quebec, across the Ottawa River from Ottawa, were released. They were told not to reveal their internment. Many remained in Canada to start a new life.
Here are a few new covers for my tiny cover collection. They also fit into my mourning cover collection. The smallest is 55x80 mm and the largest is 60x100 mm.
Vince
I had a little board that was mailed. Inch x two and a half x 1/4 in thick with 2 cent Washington on it. Address on one side message on the other side. Can't find it anymore. I will keep looking for it.
Vince, is there any connection between these covers being small and also being mourning covers? Were most mourning covers of that time and region intentionally small, and if so, why? As a sign of circumspection or grief, perhaps?
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"All hobbies are absurd to those on the outside, and a joy to those within."
Hello Douglas,
I think the smaller covers were sent as a thank you to those who sent their condolences. From what I learned about mourning covers from "Mourning Covers" The Cultural and Postal History of Letters Edged in Black, Harbingers of Death, messengers of Grief by Ernest A. Mosher size didn't hold any special meaning, I also have a cover from Switzerland that measures 6 1/2 by 9 inches. The size of the black banding also varied. Mourning covers are recorded from 217 countries from Aden to Zanzibar.
I am inclined to co-speculate with Douglas that size matters; this was no time to be gaudy.
I recently read The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd which, while not authoritative history, was a well-researched book, and the mourning practices set out for the early 1800s included draping the mirrors, modest dress and, if memory serves, even putting away the good silver.
I suspect that (all) small covers became known as mourning covers precisely because this was a distinct & purposeful & common use.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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"I collect stamps today precisely the way I collected stamps when I was ten years old."
It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light. - Aristotle Onassis 17 Dec 2015 10:03:55pm
re: Tiny Covers
These are fantastic! I'll have to start perusing auctions to find some!
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"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou"
Your response on 14dec2015 "I suspect that (all) small covers became known as mourning covers precisely because this was a distinct & purposeful & common use." is not correct. Mourning covers came in all sizes even tiny size. What sets an mourning cover apart is the black edging on the cover not the size.
My example of a mourning cover is rather small (but not as small as the examples shown). Another category of "smallish" covers would be "Ladies' covers". I believe they were typically embossed around the border.
Lars
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"Expanding your knowledge faster than your collection can save you a few bucks."
Hi Lars,
I am familiar with the term "ladie's covers" and always just assumed it to mean a smaller than normal cover, sometimes with embossing of the cover front. Now I am not sure what differentiates a ladies cover from a tiny cover. A couple of my "tiny" covers held a thank you card so I am guessing that was probably the use of such small covers.
I am certainly not an expert on the subject, but my personal definition of a Ladies' Cover would be a smaller envelope with embossing around the border. There would be other small envelopes (like Wedding RSVP envelopes) that would not be considered a Ladies' Cover, and there were small "mourning covers" (with a black border).
It seems that "tiny" covers are those that push (or even break) the rules for how small of an envelope can go through the mail. Personally, I would categorize any "tiny" envelope that violated the rules when it was postmarked as an "illegal cover". That's another fun area!
Lars
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"Expanding your knowledge faster than your collection can save you a few bucks."
I have just come across this tiny cover From Romania to Russia ,funny the stamps are not cancelled but it has a postal mark on the back which I can't make out,any one help?
size is 103mm x 64 mm
Brian
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