Hamburg – The Thurn-und-Taxis Post Office

  • The Cholera epidemic of 1831/32


    At this time different post offices operated in Hamburg. The Thurn-und-Taxis post office is one of them. Letters that were disinfected there (circa October to December 1831) had been pierced by a rastel.


    The rastel leaves behind a specific pattern of holes:

    – three rows, each with 3 / 4 / 3 holes

    – the distance between the outer holes is 70 mm in the first and third row

    – the distance between the outer holes is 103 mm in the second row



    T&T_1.jpg

  • Nice and interesting. The "30" on right upper corner are grams written by T&T post clerk?

  • As far as I know this is the postage (Copenhagen to Hamburg) payed by the sender: 30 Reichsbankskilling

  • Letter sent from Hamburg (written January 31st, 1832) to Bordeaux (received February 8th, 1832).


    The use of the rastel at the T&T post office can be extended to January 1832.


    TundT_1832_VS.jpg