"KOENIGL. / BAYERISCHES / SANITAETS / SIEGEL" round cachet with a single line

  • Dimension: 22 mm

    Color: black and red

    Form: round cachet with a single line


    Meyer: page 158

    Feuser: No. 50

    Grobe: Bayern No. 2

    Ravasini: page 326/7

    Vorphila Handbuch by Friedrich Pietz: No. 13


    The cachet “KOENIGL: / BAYERISCHES / SANITAETS / SIEGEL” (Royal Bavarian Health Seal) is known in black and in red colour

    and was used from August 1831 up to spring 1832.


    The black cachet was applied in Freilassing, Höll (Waldmünchen) and Neuhaus.

    The red cachet was applied in Augsburg and Ziegelhaus (Lindau).

    It is possible that this cachet was also used in other places.


    KBSS.jpg

  • The letter shown below it has two interesting disinfection confirmations. It was sent from Trieste to Verviers, Belgium, 1831.

    En route was disinfected in Bavaria and struck with the red cachet which Andre listed above. The second it is the almost complete Verviers label.

  • Dear Hedy,


    This is really a wonderful letter. I showed this item in a German forum for postal history and got some help to interpret it. The letter was sent from Austria to Bavaria. From Bavaria it was sent in a closed transit to Coblenz (Prussia). From there probably via Cologne and Aachen to Verviers. It is not clear where it entered the Austrian-Bavarian border. One assumption is via Salzburg/Freilassing.


    The letter was prepaid until the Austrian-Bavarian border with 25 Kr. CM. Prussian charged 16 1/2 Sgr. (12 1/2 Sgr. for the transit until Prussia and 4 Sgr. for the Prussian transit). 16 1/2 Sgr. = 140 Cent. The receiver had to pay 150 Cent (140 Cent + 10 Cent for Belguim).


    I intensively studied the literature I have about disinfection of mail during Cholera epidemic 1831/32 in Bavaria. The result is the attached provisional map. Towns which have disinfected mail and have an individual cachet are marked in blue (the cachet of Mariahilf, Simbach, Schirnding are not known on letters; the cachet of Eussenhausen is only known on letters of conveyance). The cachet “KOENIGL. / BAYERISCHES / SANITAETS / SIEGEL” was used in towns marked in red. Towns marked in green disinfected mail but no letters with cachets are known. Towns marked in ochre had a Rastel station, were situated at a postal route near the border but until now no disinfected letters are known.


    Bavaria was very cautions regarding foreign mail from suspect countries during the Cholera epidemic 1831/32. I couldn't find a hint that mail was disinfected in Augsburg which is situated up-country (far away from the border to Austria). Augsburg had a postal connection to Strassburg but Bavaria has not done any precautions against France. The only exception of a town situated up-country is Nuremberg. Nuremberg already disinfected mail from Prussia and Austria at a time before the Contumaz stations at the border were established.


    Kind regards,

    André

  • Dear Andre, thank you for the letter appreciation. The data you supply it is very important. My intention was to show the red cachet mention in your article. It came out that all members can take some knowledge. The route, the rates and places of disinfection. Win-win situation! The reserch you are doing about German mail treatment it is very interesting.

  • Björn kindly draw my attention to a letter from Glauchau to Kempten , sold at the 357th Köhler auction (Los 4334). This letter was disinfected in Hof at the Bavarian border and bears the cachet "GEREINIGET IN HOF I.V.". The Kgl. Bayerisches Sanitäts Siegel in red shows that the letter was disinfected a second time in Bavaria. On the postal route from Hof to Kempten no border had to be crossed which implies that the letter was possible treated in Augsburg.


    "Auslagen" postmark of Hof with handwritten entry "5" Kr. rheinisch (= 1 Groschen), the Saxon postage from Glauchau to Hof.

    "16" Kr. rheinisch Bavarian postage for the transport from Hof to Kempten (42-48 Bavarian miles, 1 Bavarian mile = 7,47 km).

    The addressee had to pay 21 Kr. rheinisch (5+16).

  • Björn also informed me about an article written by Karl Huber for newsletter #50 (published in 2008) of the Bavarian stamp society. In this article the author described two letters which bear the cachet “KOENIGL. / BAYERISCHES / SANITAETS / SIEGEL”. Karl mentioned the existence of a closed mail from Innsbruck to Augsburg, which would explain a probably disinfection in Augsburg. The postal treaty between Austria and Bavaria of 1819 doesn't mentioned this closed mail. For this reason I contacted the author and we had an interesting discussion. Karl told me that he has no official proof for his statement but that the postal routes and relations permanently developed.


    Please find attached a provisional map with the postal route from Triest to Verviers. I added two alternative routes: one via Mittenwald and one via Füssen. The crossing from Reutte to Füssen was more important than the one from Seefeld to Mittenwald. At this time no disinfection took place at both entry points to Bavaria. If the letter took one of the alternative routes than the letter was probably treated in Augsburg.

  • I would like to know your opinions if it was disinfected at Augsburg or other place.

  • Dear Hedy,

    In the case of your letter from Pesth to Mainz I assume that the letter was disinfected in Neuhaus or Passau. The Kontumaz-Anstalt of Passau (Mariahilf) had its own cachet but this cachet is only known applied on official letters from the Kontumaz-Anstalt. Maybe they also used the “KONIGLICH / BAYERISCHES / SANITAETS / SIEGEL” to proof the disinfection of letters – I can't say it for sure.

    Yours sincerely,

    André