SWITZERLAND 1930 LEAGUE OF NATIONS OFFICIAL COVER FROM GENEVA TO BRESLAU
1930 (Oct. 24), official international commercial envelope from the League of Nations headquarters in Geneva to Breslau, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland). The heavy brown manila cover features a bold, black pre-printed bilingual organizational header reading "SOCIETE DES NATIONS - LEAGUE OF NATIONS". It is franked at the upper right with a single 30c blue William Tell definitive overprinted with the official three-line institutional service mark "SOCIÉTÉ / DES / NATIONS", cleanly tied by a black circular date stamp inscribed "GENÈVE / S. D. N." ['24.X.30']. It is type-addressed to Monsieur le Professeur MARTENSTEIN, Universitäts Hautklinik, 1 Maxstrasse, BRESLAU. The reverse displays a partial black circular German arrival backstamp dated October 25, 1930. The cover is completely intact, shows typical light handling edge-wear, and remains in clean condition.
This official cover provides an excellent philatelic record of early international health coordination conducted under the auspices of the League of Nations during the interwar period. Dispatched from the specialized "S.D.N." post office division in Geneva on October 24, 1930, the single 30c overprinted adhesive perfectly satisfied the standard international surface letter rate to Germany. The recipient, Dr. Hans Martenstein, was a prominent dermatologist serving at the University Skin Clinic (Universitäts-Hautklinik) in Breslau, who actively collaborated with the League of Nations Health Organization on international standardization initiatives for medical treatments. This connection establishes a highly compelling narrative context, blending official institutional mail systems with the history of medicine and social philately.
Please examine lot scan carefully and please send any questions at least 48 hours before the auction closes. Please note that cover condition usually includes normal wear and tear to cover edges, opening tears and some creases and wrinkles. Only exceptional or extreme condition issues will be mentioned.
Legend:
PS - Postal Stationery
FL - Folded Letter
SFL - Stampless Folded Letter
RPO - Railway Post Office
CDS - Circular Date Stamp
DPO - Dead Post Office
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