Today a very inconspicuous cover. Visually not a highlight for a thematic collection, but philatelically probably of higher value. It is a so-called postal form. Forms are pre-printed administrative documents. Postal forms (pre-printed forms) include not only the frequent posting slips and parcel cards, but also rarer forms such as consignment bills of recommended letters. These Begleitscheine are Austrian forms that were used in Liechtenstein until January 31, 1921, and, according to the literature of the Ring der Liechtensteinsammler e.V. (RLS) “do not normally come into the hands of collectors.”
The postal forms presented here accompanied a letter on 29.5.1869 – posted in Mayenfeld – from Balzers (where the consignment form was issued) to Vaduz, from where it was probably delivered to Mr. Andreas Beck in Triesenberg. What is written under the name I could not decipher with the best will in the world. ….catcher?
It is a consignment form with the printing no. 76 in the margin with run number 488. The Balzers dispatch post office used the first “BALZERS” postmark for the cancellation. This is single-line, in italics, size 29×3.5 mm in black. This stamp was used in Balzers on letters from 1827 to 1839 but was still used as a stamp on postal forms (as here) until 1869. The acknowledgement of arrival in Vaduz was done with a small single-circle stamp, so called thimble stamp, supplied by engraver Bruck. The stamp has a diameter of 17 mm and a letter height of 2.5 mm. The stamp was used from 1.11.1868 – 1887. The year and letters could be used separately.