Comic Dog Postcard And Nice Cancellation....

Just scanning this postcard and thought I would share....note postmark from Prairie Du Chien, ("Prairie of the dog" according to the local Chamber of Commerce)







Best wishes,

Brian.....machins

The war had been over just 15 days,
no doubt a time for hope and excitement for the future.
An upside down stamp, in stamp language
has meant, "do you remember me" , "I am not free"
and "love"

Hello rod222,

do you happen to have a link to where more info is available about the "language of stamps".....hopefully there is one somewhere.

Best wishes,

Brian....machins.

Machins,

I just happened to stumble across this after reading your post. It's from the American Philatelic Society's website:



Q. Is there significance to a stamp being placed upside down on an envelope?

Maybe. One reason for the requirement of prepaying postage was that many individuals developed elaborate codes to convey messages that could be transmitted by seeing the outside of the envelope and thus not requiring payment for the receipt of the letter. According to The American Philatelist, February 1985, p. 154 the following codes were used (assuming the person was not just in a hurry and was not in need of glasses):

Stamp upside down in the left corner - I love you
Stamp crosswise in the left corner - My heart is another's
Stamp straight up and down in the left corner - Goodbye sweetheart
Stamp upside down in the right corner - Write no more!
Stamp in the middle at the top - Yes!
Stamp in the middle at the bottom - No!
Stamp diagonally across the right-hand corner - Do you love me?
Stamp diagonally across the left-hand corner - I hate you
Stamp in the top corner at the right - I wish your friendship



I love your postcard. It would be interesting to know how a card from Wisconsin, where I live, ended up in your neck of the woods!

Spanishmoss,

thanks for the info...seeing that I am a member of the APS maybe I should have found it

As to how the postcard came to rest in the wilds of rural Scotland I cannot help apart from saying that my wife and I have bought 1,000's of postcards from all over the world from online auction sites, UK fairs, auctions etc.

Like you I find these pieces of paper fascinating....long may it continue

Best wishes,

Brian....machins.

Love the illustration, the double entendre, and the fact that the card's message is still a very relevant concern today for many Americans.