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StampExpo400
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StampExpo 400 Souvenir Sheetlet

Introducing Cinderellas • Precancels Primer III
Another Look at the Titanic Covers
Journal of the Federation of New York Philatelic Societies

A Closer Look at Titanic Covers
Did They Miss the Boat or Sink the Collector?

By D. Jennings-Bramly, FRPSLAs a long-time collector and student of the Sower issue of France, my eye was drawn
to the cover at the top of Tom Fortunato’s article about Titanic covers that missed
the boat, which was published in La Catastrophe, journal of the Wreck & Crash Mail Society (http://wreckandcrash.org). The article also ran in the September–October
2008 issue of the Stamp Insider.
Having checked the 10 centime Sowers
with the expectation they might be postal
forgeries and finding them to be genuine, I
turned to the article to attempt to find out
why Mr. Fortunato declared the envelope,
numbered 267914, a gem.
After reading the articles and viewing
the eight covers from the references he lists,
I can answer the question he poses in his
first sentence — “Would you pay $10 for thecover shown here?” (I failed to raise the ninth,which does not matter because it is also stated to be an envelope, franked 25 centimes, to the Winter Co.) My answer is no. I would notgive a nickel for even one of the so-called “missed Titanic covers.” Why not? Read on …
Let me deal with the junk box cover
first. Despite Mr. Fortunato’s assertion,
No. 267914 has not been registered by theFrench State Postes. No. 267909 (from theTitanic Museum) and 267925 are also notregistered, because the Courier Convoyeurs(scallop rims) did not offer registration. The
other six covers are not registered and noneof the nine ever were tendered for registration. Had any been registered, the fronts
would have displayed evidence of it and thefranking would have been 50 centimes (25c postage plus 25c registration). The reverseof the covers should have shown handling by the U.S. Post Office Department registeredmail branch, but they do not. They show only the markings for ordinary mail.
The PARIS R.P. ETRANGER marks are made by the two heads of a cancellingmachine working with no bars between heads. Cover 267942 shows the bars in situ.
Continued on Page 26

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Stamp Insider ­— 25 Years!

Titanic Covers — Continued from Page 24
The backstamp from the Fortunato cover is shown in the inset. Using registration in a nonpostal sense and taking into account the shape of the digits, I am of the opinion that thesix-figure numbers were applied by a registry [sic.] within the Winter Co.
By 1912, the Universal Postal Union had been in existence for more than 30 years and few
countries had not joined. The benefits were great, especially as tariffs were now standardized between member countries. There were no more varying rates between shipping lines
and even individual ships. The previous tedious and often fruitless searches for the fastest,safest and least expensive route and vessel were over. Prepayment reigned and superscription of line, of captain’s favor, of shipping agent or vessel was extinguished.
The post office of a country did not designate or impose a particular vessel’s name on
an item of mail or a bundle of mail: their remit was to send the mail on the first available
packet. Later, sometimes, arrangements
might be made specially for propaganda.
The SS Normandie is an example, but foranyone to advance such a theory in regard
to the PTT and the Titanic is ludicrous.
The choice of vessel, to carry one’s mail,has always been the prerogative of the sender. Governments have tried to control andhave spied on mail from the earliest times.
The suggestion that the word Titanic handstamped on the eight covers viewed was carried out by the Foreign Branch of the P’IT
Newest Discovery
Paris is completely untenable.
Thisisthemost recently discovered coverSince the RMS Titanic was British, thereofthenine
known examples, being foundis no likelihood that La Poste would haveby a member of the Titanic Historical Sociarranged a special handling for mail which ety. A chart showing details of each coversenders wanted to travel by the Titanic.
in the census may be viewed online atContinued on Page 28 www.nystampclubs.org/cny_downloads.html.

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Stamp Insider ­— 25 Years!

Titanic Covers — Continued from Page 26
Should anyone in France have desired ocean travel for their mail by that White Starliner, they could have arranged for it to take place by posting to the liners’ agency at Cherbourg. That patently was not so done.
Mr. Fortunato finds it interesting that after 20 years searching, only nine covers — allto one firm — have been recorded. I find it suspicious and one more reason why I end up
convinced that these covers had the handstamp Titanic added to them with fraudulent
intent at some time shortly before they started to appear. What I am unable to decide iswhere the fraud originated — in America or in Britain.
D. Jennings-Bramly is a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society, London

Thomas M. Fortunato Responds

I

am indebted to Mr. Jennings-Bramley for his letter explaining additional details on theTitanic covers I wrote about. Is his conclusion that the Titanic markings are bogus onotherwise legitimate mail correct? That remains a possibility.
As stated in my article, how is it that mail handlers could not have known of Titanic’s
maiden voyage being postponed, since it was announced some six months earlier? Andof course, why have Titanic markings only been found on letters going to one firm — The
Winter Company? Fraud would explain it.
Since at least two of these covers have exchanged hands for several thousand dollars over
the years, I still consider my $10 investment a bargain with the hope that future postal historians may uncover more of this story that continues to raise more questions than answers.

Pyramids Puzzler
By James Darnell

Directions
1. Starting with the top
box of each pyramid,
fill in the box with aletter which is also aproper English word.
2. Then fill in each set of S T A M P
I N S I D E R
boxes below the previous set by repeating(though not necessarily in the same order) all the letters above and adding one moreletter, again being sure that each set contains a proper English word.
3. Continue until the addition of one more letter will produce the words in the bottom setof boxes, which, by the way, spell out the name of your favorite philatelic publication.
There are several different solutions. A sample solution is shown on page 46.
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Stamp Insider ­— 25 Years!