International charts answers

The international charts answers were Postcards with paid answer of use until in 1971.

They consisted of a batch of two stamped charts contiguous, of which one was intended for the initial shipper, and the second was reserved for the possible answer of the recipient. The two charts could be stamped either with the internal tariff of the postcards, to be used inside the only country of issue, or with the international tariff, for the use bound for any country of the Universal postal union (U.P.U.).

They had the advantage of facilitating the prompt response of the recipients, since those had only to fill, as of reception, the second chart before poster.

Official international reply-cards

These international charts, which generally took the form of whole postal, initially were created under the terms of an international agreement of 1878 limited to certain members of the U.P.U. Thereafter, their use was made valid, in 1885, in all the Member States of the U.P.U.

It is resulted from it that all the countries of destination of these double charts had the duty to ensure free the return of the second chart, which was the only true chart answer.

Their stations had then duty in to obliterate it (or them) stamp (S), which created for the collectors a new case of stamps “used abroad”, i.e. obliterated abroad.

Several States emitted such international reply-cards, interns and, in the form of double postal entireties. Also, to avoid confusions, the transmitting countries were to make in theory there appear in French the following mentions:

On the first chart (to go): “Postcard with paid answer”.
On the second chart (return): “Postcard answer”.

But the charts answer were not necessarily entireties, and nothing prevented the Member States or the private individuals to stamp their reply-card with adhesive postal figurines with the international tariff.

In addition, the entirety-answers of the interior service could also be allowed bound for the foreigner, on the condition of being supplemented in mobile stamps of the country of origin, in conformity with its international tariff. Under these conditions, those of these stamps which were reproduced in complement on the reply-card necessarily received, just like entirety on which they were affixed, a foreign obliteration, during the reference by the recipient of the shutter-answer supplemented.

The use in return of the detached charts answers their charts “outward journey” was in theory possible only bound for the Country of origin. These charts answer could then be recommended or dispatched by the Airmail, but with the proviso of sticking to it the corresponding surtaxes in mobile stamps of the country of return.

The reply-card of private manufacture (printed or even handwritten), freed from mobile stamps could circulate internationally under the same conditions, but on the condition of complying with the same rules as the official international reply-cards.

The use of the reply-cards, already with the very limited departure, made only be reduced and ended up falling in disuse. So that the Congress of the U.P.U at this meeting in Tokyo in 1969 put an end, starting from August 1st, 1971, with their international validity.

Private international reply-cards

Because of emission by many countries of reply-cards, in the form thepostal ones, one often lost sight of the fact that the international reply-cards envisaged by the international agreements did not exclude the recourse to other types of charts answers. It was thus private reply-cards freed in mobile stamps.

Thus such reply-card private were used at ends associative and cultural, starting from France, by an governmental organization called “Committee of safeguard of the French language”, there is about thirty years: They made it possible to dispatch convocations with correspondents scattered in different countries, in order to accelerate the return of their acknowledgments of delivery or their capacities.

The members of this organization had, indeed, only to add their signature to the back of these charts before returning them. Some of these users, dispersed all over the world, seem to have been of the teachers or the soldiers. From where occasional employment by some of them of stamps F.M., which did not always rain with the French post-office employees, although the use of these figurines was prohibited only “with destination”, but not “in source” from abroad.

These private reply-cards, subjected to the same requirements that the usual entireties answers, could be returned to the initial shipper in recommendation or by plane, provided their stampings from origin were supplemented suitable surtax in stamps of the country of reference. What involved the appearance of mixed stampings of most interesting.

Lastly, even after their suppression with the international level in 1971, certain postcards private answers, like those of the association of the Medal-holders of the academic Palms, still could circulate between Sovereign states, but provided that they are both included in the same interior postal service. Thus it was of the sending of charts response between France and the Andorre or between France and the Principality of Monaco.

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