Geulem

A postcard from the beginning of the last century sometimes tells a complete story without words. Or, you can invent a complete story to go with it. When searching for the last dates of use, postcards are a popular tool because the stamp impressions are often particularly clear. The postcard was of importance to me because the stamp bears an impression of the Maastricht-Aachen route postmark with the letter B and the date August 20, 1905. The last known impression was from July 3, 1904, so a year earlier. I was therefore able to update my overview again. But what else does this postcard have to tell us? First, the mention of POSTCARD. This did not correspond with the rate of the affixed stamp, as the domestic rate for a postcard was 2 cents from April 1, 1892, to October 1, 1908. It is quite common to see on this type of picture card that the word 'postcard' has been crossed out and 'printed matter' written on it. This was possible because no message was stated on the card. The rate for domestic printed matter was 1 cent, and therefore the correct rate was affixed, even without crossing out the word 'postcard', which was actually prescribed. But that crookedly affixed stamp? Wasn't that, in fact, a message too? Yes, the so-called 'stamp language' was widely used back then. This crookedly affixed stamp could have various meanings, but it almost always related to love! Such as: come soon, or I hope, or I love you. But because they weren't 'words,' this wasn't considered a message. We can see from the image side of the card that space was indeed left open to write a message. On the blank lower section, only a date and the sender's first name are listed: Lena. But what was the purpose of the crookedly affixed stamp? The addressee was Miss A. van Leer, Widow, in Dordrecht. Or was it not intentional to affix the stamp like that? The postcard was not posted in a street mailbox but handed to the conductor of the train running between Aachen and Maastricht. The nearest railway station was in Schin op Geul, located on the 'Million Line'. Lena handed the card in on Sunday, August 20, 1905. The stamp impression shows no time indication, so the exact time is unknown. However, it is known that the card arrived on Monday morning, August 21, 1905. The card probably spent the night at the post office in Maastricht. That same morning, the postcard was included in the first delivery round by mail carrier number 27 and delivered to the addressee. This is indicated by the letter A. Delivery stamp number 27 was put into use on June 18, 1898, but by 1904, at least 38 carriers were already employed in Dordrecht. We will never know how Mrs. Van Leer reacted to the card, nor who Lena was. And the name Geulem? Nowadays it is Geulhem. And a number of cave dwellings still exist on the Geulhemmerweg. The 'De Rotswoning' Foundation has displayed a similar postcard on their website with the caption: Rock dwellings in Geulem which may no longer be inhabited, but are currently viewed as a tourist attraction, seen from the outside; above the dwellings one sees the gallery, which belongs to the plot on the left. The card is another fine addition to the collection.