Very nice covers! I have a few in my my 300 collection. They are a special kind of fun.
80mm! My smallest (108mm) ain't that small, but it is Government Issue. Cheers,
My smallest cover is this one — 92 X 57 mm.
It was posted September 10, 1942 by a Jewish refugee in the internment camp at Isle Aux Nois, Quebec.
Considering the current crisis that Syrian refugees are experiencing, the history of Jewish internment in Canada is worth considering. Here's a write-up I did a few years ago about this cover's provenance:
---
In 1938, after the infamous Kristallnacht, when Nazi thugs vandalized and burned Jewish businesses and synagogues, 10,000 Jewish males Jews from Germany and Austria were allowed to enter Britain as refugees. In the late spring of 1940, following the debacle at Dunkirk and fearing sabotage by Nazi “fifth columnists†among the refugee, the British government ordered the arrest of thousands of them. Winston Churchill is said to have growled “Collar the lot!â€
Overwhelmed by the costs both in money and labour of incarcerating so many young men, the British pleaded for help from the Dominions, and both Canada and Australia agreed to accept them. About 1,800 of these young Jewish men, aged 16 to 65, were labelled as “dangerous Nazis†and sent to Canada for internment. They had fled the terror of the Third Reich, and were greeted at Québec by troops with fixed bayonets and incarcerated as prisoners of war in various camps across Canada. Some went to Ripples, New Brunswick, where they they had to share living space with actual Nazis POWs.
There followed several incidents in which Nazis threatened and intimidated the Jewish prisoners, who were eventually separated from their tormentors by nothing more than barbed wire. Canadian authorities eventually reconsidered the status of these men and most were relocated most of them to Fort Lennox, Québec, on ÃŽle aux noix (Nut Island) in the Richelieu River about 50 miles west-southwest of Trois Rivieres. The barbed wire around the fort was mostly removed, and the men of the Veterans’ Guard of Canada and the local villagers from nearby Saint Paul did what they could to help. And, in fact, the prisoners made the most of their internment: many of them were scholars, artists, and musicians who created an intellectual community complete with schools where students could complete their high school education and begin working on university-level courses. Â
These innocent and persecuted men were gradually freed but it was only at the end of 1943 that the last 83, by then transferred to Hull, Quebec, across the Ottawa River from Ottawa, were released. They were told not to reveal their internment. Many remained in Canada to start a new life.
Here are a few new covers for my tiny cover collection. They also fit into my mourning cover collection. The smallest is 55x80 mm and the largest is 60x100 mm.
Vince
I had a little board that was mailed. Inch x two and a half x 1/4 in thick with 2 cent Washington on it. Address on one side message on the other side. Can't find it anymore. I will keep looking for it.
Vince, is there any connection between these covers being small and also being mourning covers? Were most mourning covers of that time and region intentionally small, and if so, why? As a sign of circumspection or grief, perhaps?
Hello Douglas,
I think the smaller covers were sent as a thank you to those who sent their condolences. From what I learned about mourning covers from "Mourning Covers" The Cultural and Postal History of Letters Edged in Black, Harbingers of Death, messengers of Grief by Ernest A. Mosher size didn't hold any special meaning, I also have a cover from Switzerland that measures 6 1/2 by 9 inches. The size of the black banding also varied. Mourning covers are recorded from 217 countries from Aden to Zanzibar.
Vince
I am inclined to co-speculate with Douglas that size matters; this was no time to be gaudy.
I recently read The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd which, while not authoritative history, was a well-researched book, and the mourning practices set out for the early 1800s included draping the mirrors, modest dress and, if memory serves, even putting away the good silver.
I suspect that (all) small covers became known as mourning covers precisely because this was a distinct & purposeful & common use.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
These are fantastic! I'll have to start perusing auctions to find some!
Top & bottom measure 4.5"x3.5" Middle 4.5"x3"
Hi ikeyPikey,
Your response on 14dec2015 "I suspect that (all) small covers became known as mourning covers precisely because this was a distinct & purposeful & common use." is not correct. Mourning covers came in all sizes even tiny size. What sets an mourning cover apart is the black edging on the cover not the size.
Vince
very nice Vince.... Brooklyn was still an independent city then; Warwick is up the Hudson, great apple country
"... What sets an mourning cover apart is the black edging on the cover not the size ..."
"I suspect that (all) small covers became known as mourning covers precisely because this was a distinct & purposeful & common use."
My example of a mourning cover is rather small (but not as small as the examples shown). Another category of "smallish" covers would be "Ladies' covers". I believe they were typically embossed around the border.
Lars
Hi Lars,
I am familiar with the term "ladie's covers" and always just assumed it to mean a smaller than normal cover, sometimes with embossing of the cover front. Now I am not sure what differentiates a ladies cover from a tiny cover. A couple of my "tiny" covers held a thank you card so I am guessing that was probably the use of such small covers.
Here's one of my minis.
vinman,
I am certainly not an expert on the subject, but my personal definition of a Ladies' Cover would be a smaller envelope with embossing around the border. There would be other small envelopes (like Wedding RSVP envelopes) that would not be considered a Ladies' Cover, and there were small "mourning covers" (with a black border).
It seems that "tiny" covers are those that push (or even break) the rules for how small of an envelope can go through the mail. Personally, I would categorize any "tiny" envelope that violated the rules when it was postmarked as an "illegal cover". That's another fun area!
Lars
Here is a scan of some covers I found in a mixed lot at my local stamp club last night. These are the smallest covers I have, they will go into the odds and ends collection. The smallest measures 55mm x 80mm. There are no markings in the backs.
Vince
re: Tiny Covers
Very nice covers! I have a few in my my 300 collection. They are a special kind of fun.
re: Tiny Covers
80mm! My smallest (108mm) ain't that small, but it is Government Issue. Cheers,
re: Tiny Covers
My smallest cover is this one — 92 X 57 mm.
It was posted September 10, 1942 by a Jewish refugee in the internment camp at Isle Aux Nois, Quebec.
Considering the current crisis that Syrian refugees are experiencing, the history of Jewish internment in Canada is worth considering. Here's a write-up I did a few years ago about this cover's provenance:
---
In 1938, after the infamous Kristallnacht, when Nazi thugs vandalized and burned Jewish businesses and synagogues, 10,000 Jewish males Jews from Germany and Austria were allowed to enter Britain as refugees. In the late spring of 1940, following the debacle at Dunkirk and fearing sabotage by Nazi “fifth columnists†among the refugee, the British government ordered the arrest of thousands of them. Winston Churchill is said to have growled “Collar the lot!â€
Overwhelmed by the costs both in money and labour of incarcerating so many young men, the British pleaded for help from the Dominions, and both Canada and Australia agreed to accept them. About 1,800 of these young Jewish men, aged 16 to 65, were labelled as “dangerous Nazis†and sent to Canada for internment. They had fled the terror of the Third Reich, and were greeted at Québec by troops with fixed bayonets and incarcerated as prisoners of war in various camps across Canada. Some went to Ripples, New Brunswick, where they they had to share living space with actual Nazis POWs.
There followed several incidents in which Nazis threatened and intimidated the Jewish prisoners, who were eventually separated from their tormentors by nothing more than barbed wire. Canadian authorities eventually reconsidered the status of these men and most were relocated most of them to Fort Lennox, Québec, on ÃŽle aux noix (Nut Island) in the Richelieu River about 50 miles west-southwest of Trois Rivieres. The barbed wire around the fort was mostly removed, and the men of the Veterans’ Guard of Canada and the local villagers from nearby Saint Paul did what they could to help. And, in fact, the prisoners made the most of their internment: many of them were scholars, artists, and musicians who created an intellectual community complete with schools where students could complete their high school education and begin working on university-level courses. Â
These innocent and persecuted men were gradually freed but it was only at the end of 1943 that the last 83, by then transferred to Hull, Quebec, across the Ottawa River from Ottawa, were released. They were told not to reveal their internment. Many remained in Canada to start a new life.
re: Tiny Covers
Here are a few new covers for my tiny cover collection. They also fit into my mourning cover collection. The smallest is 55x80 mm and the largest is 60x100 mm.
Vince
re: Tiny Covers
I had a little board that was mailed. Inch x two and a half x 1/4 in thick with 2 cent Washington on it. Address on one side message on the other side. Can't find it anymore. I will keep looking for it.
re: Tiny Covers
Vince, is there any connection between these covers being small and also being mourning covers? Were most mourning covers of that time and region intentionally small, and if so, why? As a sign of circumspection or grief, perhaps?
re: Tiny Covers
Hello Douglas,
I think the smaller covers were sent as a thank you to those who sent their condolences. From what I learned about mourning covers from "Mourning Covers" The Cultural and Postal History of Letters Edged in Black, Harbingers of Death, messengers of Grief by Ernest A. Mosher size didn't hold any special meaning, I also have a cover from Switzerland that measures 6 1/2 by 9 inches. The size of the black banding also varied. Mourning covers are recorded from 217 countries from Aden to Zanzibar.
Vince
re: Tiny Covers
I am inclined to co-speculate with Douglas that size matters; this was no time to be gaudy.
I recently read The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd which, while not authoritative history, was a well-researched book, and the mourning practices set out for the early 1800s included draping the mirrors, modest dress and, if memory serves, even putting away the good silver.
I suspect that (all) small covers became known as mourning covers precisely because this was a distinct & purposeful & common use.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
re: Tiny Covers
These are fantastic! I'll have to start perusing auctions to find some!
re: Tiny Covers
Top & bottom measure 4.5"x3.5" Middle 4.5"x3"
re: Tiny Covers
Hi ikeyPikey,
Your response on 14dec2015 "I suspect that (all) small covers became known as mourning covers precisely because this was a distinct & purposeful & common use." is not correct. Mourning covers came in all sizes even tiny size. What sets an mourning cover apart is the black edging on the cover not the size.
Vince
re: Tiny Covers
very nice Vince.... Brooklyn was still an independent city then; Warwick is up the Hudson, great apple country
re: Tiny Covers
"... What sets an mourning cover apart is the black edging on the cover not the size ..."
re: Tiny Covers
"I suspect that (all) small covers became known as mourning covers precisely because this was a distinct & purposeful & common use."
re: Tiny Covers
My example of a mourning cover is rather small (but not as small as the examples shown). Another category of "smallish" covers would be "Ladies' covers". I believe they were typically embossed around the border.
Lars
re: Tiny Covers
Hi Lars,
I am familiar with the term "ladie's covers" and always just assumed it to mean a smaller than normal cover, sometimes with embossing of the cover front. Now I am not sure what differentiates a ladies cover from a tiny cover. A couple of my "tiny" covers held a thank you card so I am guessing that was probably the use of such small covers.
re: Tiny Covers
Here's one of my minis.
re: Tiny Covers
vinman,
I am certainly not an expert on the subject, but my personal definition of a Ladies' Cover would be a smaller envelope with embossing around the border. There would be other small envelopes (like Wedding RSVP envelopes) that would not be considered a Ladies' Cover, and there were small "mourning covers" (with a black border).
It seems that "tiny" covers are those that push (or even break) the rules for how small of an envelope can go through the mail. Personally, I would categorize any "tiny" envelope that violated the rules when it was postmarked as an "illegal cover". That's another fun area!
Lars