Chamber of Commerce of Valenciennes postal service
The VALENCIENNES Chamber of Commerce stamp is a symbol of the German occupation. During the first months of the occupation, no town in the occupied territory issued a postage stamp.
It all began on 25 August 1914, the first day of the occupation. In the days that followed, the German military authorities ordered businesses to reopen, allowing economic life in the district to resume. At the same time, the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Jules Turbot, sought authorization from the VALENCIENNES Kommandantur to establish a postal service, as the French post office was no longer operational.
This authorization was swiftly granted, and on 5 September, the Chamber of Commerce informed the public of the creation of a "provisional postal service," detailing its terms and conditions. The service was officially launched on 7 September.
The printer produced 376 sheets (i.e., 9,400 stamps), of which 364 sheets were delivered to the Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber of Commerce was responsible for both distributing letters and collecting mail from towns outside VALENCIENNES. Only simple letters were accepted.
Initially, the service was limited to VALENCIENNES and the towns accessible via the tramway network. At the time, four tramway lines operated from VALENCIENNES.
Extract from the tramway timetable in 1914.
Letter delivered to the Chamber of Commerce on 21 September 1914. The postal control is materialised by the presence of the stamp of the Kommandantur of VALENCIENNES. Only a small minority of letters bear a control stamp.
Posters signed by Lieutenant-Colonel Kintzel, Commander of VALENCIENNES, and Jules Turbot, President of the Chamber of Commerce, were displayed throughout the town.
The stamp issued corresponded to the French domestic postal rate of 10 centimes. Its design was minimalistic and was lithographically printed by the Dehon printing works in VALENCIENNES. Lithographic printing is a relatively fast process, which likely explains how the stamps were produced in such a short time between the Kommandantur's authorization and the service launch. The perforation (11 1/2) is rough, and the stamps were printed in sheets of 25.
These stamps were available for purchase at tobacconists' shops and the Chamber of Commerce.
The postal service soon expanded to include mail sent to and received from communes in the cantons of SOLESMES and LE QUESNOY. The postal connection was later extended to the CAMBRAI and LILLE areas.
The first posters did not mention any postal inspections by the German authorities. However, letters had to be left unsealed, likely to facilitate potential checks. These inspections were probably conducted at random, as only a minority of letters in the early days of the service bore the VALENCIENNES Kommandantur stamp, indicating they had been checked.
The Chamber of Commerce affixed its oval consular stamp and the date stamp onto the postage stamp.
On 16 September, VALENCIENNES, which had until then been occupied by the 1st Army, saw the arrival of troops from the 7th Army. On 24 September, Lieutenant-Colonel Kintzel was replaced by Major von Mehrig, who authorized the continuation of the provisional postal service but introduced an additional requirement: all letters were now required to bear the Kommandantur stamp as a visa from the German authorities.
In practice, however, postal checks remained random, as far fewer letters bore the Kommandantur stamp than those without it.
Letter delivered to the Chamber of Commerce on 16 October 1914. Postal examination carried out by the Kommandantur of VALENCIENNES.
An interesting stamp, but difficult to collect
Due to the interest collectors have shown in the Chamber of Commerce stamp, counterfeit versions do exist. These fakes can be identified by their 13 1/2 perforation and significantly better centering compared to the original.
However, the greatest risk does not come from these counterfeits but rather from postage using genuine stamps.
Of the 9,400 stamps printed, the Chamber of Commerce sold less than half, with the remaining stock destroyed. The stamp quickly attracted the interest of collectors—first among German soldiers, then in Germany and non-belligerent countries. There is little doubt that some of the sold stamps (and possibly some remaining stock before destruction) were acquired by the Germans. Some were used to create souvenir postcards, which were stamped with a Feldpost postmark.
However, since military mail was postage-free, the Chamber of Commerce stamp had no postal value on this type of mail.
Finally, a few letters bearing the imperforate Chamber of Commerce stamp raise some questions. These letters are all dated 8 September 1914, the first day of service.
Some blank (unaddressed) envelopes, created by soldiers, were canceled at the Chamber of Commerce. To make them appear even more authentic, they were also stamped with the Kommandantur mark.
More insidiously, during September and early October 1914, some letters appeared to be entirely authentic, yet they bore German postmarks that did not exist at the time the stamp was in use.
Due to the movement of German armies, the 6th Army took control of the CAMBRAI, DOUAI, VALENCIENNES, and part of the LILLE districts in October 1914. Around this time, Major von Mehrig authorized the continuation of the provisional postal service between LILLE and VALENCIENNES.
However, the newly established High Command of the 6th Army, unaware of this service, decided to ban it entirely. As a result, the Chamber of Commerce postal service was forced to cease operations on 30 October 1914.
In fact, the Chamber of Commerce postal service was an exception within the Western Lines of Communication area, as German authorities—regardless of the army in charge—had generally prohibited all mail exchanges between inhabitants of occupied zones.
Letter of the town hall of VALENCIENNES deposited at the Chamber of Commerce on September 8, 1914. Imperforate 10 centimes stamp.
The first 2 stamps with "NORD" in small and large characters are frequently found on mail bearing the Chamber of Commerce stamp, as the VALENCIENNES town hall sent out a lot of mail.
The 3rd stamp (larger than the previous ones) with "Nord" in small letters is only found on mail bearing the imperforate stamp.
To date, I am aware of seven pieces of correspondence addressed to:
Monsieur Risbourg, meunier à Bouchain (Mr Risbourg, miller in Bouchain)
Monsieur Fauville, brasseur à Bouchain (Mr Fauville, brewer in Bouchain)
Monsieur Mallez, entrepreneur à Denain (Mr Mallez, contractor in Denain)
Messieurs Delerue Frères, sucrerie à Raismes (Delerue Frères, sugar mill in Raismes)
Monsieur Davaine, distillateur à St Amand (Mr Davaine, distiller at St Amand)
Monsieur Plumecocq, chaudronnier à Douchy (Mr Plumecocq, boilermaker at Douchy)
Monsieur Hélard maire de Bruay sur l'Escaut
These recipients were professionals in various industries, with no known connection to philately. At the time these letters were sent, they were all residing in the VALENCIENNES area.
The 8 September 1914 date stamp on these letters is identical to that found on letters of the same date bearing perforated stamps.
Notably, the imperforate stamps on these letters are authentic, having been verified by multiple experts. It is possible that they originated from a sheet that escaped the perforation process.
Most evidence suggests that these letters are genuine, although some questions remain regarding the town hall stamp and the sender's handwriting.
In conclusion, the Chamber of Commerce stamp emerged during a particularly unstable period in the early months of the war. The German authorities had the power to authorize, amend, or revoke postal regulations that had been previously approved by other officials. This uncertainty makes the stamp historically significant, but also challenging to collect.
Collectors should take precautions before purchasing these stamps. A careful examination of postmarks and recipient addresses can help avoid disappointments. Additionally, it is essential to verify that the recipients were located in towns served by the tramway, as this aligns with the documented postal routes of the time.
The first three postmarks are from Etappen-Kommandantur 6/XIV in Valenciennes, but they were only used during the presence of the 6th Army (i.e., from mid-October 1914 onward). However, letters bearing these marks are often dated September 1914, which is historically inaccurate.
Similarly, the postmark reading "Mob. Et. Kommandantur 158 / Deutsche Feldpost 45" could not have coexisted with the Chamber of Commerce stamp, as the phrase "Deutsche Feldpost..." did not appear until February 1917.
