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The exhibit shows a local, registered official letter, postmarked with handstamp Bern 3 / Bundeshaus on February 24, 1919.
The Branch Office Bern 3 is established in the Bundeshaus, the seat of the Swiss parliament. Up to now the office is frequently visited by officials of ministries and members of parliament to handle their postal affairs.
The letter carries a stamp of 25 centimes withreversed overprint "Industrielle Kriegswirtschaft" . The IKW overprints exist in two types with relative small differences, but easily identifiable by the letter types. Type I has thin letters with serifs, type II thick letters without serifs. The overprint on the letter is of type I. On the scan the black overprint on the dark blue stamp is hard to see. It wasn't easier in practice and therefore thicker overprint was preferred.
During part of WW I these stamps were in use at the War Department of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The postage rate is correct: the local letter rate was 10 centimes, the registration fee 15 centimes, together 25 centimes.
In spite of the fact that the reversed overprint on the stamp is false, it is, from my point of view, an interesting forgery. Because, with exception of the overprint, all other elements are genuine: the cover itself, printed with the name of the department, the basic stamp, the cancellation and the registration label. The letter was even sent by mail, because someone must have signed for it on receipt.
In my opinion the letter must be seen as a favor of an official to the addressee: Fräulein Ida Blaser.
Many forgeries of this issue exist: with upright, with reversed and with double overprints. It is indisputable that all copies with reversed and double overprints are forgeries, because it has been proved that the genuine stamps only exist with upright overprints.
On behalf of the great amounts of forgeries it is advisable to collect only certified copies. Examining these stamps is very difficult, because a great number of forgeries were produced by the printer who also printed the genuine stamps. He used the same letter types, but in a new setting. And it is just the last fact that makes examining possible but only if you can compare and have much of professional skill.
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