German Empire 1910 - Three Emperors' Corner – Rare mixed...

An extraordinary, contemporary document of European border history before World War I! This rare postcard from the Triple Monarchy corner near Mysłowice is, both in motif and postal usage, a fascinating original witness to the era. 1. The rare motif (front): Historical border scene: It shows the “Russian Border Guard in Modrzejow” and below, in a medallion, a extremely rare and sought-after depiction: “Stocky Smuggler” (Abgefasster Schmuggler). Zeitgeist: The border area at Black and White Przemsza around 1900 was notorious for lively smuggling between the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, and the Russian Tsarist Empire. Such representations capture the local reality of the time in a unique way. 2. Postal peculiarity (back) – 4 realms / countries: The card was stamped on-site during the journey across the borders with the respective country stamps and cancelled at the historic border stations: Bosnia and Herzegovina (k.u.k. administration): Three values of the famous landscape series from 1906 (1, 2 and 3 heller/kronen values). German Empire: Two 5-pfennig Germania stamps in a pair with a clear postmark (OBER)SILESIA. Russian Empire: 1 kopeck coat-of-arms stamp with a Russian border stamp ГРАНИЦА. Destination: cross-border sent as a postcard to France (St. Symphorien-de-Lay, Loire). Round French arrival postmark dated August 27, 1910. 3. Historical background: Until 1914, at the Triple Frontier near Mysłowice, the borders of the three mighty European empires met. Travelers often used the immediate proximity of the border stations to have the crossing of the various territories stamped on a single souvenir card on-site—a striking and vivid testimony to the geopolitics of the time. Condition: Excellent preserved original document with clear stamps. A true gem for any discerning homeland history or postal history collection! Please view the photos for a personal impression. Have fun bidding.

Estimate:$191.55

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