3. Congress of the Vietnamese Worker Party

North Vietnam, 3. Congress of the Vietnamese Worker Party, September 4th, 1960, Michel Nr. 142-143; Two stamps were issued. One with a nominal of 1 xu (extension value) and 12 xu (standard domestic letter rate). Perforation was 11:0. The printing quantities were 500,000 for the 1xu and 1,500,000 for the 12xu stamp.

Here is a mint set of the stamps:

Mint blocks of four of both stamps:

Postally used set. Postally used stamps are at least ten times rarer than cancelled to order stamps.

These stamps were not officially released imperforate however a very small number of imperforate trial prints have come to market. Here is one of the 1 xu stamp. Note the positional markings surrounding the stamps image.

Here is a a printing flaw on the 1 xu value that was most likely caused by a small object falling on the printing plate. The right stamp shows a “button” on the collar of the worker.

This is a very rare error of the 1 xu stamp that was caused by a rupture of the paper feed during the printing process. In order to re-start the printing machine the printer overplayed the two paper endings and glued them together with gum arabicum. This stamp was printed directly on top of the splice. The left part of the paper has come undone probably in a water bath exposing the unprinted left part of the stamp. The paper of the stamp has the same thickness throughout.

A color variation is known on the 12 xu value (ex Klewitz). The background color here is closer to that of the 1 xu value instead of the light brown of the 12 xu value. Here is a postally used sample of the error stamp.

Perforation errors do occur but are hard to find. Here is a postally used 12 xu stamp that was left imperforate on the left margin.

Here is a rather impressive First Day Cover. While the cover shows a Hanoi address it probably did not travel through the mail as there is no standard date canceller. Also the letter is slightly over-franked with 13 xu instead of 12 xu. (ex Klewitz)

Very rare large envelope mailed as printed matter by Xunhasaba to a stamp collector/dealer in England. It features the very hard to find 2,000D Jade Temple value in Old Dong (worth 2 New Dong after it the devaluation on Mach 1st, 1959) plus two stamps in New Dong worth 4xu for an overall postage of 2.04D.

Rare single franking of the 12xu stamp on a letter sent from Hanoi to a State owned paper manufacturer in East Germany. Mailed in September of 1960 so already subject to the new international letter rate to fellow socialist countries of 12xu.

Rare single franking of the 12xu stamp on a postcard to East Germany. It appears that here either the sender or postal clerk were not aware that the required tariff for postcards amounted to only 6xu resulting in an over-paid postage.

Rare registered express mail letter sent to Klewitz in November of 1978. It carries three of the 6 xu stamps without the name of the designer at the bottom plus many other flower stamps. There is also a pair of the 1 xu worker party stamps. The overall postage amounted to 4.02 Dong. Fulda arrival cancel on the reverse. Green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered letter sent from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz in April of 1982. The letter carries three of the Day of the Child stamps plus two 1 xu Vietnamese Worker Party stamps for an overall postage of 8.22 Dong. Red hand stamp “franked by sender”. Unusual red cancels. Green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Interesting mixed currency franking mailed by Xunhasaba as a Spcimen/Printed Matter in April of 1964. The letter carries the 500D Physical Education stamp that was devalued on March 1st, 1959 so was only worth 50xu at the time of mailing. The overall postage, which included the 1xu Worker Party stamp, hence amounted to 73xu. England was still a rare destination in the early 1960’s.

Registered letter setoff rom Nguyen Trai to Klewitz in June of 1982. The letter carries other parts of the Bird of Prey and Pigeon set plus some other NVN stamps for an overall postage of 8.45 Dong. Late usage of the Worker Party stamp in front and back. Green Fulda custom cachet on front.