Unified Vietnam, 40. Anniversary of the August Revolution, August 28th, 1985, Michel Nr. 1600-1604, Block 40; Four stamps in nominals of 2D, 3D, 5D, 10D and a souvenir-sheet with a 10D nominal were issued in perforation 12.75 (13.0 for the souvenir-sheet) and imperforate. Stamps and souvenir-sheets sold in Vietnam at the postal counter were sold without gum while the stamps/souvenir-sheet sold by the official stamp agency was sold with gum.

Here is the mint perforated set

and here is the mint imperforate set

Klewitz reports that the souvenir-sheet was issued in two distinct printings. The one sold by the stamp agency to collectors and dealers was gummed and it showed what Klewitz calls a “secret mark” in shape of two silver dots at the center left of the souvenir-sheet. The base color of this sheet is in light-silver.

Here is a detailed scan of the “secret mark”

Here is the souvenir-sheet that was sold in Vietnam without gum. It lacks the “secret mark” and the base color is dark-silver.

Here is the imperforate souvenir-sheet sold in Vietnam without gum in a dark silver base color.

First day Covers of the stamp set. Note that the official envelope shows the error of “fighting scene printed up-side down”. While the first day special cancel shows an emotion date of August 10th, Klewitz reports that the stamps ere only released on August 28th, 1985.

First Day Cover of the perforated souvenir-sheet

Registered air mail letter sent in October of 1985 from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries the perforated Youth Festival set plus stamps from the End of WW2, Bulgaria, August Revolution and Women Congress sets. There is also a 12 xu Lotus stamp with Post Master Perforation. The Vietnamese Government conducted a devaluation of the Dong on September 14th, 1985. This meant that all stamps issued prior to this date were only worth one tenth at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to 53.16 oD = 5.31 nD. plus the red free frank for 17.6 nD or 22.91 nD. Fragment of the green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered air mail letter sent in October of 1985 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries the entire perforated Sea Animals plus stamps from the Friendship Treaty, Hanoi Liberation and August Revolution sets. All stamps on this envelope were still denominated in old Dong. The Vietnamese Government conducted a devaluation of the Dong on September 14th, 1985. This meant that all stamps issued prior to this date were only worth one tenth at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to 147.2 oD =14.72 nD. plus the red free frank for 8.2 nD for a total of 22.92 nD. Fragment of the green Fuda custom cachet on front.

Registered air mail letter sent in November of 1985 from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz as a very rare triple currency franking. The letter carries the Southern Resistance stamp from 1958 that was devalued by 1,000:1 on March 1st, 1959 and then again by 10:1 on September 14th, 1985. As a result it was only worth 1.5xu. All the other stamp were issued prior to the 1985 devaluation date so were only worth one tenth of their face value at the time of mailing (175.01oD = 17.5nD). The red free frank for 5.5nD is already in the new currency. The overall postage of the letter hence amounted to 23nD. Green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered air mail letter sent in November of 1985 from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries perforated stamps from the August Revolution set plus stamps from the Union Conference, Communist Part and Vietnamese-Cambodian Friendship sets for an overall postage of 203D (including the red free frank for 3D). Fragment of the green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered air mail letter sent in January of 1986 from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries the rare pink color shade of the Communist Party stamp and the rare dark brown color shade and other color shaded of the Union Congress stamp. The Vietnamese Government conducted a currency reform on September 14th, 1985 by which the Dong was devalued by 10:1. This meant that all the stamps (other than the Laos stamps that were already in the new currency) on this cover were only worth one tenth of their face value at the time of mailing. The overall postage of the letter hence was 84.5 oD = 8.45 nD plus 14 nD for the Laos stamps and the red free frank for 22.45 nDD. Fragment of green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Air mail letter sent in March of 1986 from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries the entire imperforate August Revolution set plus stamps from the Border Troops, Sailing Ship, Friendship and Peace Meeting sets. Imperforate stamps on postally used cover are very rare. All stamps on this cover were still denominated in old Dong. The Vietnamese Government conducted a devaluation of the Dong on September 14th, 1985. This meant that all stamps issued prior to this date were only worth one tenth at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to 162 oD =16.2 nD.

Registered air mail letter sent in May of 1986 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries the August Revolution stamp set and souvenir-sheet (with “secret mark”) plus stamps from the Communist Party, Youth Festival (souvenir-sheet), Reforestation, Vietnamese-Laos Friendship, Reconstruction, 40 Years Peoples Army and KPdSU sets. All stamps other than the Reconstruction and KPdSU stamps, were still denominated in Old Dong. The Vietnamese Government conducted a devaluation of the Dong on September 14th, 1985. This meant that all stamps issued prior to this date were only worth one tenth at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to 69.4 oD =6.94 nD. plus the red free frank for 25 nD for a total of 31.94 nD. Fragment of the green Fuda custom cachet on the reverse.

Air mail letter sent in June of 1986 from Quan 5 (Cholon) to Klewitz. The letter carries the imperforate Motorcycles set. Imperforate stamps on postally used cover are very rare. There are also stamps from the Communist Party, Prehistoric Animals and August Revolution sets. Two of the Communist Party stamps are significantly mis-perforated. All of the stamps were still denominated in old Dong. The Vietnamese Government conducted a devaluation of the Dong on September 14th, 1985. This meant that all stamps issued prior to this date were only worth one tenth at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to 37 oD = 3.7 nD.

Air mail letter sent as a mixed currency mailing in May of 1987 from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries the two imperforate Labor Day stamps  and the there is a block of four of an imperforate  trial proof with an upside-down red printing  run.  There are also two August Revolution stamps that were still denominated in old Dong.  Imperforate stamps and trial proofs on postally used cover are very rare.The Vietnamese Government conducted a devaluation of the Dong on September 14th, 1985. This meant that all stamps issued prior to this date were only worth one tenth at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to  20 oD =2 nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (26D) for 28 nD.

Registered air mail letter sent in February of 1987 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries stamps from the Indochina War (color variations and one plate error), Reconstruction, Traditional Houses, August Revolution (souvenir-sheet), Union Congress, United Nations (color variations)  and Communist Party (Perf. 12.5) sets. Imperforate and error stamps on postally used cover are very rare. The Union Congress stamps were still denominated in old Dong while all other stamps were already denominated in new Dong.  The Vietnamese Government conducted a devaluation of the Dong on September 14th, 1985. This meant that all stamps issued prior to this date were only worth one tenth at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to  2 oD =0.20 nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (75 nD) plus the red free frank for 378 nD for 453.2 nD. Fragment of the green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered air mail letter sent in July of 1987 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries the entire perforated and imperforate Water and Mountain Spirit set plus stamps from the Ha Long Bay (Imperforate), Bonsai, National Assembly,Union Congress, Communist Party (souvenir-sheet) and August Revolution (souvenir-sheet) sets.  Souvenir-Sheets and imperforate stamps on postally used cover are very rare. The Ha Long Bay and August Revolution stamps were still denominated in old Dong while all other stamps were already denominated in new Dong.  The Vietnamese Government conducted a devaluation of the Dong on September 14th, 1985. This meant that all stamps issued prior to this date were only worth one tenth at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to 19.50 oD =1.95 nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (122 nD) plus the red free frank for 530 nD for 653.95nD.

Registered air mail letter sent in April of 1987 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries eight of the Year of the Cat stamps plus stamps from the August Revolution (souvenir-sheet), Flat Fish (imperforate) Reconstruction and Communist Party sets. Imperforate stamps and souvenir-sheets on postally used cover are very rare. The August Revolution stamps are in the yet unlisted perforation 10.75. The August Revolution and Flat Fish stamps were still denominated in old Dong while all other stamps were already denominated in new Dong.  The Vietnamese Government conducted a devaluation of the Dong on September 14th, 1985. This meant that all stamps issued prior to this date were only worth one tenth at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to 10.70 oD =1.07 nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (164 nD) plus the red free frank for 422 nD for 587.07 nD.

Registered air mail letter sent in May of 1987 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries stamps from the perforated National Assembly stamp set plus stamps from the Production and Defense, August Revolution, Year of the Cat, October Revolution and Union Congress sets. The Union Congress, October Revolution and Defense and Production stamps were still denominated in old Dong while all other stamps were already denominated in new Dong.  The Vietnamese Government conducted a devaluation of the Dong on September 14th, 1985. This meant that all stamps issued prior to this date were only worth one tenth at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to 2.80 oD =0.28nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (129 nD) plus the red free frank for 252 nD for 381.28 nD.

Registered air mail letter sent in February of 1986 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh to Klewitz. This letter represents a very unusual mixture of three different currencies. The August Revolution stamps issued in 1958 were devalued by 1,000:1 on March 1st, 1959 and then again by 10:1 on September 14th, 1985. So at the time of mailing they were worth only 0.045 nD. The stamps issued prior to the September, 1985 devaluation (August Revolution 1985, 35 Years Independence and Peace Meeting) were devalued by 10:1 so only worth 3.16 nD. Finally the stamps issued after September 14th (Musical Instruments, Reconstruction and Laos) were worth their full value of 20 nD. The overall postage hence amounted to 23.2 nD. Fragment of the green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered air mail letter sent in September of 1986 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries the souvenir-sheet from the August Revolution set plus stamps from the Production and Defense, Water Flowers, Roses, HCM Birthday, Labor Day, Asia Games and Butterflies sets. All stamps, except the Reconstruction and Labor Day stamps were denominated in new Dong while the other stamps were still denominated in old Dong. The Vietnamese Government conducted a devaluation of the Dong on September 14th, 1985. This meant that all stamps issued prior to this date were only worth one tenth at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to 5.36 oD =0.54 nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (50 nD) for 50.54 nD. Fragment of the green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered air mail letter sent in September of 1986 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries the souvenir-sheet from the August Revolution set in the two color variations (one sheet with “secret mark”) plus stamps from the Hayley, Reconstruction, ARGENTINIA Stamp Exhibition, KPdSU and Soccer World Cup MEXICI sets. All stamps, except the ARGENTINIA Stamp Exhibition and August Revolution stamps were denominated in new Dong while the other stamps were still denominated in old Dong. The Vietnamese Government conducted a devaluation of the Dong on September 14th, 1985. This meant that all stamps issued prior to this date were only worth one tenth at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to 35 oD =3.5 nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (62.5 nD) for 66 nD. Fragment of the green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registration Nr. 103930

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