Cacti

Unified Vietnam, Cacti, March 30th, 1985, Michel Nr. 1546-1552; Seven stamps with nominals of 50xu (two stamps), 1D, 2D, 3D, 5D and 8D were issued in perforation 11.25 and imperforate.

Here is the mint perforated set

and here the mint imperfroate set in pairs

Registered air mail letter sent in July of 1985 from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries the entire Cacti set plus stamps from the Peace Meeting and Youth Meeting sets for an overall postage of 243.5D (including the red free frank for 180D). Fragment of the green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Air mail letter sent in July of 1985 from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries the entire imperforate Cacti set plus stamps from the PeaceMeeting set for an overall postage of 46D. Imperforate stamps on postally used cover are very rare.

Registered air mail letter that shows different color variations of the 2D value. Some of the stamp also shows some of the plate errors detailed above (dot in E of VIETNAM, blue object at bottom right). Ton the reverse there are imperforate Cactus stamps. Error and imperfroate stamps on postally used cover are very rare. On September 14th, 1985 Vietnam conducted another currency reform in which the old Dong was devalued by 10:1. So the postage value of most of the stamps on the envelope (which are still Old Dong) were only worth one tenth of their face value. The top line of the stamps on the reverse and the red free frank is already denominated in New Dong. The mixed currency postage calculation therefore comes out as 58.78 Old Dong divided by 10 = 5.88 New Dong plus stamps and free frank in New Dong (14 D) for an overall postage of 19.88D. Partial green Fulda custom cancel on front.

Registered air mail letter sent in January of 1986 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries two blocks of four of the 2D Hai Phong Liberation that show some of the plate errors detailed above (damaged Chinh in Buu Chinh, crack in rocks under tower and short T) plus stamps from the Peoples Army, Cacti, Laos and Reconstruction sets. The Cacti stamps are imperforate. Plate errors and imperforate stamps 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. This was true for all stamps on the cover other than the stamps from the Reconstruction and Laos set. The overall postage hence amounted to 30.5 oD = 3.5 nD. plus the red free frank for 7 nD plus stamps in new currency 13nD for a total of 23.5 nD Fragment of the green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered air mail letter sent as a mixed currency franking in June of 1986 from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries multiple National Assembly sets and stamps from the Dam Construction,Reconstruction and KPdSU sets that were already denominated in new Dong and imperforate stamps from the Cactus set that were denominated in old Dong. Imperforate stamps 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 9 oD =0.90 nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (18D) plus the red free frank of 12 nD for 30.9 nD. Fragment of green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered air mail letter sent as a mixed currency franking in June of 1986 from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries a number of the National Assembly stamps and stamps from the Reconstruction sets that were already denominated in new Dong and stamps from the Communist Party, Karl Marx and imperforate Cacti Year sets that were denominated in old Dong. Imperforate stamps 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 12.5 oD =1.25 nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (17D) plus the red free frank of 13 nD for 31.25 nD. Fragment of green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered air mail letter sent as a mixed currency franking in June of 1986 from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries a number of the National Assembly stamps and stamps from the Reconstruction sets that were already denominated in new Dong and stamps from the Communist Party, Hai Phong Liberation and imperforate Cacti sets that were denominated in old Dong. The Communist Party stamps show various shades and a perforation error. Imperforate and error stamps on postally used cover are very rare. There is also a military free frank issued in 1983 that was not valid for international postage but nevertheless was accepted by the postal clerk. 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 16.2 oD =1.62 nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (16D) plus the red free frank of 17 nD for 34.62 nD. Fragment of green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered air mail letter sent in May of 1986 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The Hanoi Liberation and Cacti stamps on the reverse were still denominated in old Dong while the stamps from the KPdSU and Reconstruction sets on the cover are already denominated in new Dong. The KPdSU stamps are present in both color variations. The Cactus stamp on the reverse is imperforate. Imperforate stamps 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 12 oD =1.20 nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (27.5D) plus the red free frank for 12 nD for 40.7 nD.

Registered air mail letter sent in June of 1986 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries a mix of stamps denominated in old Dong (Communist Party, Cacti (imperforate), Liberation of Hai Phong, National Liberation Front) and new Dong (National Assembly Labor Day). The two National Assembly stamps on the reverse both shows the plate error of “broken jacket line on HCM#s left side. Imperforate and error stamps 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 17.12 oD =1.71 nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (7D) plus the red free frank for 24D for 32.71 nD. Fragment of green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered air mail letter sent in June of 1986 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries stamps that were still denominated in old Dong (Cacti (imperforate), Socialist Republic) and new Dong (Dam Building, National Assembly, Reconstruction). There is also the military free frank from 1984 that was not valid for international postage but apparently was accepted by the postal clerk nevertheless. Imperforate stamps 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 8.62 oD =0.86 nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (21 nD) plus the red free frank for 17 nD for 38.86 nD. Fragment of green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered air mail letter sent in June of 1986 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries stamps that were still denominated in old Dong (Socialist Republic, Union Congress, Cacti (imperforate), Karl Marx) and new Dong (National Assembly, Reconstruction, Dam Building, Halley). Imperforate stamps on postally used cover are very rare. There is also a Invalid free frank issued in 1984 that was not valid for international postage but apparently was nevertheless accepted by the postal clerk. 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 3.56 oD =0.36 nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (27 nD) plus the red free frank for 11 nD for 38.36 nD. Fragment of green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered air mail letter sent in December of 1986 as a mixed currency mailing from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries the imperforate souvenir-sheet of the Communist Party set plus the stamp set in Perf. 12.5. There are also stamps from the Labor Day, Reconstruction and Vietnamese Post sets. All of these stamps were already denominated in new Dong. The imperforate Cactus stamps, however, were still denominated in old Dong. Souvenir-Sheets and imperforate stamps 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 2.50 oD =0.25nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (128 nD) plus the red free frank for 397 nD for 525.25 nD.

Registered air mail letter sent in July of 1986 as a mixed currency franking from Ho Chi Minh City to Klewitz. The letter carries blocks of four of the perforated Geological Survey stamps plus stamps from the Reconstruction, Cacti (imperforate), Union Congress (with weak print of the blue color) and Hanoi Liberation sets. Imperforate and error stamps on postally used cover are very rare. All stamps, except the Reconstruction and Haley stamps, were still denominated in old Dong while the 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 October 13th were only worth one tenth at the time of mailing. The overall postage hence amounted to 17 oD = 1.70 nD. plus the stamps in new Dong (15 nD) and the red free frank for 9D for 25.7 nD. Fragment of the green Fulda custom cachet on front.