Newspaper Wrappers may not seem the most appealing of subjects for a presentation: indeed, Lars Engelbrecht RDP, FRPSL admitted as much when he spoke about Danish wrappers to the Royal Philatelic Society London on 4 April. In a reference to Hans Christian Andersen, he wondered whether they might be classed as ‘The Ugly Duckling of Postal Stationery’.
However, his audience was quickly captivated as Lars enthused about the subject thanks to the most entertaining of talks. As he explained, newspaper wrappers are a form of postal stationery having an imprinted stamp. Collecting used wrappers is extremely difficult as the majority were discarded once they were removed from the newspaper. Also, the soft newspaper meant that the cancellations were often smudged, so that good quality markings are hard to find.
Among the items shown were complete sheets before division into individual wrappers, essays and proofs, UPU Specimens, and unusual usages such as wrappers with bisected cut-outs, sent as a parcel and Registered.
Giving the Vote of Thanks, Chris King RDP, FRPSL, thanked Lars for a most erudite presentation. Everyone agreed that, rather than ‘an Ugly Duckling’, newspaper wrappers could be better described as ‘a Beautiful Swan’.
