For over a century, semi-postal, or ‘charity’, stamps have combined the practical aspect of the post with a spirit of altruism, raising funds for a national cause and giving something back. These stamps offer intriguing designs and long-running sets for collectors to pursue, while telling stories of charitable causes, notable patrons, even reaction to disaster. Here, Richard Tarrant discovers the semi-postals of three European countries, and we provide more semi-postal examples to collect on page 44
Switzerland’s Pro Patria stamps
Switzerland has issued ‘Pro Patria’ stamps annually for decades, to raise funds for national causes, giving collectors a wealth of designs to collect and study
Switzerland has issued over 300 Pro Patria stamps. In doing so, they have raised a huge amount of funds that have been devoted to a whole range of worthwhile causes. It is an excellent series to collect, made more interesting with some knowledge of Pro Patria and how the stamp issues have evolved.
The origin of Pro Patria was the organisation known as the Schweizerische Bundesfeier Komitee (Swiss National Day Committee), which was founded in 1909 by a group of public-spirited people headed by Albert Schuster, a St Gallen businessman. The organisation’s aim was to give Switzerland’s National Day greater meaning and, with the help of volunteers, to collect money for social and cultural causes. Swiss National Day has been celebrated on 1 August since 1891 and refers to the historic alliance in 1291 of the three cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden.
The committee felt that, ‘Every citizen, no matter how modest his circumstances, should have the opportunity to contribute his mite [sic] to the national public benefit.’ For many years, the funds raised were used mainly to alleviate social distress and want, the target groups being agreed with the Federal Council, the seven member executive body that constitutes the federal government of Switzerland.
Beneficiaries of collected funds over the years included the Swiss Red Cross, destitute mothers, Swiss women’s associations, Swiss soldiers and their families, various organisations supporting disabled people and Swiss citizens living abroad. From the 1970s, as government and private social institutions expanded, Pro Patria funds gradually focused more on cultural and heritage conservation. In 1991, the Swiss National Day Committee became a politically independent and non-denominational public foundation called Pro Patria.
Initially, Pro Patria raised funds from the sale of postal cards specially created for this purpose by popular Swiss artists. These Bundesfeier postcards were first issued in 1910 while Pro Patria postage stamps were not issued until 1938. Both postal cards and stamps were sold with a surcharge that was devoted to the worthwhile causes.
The first Pro Patria stamp, issued on 15 June 1938, was a 10-cent stamp with a 10-cent surcharge in aid of Swiss subjects abroad. It pictured William Tell’s Chapel on the shore of Lake Lucerne. Some of the stamps can be found with evidence of ‘grilled gum’. Examples of the stamp,
