Canton ZurichFirst Postage Stamp

Before there was Switzerland, there was Zurich

The third postal authority in the world to issue stamps, and the second to actually use them. These were the first stamps ever issued on Swiss soil, including the 4 Rappen for city mail, and the 6 Rappen for mail throughout the canton. The one I’m posting is the 6 Rappen, printed on white paper with vertical under-print red lines. In 1846, those red lines shifted to horizontal, and by 1862, a reprint was made without any lines at all, a helpful clue for spotting early vs later printings. Cancelled in red ink within Zurich, black outside, and later blue after the 1849 federation. The red Rosette cancel from Zurich remains one of the most iconic early postal marks in philately. These stamps usually retail high even in lower grades, and clean examples are especially prized.