Swastika On Domestic Mail

I was surprised to see a swastika cancellation circa 1932 from Stockton CA to Sacramento CA. Was this entirely innocent or was there a political message. Anyone have any ideas? This cover is currently for sale on ebay.

My first question would be if they are indeed postal cancels and not those of an individual.

This symbol during the early 1900s meant "good luck" - NOT associated with the Nazi swastika.

Yes, these types of fancy cancels were popular during the late 1920s to mid-1930s - mostly on registered covers.

I think your cover dates back to the day when a swastika was still considered a good luck symbol, particularly by those in the western US, most notably Native Americans. There's even documentation of swastikas being used on US roadsigns (Arizona) and in the architecture of several early 20th century post offices.

As for use as a "killer" postmark, it seems it was commonplace back in the 1920s (and early 1930s) in places like California, as evidenced by this example:



http://www.philbansner.com/photo.asp?recnum=48865

As these swastika cancels are the reverse of the one used by the Nazi's, do they have the same relevance?



- stamporator -

Those are not Nazi swastikas. Note well the orientation:

Not sure.

Although we've talked about Swastikas in US and Canada postal history before at this link:

https://goscf.com/t/40290

Stamporator posted while I was composing. Both orientations are known among the orientals, but usually it is left facing. Besides the Nazi version being right facing, on the Nazi flag it is not positioned at right angles, but "back shifted" 45 degrees. Hitler just wanted to be different. But he was consciously borrowing from Indo-aryan roots.

The Post Office Department prohibited registered mail from being postmarked on the face with the normal city date stamp and did not prescribe any specific mark to cancel the stamps. In the 1930s, it became popular among some collectors to collect registered mail with fancy cancellations. Often travelers would provide their own cancels and ask the postal clerk to cancel a registered letter with them. Loso and de Windt's book on 20th Century Fancy Cancels, while not complete, is a good reference.

Also the Babylonians and the Ancient Greeks, and even the Ancient Egyptians used the Swastika. In fact, it is still used in quite a few Asian Countries even now, particularly, Japan and India.
It was very fashionable in Art Nouveau Jewellery and art Deco Jewellery.
The British Raj made it very fashionable in England.
I actually have a few pieces of Jewellery from my Grandmother with the Swastika set with turquoise and pearls, and others in silver and gold.
To me it is just another religious symbol, misused by other.
If you find copies of Rudyard Kiplings early works, you will find the covers and spines decorated with Swastikas.
It is only a persons conception, or mis-conception that creates an evil image.
Horamakhet

There's the 1924 Everest Expedition cinderella with the swastikas in the corners




The swastika was used by Latvia as a watermark between 1928-1940

A backwards hooked cross ( haken kreuz ) is a swastika not.

Hi Puzzler,

I have seen them in ancient inscriptions facing both directions.
as said previously it is the use, or conception, or mis-conception that creates the evil.
Where I used to work, we would get a lot of tins containing jewellery from India, and the swastika on the lid would face either direction.
The symbol, whatever way it faces is not evil, just the mis-use.
Horamakhet.

Thank you. I did jump at things there, didn't I?
Aplogies to all.

As others have mentioned, the swastika was only recently appropriated by the Third Reich as a symbol and it was around for thousands of years before then. It would be similar to someone seeing a star on a flag and thinking that it must represent Communism since it was used on the old Soviet Union flag, and the Communist China flag. However, it is also used on the American flag, and on the Republic of Texas flag back when Texas was an independent country, and on so many other things including Heineken Beer's official company logo.