When a new stamp is issued in Geneva, a special first day cancelling machine is brought to the UNPA philatelic counter in the public lobby of the Palais des Nations. This machine is used to cancel the new stamps for collectors and staff members.

Normal philateic operations are not disrupted by the first day of issue, they continue. The UN Postal Administration (UNPA) and the UN Post Office (UNPO) clerks still use their every day "working" circular dater cancels and the machine slogan cancels on both philatelic mail and normal mail. The UNPA clerks dater cancels contain "STARS" to the left and to the right of the date and a letter of the alphabet to identify the clerk. The postal clerks at the UN Post Office use a cancel with "1211 Geneve 10" in the dater and a letter, NO STARS.

THE UN POST OFFICE IS A "WORKING" SWISS POSTAL FACILITY, WHICH ONLY ACCEPTS U.N. STAMPS.

As a "working" post office, it does not sell nor accept a newly issued UN stamps until the first "working" day after the philatelic first day of issue.

On the first "working" day AFTER the FIRST DAY OF ISSUE, the Post Office sells and cancels new stamps for the first time.

This situation creates something very unusual for each new UN stamp issue.

EACH UN-GENEVA STAMP HAS TWO FIRST DAYS OF ISSUE: the UNPA Philatelic FD and the UNPO "working" day FIRST DAY

PHILATELIC FD UNPO "WORKING" DAY CANCELS UNPA "STARS" CANCELS

		UNPA	UNPO
15	SEA-BED...........	12.50	12.50
16	Refugees	12.50	12.50
17	FOOD........	12.50	12.50
18	UPU.........	12.50	12.50
19-20	RACIAL......	12.50	12.50
22	,40 DEFIN..	9.50	9.50
23	NUCLEAR.....	9.50	9.50
24	WHO.........	9.50	9.50			.
25-26	ENVIRONM	9.50	9.50
27	EUROPE......	9.50	9.50
28-9	SERT Mural..	9.50	9.50
30-1	DISARM......	9.50	9.50
32	DRUG ABUSE.	9.50	9.50
33	VOLUNTEERS	7.50	7.50
34	NAMIBIA.....	7.50	7.50
35-6	HUMAN RTS	7.50	7.50
37-8	ILO.........	7.50	7.50
39-40	UPU.........	7.50	7.50
41-2	MURAL......	7.50	7.50	.
43-4	POPULATION.	7.50	7.50
46-7	OUTER SPACE.	6.50	6.50
48-9	WOMEN'S YEAR	6.50	6.50
50-1	30TH Ann.-UN	6.50	6.50
52	SOUVENIR SH	6.50	6.50
53-4	NAMIBIA....	6.50	6.50
55-6	PEACEKEEPING	6.50	6.50
57	WFUNA.......	6.50	6.50
58	TRADE & DEV	6.50	6.50
59-60	HABITAT....	6.50	6.50
61-2	UNPA........	9.50	9.50
61-2	sheetlets-20	125.-	195.-
63	FOOD........	6.50	6.50
64	WIPO........	6.50	6.50
65-6	WATER.......	6.50	6.50
67-8	.SEC.COUNCIL.	6.50	6.50	.
69-70	RACISM......	6.50	6.50
71-2	ATOMIC......	6.50	6.50
73	DEFINITIVE..	6.50	6.50
74-5	SMALLPOX....	6.50	6.50
76	NAMIBIA.....	6.50	6.50
77-8	ICAO....	6.50	6.50
79-80	GEN.ASSEMBLY	6.50	6.50
81	TCADC.......	6.50	6.50
82-3	UNDRO.......	6.50	6.50
84-5	SHEETS OF 20	110.-	110.-
86	NAMIBIA	5.50	5.50
87-8	INT. COURT.	5.50	5.50
89	1980 NIEO...	5.50	5.50
90-1	WOMEN'S YEAR	5.50	5.50
92	PEACEKEEPING	5.50	5.50
93-4	35th Ann.UN	5.50	5.50
96-7	ECOSOC......	5.50	5.50
98	PLO.........	5.50	5.50
99-100	HANDICAPED	6.50	6.50
101	FRESCO......	5.25	5.25
102	ENERGY.....	5.25	5.25					.
103-4	VOLUNTEERS	5.25	5.25
105-6	DEFINITIVES.	5.25	5.25
107-8	ENVIRONMNT.	5.25	5.25
109-10	OUTER SPACE	5.25	5.25
111-2	NATURE....	5.25	5.25
113	COMMUNICAT	5.25	5.25
114-5	SAFETY -SEA.	5.25	5.25
116	FOOD PROG	5.25	5.25
117-8	TRADE & DEV.	5.25	5.25
119-20	H.R........	5.25	5.25
119-20	sheetlets-	125.-	125.-
121	1984 POP.....	5.25	5.25
122-3	FAO.........	5.25	5.25
124-5	UNESCO......	5.25	5.25
126-7	REFUGEE-ERNI	5.25	5.25		.
128	YOUTH YEAR..	5.25	5.25
129-30	1985 ILO....	5.25	5.25
131-2	UN UNIV.....	5.25	5.25
133-4	DEFINITIVES	5.25	5.25
135-6	40th Ann-UN.	5.25	5.25
137	SOUVENIR SH	5.25	5.25
138-9	UNICEF......	5.25	5.25
140	1986 AFRICA	5.25	5.25
141-4	UNDPse-tenan	9.25	9.50
145	5c definitve	5.25	5.25
146-7	PHILATELY	5.25	5.50
148-9	PEACE YEAR	4.25	4.50
150	WFUNA S/S...	14.00	14.50
151	S.G.-LIE...	6.25	6.50
152-3	DEFIN......	6.25	6.50
154-5	HOMELESS....	6.25	6.50
156-7	DRUGS.......	6.25	6.50
158-9	UN DAY......	6.25	6.50
160-1	IMMUNIZE....	5.25	5.50
162-3	HUNGER......	5.25	5.50
164	,50 DEFIN...	5.25	5.50
165-6	FORESTRY....	11.50	14.50
167-8	VOLUNTEERS..	4.25	4.50
169-70	SPORTS.....	4.25	4.50
171	HR-single...	4.25	4.50

172	HR-Souv.Sht	4.25	4.50
173-4	WORLD BANK	4.25	4.50
175	NOBEL.......	4.25	4.50
176-7	WEATHER.....	4.25	4.50
178-9	VIENNA.....	4.25	4.50
180-1	HUMAN RTS	4.25	4.50
180-1	SHEETLETS...	38.50	38.50
182	1990 TRADE..	4.25	4.50
183	DEFINITIVE..	6.75	7.75
184-5	AIDS........	4.25	4.50
186-7	PLANTS......
188-9	45TH ANNIV..	5.95	5.95
190	S/S.........	5.95	5.95
190-1	CRIME.......	4.25	4.50
193-4	HUMAN RTS	4.50	5.50
193-4	SHEETLETS...	POR	POR
195-8	1991 ECE....	8.50	8.50
199-20	NAMIBIA.....	8.40
201-2	DEFINITIVES.	6.50	6.50
203-4	CHILD RIGHTS	6.50	6.50
205-6	CHEMICAL....	6.50	6.50
207-8	UNPA 40TH...	6.50	6.50
209-10	HUMAN RTS	4.50	5.50
211-2	1992 UNESCO.	6.50	6.50
213-4	OCEANS......	6.50	6.50
215-8	EARTH SUMMIT	6.50	6.50

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Copyright 2001 J.Terins