Cover to San Miguel de los Reyes prison, 1939, with censor
Reference: CT248
Addressed to Celso Bueno y Bueno, in San Miguel de los Reyes prison’s 4º Batallón de Fortificaciones. The addressee wrote on the cover the date and where did he received it, as the 4º Batallón de Fortificaciones was mobile. San Miguel de los Reyes prison censor mark, «D.P. Nº1 – VALENCIA / CENSURA» in violet.
Cover franked with 45c Edifil 742 and Villanueva del Arzobispo postmark dated on Feb 6, 1939. Censor mark and number «8». Handwritten by the addressee «Received in Tandera (Paterna) on February 10, 1939».
More info
A highly specialized and historically significant document of Republican postal history, illustrating the prison mail system and judicial/penitentiary communications during the final months of the Spanish Civil War.
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Item Type: Cover sent to a detention facility.
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Date: 1939 (Final stage of the conflict).
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Origin: Internal Republican Zone transit.
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Destination: Sant Miquel dels Reis Prison (Valencia).
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Reference: CT248.
Historical and Philatelic Context: The monastery of Sant Miquel dels Reis in Valencia was converted into a major penitentiary facility by the Republican authorities during the Civil War to hold political prisoners and detainees. Correspondence addressed to prisoners or staff within these detention centers during the winter of 1939 is scarce, reflecting the complex administrative and logistical conditions in the Republican zone just prior to the end of the war.
Postal Markings & Condition:
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Censorship: Features a clear and perfectly readable Republican military censorship handstamp specifically applied by the prison control office.
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Postal Markings: Includes contemporary Republican franking and transit/arrival datestamps corresponding to the period.
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State of Conservation: Very fine condition for a wartime prison document. Displays minor edge wear consistent with contemporary postal handling and prison inspection. Complete margins and clean reverse side.