The Szekula Family of Stamp Dealers

EN / DE

Béla Sekula is not only responsible for all his brothers and several next generation family members entering the stamp trade. During his time in Lucerne, he founded four companies: his wholesale and retail business Béla Sekula, Cosmophilatelist AG, Globus AG, and Stamps Import and Export AG. Some of his employees later opened up their own stamp shops, or continued companies originally founded by Béla independently after his departure. Some of them are listed below.

© 2018–2023            Contributors: Max Brack — Albert Little — David Rossall — Bob Medland

Hermann Wiederhold

 
Ocean Stamp advertisement
Spring offer: 500 st. for CHF 2.50
(Berner Schulblatt 1936/1937)

Hermann Alexander Paul Wiederhold, son of Paul Ernst Hermann Wiederhold and Hermeline Wilhelmine Dölling Harmsen, was born in Hamburg on April 2, 1881. On November 15, 1906 Hermann Wiederhold married Mathilde Christine Müller at Gießen, Hesse, Germany. Working for Béla in Budapest since at least 1905 he became his closest comrade-in-arms for the next three decades, and an officer with Prokura in both Béla’s own company as well as the Cosmophilatelist AG founded in 1931. When Béla left the Cosmophilatelist AG in April 1935 business continued under this name for a couple more months, but in January 1936 the company was re-branded as Ocean Stamp Ltd. with Wiederhold as director — a position he would hold for the next twelve years. Finally having his own stamp company must have meant a lot to him: Even after Ocean Stamp Ltd. was liquidated in January 1948 the address books of Lucerne continued to state his occupation as director of Ocean Stamp up to the 1960s. Hermann Wiederhold died in Lucerne on February 3, 1967.



Postcard — April 30, 1936

Sent on April 30, 1936, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Bäretswil.

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Scans provided by David Rossall.


Cover — June 30, 1936

Sent on June 30, 1936, from Ringsted, Denmark, to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on July 1, 1936.

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Cover — July 17, 1936

Sent on July 17, 1936, from Berlin, Germany, to Lucerne, Switzerland.

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Scan provided by David Rossall.


Cover — October 9, 1936

Sent on October 9, 1936, from Wormerveer, Netherlands, to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on October 10, 1936.

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Scan provided by David Rossall.


Cover — November 1936

Registered mail sent in November 1936 from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Humacao, Puerto Rico. Arrived on November 23, 1936.

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Cover — November 17, 1936

Printed matter sent on November 17, 1936, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Reykjavik, Iceland.

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Cover — May 4, 1937

Sent on May 4, 1937, from Chaumont, Haute-Marne, France, to Lucerne, Switzerland.

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Postcard — May 18, 1937

Sent on May 18, 1937, from Budapest, Hungary, to Lucerne, Switzerland.

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Cover — May 22, 1937

Registered mail sent on May 22, 1937, from Jussey, France, to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on May 23, 1937.

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Cover — June 3, 1937

Sent registered on June 3, 1937 from Lucerne to Basel and, after being unclaimed for 10 days, returned to sender.

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Cover — June 30, 1937

Registered mail sent on June 30, 1937, from Câteau-Salins, France, to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on July 1, 1937.

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Cover — July 12, 1937

Sent on July 12, 1937, from Zurich, Switzerland, to Lucerne.

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Cover — August 30, 1937

Registered mail sent on August 30, 1937, from Trmice, Czechoslovakia (today Czech Republic), to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on August 31, 1937.

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Cover — January 6, 1938

Registered mail sent on January 6, 1938, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to New York City, United States. Arrived on January 17, 1938.

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Cover — February 28, 1938

Registered mail sent on February 28, 1938, from Santander, Spain, to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on March 4, 1938.

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Cover — March 1938

Registered mail sent in March 1938 from Alingsås, Sweden, to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on March 7, 1938.

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Postcard — June 9, 1938

Sent on June 9, 1938 from stamp dealer Karl Klemenc in Innsbruck, Austria after its Annexation, to his friend Hermann Wiederhold in Lucerne.

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Cover — June 15, 1938

Registered mail sent on June 15, 1938, from San José, Costa Rica, to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on July 7, 1938.

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Cover — November 10, 1938

Sent on November 10, 1938, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Wenatchee, Washinton, United States. Arrived on November 10, 1938.

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Cover — April 11, 1939

Sent on April 11, 1939, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to New York City, United States. Arrived on April 20, 1939.

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Cover — May 24, 1939

Sent on May 24, 1939, from Brønderslev, Denmark, to Lucerne, United States.

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Cover — August 3, 1939

Registered mail sent on August 3, 1939, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Toulon, France.

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Cover — November 5, 1939

Registered mail sent on November 5, 1939, from Budapest, Hungary, to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on November 8, 1939.

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Cover — December 1, 1939

Sent on December 1, 1939, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Sliedrecht, Netherlands. Arrived on December 1, 1939.

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Cover — January 10, 1941

Registered mail sent on January 10, 1941, from Zagreb, Yugoslavia (today Croatia), to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on January 13, 1941.

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Cover — April 1941

Registered mail sent in April 1941 from Harbin, Manchukuo (today part of China), to Lucerne, Switzerland. Arrived on May 1, 1941.

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Postcard — April 26, 1941

Sent on April 26, 1941, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Nesbyen, Norway.

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Scans provided by David Rossall.


Cover — May 28, 1942

Sent on May 28, 1942, from Barcelona, Spain, to Lucerne, Switzerland.

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Cover — September 26, 1942

Sent on September 26, 1942, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Tremezzo, Italy.

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Scan provided by Max Brack.


Cover — July 13, 1944

Registered mail sent on July 13, 1944, from Schaan, Liechtenstein, to Lucerne, Switzerland.

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Scans provided by Max Brack.


Cover — December 5, 1950

Sent on December 5, 1950, from Lucerne, Switzerland, to Mishawaka, India. Arrived on December 16, 1950.

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