Today in Postal History

This registered cover entered the mails in Bischofstein now Bizylnek.
It is about 55 km northeast of Allenstein now Olsztyn.
Allenstein was a district in East Prussia for which a plebiscite was planned by the Versailles Treaty.
The plebiscite was to decide whether the district would join Poland or Germany.
The plebiscite held on July 11, 1920, chose by a 97.9% majority to join the German Republic.
After World War II, the area became part of Poland.

The stamps of Allenstein were all overprinted on German stamps from the 1906-1919 issue.
The ones chosen for this cover are a 10 pf. carmine and 40 pf. lake and black
Germania and 1 m. carmine rose Berlin GPO (Scott 16, 21, and 24).
The overprints are neat double ring ovals with
Commission d'Administration et de Plebiscite at the top
and Olszstyn - Allenstein at the bottom.
Inside the inner oval is Traité de Versailles Art. 94 et 95.

There are three Bischofstein CDS.
Each includes (Kr. RÕSSEL) as does the registry label.
Kr. is an abbreviation for Kreis and in this application indicates the district for Bischofstein.*

The envelope was stamped with an Einschrieben rubber handstamp
and given a preprinted Bischofstein registry label
There is an added handstamp 101 which is probably an added
registry mark as the envelope moved into the Berlin delivery system.

The sender also requested Eilboten bestellen (special messenger order)*
and a red label enscribed Durch Eilboten Expres (special delivery) was added.

*Thanks to Maarten for helping to sort this German out.