‘Yacht issue’ stamps

The term ‘Yacht issue’ refers to postage stamps that bear the image of the Kaiser’s yacht, SMY Hohenzollern II. They were used in Germany’s colonies from 1900 and some were still valid for use up to the end of World War I. The stamps come in two formats, small for the low values and larger for the high values. The German colonies at that time were Cameroon, Caroline Islands, German East Africa, German New Guinea, German South West Africa, Kiauchau, Marianas Islands, Marshall Islands, Samoa and Togo.

1938 Anschluss propaganda card

Propaganda card celebrating the union of Austria with Germany in April 1938. The map depicts Austria as part of the new Greater Germany. The date at the foot of the card refers to the occasion of the ratification of the Anschluss law by Adolf Hitler during his stay in Linz, Austria.

2Z Hindenburg overprint

The first set of definitives created specifically for use in German-occupied Poland was the existing Hindenburg medallion stamps of Germany overprinted in black with new values and the inscription Deutsche Post Osten (German post in the East). Issued in December 1939, the stamps remained officially in circulation until September 1940.

5Z official stamp

The first set of adhesive stamps specially designed and printed for use in German-occupied Poland was a set of ‘officials’ issued in April 1940. As from the date of issue, the use of these stamps was in theory mandatory on official mail. However, this regulation was largely ignored by the administration and a great many mixed frankings occur.

10Z buildings definitive

High value stamp, issued on 20 April 1941, from the large set of ‘buildings’ definitives issued in German-occupied Poland (General Government). It features a line engraving of old Krakow with Wavel castle in the background, which was used as the headquarters for the Nazi administration.

Land Registry fee stamp

A 1912 issue 500MK German Land Registry fee stamp. Collecting revenue stamps can be particularly rewarding as many of them such as this representation of the personification of the German Empire Germania, have the most beautiful designs.

Commercial cover to Brazil

A commercial cover from Great Britain to Brazil franked 28/- including a PUC £1. The postal rate shows that the cover and its contents must have weighed up to four ounces. The red cachet confirms carriage by German airmail and the arrival date on the reverse of 13/7/36 by Zeppelin

Inflation – July 1923

Mail from Hamburg to Berlin on the last day of tariff period. Assuming this is printed matter, then it is overpaid by 50 Marks. If it were an inland letter it would be underpaid by 190 Marks. Both the receiving office and the delivery office have accepted it as correctly paid!

Danzig 5M definitive

The first large-format Danzig coat-of-arms issue of 1 August 1921 not only added three higher values – 5, 10 & 20 – to complete the range of definitive stamps available, but thereby introduced a more elaborate design akin to the coat of arms seen on civic documents, seals and the like. The designer Max Buchholz incorporated his monogram, MB, into the bottom centre of the stamp below the ‘N’ of ‘DANZIG’.

Deutsche Nothilfe 40+35Rpf

The top value in the set of nine stamps issued on 1 November 1933 in aid of the charity Deutsche Nothilfe. The set depicts scenes from operas by Richard Wagner as designed by Prof. Alois Kolb. Arguably one of the most beautiful sets of stamps ever issued by Germany. This stamp shows Parsifal transfigured, at the end of Act 3, as he holds forth the Holy Grail in the growing light from above.

Cover from Schwerin to Eriwitz

This letter has a block of six ¼ Schilling stamps to pay the required 1½ Schilling rate. The stamps were printed in sheets. Blocks of four stamps were separated by piercing (incorrectly described as rouletting), giving a separable stamp of 1 schilling. The four components of this stamp could then be separated by cutting to provide for various postal rates

Memel – Court writ of summons

This is official correspondence form a ‘County Court’ Amtsgericht. There were special arrangements for the payment of postage and the collection of a receipt of delivery for this type of official correspondence, a Zustellungsurkunde. The sender paid on posting the cost of outward postage, the charge for the postman obtaining the receipt of delivery and the return postage for the receipt.

South America flight 1938

A cover from Istanbul to Recife in Brazil, which was carried on the fourth flight of the 'Graf Zeppelin' to South America in 1932. The cover bears a special cachet for the fourth flight and a circular routing cachet, showing that it was flown in Germany via Berlin

Commemorating Zeppelin landings

A postcard issued in 1913, which shows a zeppelin landing in front of a group of people. It was issued as the caption says 'As a souvenir of the memorable Zeppelin days' to commemorate the Zeppelin landings in various cities throughout Germany.

First Graf Zeppelin flight to
South America

A postcard sent from Friedrichshafen on the first flight to South America of the 'Graf Zeppelin. The card is franked with the two special stamps issued for this flight. The pictorial cachet for the flight shows the airship flying past Sugar Loaf Mountain and a palm tree in Rio di Janeiro.

Olympic village to New York

A complete set of the 1936 Berlin Olympic stamps used on a registered cover to New York City. The cover was posted in the Olympic village, flown to Frankfurt am Main and then carried on the airship 'Hindenburg' on its sixth flight to North America

Orient Flight around the Eastern Mediterranean

A cover franked with the complete set of the 1928 Charity stamps and carried by the 'Graf Zeppelin' on its Orient Flight around the Eastern Mediterranean. This was the first time that a pictorial cachet was used on a Zeppelin flight

1934 Christmas flight to
South America

A card posted on board the 'Graf Zeppelin' on the Christmas flight of 1934 to South America. The card bears the flight cachet and a supplementary cachet indicating that the airship had flown one million kilometres between its launch in 1928 and 1934. It is signed Watch Officer, Hans von Schiller

Last flight of the Hindenburg

This tatty looking envelope with charred edges, contained in its officially sealed glassine packet, is one of the 181 items of mail, destined for New York, which were recovered from the wreck of the 'Hindenburg' following the disaster at Lakehurst,
NJ in May 1937.

1938 Anschluss commemorative

Postage stamp issued simultaneously in Austria and Germany to commemorate the 1938 Anschluss (union with Germany). It depicts German and Austrian citizens united below a Nazi banner. It was designed by Professor E. Puchinger whose initials appear at the foot of the Austrian printing.

First Anniversary of General Government

12Gr value from the set of stamps commemorating the First Anniversary of the General Government, the term used to describe German-occupied Poland. The design is based on a portrait made by the artist Otto Engelhardt-Kyffhauser of a young ethnic German immigrant, Marie Eppler, who was relocated from Galicia to repopulate the incorporated territories of Western Poland.

FRAMA ‘Automat’ machine stamps

These variable-denomination vending-machine stamps started appearing in West Germany in early 1981 and collectors soon got to work!

Missing inflation overprint

The large volume of stamps required during the hyper-inflation period lead to poor quality control with various errors slipping through. This pair of 100 Mark stamps from March 1923 was overprinted in September 1923 at 100,000 Marks. For some reason the overprint on the left stamp is almost completely missing.

1 Billion Mark stamp

During the inflation period, some stamps were produced with serrated roulettes instead of perforations. This 50 Millarden stamp was the highest value inflation stamp issued – note the column value indicator of 1 Billion Marks – in 1923 a billion was a million millions, not 1000 million as accepted today!

Stamp shortage at Olpe

During the hyper-inflation period, cash payments were allowed when stamps were not available. A handstamp was normally used to indicate payment, but some offices used labels instead. At Olpe, low-value stamps were used, hand-stamping them ‘cash paid’ and writing the amount paid on the stamp (100,000 Marks in this case).

Regional post-office overprints

During the Hyper-inflation in 1923, the Government Printing works in Berlin were unable to cope fully with the huge demand. The Reich Ministry of Posts authorised regional post offices to organise the over-printing of selected issues. Many of these over-printings can be identified from the overprint in the top margin.

Left to right:
Stettin - Large numbers
Breslau - Three thin lines
Munich - Two thin bars

625 stamps used on one letter

The shortage of stamps during the hyper-inflation period led to large amounts of low-value stamps being used to pay the postage. For this official letter, 625 stamps of the 400 Mark value were used to pay the postage of 250,000 Marks!

Top - Front
Bottom - Back

DDR 225th anniversary of the birth of Mozart (1756-1791)

German stamps can be a rich resource for thematic collectors. There are many connected with music for example.

Bundesrepublik 75th anniversary of the ‘Blue Riband’ by the passenger ship ‘SS Bremen’

This stamp was issued on 8 July 2004. The SS Bremem won the ‘Blue Riband’ for her first time in 1929, an accolade marking the record highest speed for a passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean westbound in regular service. The ship is also interesting to collectors of ‘catapult’ mail.

DDR Leipzig Spring Fair

These two stamps, issued on 5 March 1950, were the last in a series of similar wonderfully detailed stamps issued in connection with the historic Leipzig trade fairs. The previous sets were issued whilst Germany was under postwar Allied occupation.

Luftfeldpost

The German campaign to invade Russia in 1941 stretched supply lines to the limit. The only viable solution was to inaugurate an airmail service to carry letters and cards to and from the Eastern Front. Each item of mail had to carry a blue concession label that depicts the aircraft selected for the service, the sturdy JU 52.