USPS Presidential Libraries across America - President Jimmy Carter

USPS on 4 August  2005 issued a 37 cent First Day Cover stamp dedicated to the various Presidential Libraries across America. Cancellation postmark originated from each of the Presidential Libraries. The cachet and postmark shown here is the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta. The stamp was printed by Banknote Corporation of America for Sennett Security Products, using a Lithographed printing method. A serpentine Die Cut perforation of 10.75 was used. A total of 40,000,000 multicoloured steps were printed.

On 12 August 1955, the Presidential Libraries Act was passed, providing for the organised transfer of presidential papers and other items to the federal government.

Prior to this, presidential papers were seen as the president’s personal property.  Most presidents took their papers with them after they left office.  Some of these were destroyed, sold, or split up between multiple people.

It wasn’t until Franklin Roosevelt was president that these practices began to change.  Roosevelt believed that presidential papers were part of the national heritage and should be open to the public.  In 1939, Roosevelt bequeathed his papers to the government and donated part of his Hyde Park, New York, estate for a library.

Franklin’s successor, Harry S. Truman, saw the value in his idea for a presidential library and in 1950 decided that he would build one of his own.  He tasked one of his assistants to work with the archivist of the United States on arranging the transfer of his papers to the government.  They worked together to draft the Federal Records Act, which gave the government permission to accept presidential records. 
Currently there are 15 presidential libraries.

Source: Mystic Stamps

USPS Ernest Hemingway

 USPS on  17 July  1989 honoured Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), the American novelist, short-story writer, journalist, and sportsman. He was the Nobel Prize-winning author of "The Sun Also Rises," "The Old Man and the Sea," "For Whom The Bell Tolls," and other great works. This .25 cent stamp shows Hemingway amid an African backdrop, perhaps alluding to his short story "The Snows of Kilmanjaro." USPS issued this first day cover from Key West, Florida (where Hemingway resided for a time), and it bears this cancellation mark.

Affectionately known as "Papa" to family and close friends, to the rest of the world he was known simply as Hemingway. Born on 21 July 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois, Hemingway came from a well-respected family in the Chicago suburb.  His mother insisted he learn to play the cello, which he later credited as useful to his writing.  His father taught him to hunt, fish, and camp, giving him a life-long interest in outdoor activities.

In school, Hemingway participated in several sports, including boxing, track and field, water polo, and football.  He did well in his English classes and submitted work for the school newspaper.  He also edited the paper and the yearbook. 

Hemingway went on to work for The Kansas City Star for six months.  Though his time there was short, he used the paper’s style guide for his future writing: “Use short sentences.  Use short first paragraphs.  Use vigorous English.  Be positive, not negative.”

Hemingway's  economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction and inspired a generation of writers. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature.

Source: Mystic Stamps

USPS Postmark Cover on the Inauguration Day of Barack Obama

USPS issued this special postmark on the Inauguration Day of Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States of America.  The postmark cancellation originated from Washington DC on 20 January 2009. Inauguration postmarks are  available for most of the recent US Presidents.

The .42 cent commemorative stamp of the state of Colorado was issued initially in 2008. It represents one of the states that Barack Obama won in his 2009 Presidential bid. The stamp depicts the flag of Colorado and a mountain, although mountain climbers have pointed out -- pardon the pun -- that it appears to be based on Mount Helen in Wyoming. Despite explanation from famed stamp artist Tom Engeman's, who  designed this Forever Stamp and has been commissioned to design all 50 of the state flag series, he took the creative liberty to design his impression of the Colorado Rockies.

The cachet shown here, of course, features Obama and his wife Michelle.

It should be noted that US postage stamps and cachets of the President Obama inauguration vary. That said, only the postmark cancellation is consistent on almost all of the inauguration issues for Obama.

USPS Bob Hope

USPS issued on 29 May 2009 a commemorative stamp honouring American entertainer, comedian and humanitarian Bob Hope. The ceremony for the release of this .44 cent stamp took place on the USS Midway, and the first day cover  postmark cancellation originated from San Diego, California.

Kazuhiko Sano of Mill Valley, California, worked under the direction of art director Derry Noyes of Washington, DC, to create the stamp image. The image is based on a composite of 1980s photographs of Hope.

Leslie Townes Hope was born on 29 May 1903, in Eltham, England. He moved to the United States when he was only four years old and lived in Cleveland, Ohio, with his parents and six brothers. In 1920, he was granted U.S. citizenship by virtue of his father's naturalisation.

Hope devoted his life to making people laugh from a very early age. He lived over 100 years, had a successful career on stage, radio, television and film for more than seven decades and showed great generosity by giving immeasurable amounts of his time and talent to our men and women in uniform. Even though all of his time spent on military bases around the world was as a civilian, it's significant that he was the first person recognised by the U.S. Congress as an honorary veteran of the United States Armed Forces.

Over his lifetime, Hope acted in over 70 films, authored 14 books, and received five honorary Academy Awards – his career lasted almost 80 years in all.  He holds the Guinness World Record for the most honoured entertainer in history, with more than 2,000.  He received 54 honorary doctorates, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  There have also been several buildings and facilities named in his honor, as well as ships and aircraft.

Hope died from pneumonia at his home in Toluca Lake, California, on 27 July 2003, two months after his 100th birthday.

Source: USPS and Mystic Stamps

USPS Pete Seeger

USPS on 21 July 2022 honoured famed folk singer Pete Seeger, a man who inspired countless musicians and millions of fans around the world. Not only that,  he championed a variety of causes, including civil rights, workers’ rights, social justice, the peace movement and protecting the environment.

The stamp art features a color-tinted, black-and-white photograph taken in the early 1960s by Dan Seeger, the performer’s son. Pete Seeger is shown in left profile, singing and playing his iconic five-string banjo with the inscription “This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender.” It therefore is fitting the postmark cancellation should this instrument.

The square stamp pane resembles a vintage 45 rpm record sleeve. One side of the pane includes the stamps and the image of a sliver of a record seeming to peek out the top of the sleeve. A larger version of the stamp-art photograph appears on the reverse side with the words “Pete Seeger FOLK SINGER.”

Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp and pane. Dan Seeger’s photograph was color-tinted by Kristen Monthei.

The postmark cancellation originated from New Port, Rhode Island where Seeger  fostered the careers of a new generation of folk singers, including Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, partly through his early stewardship of the Newport Folk Festival.

Pete Seeger (1919-2014) revived and championed traditional American music. A resolute voice of conscience and defender of American liberties, he adapted and popularised the song “We Shall Overcome,” which rose to become the predominant anthem of the civil rights movement. His own compositions galvanised populist uprisings: “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” has given musical voice to peace movements since the Vietnam War, and “If I Had a Hammer” has been embraced by an array of activists.

“Goodnight, Irene,” a Lead Belly composition that was the flip side of the Weavers (a group he founded after serving in WWII) first release, became the number one song of 1950. This surprise hit was followed by other catchy releases. Some, such as “Wimoweh,” and in later years, “Guantanamera,” were imported gems that Seeger plucked from obscurity. “Michael Row the Boat Ashore” and “On Top of Old Smokey” were among the songs from Americana that he repopularised. And for 1960s antiwar generation, he set to music or wrote the songs "Turn, Turn, Turn" and "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy."

Source: USPS

USPS Legends of Hollywood -- Gregory Peck

USPS on 28 April 2011 highlighted another American actor in their series Legends of Hollywood, in this particular case it was Gregory Peck (1916-2003). The 44 cent stamp was printed  by Avery Dennison using a multicoloured Photogravure method. A total of 40,000,000 stamps were printed. The first day cover postmark originated from Beverly Hills, California.

 Gregory Peck’s first film, "Days of Glory", was released in 1944. He received four Oscar nominations for Best Actor in the next five years before winning the award for his role as Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird." Released at the height of the civil rights movement in 1962, the film’s theme of justice and tolerance was popular with theatergoers. The movie was Peck’s favorite and Atticus was named the top film hero of the past 100 years by the American Film Institute.

 
Peck was a social activist. In 1947, he risked being blacklisted by criticising the House Un-American Activities Committee for investigating communists in the film industry. Peck criticised the Vietnam War, earning him a spot on President Richard Nixon’s 'enemies' list. Peck supported his son, who served in Vietnam, while objecting to the war – managing to balance complex personal and social issues with strength of character equal to Atticus Finch.


Source: Mystic Stamps

Ottoman Empire, Republic of Turkey, Saudi Araboa and Afghanistan Stamps

The Ottoman Empire issued its first stamps in 1863 and its last stamps in 1922. In 1863 the Ottoman Empire became the second independent country in Asia (after Russia) to issue adhesive postage stamps, and in 1875, it became a founding member of the General Postal Union, soon to become the Universal Postal Union. The Ottoman Empire became the Republic of Turkey in 1923. The Ottoman Empire had a complex history of overprints, such as those in Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Greece.

Tughra Issue

On  1 January 1863, the Ottoman Empire issued its first adhesive postage stamps. The design consists of the tughra, the emblem of sovereignty, for the then current ruler Sultan Abdülaziz, over a crescent bearing the inscription in Ottoman Turkish Devleti Aliye Osmaniye, or "The Sublime Ottoman Empire". Between some of the stamps there is a control band with the words Nazareti Maliye devleti aliye, or "Ministry of Finance of the Imperial Government".[4] The stamp was designed and lithographed at the Constantinople mint,[5] and the writing is entirely in Turkish using Arabic script. The issue includes four denominations issued as regular postage stamps, and the same four values as postage due stamps.

Duloz Issue
The Ottoman Empire turned to France for its second issue of postage stamps, following Greece's decision to have its first stamps printed in Paris. Commonly known as the Duloz issue, it was engraved by a Frenchman, Mr. "Duloz", and originally printed by the Poitevin firm in Paris. The engraver has been identified as Pierre Edelestand Stanislas Dulos (1820-1874).

The design was apparently prepared by the Ottoman Ministry of Finance, but the name of the designer is unknown. The Duloz stamps were issued from 1865 to 1876, although two were overprinted for use in 1881–1882, and continued to be used for some time as the subsequent Empire issue was not valid for domestic postage until 1888. In 1868, printing plates for the stamps were sent to Constantinople, where the remaining Duloz stamps were printed. Some of the subsequent printings were poorly printed and badly perforated.

The Duloz stamps were typographed or relief printed and the design consists of a central oval enclosing a crescent and star with radiating lines, and "have a distinctly oriental character". Each value was printed in a single color. Turkish writing in Arabic script is overprinted on the oval in black, stating Postai devleti Osmaniye or "Post of the Ottoman Empire". The bottom inscription states the denomination in para, or fortieths of a piastre (kuruş), and accordingly differs on each value.

The Duloz stamps were reprinted in a series of issues with different colours and overprint script, from 1865 to 1882. As many as 46 primary catalog numbers to the Duloz stamps, plus 29 numbers to the postage dues were printed.

Empire Issue

The Empire issue was first issued in September 1876, following the Ottoman Empire's entry into the Universal Postal Union, and unlike the preceding Duloz issue, bore the name of the country and the values in Western characters as well as Arabic. They were intended for use to countries in the UPU, but in March 1888 became officially valid for domestic use. The Empire stamps were issued from 1876 to 1890, and the basic postage stamps, not counting overprinted stamps, are assigned a total of 32 catalog numbers by Scott, including three postage dues.

Empire Issue 1880–84

The design of the Empire issue consists of a crescent, with ends pointing upward, surrounding Arabic script, which reads, like the Duloz stamps, "Post of the Ottoman Empire". In the bottom centre of the crescent itself appears, also in Arabic writing, the denomination, e.g. 20 Paras or 2 Piastres. In side-panels to the lower left and right of the crescent appear only the numerical value, but in Turkish numerals. Below the crescent is a label with the works EMP: OTTOMAN, that is, Ottoman Empire, and below the label is the value in western numerals and letters, e.g. "2 Piastres".

The stamps were typographed in two colours, except for the postage dues, which were printed only in black. There is a background composed of calligraphic letters, in mirror image, reading Postai devleti Osmaniye, or "Post of the Ottoman Empire", and the Turkish year date 1291, equivalent to 1875.

Early Twentieth Century
From 1901 through 1911, the Ottoman Empire issued a number of stamps with similar designs including the Tughra of the reigning monarch. All early Ottoman stamps were printed in the Ottoman Empire, with the exception of the first two Duloz issues printed in Paris. All these stamps also had a distinct Turkish appearance until 1913, when a series of stamps was issued commemorating the recapture of Adrianople from the Bulgarians. These stamps were designed by Oskan Effendi and were engraved and printed in England by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co., Ltd., and are in a more international style, with central vignettes surrounded by a frame. 

 

- Lighthouse Garden - Istanbul, 1914

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- Blue Mosque,1914

 

- The Castle of Europe on the Bosporus, 1914

 

- Map of Gallipoli, 1917
 

- Istanbul across the Golden Horn, 1917-1918

 

- Fountains of Suleiman, 1920

 

 

 

 

 

 

In early 1914, a series of finely engraved stamps, some in two colors, was issued depicting scenes of Constantinople and other images. They were designed by Oskan Effendi and printed by Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. in England, and also have a more international appearance to them. 

World War I and the End of the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire signed the secret Ottoman-German Alliance on 2 August 1914, and entered hostilities on the side of the Central Powers in October 1914. The war and its disruptions are reflected in the Ottoman stamps issued during the war, which included stamps depicting soldiers and battle scenes, a number of provisional stamp issues in which available stocks of older issues were overprinted due to paper shortages, and stamps issued to collect a tax for war orphans. Remainders of stamps as old as 1865 were overprinted, some of which already had overprints, and sometimes multiple new overprints were added, resulting in a complex variety of configurations of interest to philatelists. The Allied Forces were victorious and occupied Constantinople, after which the Ottoman government collapsed. The Treaty of Sèvres, 10 August 1920 confirmed the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire. 

Sultan Mehmed V

- Dardenelles / Galipolli map 1917

- Ottoman wife with child and soldier who is going to war, 1914

- Turkish Howitzer Artillery, 1919

- First Republic of Turkey stamps, 1923
 

Military Tax stamp, 1941

 

 

 

 

 

 

 NON-OTTOMAN/TURKISH STAMPS in this package

Saudi Arabia, 1934

Afghanistan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Wikipedia

Österreich Post 13th Century Zwettl Abbey Manuscript of the Kuenringers

ÖSTERREICH POST on 15 May 1981 issued a stamp featuring Azzo (Kuenringer) and his Vassals, which was copied from the cover of a 13th century Zwettl Abbey manuscript. This was part of a State Exhibition held in May 1981. The postmark cancellation originated from the Lower Region of Austria.

The Kuenringer (also Lords of Kuenring,  or Chuenringe(r) ) were an Austrian ministerial family. The first documented mention dates back to 1132. The last Kuenringer died in 1594.

After Azzo von Gobatsburg , the founder of the family from Saxony or the Rhineland (Trier), came to what is now Lower Austria in the 11th century in the wake of a son of Margrave Leopold I, the family acquired, according to a document dated 29 December 1056, three royal hooves in the place Hezimaneswisa, today Hetzmannswiesen, and then by their feudal knights and fortified farmers populated possessions in the Waldviertel , in the Weinviertel and in the Wachau. They played a key role in the country's economic and cultural development. Hadmar I founded the Zwettl monastery in 1137 and built the Kühnring ancestral castle in what is now the market town of Burgschleinitz-Kühnring . There was also a Kuenringerburg in Wullersdorf in the 12th century, and Schöngrabern was owned by the Kuenringers when the Romanesque church was built.

The Kuenringers died out in 1594. The last Kuenringer was Johann VI. Ladislaus (alias Hans Lasla von Kuenring), who died on 9 December 9, 1594 and was buried on 9 April 1595 in the parish church of Seefeld . His grave was never found. The Liechtensteins , whose coat of arms is part of the "Coat of Arms of the Chuen Rings", are considered to be the heirs of the Kuenringers.

Österreich Post Olympic Runner 1972

ÖSTERREICH POST on 24 August 1972 issued a first day cover stamp to commemorate the 1972 Olympics. An Olympic runner with torch is featured on both the stamp and maxim card. The postmark cancellation originated from Innsbruck, which would host the 1976 Winter Olympics after Denver declined.

Österreich Post 125th Birth Anniversary of Sigmund Freud

ÖSTERREICH POST on 6 May 1981 celebrated the 125 birth anniversary of Sigmund Freud, neurologist, founder of psychoanalysis and clinical psychologist. The postmark cancellation originated from Vienna and depicts his home/office on Baumgartner Street. The maxim card and stamp shows a middle aged Freud.

Deutsches Reichpost Winterhilfswerk on Sudetenland

 

DEUTSCHES REICHPOST in 1939 issued a set of nine stamps entitled Winterhilfswerk  (Winter Relief Organization Buildings) - No. 730 - 738. Interestingly, the buildings featured in this series included those not only in Germany but from the annexed territories of the Sudetenland and Austria. The stamps shown here are not mint, and hence each bears a different cancellation postmark.

The nine designs shown are as follows:

• 03 Pf. + 02 Pf. - Elbogen a.d. Elger.
• 04 Pf. + 03 Pf. - Drachenfels Schloss.
• 05 Pf. + 03 Pf. - Goslar.
• 06 Pf. + 04 Pf. - Graz.
• 08 Pf. +  04 Pf. - Frankfurt/Main.
• 12 Pf. + 06 Pf. - Klagenfurt.
• 15 Pf. + 10 Pf. - Schreckenstein Schloss.
• 25 Pf. + 15 Pf. -  Salzburg.
• 40 Pf. + 35 Pf. - Hohentwiel Schloss.

PLUS, 

- European Postal Congress (Vienna 1942)

- Hornpost (1920s)

- Dienstmarke 'straw hat weave' (1927)

- Friedrich Ebert (1871-1925), 1st President of Germany  during Weimar Republic (1928).

French Post-WWII Zone of Wurttemberg-Hohenzollern (1947-1948)

FRENCH POST-WWII ZONE OF WURTTEMBER-HOHENZOLLERN (1947-1948) was created in 1945. It consisted of the southern half of the former state of Wurttemberg and the Prussian administrative region of Hohenzollern. Its capital was Tubingen.

The northern half of the former state of Wurttemberg became the American zone state of Wurttemberg-Baden. This division was set so that the Autobahn connecting Karlsruhe and Munich was completely contained within the American occupation zone.

A poll was held in September 1950 in Wurttemberg-Hohenzollern, Wurttemberg-Baden, and Baden, regarding a merger of the three states. A public referendum was held on 16 December 1951, and on 25 April 1952, all three states were merged into the modern German state of Baden-Wurttemberg.

The new French zone state of  Wurttemberg-Hohenzollern, notated as just "Wurttemberg" on its postage stamps, issued their first definitive postage stamps (shown here) between June 1947 and February 1948. The stamps were photogravure and printed on unwatermarked papers of varying quality.

The new definitive set, shown here, featured six designs, which are: Friedrich von Schiller, the Castle of Bebenhausen, Friedrich Holderlin, the Town Gate of Wangen, Lichtenstein Castle, and Zwiefalten Church. The first four designs were repeated in varying denominations and colours within the set, as indicated in the respective images.

Due to the post-war economic crisis in the German occupation zones, the Western Allies instituted currency reform during June 1948. The old Reichsmark currency was replaced by a new Deutsche Mark currency, and this would eventually become the official currency of the soon-to-be Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) until 2002, when it would be replaced by the Euro.

The 1947 stamp designs were re-issued between June and August of 1948 to coincide with the currency reform. The same 1947 designs were used, though the new stamps had changes in color and in some of the denominations. Two new designs were added to the 1948 set, with those being depictions of Waldsee and Ludwig Uhland. They are all shown in the images here.

Between November 1948 and July 1949, more definitive stamps were issued featuring some denomination and colour changes. These latter definitive stamp do not have the denomination name, "Pf." or "D.Pf." on them.

Source: Stamp Collecting World

Pochta 70 Anniversary of the Nuremberg International MilitaryTribunal

POCHTA (Russia Post) issued a souvenir sheet on 14 December 2016 marking the 70 anniversary of the International Military Tribunal (IMT) in Nuremberg, Germany. The postage stamp in the centre depicts the courtroom where the Nuremberg tribunals were conducted. In the margins of the souvenir sheet are photos of Soviet Member of the Tribunal Iona Nikitchenko and Soviet Chief Prosecutor Roman Rudenko. Additionally,  the courthouse in Nuremberg, the flags of the four WWII allies and documents from the proceedings are featured. The first day cancellation postmark originated from Moscow.

On 8 August 1945, France, the Soviet Union, United Kingdom and United States  held a  Conference in London. They agreed to try axis military and auxiliary personnel for war crimes and crimes against humanity. 

Between 20 November 1945 and 1 October 1946, the International Military Tribunal (IMT) tried 21 of the most important surviving leaders of Nazi Germany in the political, military, and economic spheres, as well as six German organisations. The purpose of the trial was not just to convict the defendants but also to assemble irrefutable evidence of Nazi crimes, offer a history lesson to the defeated Germans, and delegitimise the traditional German elite. 

The IMT focused on the crime of aggression—plotting and waging aggressive war, which the verdict declared "the supreme international crime" because "it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole". Most of the defendants were also charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Twelve further trials were conducted by the United States against lower-level perpetrators, which focused more on the Holocaust. Although controversial at the time for their use of ex post facto law, the trials' innovation of holding individuals responsible for violations of international law established international criminal law.

French Post-WWII Zone of Baden (1947-1948)

FRENCH POST-WWII ZONE OF BADEN (1947-1948) was created the new state Baden after the war. It was formed out of the southern part of the former Duchy of Baden, with its capital at Freiburg. This new state of Baden, in its 1947 constitution, was declared to be the true successor of the "old" Baden. The Northern part of the old duchy was combined with Wurttemberg, in the American zone, and it became part of the new state of Wurttemberg-Baden.

The thirteen new French zone stamps for the state of Baden, shown here, were issued in 1947. The stamps were photogravure and printed on unwatermarked papers of varying quality.

The new definitive set featured six designs, which are a portrait of Johann Peter Hebel, a girl of Constance, a portrait of Hans Baldung Grien, Rastatt Castle, a Black Forest scene, and the Cathedral of Freiburg. The first four designs were repeated in varying denominations and colors within the set, as indicated in the respective images.

Due to the post-war economic crisis in the German occupation zones, the Western Allies instituted currency reform during June of 1948. The old Reichsmark currency was replaced by a new Deutsche Mark currency, and this would eventually become the official currency of the soon-to-be Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) until 2002, when it would be replaced by the Euro. The 1947 stamp designs were re-issued between June and September of 1948 to coincide with the currency reform.

The same 1947 designs were used, though the new stamps had changes in color and denomination. Two new designs were added to the 1948 set, with those being a girl wearing a festival headdress and a portrait of Grand Duchess Stephanie.

Source: Stamp Collecting World

Österreich Post Centenary of Artist Wilhelm Dachauer’s Death

AUSTRIA POST in 1981 celebrated the centenary of artist Wilhelm Dachauer's death. To commemorate his work, Austria's postal service issued several stamps featuring the designs of the "Nibelungen" series, like the one shown here.

Wilhelm Dachauer (Ried im Innkreis, 1881 – Vienna, 1951) was what could be called a vocational artist. Both as a man and an artist, Dachauer was highly esteemed by the country's authorities, to the extent that he was commissioned to design banknotes and stamps. In 1926, he produced the philatelic series known as the "Nibelungen". These brought him great success, and for a time they were considered the most beautiful stamps in the world. Particular recognition was given to the stamp titled 'Gunter'

Osterreich Post Nibelungen Series 1926

ÖSTERREICH POST on 8 March 1926 issued a Wilhelm Dachauer designed philatelic series known as the "Nibelungen". In 1926, he was awarded the Thomson medal for 'the most beautiful stamp in the world' for the second stamp of the aforementioned "Nibelungen" set. The design of this stamp has the title 'Gunter's Dragon Boat on the Way to Iceland'. This stamp has a nominal value of 8+2 g (Groschen).

Being recess printed, and because the paper was dampened and dried and could be put into the press in both orientations, the stamps occur in both wide and tall formats because the paper shrunk. The wide versions are scarcer than the tall, with the 20+5g wide being very scarce and the 3+2g wide extremely rare if it exists at all. These stamps are line perforation 12½.

A series of six stamps were issued:
3+2 Groschen - Siegfried slays the Dragon (sepia).
8+2 Dimes - Gunther's Voyage to Iceland (indigo).
15+5 Groschen - GroschenKreimhild and Brunhild (lake).
20+5 Groschen - Nymphs tell Hagen the Future (olive green)
24+6 Groschen - Rudieger von Bechalaten welcomes Nibelungen (violet).
40+10 Groschen- Dietrich von Bern vanquishes Hagen (brown-red).

Deutsches Reichpost Sudetenland Annexation 1938 Postcard - "Wir Danken Unserm Fürher"

 

DEUTSCHES REICHPOST on 4 December 1938 issued this first day cover Sudetenland Annexation Appreciation Postcard. The illustration contains a drop-shadowed map of Sudetenland with twenty-eight cities and towns identified, a black and white photograph in the centre of the map illustrating German Chancellor Adolf Hitler and Konrad Henlein, the Leader of the Sudeten German Party (SdP = a branch of the Nazi Party of Germany in Czechoslovakia), greeting a crowd of people, the map of Sudetenland surrounded by various cities in Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland, with the heading "WIR DANKEN UNSERM FUHRER" (We Thank Our Leader) below. On the reverse side, a 6 Reichspfennig stamp with black overprint, "zum 1. Mai Grossdeutscheland" (1 May, Greater Germany) is shown to the left of the stamp and address patch. The postcard was printed in four colour ink with gold speckles on the Sudetenland map, green and black inks on the reverse. It was printed by Brend'amour, Simbart & Company, Munich, and measured 105 mm x 148 mm.

This annexation came about under the Munich Agreement which was concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany of the Sudeten German territory" of Czechoslovakia, [despite the existence of a 1924 alliance agreement and 1925 military pact between France and the Czechoslovak Republic. Most of Europe celebrated the Munich agreement, which was presented as a way to prevent a major war on the continent. The four powers agreed to the German annexation of the Czechoslovak borderland areas named the Sudetenland, where more than three million people, mainly ethnic Germans, lived. Adolf Hitler announced that it was his last territorial claim in Northern Europe.

 

The terms "Sudeten Germans" and "Sudetenland" came into being around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. It had been used to describe the Old Austrians of German mother tongue and their settlement areas within the so-called "Lands of the Bohemian Crown", Bohemia, Moravia and Austrian Silesia, which had been part of the Habsburg Empire since 1526. The Sudeten mountain range, which stretches between Silesia, Bohemia and Moravia, gave it its name.

After the end of WWII, Czech Deputy Prime Minister Klement Gottwald was the first to make a public statement on 11 May 1945 regarding the "deportation" of the Germans, and Prime Minister Benes announced a few days later: "Our motto will be that we separate our country from everything German culturally, economically and have to clean up politically."

In a series of decrees, the Germans were disenfranchised. Indescribable atrocities were committed. Several hundred thousand Sudeten Germans died during the expulsion from hunger, exhaustion and the consequences of mistreatment in the Czech concentration and resettlement camps or due to death sentences from illegal people's courts on the gallows and on the roads to Austria and Germany or shortly after crossing the new borders. The number of women who died by suicide after being raped or the death of their family members, especially their children, was  particularly high.

 

Disclaimer: In displaying this postcard and stamps I must stress I DO NOT advocate, NOR wish to glorify the regime of Nazi Germany or any present day fascist organization/state. My sole intent is to illustrate the philatelic history of the period, one which I personally believe to have been evil and as such a plight in the history of Germany and their satellite allies at the time.

Deutsches Reichpost Propaganda 'Postkarte' Nazi Acquisition of Power in 1933

DEUTSCHES REICHPOST in 1934 issued this propaganda 'Postkarte' (postcard) to commemorate the Nazi acquisition of power on 1 January 1933 -- the beginning of the Dreidres Reich (Third Empire). The 6-Pfennig picture postcard depicts Adolf Hitler and Paul von Hindenburg in the stamp imprint with torchlight parade at left. The postmark on this postcard originated ironically from Munich, site of the failed Beer Hall Putsch or coup d'état by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff and other Kampfbund leaders, which took place nearly 10 years earlier on 8–9 November 1923 .

It is significant to note the powerful message of these two men depicted on this postcard. Hindenburg, president of Germany and WWI hero, appointed Hitler, leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP), as Chancellor. Having taken the oath of office, Hitler then convened the cabinet four hours later, commencing his reign. The Nazis then celebrated their victory that evening with a torchlight parade with the jack-booted SA (Sturmbeitlung) marching through Berlin's Brandenburg gates. Hindenburg, although neither a supporter of Hitler nor the Nazis, looked complacent in association, hence the powerful propaganda message of this postcard.

The caption below the photo reads "Deutschland, Deutshland über Alles" (Germany, Germany above all).

The postcard was addressed to:
Brist line of Venture.
Holonial and Navy newspaper
Munich
Schleibingerstr. 2776.

The reverse side of the postcard -- as near as I can decipher -- reads:
"Munich, 30 January 1934
Frill Editor. On the same note, I am sending you an article for your newspaper that should capture the interest of your readers. As a fee, see 20.M. 

Yours sincerely,
Fritz Botzer"

Disclaimer: In displaying this postcard and stamp imprint I must stress I DO NOT advocate, NOR wish to glorify the regime of Nazi Germany or any present day fascist organization/state. My sole intent is to illustrate the philatelic history of the period, one which I personally believe to have been evil and as such a plight in the history of Germany and their satellite allies at the time.

Deutsches Reichpost Richard Wagner's Operas & Postcard

DEUTSCHES REICHPOST on 1 November 1933 issued the first stamps of the Third Reich. It was a set of nine semi-postal stamps depicting scenes from Richard Wagner's (1813-1883) operas. They were sold only in Munich and Bayreuth during the Wagner Festival. They were also the first German stamp issued to feature a swastika watermark. These stamps in my collection bear postmark cancellations from Munich and Berlin.

 (These three stamps I do not own at present. Each one is quite costly, owing that less than a million were printed.)

The nine designs are as follows (in German):

03 pts + 02 pts - Tannhauser.
04p + 02p - The Flying Dutchman.
05 p. + 02 p. - The Rheingold.
06 Pf. + 04 Pf. - Die Meistersinger von Nümberg.
08 pts + 04 pts - The Valkyrie.
12 pts + 03 pts - Siegfried.
20p + 10p - Tristan and Isolde.
25lbs + 15lbs - Lohengrin.
40lbs + 40lbs - Parsifal.

To my knowledge no updated stamp version(s) of Richard Wagner's operas have since been printed. This set was very scarce from the outset, largely because of the very low production figures. Only 265,000 sets were printed -- the lowest of all the Third Reich's commemorative stamp sets.Today, these stamps command a premium price amongst collectors in the philatelic world, especially the individual stamps of "Tristan und Isolde" (373,121 printed), "Lohengrin" (467,795 printed) and "Parsifal" (264,238 printed).

The set was designed by Alois Kolb (1875-1942). Printed by "Reichsdruckerei" (Berlin), using a recess printing method. There were two perforations runs: - Comb perforation, K 14: 13 (= type "A") - Comb perforation, K 14 (= type "B") These commemorative stamps were emergency aid issues. "Nothilfe", in German, literally means "emergency assistance". In the philatelic world, these types of postage stamps are known as "charity" or "semi postal" stamps, 

The year 1933 also marked the 10th anniversary of the first German Nothilfe stamps of 1923, which had been issued to provide emergency aid to the victims of the Rhine-Ruhr floods during that year.Before this Third Reich issue, there was a Wagner-themed set released in Austria from 1926. These stamps, designed by Wilhelm Dachauer, depicted scenes either from "Der Ring des Nibelungen" or in the "Nibelungenlied". These stamps celebrated the first performances of "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" (in 1871) and "Siegfried" (in 1887) in the Czech Republic as well as depicting Wagner himself.Much has been written that Adolf Hitler was an admirer of Wagner's music and saw in his operas an embodiment of his own vision of the German nation;

Another Wagnerian-themed set was issued in 1943 from the Nazi-controlled Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.in a 1922 speech he claimed that Wagner's works glorified "the heroic Teutonic nature ... Greatness lies in the heroic." His favorite opera was "Die Meistersinger", and it is said that he could quote the entire opera from memory. Richard Wagner, while an extraordinary composer was also an avowed anti-Semite, which quite naturally curried favor with the Nazis. Despite his very public views on this topic, throughout his life Wagner had Jewish friends, colleagues and supporters.

Additionally, the Nazis used those parts of Wagner's thought that were useful for propaganda and ignored or suppressed the rest.While Wagner's Bayreuth Festspielhaus presented a useful front for Nazi culture, and Wagner's music was used at many Nazi events, the Nazi hierarchy as a whole did not share Hitler's enthusiasm for Wagner's mythological musings.

That said, Wagner's ideas were also amenable to socialist interpretations; many of his ideas on art were being formulated at the time of his revolutionary inclinations in the 1840s. Wagner's influence even on literature and philosophy is significant. The poets Charles Baudelaire, Stéphane Mallarmé and Paul Verlaine worshiped Wagner. And Friedrich Nietzsche was initially a member of Wagner's inner circle during the early 1870s, and his first published work, "The Birth of Tragedy", proposed Wagner's music as the Dionysian "rebirth" of European culture in opposition to Apollonian rationalist "decadence". And the list goes on.

Until his final years, Wagner's life was characterized by political exile, turbulent love affairs, poverty and repeated flight from his creditors. His controversial writings on music, drama and politics attracted extensive comment, not only in his lifetime but well into the 20th century. The effect of his influence spread beyond composition into conducting, philosophy, literature, the visual arts and theatre.

DEUTSCHES REICHPOST also issued a 6 Pf. + 4 Pf. postal card as the companion to the set of Wagner Opera Semi-Postal stamps.

The stamp imprinted on the card features a portrait of Richard Wagner. The picture on the front depicts the Festival Hall at Bayreuth.

Deutsche Post Stationary of Hamburg Airport

DEUTSCHE POST stationary of Hamburg Airport.
 

Israel Post 50th Anniversary of Kristallnacht

ISRAEL POST on 9 November 1988 issued a first day cover stamp markin the 5oth anniversary of Kristallnacht in Nazi Germany.

Kristallnacht  or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's Sturmabteilung (SA) paramilitary and Schutzstaffel (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilians throughout Nazi Germany on 9 and 10 November 1938.

The German authorities looked on without intervening. The name Kristallnacht (literally 'Crystal Night') comes from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after the windows of Jewish-owned stores, buildings and synagogues were smashed.

The pretext for the attacks was the assassination of the German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old German-born Polish Jew living in Paris.
Rioters destroyed 267 synagogues throughout Germany, Austria and the Sudetenland. Over 7,000 Jewish businesses were damaged or destroyed, and 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps.

To be fair, the vast majority of Germans rejected the violence perpetrated against the Jews. Verbal complaints grew rapidly in numbers, and for example, the Düsseldorf branch of the Gestapo reported a sharp decline in anti-Semitic attitudes among the population.

There are many indications of Protestant and Catholic disapproval of racial persecution; for example, anti-Nazi Protestants adopted the Barmen Declaration in 1934, and the Catholic church had already distributed pastoral letters critical of Nazi racial ideology, and the Nazi regime expected to encounter organised resistance from it following Kristallnacht.

Those who personally aided Jews were fined or confined to concentration camps.

Source: Wikipedia