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Abarten They are among the rare, often most expensive items in philately: varieties, as collectors call them, are misprints. They are due to the old manufacturing process for stamps on plates. A distinction is made between one-off, non-replicable printing accidents caused by contamination or foreign bodies on the printing block and repeatable plate defects – caused by the engraver, maintenance or printing errors. Catalogs like that Michel special provide an overview. The Swedish Gula treskillingen, also known as Tre Skilling Banco, a color misprint from the first Swedish stamp series from 1855, is one of the most expensive stamps in the world. Discovered by a Stockholm high school student in 1885 and sold for an impressive seven guilders at the time, it has been owned by a Swedish entrepreneur since 2013, sold in 1996 for CHF 2,500,000. Helena Neumann
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Beuys Sheet of 10 with stamps at 1.55 euros, wet adhesive, item number: 151105395. Cost: 15.50 euros. A postage stamp designed by Aschaffenburg-based designer Frank Philippin (Brighten The Corners) has been available in the Deutsche Post Shop online or in all branches for the 100th birthday of Joseph Beuys since June. Individually or in a curve. “Beuys’ stamps and drawings on the flying leaf” from the book published in 1972 are shown Joseph Beuys: Drawings 1947 – 59th Conversation between Joseph Beuys and Hagen Lieberknecht. You can use it to frank a large letter up to 500 g, for example, or simply enjoy the 33 x 39 mm special stamp opus honoring an artist who made his own myth a substantial part of his work. His “expanded concept of art”, his idea of a “social sculpture”, his appeal to the ethical, ecological responsibility of the individual, all of this is still and especially today quite relevant. Marc Peschke
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First day letters Nobody needs these letters unless they are a philatelist. Because only stamp collectors (➝ Collection), first day covers are worth something, or better: worth a lot. These letters are franked with a stamp that was postmarked exactly on the first day of their validity. Often, specially designed jewelry envelopes are used that refer to the stamp design. Custom stamps are also often in use.
The first day cover from the GDR dated May 8, 1975, for example, bears a stamp with the famous flag-raising scene at the Reichstag. There is also a quote from Erich Honecker. The stamp bears the inscription “30. Anniversary of Liberation from Fascism ”. The same saying is again on the left of the envelope. Such historical pieces are offered today on ebay (around twelve euros). In September, the German Post issued a first day cover with the slogan “Stamp Day 2021 – Treasures of Philately”, adorned with two corresponding stamps. Incidentally, there is also the last day letter, postmarked on the last day of validity. The postage stamps of the GDR became invalid after October 2, 1990. Tobias Prüwer
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Franking machine When I started my own business, I was crazy about her. Others are aiming for a sports coupe, I just wanted this little machine. You probably do not know it, and if you do, only the result: We are talking about a franking machine. Set the postage value, insert a letter or adhesive tape, and it becomes a franked mailing item. My friend Mangold is one of them: his company has its own chute in the distribution center at DHL along with its own house number (900) and a major customer post code (zip code) for letters, which makes street names unnecessary. My wish stayed with me, because the machine has hurdles: You have to rent the device, you have a minimum purchase of postage and you have to connect it to a modem. I stayed with stamps. Jan C. Behmann
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Contact means The internet brand would be such a great invention if it didn’t reflect the loss of digital soul due to being always available. It has by no means established itself in people’s minds. Yesterday a course participant stood in front of me and said desperately: Where can I get a stamp from here? The result was a shrug of the shoulders depending on the location. Except for me: I took out my wallet and asked what value he needed. As you can see, analog postage stamps connect people even before they are dispatched. Jan C. Behmann
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Merkel Well, with more leisure, she will sometimes think of Helmut Kohl. To the beginning. And Angela Merkel may then come back to the story with the special stamp. A CSU MP had once called for the “unity chancellor”. The responsible Ministry of Finance under Peer Steinbrück rejected this in 2009 – no living people should be shown on German postage stamps. This privilege is only available to Federal Presidents who have waived all of them since Richard von Weizsäcker … Steinbrück’s successor, Schäuble, referred the MP directly to Merkel. She said: No way. In 2013 the brand with Kohl’s likeness finally came because he was an honorary citizen of Europe. Maxi linen purchase
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One Penny Black Penny Black or Black Penny – the world’s first stick-on postage stamp. Sold millions of times, not the most valuable in terms of purchase price, it revolutionized the postal service. Designed by the British Sir Rowland Hill and first used on May 6, 1840, it shows the profile of the young Queen Victoria on a black graphic pattern background. At the top of the Black Penny printed in sheets of 240 is POSTAGE, at the bottom the face value ONE PENNY. Before the Royal Mail implemented the reform of the London teacher and secretary of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge Hill, it was not just the British Post Office that was in chaos. It was common at the time for the recipient to pay the postage on delivery, which was calculated based on the sheet and distance traveled. The inexpensive penny stamp to be paid upon dispatch increased the volume of letters, secured delivery and increased mail income. The first German, the “Schwarze Einser”, appeared in Bavaria in 1849. Helena Neumann
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pandemic Postage stamps reflect their time. The Austrian Post has now issued a special Corona stamp in the form of an FFP2 mask. It is made from their original material and even has ear loops. The first Corona stamp appeared in the Alpine region as early as 2020 – printed on toilet paper. Self-adhesive film on the back, cartoon animals on the front explain the rules of distance. The baby elephant should help to correctly assess the distance. Of the ➝ The hammer price of EUR 2.75, produced in an edition of 300,000 pieces, serves a charitable purpose. In the DIY era, Austrians can also design their own brands. That SZ-Magazine recently took a close look at what the motifs tell about the soul of the country. In addition to Corona, there are, for example, Greta Thunberg or the armed forces, cats and caffè. Sisi, of course, and Falco bows for eternity, but also the present. Also at Deutsche Post (➝ Collection) is self-made – even with your own likeness. Then rather without a mask. Tobias Prüwer
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collection No, you shouldn’t collect Rolex watches, there are currently enough people who don’t like watches at all, but who are looking for a rapid increase in value. Give stamps a try. It doesn’t have to be the Blue Mauritius right away, but how nice it is to indulge in an analog hobby and thus to escape the full optical digitization of our physical life a little (➝ contact means).
Even as a child I had a post office and was completely in a frenzy of stamping, franking and mailing. My assistant says nothing has changed about that to this day. She is right about that. Today I still like to send mail of any kind around the world and enjoy the philately I have received. Take a look at the Deutsche Post online shop and discover wonderful brand sets that can be used to underline the message of a letter or package. For example, I can recommend the “Fritz Bauer” stamp set at EUR 2.70: The former attorney general of Hesse and Nazi hunter Bauer deserves any recognition and you can send one of the books about him without worrying about postage. We recommend Werner Renz ‘(ed.) Forsaken by God and the world. Fritz Bauer’s letters to Thomas Harlan (2015) and Auschwitz in court. Fritz Bauer’s legacy and its disregard (2018). Mail sent with love starts with the stamps. Jan C. Behmann
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Christmas There are supposed to be people who do their Christmas mail in mid-December. And there are cards that come in sometime between the years because, well, there is always something to do, yippiejaja yippie yippie yeah to be reached at 9.30 p.m. In Sweden, the post office prevents this procrastination with Christmas postage stamps (➝ surcharge). The Julfrimärke is pretty – the motif is often an illustration from the large Swedish children’s book fund – and, above all, it is one crown cheaper than regular postage stamps. For this, it can only be sent until December 16. As a little help, most post offices also give you free cards. One loophole remains: In Sweden, stubborn junk dealers can be recognized by the Julfrimärke from 1998 on the cover – the special stamps from the years before have lost their validity. Christine Käppeler
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Surcharge Small donation please: Surcharge stamps are stamps which, in addition to the normal postage (face value), also contain an additional value for a good cause – the surcharge. This can be recognized by the fact that they are marked with a “+”, for example “50 + 25”: Here the donation share is 25 cents. They came up after the First World War, then appeared increasingly under National Socialism. These stamps are also aimed at stamp collectors. The Federal Ministry of Finance now regularly issues surcharge stamps for special charitable purposes. These include sport, environmental protection and the youth, and also Christmas stamps (➝ Christmas) fall under it. Tobias Prüwer
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