Germany: West-Berlin

Thanks, cara , for showing these. I do not know the Michel number, but I consider, Scott 9N144 from 1957, as either a prequel, at least of the same type. It shows Spandau.

Hi,
It would be nice if West Berlin appeared on the Europa board (as a sub - board)
I know it should start with an overview of West-Berlin
I found on another site a map of the division of Berlin after 1945.



An English translation of the Michel catalogue mention would be appropriate (here a German speaker is needed - I didn't succeed with translation programs).



What do you think?
This started project I can present the Berlin Bear Series (Berlin Brandenburg MiNr 1-7,3 August 1945) showing many varieties of paper, gum and colour.
I know there are a few sites (may I mention them?) that present this series in great detail, but I think it is helpful for members to find them here and possibly try to identify them.

gstamps it is difficult to translate this description from Michel catalogue, but I try to explain in my own words.


First of all, the stamps you showed, the so-called „Bären-Marken“ (bears-stamps) are not stamps of West-Berlin because when they were issued (August and December 1945) West-Berlin did not exist yet. So these stamps are allocated to the Sovjet occupation.



Short overview:

- Berlin was occupied by the Sovjets in early 1945

- unconditional capitulation of Germany on May 8, 1945

- On May 19, 1945 the postal system was transferred to the newly appointed city magistrate by order of the Soviet military commander

- Berlin divided into 4 sectors on July 1945



But: At that time, there was no „West-Berlin“ and „East-Berlin“. So when the bear-stamps were issued they were valid for the whole of Berlin.



Now it becomes a little bit difficult:

- From August 20 to September 17, 1945 in the US and UK-Sektor the so-called AM-post stamps were sold in these sectors of Berlin 
- From December 8, 1945 to October 31, 1946 all AM-post stamps were valid in all sectors of Berlin. In addition from end of December 1945 to July
18, 1946 all stamps of the Sovjet zone were valid (as far as they were still valid at all)

- In addition all stamps of the so-called „Gemeinschaftsausgaben“ – issued in 1946 and 1947 were valid in all sectors of Berlin


As a result mixed franking was possible

- from July 19, 1946 to October 31, 1946: Bears-stamps, AM Post, Gemeinschaftsausgaben

- from November 1, 1946 to June 23, 1948: only Gemeinschaftsausgaben



- The status „West-Berlin“ started on March 20, 1948 with the the resignation of the representative of the USSR from the Allied Command. This made a joint administration of the city impossible and the tendency of the western and eastern sectors to drift apart became visible. Further caesuras in this development were the currency reform in June 1948 with the introduction of the German mark in the three western sectors and the closely related attempt by the East to prevent this process by means of a blockade of the western sectors lasting from June 1948 until May 1949, which was actually intended to prevent a separate West German state.

End of 1948, Berlin was administratively divided.



- First Stamp of West-Berlin issued on Septemper 3, 1948. (Gemeinschaftsausgabe overprint „BERLIN“).


I think one can fill innumerable books with details to Berlin between 1945 and 1949. Here only a small attempt of me to classify the stamps correctly. (errors possible )

Cara

Hi gstamps,

yes you are absolutely right, Berlin was at the same place before, during and after occupation. So in my opinion there is no "wrong" or "right" collecting Berlin-stamps. But it depends how someone is collecting. If you want to collect Berlin as a separate collecting area it makes no sense to distinguish between "occupied Berlin" starting 1945 and "Berlin-West" starting end of 1948 (and ending 1990). If you collect Germany as a whole, it makes more sense to follow Michel's classification (what I do) and separate the period of occupation. 

I have many envelopes with the franking "Gebühr bezahlt" from all zones in Germany, unfortunately I have none of Berlin. 

Cara

Hi hrdoktorx
Congratulations on this purchase.
From this period (1948-49) I only have a few stamps from the overprinted BERLIN series, the Buildings series and Heinrich von Stephan. (small values)
I had an unsuccessful attempt to buy this Block 1 because the seller sent me a scan of the back of the block and I failed to identify the watermark, he claimed to see it.
Please, if you can also post a scan of the back of the block.
It would help me to reach a conclusion about how visible this watermark is, just placed on a black surface.

Thank you hrdoktorx and once again congratulations.
Playing with the brightness of your image, a paper structure appears that did not appear on my block.




It is an indication to avoid forgeries on paper without a watermark.

Thanks for the showing gstamps ; the "Berlin Bear" series would appear to be a wonderful rabbit hole to fall into with stamp tweezers and magnifying glass in hand :-)