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Post by PostmasterGS on May 21, 2015 19:15:20 GMT
Finally got my hands on a copy of MiNr II e! One of only 288 originally distributed (and much fewer number to have survived), this was from Korogwe's stock of 48 stamps. Canceled at Korogwe on 31 December 1915.
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Post by PostmasterGS on May 19, 2015 17:55:05 GMT
Here's the catalog listing. The text is the same as that on the webpage linked above.
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Post by PostmasterGS on May 3, 2015 14:26:15 GMT
jamesw, Forgot to mention, you can also find copies of #3, #4, and #6 of the Continental-Absätze set at the second link.
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Post by PostmasterGS on May 3, 2015 14:03:49 GMT
jamesw, The top row are advertising the Eberhardt distillery in Munich. Or more specifically, the distillery's Blaukranz-Enzian. Enzian is a type of schnapps made from the Gentian root. You have #1, #6, and #7 of the set. There were at least 8 stamps in the set. Here are two sites where you can see additional items from the set. Just search for "enzian".
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Post by PostmasterGS on Apr 8, 2015 13:01:13 GMT
Here's an interesting piece I recently acquired. During WWI, Spain was a neutral country. As a result, mail from Allied and Entente governments initially flowed rather freely through the country. However, following the German re-introduction of unrestricted submarine warfare in February 1917, and the resulting sinking of numerous Spanish vessels, Spain began limiting German mail traffic through the country. Due to these limits, German agencies in Spain began sending mail to Germany via U-boat. This is one of those pieces. This cover was sent from the German consulate in Seville, Spain, to a bank in Braunschweig, Germany. At that time, banks often acted as intermediaries for the mail. A note accompanying this cover indicated that the eventual recipient was assigned to a Coast Guard unit on the island of Norderney in the North Sea, and the sender was the recipient's father who worked at the Consulate in Seville. A closer look at the cancels reveals a U-boat cancel underneath a Kiel machine cancel. During WWI, German U-Boats weren't numbered in the system most are familiar with from WWII. Instead, they were "S.M." (for Seiner Majestät, or His Majesty's), then the class (ex. UB was a class of coastal torpedo attack boats) and number. Unfortunately, the submarine number is not visible, but it appears the submarine was a UB class boat. The truly interesting thing about the cancel is the date of the Kiel cancel. Most German submarines were surrendered to the Allies on 24-26 November 1918. This would indicate that either this submarine was not one of the majority that were surrendered immediately, or there was a several-day delay in forwarding the cover from the port to the Kiel post office. An interesting piece of history nonetheless.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Apr 6, 2015 21:19:55 GMT
I'm pleased to announce the public unveiling of version 2.0 of my website, GermanStamps.net. For those who've never visited, the website is my way of sharing my collection in digital form. I first launched GermanStamps.net back in 2006, and it was time for a redesign. Version 1 of the website was powered by ExpressionEngine v1.7 content management system (CMS), which was good for its time, but was beginning to show its age. I lost the ability to upgrade the software when ExpressionEngine stopped supporting the photo gallery that I needed to run the photos, and the sheer volume of pages and photos was beginning to test the limits of the backend. So, in early September of last year, I began construction of GermanStamps.net v2.0 using Wordpress as the CMS. I've put in over 500 hours on the rebuild, manually uploading photos of, and entering data on, 4,467 stamps (to date) and building 778 pages. The complete rebuild allowed me to present a more modern-looking product, and implement some enhanced features to help the average collector using the site. First, the new system allows me to better embed photos within the text. This allows much better explanation of the finer points of certain stamps. Second, I was able to revamp the menu system so that no page is more than 2 clicks away. The only negative feedback I ever received about the original website was that the collapsible tree menu wasn't very user-friendly. It took numerous clicks to drill down to the lower levels, and it wasn't obvious to many users that the tree was how to navigate the site. So, I switched to a more traditional menu system. The main categories are displayed in the main menu. Once a category is selected, a submenu appears and allows navigation to the specific stamp or set. Third, and most important, I was able to make wholesale changes to the search functions on the site. One of my goals was to make the content more useful to non-specialists who might just be trying to identify a stamp. So, there are now multiple ways to search. There's the option to search the text of the pages. This wasn't possible with the original site. A search will generate a list of all matching pages on the site. There's also an option to search the individual stamps in the collection. This search now has many more options, including color, denomination, keyword, etc. The results look something like this (I searched for color "pink" and keyword "yacht"). Feel free to stop by and check it out. Comments are always welcome. There's a feedback box at the bottom of every page.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 27, 2015 22:02:33 GMT
The Börsenumsatzsteuer (stock transfer tax stamp) was first introduced in Germany following the Imperial Stamp Act of 1881. The Act imposed a tax on certain transfers of stocks and securities.
The numbers are control numbers. I've never seen a description of the specific meanings of the various number/letter combinations (ex. 019B or 042V). I suspect they denoted a batch or roll, with the larger numerals denoting the pair.
Those shown are likely from the 1907 set, based on design and cancel dates. If they have a watermark, they definitely are.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 22, 2015 21:49:22 GMT
Version 1.2.3 is now available for download here. (1MB ZIP) Changes from v1.2.1.: - Added ability to save/load preset settings - Changed spreadsheet export from exporting all data sheets at once to exporting a single sheet, by selection - Added ability to hyphenate at end-of-line in text boxes - Fixed bug with font spacing in Global-style text boxes
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 20, 2015 10:31:28 GMT
rod222, I don't have any specialized references that list this one, as most of my references don't cover DDR. However, here's what I do know. Georg Baumgarten was an early airship pioneer. He made his first flight in 1879, and along with Friedrich Hermann Wölfert, developed the airship shown on the stamp (26 meters long, three single-person gondolas, propellers driven by a hand crank). He was committed to a lunatic asylum in Colditz in 1883, and died there of tuberculosis in 1884. The stamp is from a memorial flight (Gedenkflug) in his honor conducted in April 1959 in conjunction with the 2nd Saxon Stamp Show (Sachsenschau). The route was from Chemnitz (renamed Karl Marx Stadt from 1953-1990), to Leipzig, Dresden, then back to Chemnitz.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 13, 2015 18:39:26 GMT
rod222, The top bill of exchange stamps appear to be Erler 197. The second and third could be from either of these sets. Check the watermark. Based on the slight color difference, you may have one from each set.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 12, 2015 20:31:46 GMT
Looks like that could be residue of the cancel in the low-quality GPS shot, though.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 12, 2015 20:09:03 GMT
I don't know, classicalstamps, looks like it could be a Type IV in the GPS manual.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 10, 2015 21:03:43 GMT
Haven't tried it, but that's some impressive coding. Those algorithms are not easy.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 9, 2015 20:41:14 GMT
Slow day at work. Don't tell the U.S. taxpayer.
Let me know how it works.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 9, 2015 12:12:08 GMT
The PMGS Stamp Album Page Generator for Scribus v1.2.1 is now available. Download here (1MB Zip). Changes from v1.2 1. Per Andy Pastuszak's request, added ability to set font spacing (single spaced, double spaced, etc.) within the text boxes
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 9, 2015 6:25:27 GMT
Should be an easy addition. Let me see what I can do.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 8, 2015 20:11:14 GMT
The PMGS Stamp Album Page Generator for Scribus v1.2 is now available. Download here (1MB Zip). If you just want to see the manual first, it's here. This was an almost-complete rewrite of the script. The original script was designed to do something very basic, and as a result, every additional feature led to an exponential increase in the code. More code, more potential for errors -- the v1.1 code had about 4,600 lines of code, the v1.2 has about 1,800 to accomplish the same tasks, plus some. So, I rewrote about 90% of the code to be faster and to allow for future expansion. If you note any bugs, please let me know. Changes from v1.1 1. Per request of ClassicalStamps on SCF, added ability to general Internal frames (style similar to SG New Imperial Album) 2. Fixed numerous small bugs and placement errors. Math is hard. Here's a sample of what the Internal frame style looks like compared to the full size of a stamp. The frame doesn't generate in the red color -- I changed it so it was more visible in the pic. On the page, it should look something like this. For the next version, I'm working on a couple things. Perhaps the most useful is preset styles. I'm attempting to modify the Settings spreadsheet so you can select from a list of standard frame designs. For example -- if you like boxes in the SG New Imperial style (Internal frame with simply a catalog number below the stamp), you'll be able to click a button and automatically fill the settings blanks with the proper settings. Ditto for Mystic style, etc. Mystic styleFor example, these are actual boxes from a Lighthouse page. Lighthouse sampleAnd these are from a preset designed to replicate the Lighthouse style. Lighthouse-style boxesThis should prove helpful for those who use different designs on different countries' pages. If anyone is interested in having a particular preset, you can really help me out. If you've used the script to generate a standard style, send me the settings you use and I'll see if I can include them. If you haven't used the script but you use a particular style of page, send me a high-quality scan of the stamp boxes with and without a stamp in the box (and if possible, with measurements in mm of the stamp and box so I can set the padding/margins). I can get close based on a good quality scan. As usual, comments and suggestions are appreciated.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 7, 2015 9:22:18 GMT
jamesw, The "Grenzland in Not" (Borderland in Need) was an exhibition held in June 1933, at the Technischen Hochschule München (Technical University of Munich). At that time, the Nazis were spreading the ideology of Lebensraum, or "living space", particularly in the countries to the east. The "Grenzland in Not" campaign was a form of battlespace preparation -- encouraging aid to the border regions to strengthen the pro-German presence and lay the groundwork for easy annexation, either by peaceful or violent means. The map on the cinderella is Czechoslovakia. By 1933, the University's Student Union was among the most pro-Nazi student groups in Germany, and it sponsored the exhibition as a means of promoting the campaign.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Mar 5, 2015 18:43:01 GMT
The PMGS Stamp Album Page Generator for Scribus v1.1 is now available. Changes from v1.041. Removed the feature allowing you to automatically crop and straighten stamp scans due to reliability/compatibility issues. 2. Added ability to set top and bottom padding independently of each other. Ditto for left and right padding. 3. Added the ability to generate single boxes for sets, both horizontal and vertical. This was a major re-write, and each additional feature increases the combinations of frame/photo/text placements exponentially. Because of this, there's no way I can manually check every combination to ensure the math is correct. If you spot something that isn't lining up as you expect is should, please let me know. Download is here (1MB zip).
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Post by PostmasterGS on Feb 26, 2015 22:09:38 GMT
Ah, B&M. A great area to collect if you're a completionist, as there are a relatively small number of issues, and none are cost prohibitive. If you count the regular stamps + officials + postage dues, 183 total stamps of which 150 catalog in Michel for under €1, with the highest catalog value at €16 (the 10 Kč overprint on your first page).
Keep 'em coming!
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Post by PostmasterGS on Feb 11, 2015 22:30:55 GMT
Rod,
Michel doesn't really have a specialized word equal to Interpanneau (had to look that one up in English myself!). Michel uses the terms "Kehrdruck" (tete-beche) and "Kehrdruck mit Zwischensteg" (tete-beche with gutter). "Kehr" means flipped or reciprocal, and "druck" means printing.
Those terms are also the genesis for the catalog numbers ("K" denotes tete-beche, "KZ" denotes tete-beche with gutter).
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Post by PostmasterGS on Feb 11, 2015 12:19:09 GMT
Rod, Here's some additional info on your latest. Nothing special about the initial 10 Pf issues, assuming your ID is correct. There were identical issues with lozenge watermark that can be found in about 9 major variations (peace printings in 4 colors, war printings in 5 colors), but the unwatermarked are but a single type in Michel. Before I get to the rest, a short primer on German booklets, panes, and sheets. The German booklets (Markenheftchen, or MH) contain panes (Heftchenblättern, or H.Bl.) which were printed in booklet sheets (Markenheftchenbogen, or MHB). The booklet sheets were cut down to pane size to form the panes, but also sold at philatelic counters intact. This allows certain combinations that appear to be from a booklet, but can only have come from the booklet sheet due to the placement of the stamps. Also, in German, the particular combinations are referred to as Zusammendrucke, and most combinations of three or fewer stamps are cataloged in Michel's specialized catalogs. The tete-beche block is from booklet sheet MiNr MHB 5. The individual tete-beche pairs are catalogued as MiNr KZ 1. The strip of three is a combination from MiNr MHB 4. As it's 3 stamps tall, it could not have come from a booklet pane, as they were only 2 stamps tall. It is cataloged in Michel as MiNr S16. The remaining booklet pane is MiNr H-Bl. 28A. The "A" denotes that the perforations run all the way through the left margin. Hope this helps.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Feb 8, 2015 2:53:03 GMT
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Post by PostmasterGS on Feb 1, 2015 9:28:37 GMT
Rod,
Erler-Norton notes that "Indications on watermarks are to be understood in looking at the front side of the stamps." So I would say that is an ascending watermark.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jan 22, 2015 18:36:01 GMT
Wow, Rod! Thanks for mentioning my website on your page! I feel like Navin R. Johnson.
If you need additional or better scans of the revenue information, let me know. I only scanned the portions of the listing that contained your specific items, and I didn't post them at a very high resolution.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jan 19, 2015 18:49:43 GMT
Rod, During WWII, Germany censored all mail coming from or going to foreign countries. There were initially two large censorship stations (Berlin and Königsberg), but eventually they had to open many more due to the volume. Mail that had been censored received a censor mark. If there was no need to cut open the envelope (usually only for mail posted at the censorship station), a simple censor handstamp could be used. If there was a need to cut open the envelope, the censor would reseal the envelope with tape and apply a handstamp, or ideally use closure tape with the censor seal pre-printed on it. That's what you have. "Geprüft" literally means proofed or tested. " Oberkommando der Wehrmacht" was the German High Command.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jan 19, 2015 18:03:43 GMT
That's a nice one. Bochmann Berlin S384, 1 Oct 1943, commemorating the Gemeinschaft Deutscher Sammler e.V. (a German stamp collecting association) and Stamp Day (Tag der Briefmarke).
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jan 19, 2015 14:04:03 GMT
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jan 2, 2015 14:21:03 GMT
For 2015, I'd like to get more of my collection scanned and mounted. This one will have to wait until late in the year as my collection is about 3,500 miles away at the moment.
In the meantime, I'm rebuilding my website from scratch. I'm already about 300 hours into the project, but it's coming along.
And oh yeah, buy more stamps!
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Post by PostmasterGS on Dec 30, 2014 10:38:48 GMT
Rod, It's not quite what you're looking for, but file this site away -- Kartenmeister. It allows you to search by German or Polish name. There's also a good hi-res map of at least a portion of Freie Stadt Danzig. I may have a map of the entire thing, but I won't have access to my references again until after the new year.
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