Theresienstadt Parcel Admission Stamp
Dec 29, 2013 18:40:59 GMT
tomiseksj, Ryan, and 4 more like this
Post by PostmasterGS on Dec 29, 2013 18:40:59 GMT
Here's another interesting little bit of philatelic history -- the Theresienstadt Parcel Admission Stamp.
In the late 18th century, the Austrian emperor Joseph II ordered the construction of a fortress in Terezín, a small town in Bohemia (modern Czech Republic). The fortress was, in reality, two fortresses -- the walled town of Terezín and a smaller fortress across the Ohře River to the east. Over the year, the small fortress was used as a prison. Its most famous prisoner being Gavrilo Princip, the assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
On June 10, 1940, the Gestapo took control of Terezín. They quickly established a prison in the small fortress and a Jewish ghetto within the town walls. This ghetto would be known as Theresienstadt, after the German name for the town.
Aerial views of Theresienstadt
Beginning on 10 July 1943, a new process was implemented for residents of Bohemia and Moravia wishing to send packages to residents of the ghetto. If a resident of the ghetto wished to receive a parcel, he could fill out a request every two months. The request would be forwarded to the Jewish Council in Prague, who would then send a notice to the proposed sender of the parcel. The sender, if in the Prague area, could stop in and pick up the stamp.
Theresienstadt Parcel Admission Stamp
If the proposed sender was not in the Prague area, the stamp would be attached to the notice and mailed to the proposed sender.
Notice with Parcel Admission Stamp attached
The stamp had to be attached to the parcel itself. Because the wrapping paper was commonly destroyed as part of the parcel inspection, genuine used copies are scarce.
Upon receipt of the parcel, the recipient could then send a pre-printed card to the sender acknowledging that the parcel had arrived safely.
Theresienstadt Acknowledgment Card
In mid-1942, the German authorities began transforming the Theresienstadt ghetto into a "show camp" in an effort to quell criticism within the international community. A massive beautification project was undertaken in preparation for a visit in June 1944 by delegates of the International Red Cross and representatives of the government of Denmark.
The delegates were given a guided tour in which they followed a red line on the ground and were not permitted to speak to most of the inhabitants. Somehow, the delegates were fooled by the German efforts, and published positive reports of the visit. The Germans were ecstatic, going so far as to produce a propaganda film about the visit.
As part of the propaganda effort, souvenir sheets of the Theresienstadt Parcel Admission Stamp were produced for distribution to IRC delegates on official visits. These sheets were found in remainder stocks post-war. They can be found in black, brown, and dark green (still need a dark green in my collection!), and were numbered sequentially.
A few proofs of the Red Cross sheets are known to exist.
Front
Back
Imperf copies can be found, and are believed to be from remainder stock.
Odd perf varieties exist as well.
Proofs also exist in black and light green.
The Theresienstadt stamps were initially printed in sheets of four. This was quickly abandoned, however, for efficiency reasons, and the printing shifted to sheets of 25. The sheets of four are extremely rare.
In the late 18th century, the Austrian emperor Joseph II ordered the construction of a fortress in Terezín, a small town in Bohemia (modern Czech Republic). The fortress was, in reality, two fortresses -- the walled town of Terezín and a smaller fortress across the Ohře River to the east. Over the year, the small fortress was used as a prison. Its most famous prisoner being Gavrilo Princip, the assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
On June 10, 1940, the Gestapo took control of Terezín. They quickly established a prison in the small fortress and a Jewish ghetto within the town walls. This ghetto would be known as Theresienstadt, after the German name for the town.
Aerial views of Theresienstadt
Beginning on 10 July 1943, a new process was implemented for residents of Bohemia and Moravia wishing to send packages to residents of the ghetto. If a resident of the ghetto wished to receive a parcel, he could fill out a request every two months. The request would be forwarded to the Jewish Council in Prague, who would then send a notice to the proposed sender of the parcel. The sender, if in the Prague area, could stop in and pick up the stamp.
Theresienstadt Parcel Admission Stamp
If the proposed sender was not in the Prague area, the stamp would be attached to the notice and mailed to the proposed sender.
Notice with Parcel Admission Stamp attached
The stamp had to be attached to the parcel itself. Because the wrapping paper was commonly destroyed as part of the parcel inspection, genuine used copies are scarce.
Upon receipt of the parcel, the recipient could then send a pre-printed card to the sender acknowledging that the parcel had arrived safely.
Theresienstadt Acknowledgment Card
In mid-1942, the German authorities began transforming the Theresienstadt ghetto into a "show camp" in an effort to quell criticism within the international community. A massive beautification project was undertaken in preparation for a visit in June 1944 by delegates of the International Red Cross and representatives of the government of Denmark.
The delegates were given a guided tour in which they followed a red line on the ground and were not permitted to speak to most of the inhabitants. Somehow, the delegates were fooled by the German efforts, and published positive reports of the visit. The Germans were ecstatic, going so far as to produce a propaganda film about the visit.
As part of the propaganda effort, souvenir sheets of the Theresienstadt Parcel Admission Stamp were produced for distribution to IRC delegates on official visits. These sheets were found in remainder stocks post-war. They can be found in black, brown, and dark green (still need a dark green in my collection!), and were numbered sequentially.
A few proofs of the Red Cross sheets are known to exist.
Front
Back
Imperf copies can be found, and are believed to be from remainder stock.
Odd perf varieties exist as well.
Proofs also exist in black and light green.
The Theresienstadt stamps were initially printed in sheets of four. This was quickly abandoned, however, for efficiency reasons, and the printing shifted to sheets of 25. The sheets of four are extremely rare.