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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 15, 2015 13:06:01 GMT
rod222, I have access to my books again, so here's the Erler-Norton entry for that HAPAG revenue.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 15, 2015 12:55:35 GMT
Sorry, I don't have one for Chrome. With Google owning YouTube, they disable that function on the extensions available through the Chrome store. There are several available outside the Chrome store, but I haven't tried any of them. When I need to download a YouTube video, I just open it in Firefox.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 15, 2015 11:59:17 GMT
What browser are you using?
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Post by PostmasterGS on Aug 13, 2015 22:56:07 GMT
It is, Andy, it definitely is.
DDR is a great area to collect. Finite timeframe. A lot of good-looking, modern issues. And as a whole, relatively easy and cheap to complete.
Yet despite my German fixation, I don't collect DDR! I couldn't imagine collecting 1872-1945 and 1949-1990 without attempting 1945-1949, and that's a bridge too far.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jul 24, 2015 12:28:24 GMT
jamesw, The first HAPAG cinderella on this page is among the most common HAPAG cinderellas. I don't have any detailed info, but it usually sells for US$5-$15. The second HAPAG cinderella on this page is from a set of similar design style. They are advertising HAPAG's Mediterranean and Orient cruises. I don't know how many were in the set, but there were at least three. The three shown are for sale at Philatino's after auction sale for US$25 (I'm not affiliated, that's just where I saw the pic). rod222, That mystery stamp is a revenue of the HAPAG line. Those are listed in Erler/Norton's Catalogue of the Adhesive Revenues of Germany - German Colonies and Overseas Steamship Lines, but I don't have access to my catalogs at the moment to look it up. IIRC, the "Theilschein" revenues were used for charter contracts. The shipping agent and the customer would each get a copy of the contract (hence the name, which translates literally as "part note/certificate/bill"), and a revenue was attached to show that the duty was paid. I can give specifics from the catalog in a couple weeks.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jul 1, 2015 17:57:40 GMT
rod222, It looks like it may still be possible to run Java in Chrome 42, but the workaround will likely be removed by end-of-year.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jul 1, 2015 9:52:00 GMT
Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling both the browser and Java?
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jun 28, 2015 11:38:35 GMT
rod222, This really calls for a native speaker, but here's my stab at it. The Kurrant script is very clean, with almost textbook letters (see here for an example). That makes it easy to read the German text, but my translation may be a little off. In German: In English:
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jun 17, 2015 9:08:53 GMT
rod222, You won't find that S/S in Michel. It's a cinderella that was distributed at the 1971 Luftpostausstellung (Airmail Exhibition) in Berlin. The text on the S/S states that the stamp depicts an unissued definitive design from Württemberg (French Zone), circa 1949.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jun 16, 2015 10:31:27 GMT
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jun 15, 2015 20:43:14 GMT
Uh-oh. I'm falling behind! These are some really nice pieces, Jim. A few comments, from the top. 1919 Semi-Postals -- these appear to be the common colors. Probably a philatelic usage, unless it was a really heavy letter. Glider-post -- really love the glider cachet. It's a shame the postal clerk didn't press a little harder on the cancels, because those are really nice commemorative cancels. AMG -- this is a really interesting piece. The "AM Post" Bi-Zone issues were printed by the Americans, British, and Germans, and there are noticeable differences in the three (here's a handy reference). For example, you have three 3 Pf varieties -- the first is American, the second British, and the bottom one German. That screams philatelic, but it's neat nonetheless. The rate is a little excessive (84 Pf), but it's correct if you discount the 12 Pf AM Post that's covered-up by the 25 Pf and 10 Pf. It seems odd that a philatelic usage would cover-up a stamp, so there may be a reason behind doing so that would also explain the rate. Torino -- love the handwriting. It's actually readable, which is rare for the period! Hotel -- the handwriting appears to be a mix of Kurrent and Sütterlin scripts, with horrible penmanship on top of it all. I can't get the business name, but the address appears to be Lindenstraße 20, unit 5. This would be mere yards from the Berlin SW 68 post office, which was on Ritterstraße between Lindenstraße and Alte Jakobstraße, about a block SE of what would later become Checkpoint Charlie. The building that's currently at that address appears to be old, so it's probably the same building your addressee lived/worked in. Gelber Hund -- nice one. The corners aren't in bad shape, which is a good sign. These tend to be rough around the edges. BRT cancel -- awesome machine cancel. Catalogs in Bochmann as MS 403. Used at numerous post offices from June-December 1943. SA/SS -- I agree! Stay away!!! Fake cancels on fake SA/SS stamps. FDC -- interestingly enough, it was FDC for the 30 Pf stamps, but not the 60 Pf. It's also a gross overfranking, unless they were mailing a brick! NSDAP -- neat cinderella, but let's talk about the cancel for a moment. During the period, it was common for companies (for some reason, largely financial institutions) to pay for machine cancels advertising their business. This one is advertising the Hamburger Sparcasse (still around, but now spelled Hamburger Sparkasse), a bank in Hamburg founded in 1827. The counter (4821) indicated how many cancels had been applied, so the post office knew how much to charge the business. Officials -- not sure what's going on with the rate on this one. There's no combination of weight/services which would warrant a 70 M rate. Either a shorted 100 M, or excessive postage for a 60 M letter. Mourning cover -- nice that you have one with a personal connection! Unfranked -- another great machine cancel. Catalogs in Bochmann as Gera 4 (4/i A), and was in use from 1937-40/ This cover also has a nice free franking marking from the II. Battalion, Kavallerieschützenregiment 7 (2nd Battalion, Cavalry Rifle Regiment 7), which was based at Gera.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jun 6, 2015 7:09:59 GMT
I'm not familiar with the Urban enclosures, rod222, but I find them odd -- they're in English, and Frankfurt is misspelled. A Germany company might use English if these were used on international mail, but they likely wouldn't misspell the name of one of their largest cities. The use of "No." for "number" is also more of an English abbreviation, as the Germans more commonly use "Nr.". Perhaps it's of English-speaking origin for a company doing business in Germany?
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jun 6, 2015 6:50:23 GMT
Hitler "Skull" design, propaganda sheets. Creative use of the word "forgeries", since those minisheets are forgeries of the original propaganda forgeries. Current street value of those minisheets is less than the cost of shipping, I'm afraid.
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Post by PostmasterGS on Jun 6, 2015 6:46:58 GMT
Of all the WWII propaganda forgeries, the American-made Hitler Heads are the most affordable. The plain forgeries can usually be had for about $10-$20 each, and the skull version for about $20-30.
The original forgeries weren't printed in minisheets, but in 10x5 sheets, so unless you really like full sheets and are prepared to fork over about $400-$500, stick with the singles.
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Post by PostmasterGS on May 29, 2015 12:59:26 GMT
rod222, jimwentzell, Nothing much to add from me. Rod covered it. And I'd agree -- probably printer's waste.
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Post by PostmasterGS on May 29, 2015 9:54:01 GMT
Here's another neat series from the collection. From 1925-1929, Germany released a series of semi-postal depicting the coats of arms of various German states/territories. The surcharge went to benefit the Deutsche Nothilfe, a German charity program for which the Reichspost released annual stamp sets from 1924-1935. The stamps were designed by Sigmund von Weech, a German graphic designer who later became famous for his decorative textile designs. 1925The 1925 series depicts the coats of arms of: - 5+5 Pf — Prussia
- 10+10 Pf — Bavaria
- 20+20 Pf — Saxony
These issue all have a vertical waffle watermark (Michel wmk 2X). 1926The 1926 series depicts the coats of arms of: - 5+5 Pf — Wurttemberg
- 10+10 Pf — Baden
- 25+25 Pf — Thuringen
- 50+50 Pf — Hessen
These issues can all be found with vertical (wmk 2X) or horizontal (wmk 2Y) waffle watermarks, with the exception of MiNr 400 (X only). 1928- 5+5 Pf — Hamburg
- 8+7 Pf — Mecklenburg-Schwerin
- 15+15 Pf — Oldenburg
- 25+25 Pf — Braunschweig
- 50+50 Pf — Anhalt
These issues can all be found with vertical (wmk 2X) or horizontal (wmk 2Y) waffle watermarks, with the exception of MiNr 429 (Y only). 1929- 5+2 Pf — Bremen
- 8+4 Pf — Lippe-Detmold
- 15+5 Pf — Lübeck
- 25+10 Pf — Mecklenburg-Strelitz
- 50+40 Pf — Schaumburg-Lippe
These issues can all be found with horizontal (wmk 2Y) waffle watermarks. Total quantities produced were: MiNr 375 -- 4,913,150 MiNr 376 -- 3,926,961 MiNr 377 -- 983,730 MiNr 398 -- 5,268,464 MiNr 399 -- 4,163,636 MiNr 400 -- 438,290 MiNr 401 -- 210,336 MiNr 425 -- 1,207,598 MiNr 426 -- 2,400,716 MiNr 427 -- 2,406,013 MiNr 428 -- 284,850 MiNr 429 -- 156,984 MiNr 430 -- 3,051,237 MiNr 431 -- 4,214,414 MiNr 432 -- 4,898,586 MiNr 433 -- 379,455 MiNr 434 -- 177,788
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Post by PostmasterGS on May 27, 2015 18:46:16 GMT
rod222, Luftpost and Flugpost literally mean "air post" and "flight post", respectively. I get the impression that in the early days of airmail, it was more common to refer to zeppelin mail as "Luftpost" and airplane mail as "Flugpost". But over time, Luftpost became the dominant term for all airmail. And that's good to know on the LZ127 label. I'd never actually seen one that wasn't printed, and I was looking forward to seeing yours!
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Post by PostmasterGS on May 27, 2015 11:51:08 GMT
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Post by PostmasterGS on May 26, 2015 20:28:28 GMT
I haven't posted anything educational lately, so here's another history/philatelic lesson from the collection -- courtesy of one of the most popular German series. Initial Issue -- MiNr 423 & 424 On 20 September 1928, Germany issued its first set of airmail stamps depicting the Graf Zeppelin, L.Z.127, flying over the Earth. These stamps have a horizontal waffle watermark (Michel Wmk 2Y), though at very rare copies of the 4 RM value are known to exist with vertical watermark (Wmk 2X). The 2 RM stamp covered the postage for cards sent to America, and the 4 RM stamp covered the cost of covers to the same. 1st Südamerikafahrt -- MiNr 438 & 439. On 26 April 1930, Germany introduced a new special issue for the first South American flight of L.Z. 127. The first South American flight left Friedrichshafen on 15 May 1930, for stops in Sevilla, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Lakehurst, Sevilla, and returning to Friedrichshafen. These issues can be found with either vertical (Wmk 2X) or horizontal (Wmk 2Y) waffle watermarks. Addition to the Basic Set -- MiNr 455 In May 1931, a new L.Z.127 stamp was introduced at a lower value of 1 RM. This value was primarily used on shorter European flights, or as supplemental postage on longer voyages. It's cataloged by Scott as part of the initial, unoverprinted set, but separately by Michel. Unlike the other unoverprinted issues, the 1 RM value is found with a vertical waffle watermark (Wmk 2X). 1931 Polarfahrt -- MiNr 456-458 On 10 July 1931, Germany issued another L.Z.127 overprint, this time on the occasion of the L.Z.127's flight to the North Pole. The polar flight left Friedrichshafen on 24 July 1931, with stops in Berlin-Staaken, Leningrad, Franz-Josef-Land, Berlin-Tempelhof, and returning to Friedrichshafen. These issues can be found with the vertical waffle watermark (Wmk 2X). Chicagofahrt -- MiNr 496-498 These issues can be found with the vertical waffle watermark (Wmk 2X). ForgeriesBecause of the popularity of zeppelin stamps, forgeries of these issues are common. The easiest way to distinguish the originals is the watermark. Vertical (2X) and Horizontal (2Y) Waffle WatermarksIn addition, the most common forgeries use line perforation rather than comb, which can be distinguished by the appearance of the corner perforations. Comb (left) versus line (right) perforationAlso, if looking at a high-quality scan, there are also noticeable differences in the printing quality of originals and forgeries.
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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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