It would be interesting to know how many wartime period postal stamp collectors we have here on the forum? I'm certain there are others, beside myself, who engage in what was once know as "The Pastime or Hobby of Presidents"

There is a correlation to militaria collecting, even if some feel it only in a small way.

German or American Richard?
A few Hitlerhead overprints that the Russians did not allow because they pictured Hitler and were saying "Wir sind frei!" but it wasnt clear if they were free off Adolf or free because of him. I have some occupied countries...General Government, Ukraine overprints and some Souvenir sheets for Hitler Birthday, other than that nothing special.

Oh...a couple of German Colonies set...like Kameroon, Deutsch Ost Afrika, Togo and of course Tsching Tao and the Marshall Inseln Set.
But they were issued before WWI and are not what you asked about...some East German, Berlin and post war stamps issued by the allies...other than that just a few Zeppelin letters. Have to go pull some of that stuff out...I stopped when the boys started to collect baseball cards...and that was in the early eighties...all seems long ago...glad you brought it up...FDR was always playing with his stamps and Winston looking over his shoulder saying...oh yea...that German Colony is ours now...and FDR admonishing him and saying...Winnie you got to let these people go after the war...and he would drink another bottle of brandy and say...I didnt become Prime Minister to dismantle the British Empire...smile...hope I didnt upset anybody or the rules with my History lesson here. Prosit...Roland, your SteinMeister.

PS...two letter postmarked Lorient, Sept. 1944.They were transported back to Germany by U-Boat...Remember Lorient never gave up until Germany capitulated.

Hi Roland and thanks for your interest.

Both the German and U.S. wartime are highly collectible and there are some rare ones -- the last two T.R. stamps issued, one is SA and one is SS. I don't have scans of them at the moment but, I posted a cute "spoof" one below. Other allied and axis wartime stamps as well are sought after.

I had suggested to the forum that it might be a good thought to institute a new subject area dealing with this subject and, that I would volunteer my time to moderate it, but it was a no go.

Hmmmmmm......!

THE LAST TWO POSTAL STAMPS ISSUED BY THE THIRD REICH. BOTH ARE VERY RARE IN POSTALLY USED ON COVER. BELOW ARE BOTH APPEAR TO BE IN UNUSED CONDITION AND MAY HAVE BEEN SOAKED OFF A COVER THAT WAS NEVER MAILED.

BELOW TWO APPEAR TO BE UNUSED,IN MINT CONDITION,HOWEVER MAY BE FORGERIES?

You said they were the last issued.. when would that have been?

quote:

Originally posted by Tyrel Linkhorn:
You said they were the last issued.. when would that have been?

I believe it was 1945 shortly before the end came.

What I like about the wartime stamps is that it's an easy area to become involved in, not that costly, their easy to display and you can locate a stamp dealer in almost every town.

I have a set of heroes day stamps & 1 hitler birthday sheet just as decorators but I am seriously considering collecting more stamps & postcards. As you rightly say it is relatively inexpensive compared to many other items....especially daggers & anything SS.

They are surley interesting & always a pleasure to look at.

Hi Vaughan,

Exactly, I would hope that more collectors would gain this interest as it's not only a relaxing hobby but, a history lesson in itself. Each stamp depicts a segment of the Third Reich period; each has its own story, depicting the organization or individual it was representing.

While the two stamps were used for postage, they are what is called Semi-Postals. These are marked for postage 12 pf. and then plus 38. The plus 38 refers to 38 pf. that was also paid and used to raise money for a cause or specific event.
The Germans used this method to raise funds for approved events or causes throughout the TR period and before.
Semi-Postals are the most interesting part of TR stamp collecting to me and the variety is extensive.
I have many extras, so if someone is interested, contact me via eMail and let me know what you are trying to find or what you want to know.
Ron Weinand
Weinand Militaria
relic@warrelic.com

This Non Scott German Stamp shows Hitlers death mask.

The second picture shows the back of the stamp. The Hitler Death Mask where the ink shows through to the back of the stamp. I believe this was a special type of ink that was used so that it would show on the reverse.

The purpose of this stamp was done to denigrate the Nazis.

SECOND PHOTO

Here's a prize, the Tunis Afrika Korps Feldpost Stamp. These were made by the Afrika Korps, in Afrika and not in Germany proper. Consider yourself fortunate if you are able to obtain one, as it is extremely rare in used condition on cover. There's a minefield of repros out there on this one, so be careful.

I would suggest that you seek out a reputible stamp dealer for this one as, most that I have seen at militaria shows have been the repros.

What you see at militaria shows or on the internet auctions, are ones in mint condition , 99.9% of these are repros.

A very tough stamp to get a genuine example of, and should you, be prepared to pay some hefty dollars as, this is one of the few costly ones of this wartime period.

I like postal cancels and postcards. Here is an interesting card. This is a 1943 Police Day cancellation for occupied Nederland.

George

Another Police Day cancellation for 1942. This one is for occupied Czechoslovakia. There was a large arms factory in Brünn that produced, among other things, bayonets.

George

This one is a 1941 Police Day cancellation. This particular one is for the city of Vienna in occupied Austria (annexed as the Ostmark).

George

I suppose I should show the front of the last Austrian postcard. These cards were sold to promote donations for Winter Help relief.

George

Nice souvenir sheet find. I cannot read German, if anyone would like to interpret please do.

The stamps are actual ones affixed to the sheet and then cancelled. Sheet is actually a bit larger than in the photo, approximately 8"x11.5".

Nice cancellations and cards George. I don't have any myself, always enjoy seeing them though.

That is a great Polizei postcard!
& I really like the hero day sheet Richard, nice to see all franked like that. Mine are mint but loose. Still haven`t got around to framing them yet, but hey it`s only been 3 yrs.

Here are some extremely rare and iteresting postal usages of the famous last stamps of the Third Reich. The SA and SS stamps have always caused a bit of controversy as to whether they were actually issued and used during those tumultuous last days in Berlin. These were cancelled April 20, 1945 and April 21, 1945. Was mail still being delivered at that time?