Germania (stamp)
Germania stamps are definitive stamps that were issued by the German Empire and the Weimar Republic between 1900 and 1922, depicting Germania. They represent the longest running series in German philately and are in their many variations and derivations an essential part of German philatelic collections.
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The initial issue from January 1, 1900 replaced the standard issue depicting numbers and eagles. The image of Germania, rather than that of the ruling monarch as was customary in many other European monarchies, made it a unifying feature and did not complicate the relationship with other German royalty and the coexisting German postal authorities of Bavaria and Württemberg. The engraving was performed by Paul Eduard Waldraff (1870-1917) who used the actress Anna Führing as model.[1] Wearing an octagonal imperial crown she is holding a sword and an olive branch. The Jugendstil design depicting Führing was personally chosen by the emperor Wilhelm II.[1] [2]
The Germina stamp has many issues and variations. The 1900 issue is inscribed "Reichspost", all issues after April 1, 1902 carry the "Deutsches Reich" inscription. All issues after 1902 have watermarks. Within Germany Germania stamps were issued as follows:* [3]
- 1900, January 1: Reichspost, German Empire, excluding Bavaria and Wurttemberg
- 1902, April 1, Deutsches Reich, including Wurttemberg
- 1905-11, Deutsches Reich
- 1915-17, Deutsches Reich, war printings
- 1916-19, Deutsches Reich, background without engraving lines
- 1919, May 1: Deutsches Reich, semipostal with surcharge for war veterans,
- 1919: Bavaria only: "Freistaat Bayern" overprint,
- 1920: Deutsches Reich, including Bavaria,
- 1921: Deutsches Reich, overprinted values,
- 1922, March: Deutsches Reich, last issue (75 Pfennig and 1 1/4 Mark).
- 1920: Saarland, overprinted,[4]
- 1922: Plebiscite areas of Allenstein and Marienwerder, overprinted,[5]
- 1920: Memelland, overprinted.[6]
Overprinted Germania stamps were used outside Germany. Prior to World War I they were released by German post offices abroad in a number of foreign countries, namely China, Marocco, and Turkey.[7] During the First World War Germania stamps were released in occupied areas, namely in Belgium, France, "Postgebiet Ost" (eastern postal territory), "Russian Poland", "General Gouvernement Warschau", and Romania.[8] After the war, the stamps were also initially used with overprints in Danzig.[9] Further, Polish postal authorities, Poczta Polska, also initially utilized overprinted Germania stamps.
One of the rarer German stamps is the Vineta provisional, a halved and overprinted Germania stamp that was issued by the cruiser SMS Vineta in 1901.
Germania stamps were not issued in the German colonies, instead in those territories the Yacht issue was released first in 1900 with the appropriate identifying inscriptions.
- ^ a b Museumsstiftung Post und Telekommunikation. "Germania-Entwũrfe" (in German). http://www.museumsstiftung.de/stiftung/detail.asp?id=369&cmd=print&site=stiftung. Retrieved on 26-11-2008.
- ^ Selection process of design (German)
- ^ Schwaneberger Verlag. Michel Deutschland Spezial 1997. Schwaneberger Verlag, ISBN 3 87858 129 7. pp. 223-241.
- ^ Michel, page 563
- ^ Michel, pages 422ff
- ^ Michel, page 529
- ^ Michel, pages 365ff.
- ^ Michel, pages 606ff.
- ^ Michel, pages 456ff
Arbeitsgemeinschaft Germania-Briefmarken
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