Germany, varieties of postage stamps – post-currency reform issues

On Sunday, June 20, 1948, the German Mark (Deutsche Mark) was officially introduced. Due to the short notice it wasn’t possible to print new stamps, so the definitive issues by the Allied Control Council were overprinted. Regional Post Office Administrations were instructed to overprint existing stocks of stamps in the local printing offices. The overprint was administered in letterpress in black color.

21 June 1948. Overprinted definitive Allied Control Council issue of 1947/48.

TYPES OF THE RIBBON OVERPRINT
US British Zone 1948 currency reform postage stamp issue Type Ia Post horn overprint on German pictorial stamp of 1947
Sloping line in the lower ornament, below the mouthpiece. Top and bottom ornaments broken, at the top left from the bell, and at the bottom below the second tassel pendant from the left.
TYPES OF THE NETWORK OVERPRINT
Allied occupation of Germany Pictorial issue deformed post horn
There are two groups of varieties that appear in different forms, both varieties can appear on one stamp or they appear individually:

  • circular part of the post horn deformed: the variety appears on 16 fields in a sheet (mostly in the 1st, 4th and 8th columns), the deformations come in different shapes and forms;
  • larger distance between individual post horns in a network, measured in the distance between a mouthpiece and a bell: the variety appears on 25 fields in a sheet.

 

 

COINCIDENTAL VARIETIES
1 Inverted overprint:

  • (all values)
 Germany 1948 pictorial issue inverted post horn overprint
2 Double overprint, one of them shifted. Germany 1948 pictorial issue shifted post horn overprint
3 Double overprint, one of them inverted:

  • (all values)
 Germany 1948 pictorial issue double inverted post horn overprint
4 Both overprints on one stamp:

  • only on: 2, 6, 8, 12, 15, 16, 20, 24, 25, 50, 60, 80 pf
 Germany 1948 pictorial issue both types of post horn overprint
5 Both overprints on one stamp, ribbon overprint shifted:

  • only on: 2, 6, 8, 12, 15, 16, 20, 24, 25, 50, 60, 80 pf
 Germany 1948 pictorial issue both overprints shifted post horn
6 Overprint partially missing:

  • ribbon: 2, 6, 8, 12, 15, 16, 20, 24, 25, 40 pf
  • network: 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 30, 40, 50, 80, 84 pf
 Germany 1948 pictorial issue inverted post horn overprint partially missing
7 Offset:

  • (all values)
 Germany 1948 pictorial issue offset post horn overprint

 

22 April 1949. Hannover Export Fair.

COINCIDENTAL VARIETIES
1 Red phase shifted upwards. Germany 1949 Hannover fair souvenir sheet red phase shifted

 

Bibliography

  1. Michel Deutschland-Spezial 2005, Band 2: Ab Mai 1945 (Alliierte Besetzung bis BRD), Schwaneberger Verlag GmbH, ISBN 3-87858-145-9