Germany: stamp sheets of inflation era (1916/23)

 

Elements of stamp sheets

Germany postage stamp sheet element plate print column value summation Plattendruck Reihenwertzahlen Germany postage stamp sheet element rotary print column value summation Walzendruck Reihenwertzahlen Germany postage stamp sheet element Side value summation Summierungszahl plate number Plattennummer Germany postage stamp sheet element Group column numbering Gruppenpaarnummer Germany postage stamp sheet element Counter Bogenzahler Germany postage stamp sheet element Row numbering Reihenzähler Bottom margin protection Unterrandschutz, HAN Nummer Germany postage stamp sheet element Side margin protection Seitenrandschutz
Column value summation – plate print
(Plattendruck Reihenwertzahlen)

  • always on top
 Column value summation – rotary print
(Walzendruck Reihenwertzahlen)

  • always on top
  • number of vertical lines varies (example: 2-9-2 on first, and 1-11-1 on second stamp)
 Side value summation
(Summierungszahl)

  • always on left side

Sheet plate number
(Platten-bzw. Formnummer)

  • only in plate printing
  • different positioning

 

 Group column numbering
(Gruppenpaarnummer)

  • only in rotary print
  • running numbers from 1 to 11
  • left or right side
 Counter
(Bogenzahler)

  • only in rotary print
  • always 4-digit
  • left or right side
 Row numbering
(Reihenzähler)

  • always at the bottom

Bottom margin protection
(Unterrandschutz)

Sheet / overprint HAN
(Haufsauftragsnummer)

  • only in plate printing

HAN Addendum

  • sheet or overprint (example: number 11 on overprint HAN)
 Side margin protection
(Seitenrandschutz)

  • only in plate printing
  • sometimes in form of advertisement

Other marks

 

Regional post office administration overprints

Due to rapidly progressing inflation, the State Printing Office (Reichsdruckerei) wasn’t able to meet increasing demand for overprinting of stamps. To tackle this problem eleven Regional Post Office Administrations (Oberpostdirektion – OPD) were provided with overprinting matrices and instructed to overprint stamps in local printing offices.

Stamps overprinted by Regional Post Office Administrations are recognizable by top margins (partially also by bottom margins), color used for overprinting and certain plate flaws.

Also in cases where top margins weren’t overprinted it is possible to determine the location, but only if a complete sheet is available.

Germany inflation postage stamp OPD top margin not overprinted Germany inflation postage stamp OPD Breslau Munich Germany inflation postage stamp OPD Erfurt Frankfurt Königsberg Münster Germany inflation postage stamp OPD Frankfurt Germany inflation postage stamp OPD Leipzig Germany inflation postage stamp OPD Munich Germany inflation postage stamp OPD Stettin
Top border not overprinted

  • Breslau
  • Frankfurt
  • Hamburg
  • Hannover
  • Königsberg
  • Münster
  • Stuttgart
 Three thin lines

  • Breslau
  • Munich
 One 4,5 mm thick horizontal line

  • Erfurt
  • Frankfurt
  • Königsberg
  • Münster

 

 Thick line on top, thin line below

  • Erfurt
 One 6 mm thick horizontal line

  • Frankfurt
 Small numerals

  • Leipzig
 Two thin lines

  • Munich
 One thin line on bottom sheet border

  • Munich
 Big numerals Antiqua or Block typeface

  • Stettin

 

Stamp sheets

Denomination Watermark Printing Column value summation Side number summation Row numbering Group column numbering Side margin protection Ad Bottom margin protection Counter Printer’s marks Sheet HAN Sheet plate number Overprint HAN HAN Add OPD File
Lozenges Plate t – – – l, r – y – – H3659.19 2 – – – Link
Lozenges Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H3969.21 6 – – – Link
Lozenges Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner – – – H3971.21 3 – – – Link
Lozenges Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H3973.21 3 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H7178.21 6 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H4943.22 – – – – Link
Network Rotary t, 2-9-2 – – l, 4-1, 10 – – b l – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t, 3-7-3 – – l, 9-5 – – b l – – – – – – Link
Link
Network Rotary t, 3-7-3 – – l, 9-5 – – b l – – – – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H3696.22 2 – – – Link
Network Rotary t, 2-9-2 l, 11-7 – l, 11-7 – – b l – – – – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – – – – “Oben” – – – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H7741.22 4 – – – Link
Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H5444.22 3 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H5444.22 6 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H3697.22 4 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H3569.22 5 – – – Link
Network Rotary t, 1-5-1 l, 4-10 – – – – b l – – – – – – Link
Link
Network Rotary t, 1-5-1 l, 9-5 – – – – b l – – – – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H6346.22 3 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H6346.22 8 – – – Link
Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H5558.22 6 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H8168.22 3 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H8176.22 8 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – Anlage H2717.23 4 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – Anlage H8520.22 5 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H2923.23 ? – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H2923.23 5 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – – – – – H6913.22 4 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – – – – – H7066.22 6 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – – – – – H6914.22 5 – – – Link
Link
Network Plate t l b – – – – – – H8623.22 5 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – – – – – H8372.22 2 – – – Link
Link
Network Plate t l b – – – – – – H2939.22 4 – – – Link
Network Plate t l – – – – – – – – – – – – Link
Link
Network Rotary t, 2-9-2, 1-11-1 – – l, 10-3 – – b r – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t, 2-9-2, 1-11-1 – – l, 4-9 – – b r – – – – – – Link
Link
Network Rotary t, 2-9-2, 1-11-1 – – – – – b l – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t, 2-9-2, 1-11-1 – – – – – b r – – 5 – – – Link
Network Rotary t, 2-9-2, 1-11-1 – – – – – b l – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t, 2-9-2, 1-11-1 – – l, 11-7 – – – l – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t, 2-9-2, 1-11-1 – – l, 11-7 – – – l – – – – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H5217.23 1 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – – 3 – – – Link
Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – – 4 – – – Link
Network Rotary t, 1-5-1 – – l, 9-5 – – b l – – – – – – Link
Lozenges Plate t l (cancelation) b – r – – – 4 III d H2485.21 2 – 9 – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H7847.22 6 H5316.23 33 – Link
Network Plate t l (cancelation) b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H8176.22 2 H5043.23 11 – Link
Network Rotary t, 1-5-1 – – l, 1-5 – – b r – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t, 1-5-1 – – l, 6-11 – – b r – – – – – – Link
Network Plate (only overprinted) (only overprinted) b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H5044.23 1 (?) – – – Link
Network Rotary t 1-5-1 (only overprinted) – – l, 11-7, org & opr – – overprinted l – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t 1-5-1 (only overprinted) – – l, 5-2, org & opr – – overprinted l – – – – – – Link
Link
Network Rotary t, 2-9-2, 1-11-1 – – r, 5-9 – – – – – – – H5044.23 19 – Link
Network Rotary t 2-9-2, 1-11-1 (only orig.) – – r, 10-3 – – b l – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t 2-9-2, 1-11-1 (only orig.) – – r, 4-9 – – b l – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t 2-9-2, 1-11-1 (only orig.) – – l, 4-9 – – b r – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t 2-9-2, 1-11-1 (canceled 3 lines) – – l, 4-9 – – b r – – – – – – Link
Network Plate t (only overprinted) l (only overprinted) b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – – 2 – – – Link
Network Plate t (only overprinted) l (only overprinted) b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – – 8 H5840.23 – – Link
Network Rotary t (only overprinted) – – l, 10-3, 1-2 (opr.) – – b (opr.) r – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t (only overprinted) – – l, 4-9 – – b (opr.) r – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t (only overprinted) – – r, 4-9 – – b (opr.) l – – – – – – Link
Network Plate t (only overprinted) l (only overprinted) b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H [block].23 8 H5341.23 (?) 8 – Link
Network Plate t (only overprinted) l (only overprinted) b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – – 2 – – – Link
Network Plate t (only overprinted) l (only overprinted) b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – – – – – – Link
Link
Link
Link
Network Plate t (only overprinted) l (only overprinted) b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – – 2 H5515.23 14 (?) – Link
Network Rotary t, 2-9-2, 1-11-1 – – l, 5 – – b r – – – – – – Link
Network Plate t (only overprinted) l (only overprinted) b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – Anlage – 1 (?) H5515.23 1 (?) – Link
Network Plate t (orig. & ovpr.) l (orig. & ovpr.) b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – – 5 H5515.23 5 (?) – Link
Network Plate t (orig. & ovpr.) l (orig. & ovpr.) b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – – 7 H5515.23 7 – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H5853.23 39 – 15 – Link
Network Rotary t, 2-9-2, 1-11-1 – – l, 6-11 – – b r – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t, 1-5-1 – – r, 10-3 – – b l – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t, 1-5-1 – – r, 4-9 – – b l – – – – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – t Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H5813.23 25 – 13 – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H5887.23 3 – 3 – Link
Network Plate t l b – t Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H5887.23 8 – 8 – Link
Network Rotary t, 1-11-1 – – l (double) – – b l – – 6 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H5888.23 35 – 7 – Link
Network Rotary t, 2-9-2, 1-11-1 – – l, 1-5 (double) – – b r – – – – – – Link
Network Rotary t, 1-5-1 – – r 10-3 & 11-4 overlapping – – b l – – – – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H5885.23 6 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H5885.23 41 5 – – Link
Network Plate t l b – t Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H6021.23 29 – 9 – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H6022.23 19 – 19 – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H6024.23 3 – 3 – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H6274.23 4 – – – Link
Network Plate t ? b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H6274.23 31 – 7 – Link
Network Plate t l b – t Paul R. Schwerdtner b – S 761 H6297.23 – – 3 – Link
Network Plate t l b – t Paul R. Schwerdtner b – 761 H6308.23 2 – 2 – Link
Network Plate t l b – t Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H6309.23 8 – 4 – Link
Network Plate t l b – – Paul R. Schwerdtner b – – H6310.23 36 – 4 – Link
Official stamps
Lozenges Plate t l b – r – b – Anlage, ScherF H5996.22 2 – – – Link
Lozenges Plate t l b – r – b – – H5996.22 3 – – – Link
Network Plate Plate t l b – r – b – – H7456.22 2 – – Link
Network Plate t l b – r – b – Anlage H9727.22 4 – – – Link
Network Plate t l b – r – b – 43 H9726.22 2 – – – Link
Network Plate t (orig. & ovpr.) l (orig. & ovpr.) b – r – b – – H9726.22 4 H5727.23 – – Link

 

Bibliography

  1. Michel Deutschland-Spezial 2005, Band 1: 1849 bis April 1945. Schwaneberger Verlag GmbH, ISBN 3-87858-144-0