Postage stamps and postal history of Germany

The Deutsche Reichspost started officially on May 4, 1871, using initially stamps of the North German Confederation until it issued its first stamps on January 1, 1872.[7] Heinrich von Stephan, inventor of the postcard and founder of the Universal Postal Union, was the first Postmaster-General.[8] The most common stamps of the Reichspost were the Germania stamps. Germania stamps were issued from 1900 until 1922 making it the longest running series in German philately with the change in the inscription from Reichspost to Deutsches Reich being the major modification during this period.

Caroline Islands, Mi #19

Early postage from about 1887 or 1888 consisted of common contemporary German stamps and is only recognized by the post office cancellation stamp as having been used in a colony. Such stamps are known as "Vorläufer" (forerunner) stamps.[9] In the next step regular stamps were used with overprints indicating the name of the territory. Generally by 1896 and thereafter overprinted stamps were issued by the German authorities for all colonies: German South-West Africa, German New Guinea, Kiautschou, Togo, Samoa, Marshall Islands, Mariana Islands, Caroline Islands, German East Africa and Kamerun. By about 1900 the yacht issue was introduced for the various colonial territories which had a uniform appearance depicting the imperial yacht SMY Hohenzollern. After Germany lost control of its colonies in the course of World War I, overprinted yacht stamps were temporarily used by the new colonial rulers.

Imperial Germany maintained post offices in certain towns in Morocco, Turkey, and China. Issued stamps can be recognized by the cancellation stamp or the overprint may show local denomination and the name of the country.[10]

During World War I, German authorities issued stamps in occupied countries, namely Belgium, Poland, Romania, and areas of the western and eastern front.[11]

Scott #B1 from 1919 – the first semipostal stamp

The Reichspost continued to function as a governmental entity after Germany became a republic. In 1919 the Reichspost issued its first commemorative, airmail, and semipostal stamps.[12] The first semipostal stamp in 1919 carried a surcharge for the benefit of victims of war (Scott #B1). In 1923 during hyperinflation, the Reichspost issued stamps up to 50 billion marks. The main common stamp series then was the "famous German people" series, followed by the Hindenburg stamps. The first of the valuable German Zeppelin stamps appeared in 1928, Scott #C35–37.

After the Treaty of Versailles a number of areas underwent plebiscites in 1920 to determine their future fate. These areas briefly issued stamps: Allenstein and Marienwerder, Schleswig, and Upper Silesia.[13]

After the Treaty of Versailles the Free City of Danzig was established as an independent entity in 1920. At first German stamps were still used, after a while overprinted with "Danzig".[14] Thereafter Danzig introduced its own stamps until 1939. In addition, the Polish Post maintained a presence in Danzig and issued Port Gdansk overprinted Polish stamps.

Hyperinflation stamp, 1923 (Scott #298)

After the Treaty of Versailles, the Memel Territory (Memelland, Klaipėda) was established. Initially German then French and Lithuanian overprinted stamps were used. Memel issued stamps between 1920 and 1923 when it was annexed by Lithuania.[15]

After the Treaty of Versailles the Saar territory was administered by the League of Nations. It issued its own stamps from 1920 to 1935 when it returned to Germany after a plebiscite. The first stamps were overprinted German and Bavarian stamps.[16]

Stamp of Nazi Germany: Chancellor and Führer of the Greater German Reich, Adolf Hitler (1944)

In Nazi Germany, the Reichspost continued to function as a monopoly of the government under the auspices of the Reichspostministerium, and Nazi propaganda took hold and influenced stamp design and policy. The Hitler head stamp became the stamp for common usage, and a large number of semipostal stamps were issued. In the last year before the end of the war the stamp inscription "Deutsches Reich" was changed to "Grossdeutsches Reich" (Greater German Empire). Field post stamps were issued for the military forces starting in 1942. The world's first postal code system was introduced on July 25, 1941 with a two-digit number system.[17] This system was initially used for the packet service and later applied to all mail deliveries.

After the Munich agreement the Sudetenland became German territory in 1938 and initially, Czechoslovak stamps were used locally with an overprint, before German stamps became available. After the 1939 occupation of Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak stamps were initially overprinted before new designs were issued by Bohemia and Moravia. These new stamps were issued until 1945.[18]

German overstamp on the postage of USSR, with the date of Battle of Raseiniai.

During the course of World War II German authorities issued stamps in Albania, Alsace, Belgium, Channel Islands, Estland, parts of France, Kotor, Kurland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland (General Government), parts of Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Zante, and Zara.[19]

In the process of the collapse of Nazi Germany, mail services became disrupted or ceased. Various communities established services locally during the void often using defaced Hitler stamps.[20]

AM Post stamp 1945

Common issue 1946, Scott #556

After Germany surrendered from the war, it was divided into four areas, Russian, American, French, and British. Between 1945-1949 was considered to be an interesting period in time as it was complicating to determine how many stamps were issued throughout this time and they were appearing in different areas.[21] With the occupation of Germany by the Allied powers postal services returned but were administered under different authorities. AM Post stamps were provided by the American and British occupation services during 1945 as the first step to restore mail service in their jurisdictions. By December 1945, the French authorities issued stamps for the "zone française", later to be supplemented by stamps for Baden, Rheinland-Pfalz, and Württemberg. In addition, separate stamps were provided for the Saar. In the Soviet zone, from 1945, the various provinces – namely, Berlin-Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony (Ost Sachsen, West Sachsen, Provinz Sachsen), and Thuringia – issued different stamps. In 1946, German stamps were issued as Deutsche Post for the American, British, and Soviet zones but not the French zone. The distinctive use of yellow to signify postal service was decreed by the Allied Control Council in 1946.[22] With the development of the Cold War, however, attempts to unify the postal system failed. By 1948, even before the establishment of the two German republics, the common stamps had been replaced by definitives for the Soviet zone, and different sets of stamps for the bizone.

After World War II, the Saar territory came under French administration and issued its own stamps from 1947 to 1956. Following a referendum it was returned to Germany in 1956, and continued its stamps series until 1959.[16]

West Berlin, under the jurisdiction of the three western powers, started to release its own stamps on September 3, 1948. It continued to issue stamps under the Deutsche Bundespost Berlin label for 42 years, a total of over 800 different stamps, until the reunification in 1990. Many West Berlin stamps were similar to the stamps of West Germany. West Berlin and West German stamps could be used in either jurisdiction.[23]

With the formation of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) the Deutsche Post of the GDR service was established as the governmental agency to provide mail services.[24] Its first stamp was released on October 9, 1949. About 3,000 different stamps were produced during the life of the existence of the DP; relatively low, however, was the number of semipostals. Stamps were to some degree used to gain currency abroad, that is some stamps were not produced for circulation but sold directly to stamp dealers. Also, for some sets a specific stamp was produced at an intentionally low number – called a Sperrwert – to artificially increase the value and sell it for more money to stamp dealers.[25] With the 1990 reunification, the Deutsche Post became part of the Deutsche Bundespost.

When the Federal Republic of Germany was formed the Deutsche Bundespost (German federal post office) became the governmental agency with the monopoly for postal services; the name was adopted in 1950, prior to that year, it was called Deutsche Post.[26] The issue of the FRG was released on September 7, 1949 (Scott #665–666). In 1961, the two-digit postal code was replaced with a four-digit code;[17] this was replaced after reunification. By the time of reunification, about 1,400 different stamps had been issued. The process of converting the governmental agency into a public company was initiated in 1989 by separating postal services from post bank and communication services.

With German reunification, the Bundespost with the incorporated Deutsche Post of the GDR provided postal services for the whole territory of the Federal Republic, and German stamps regardless of origin were postally valid until their date of expiration: for the stamps of the GDR Mi # 1004–3343, this was October 1, 1990, and for GDR Mi 3344-3365 December 12, 1991;[27] the latter was the same date for the expiration of the West Berlin stamps Mi #326–879.[28] By 1993, a new five-digit postal code had been introduced. In 1995, the Bundespost was converted into a stock company – the Deutsche Post AG – the shares of which became available in 2000. The company with its subsidiaries operates in logistics on a global scale.
Although the postal service was privatized, the stamps are still printed and provided by the German government.