Postage stamps from 1872 issued by the Deutsche Reichspost

Small breastplate embossed -

Large breastplate embossed

The 1872 stamp year of the Deutsche Reichspost is the first stamp year of the German Empire , which was founded in January 1871 . In April 1871, the issue of community postage stamps for almost all German federal states was decreed on January 1, 1872; only the two kingdoms of Bavaria and Württemberg retained their postal sovereignty until after the First World War and thus had their own stamp issues (see Postal History and Postage Stamps of Bavaria and Postal History and Postage Stamps of Württemberg ).

The stamps of the joint issue were designed with a white embossing of the imperial eagle with the imperial breastplate in a colored frame. Two additional stamps, which were only printed with the postage rate on a colored background, were only intended for the back office. The first permanent series of the German Empire thus comprised 28 values.

The total of 26 breast shield brands can be differentiated philatelically with regard to the type of eagle embossing in one issue with a "small breast shield", which was printed in the first phase, and one with a "large breast shield", which was used from June 1872 . Both editions again comprised seven values each in Groschen and six in Kreuzer currency. This division was necessary because the common currency in the German Empire was the mark , but in northern Germany and in the so-called Reichsland Alsace-Lorraine initially talers and groschen (1 taler = 30 groschen) were still in circulation, on the other hand guilders and kreuzers (1 guilder [1 , 71 Mk.] = 60 cruisers) in southern Germany ( Baden , Hesse , Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen , Coburg , Saxony-Meiningen , Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt and in the area of the former Free City of Frankfurt am Main ).

The stamps issued in the Kreuzer currency, as well as the groschen values less than 1 groschen, were valid until December 31, 1874, the groschen issues from 1 groschen upwards remained valid until December 31, 1875.

Note: The fees for the postage were included

Postcards

until June 30, 1872: 1 groschen or 3 Kreuzer
from July 1, 1872: ½ groschen or 2 kreuzers or 5 pfennigs

Domestic letters

Up to 1 loth (15 grams): 1 gr. or 3 kr. or 10 pfennigs
15 to 250 grams: 2 gr. or 7 kr. or 20 pfennigs

Registered mail

2 gr. or 7 kr. or 20 pfennigs

Return receipt (return receipt)

2 gr. or 7 kr. or 20 pfennigs.

List of issues and motives

Legend

Image : An edited image of the brand mentioned. The ratio of the size of the stamps to each other is shown approximately to scale in this article.
Description : A brief description of the motif and / or the reason for the issue. In the case of issued series or blocks , the descriptions that belong together are indented with a marker.
Values : The face value of the individual stamp: In the north of the empire in thalers and groschen , in the south in guilders and cruisers .
Issue Date : The first date this stamp was sold.
Valid To : The date on which the validity ended.
Edition : As far as known, the number of this edition offered for sale is given here.
Design : As far as is known, it is stated here who designed this brand.
MiNr. : This stamp is listed in the Michel catalog under the corresponding number.

Penny
image	description	Values in groschen	Issue date (1872)	Date of Expiry	Edition	draft	MiNr.
	Small breastplate, groschen	1/4	January 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	1
		1/3	January 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	2
		1/2	January 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	3
		1	January 1st	December 31, 1875		Shilling	4th
		2	January 1st	December 31, 1875		Shilling	5
		5	January 1st	December 31, 1875		Shilling	6th
	like MiNr. 3, but the shade has changed slightly	1/2	April 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	14th
	Large breastplate, groschen	1/4	June 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	16
		1/3	June 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	17th
		1/2	June 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	18th
		1	June 1st	December 31, 1875		Shilling	19th
		2	June 1st	December 31, 1875		Shilling	20th
		2 1/2	November 1st	December 31, 1875		Shilling	21st
		5	June 1st	December 31, 1875		Shilling	22nd
	Issue for back office only	10	January 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	12
		30th	January 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	13
cruiser
image	description	Values in cruisers	Issue date (1872)	Date of Expiry	Edition	draft	MiNr.
	Small breastplate, cruiser	1	January 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	7th
		2	January 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	8th
		3	January 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	9
		7th	January 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	10
		18th	January 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	11
	like MiNr. 8, but the shade has changed slightly	2	April 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	15th
	Large breastplate, cruiser	1	June 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	23
		2	June 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	24
		3	June 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	25th
		7th	June 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	26th
		9	November 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	27
		18th	June 1st	December 31, 1874		Shilling	28