Exchange control mark

Exchange control stamp in the GDR (tracing)

The exchange control stamp was a common philatelic aid in the GDR for exchanging mint never hinged GDR postage stamps abroad, which was only open to members of the Philatelist Association in the GDR Cultural Association . As early as 1922 to 1934, additional fee stamps for postage stamp exchanges abroad were referred to as exchange control stamps in the Soviet Union . In the short-lived republic of the Far East , such stamps were in use in the spring and summer of 1923. The GDR stamps of the same name probably go back to them, but unlike the Soviet variant, they were not subject to a fee.

Regulations on foreign exchange and exchange control stamps in the GDR

Announcement of the foreign exchange regulation from 1954

An order of May 3, 1954 then regulated stamp exchange in the GDR for the first time:

“The Philately Section in the Kulturbund for the Democratic Renewal of Germany and its members has been approved by the Ministry for Foreign Trade and Internal German Trade with effect from April 15, 1954 to exchange stamps with exchange partners in West Germany, West Berlin and all over the world. The exchange shipments arriving from West Germany, West Berlin and abroad have a label on the adjacent sample. The sticky note is white and has a green border. The sticky notes are to be canceled before delivery by the delivery post office by imprinting the receipt stamp. The control of the authorization, the content, etc. of the exchange item is not carried out by Deutsche Post, but exclusively by the representatives of the Philately Section. The responsible district commission or local working group of the Philately Section can provide information. "

The exchange control stamps were then horizontal format sticky notes with the inscription Tauschsendung . Two exchange control stamps were given a uniform consecutive number. The mail items intended for foreign exchange had to be posted by the philatelists to the association member responsible for the handling of the exchange mail in an open letter with a list of the stamps contained in the form according to number and catalog value, as there was a quantitative and value restriction on the content of the outgoing exchange mail gave. The Lipsia catalog of the GDR was decisive for the catalog value.

The couple's first exchange control stamp was affixed to the outgoing consignment after the consignment had been checked for compliance with the foreign exchange regulations; the second is inserted into the shipment before it is sealed. The foreign exchange partner had to stick it on the back of his return. The next exchange shipment could only be sent on presentation of the return stamp (if exchange control stamps were lost in the mail, the collector had to submit appropriate declarations to the person responsible for the foreign exchange).

The exchange control stamps served the GDR customs authorities as an indication of the proper handling of the exchange items destined for foreign countries by the philatelic association and, in return, enabled collectors in the GDR to import foreign postage stamps without complaints.

References and comments

1. ↑ GDR stamps could be sent abroad as letter postage without restriction.
2. ↑ Exchange control stamps of the Soviet Union in a brochure of the ArGe Russia ( Memento of the original from March 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ Brochure of ArGe Russia, Part 2 Section 4 ( Memento of the original from March 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ↑ collectors express. Specialized newspaper for philately and other collecting areas . Berlin 1954, issue 8, p. 118

literature

• Grallert / Gruschke : Lexicon Philately ; transpress VEB Verlag für Verkehrwesen, 2nd edition, Berlin, 1974