Postage stamps of the Sudetenland

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The Sudetenland stamps were only on sale for a short time from September 21, 1938, eight days before the Munich Agreement , until a circular issued by the Dresden Post Office on October 19, 1938.

history

The Czech troops withdrawing from the Sudetenland took all valuables, postage stamps and some stamps with them. The Reichspost was not yet responsible, and yet the postal traffic had to be maintained. That is why the postal service was hastily organized by the Sudeten German Party (SdP). Until sufficient stocks of German postage stamps arrived, Czech postage stamps found by the SdP or on behalf of the SdP (as the only executive in this interim period) were provided with a print and sold at the post office counters.

In the course of the Sudeten crisis , Czech troops evacuated some German-speaking areas before the Munich Agreement was signed on September 29, 1938, which is why the SdP began issuing these stamps in the areas of Asch and Rumburg on September 21.

Since the postage was only valid for a few days and only small remaining stocks of Czech postage stamps found were overprinted, there were very low print runs. Official Sudetenland postage stamps are therefore among the greatest rarities in German philately. How many of these stamps survived the war can only be guessed at with this small edition.

Official expenses

There are only seven official editions that were issued authorized by the SdP. These are:

In the past, the Reichenberg and Maffersdorf stamps were considered one issue because the overprints were similar. However, the overpressure stamps can be distinguished. Since the issue prices, the number of copies and the intended use of the proceeds were different, these brands are correctly different editions.

The stamps overprinted in other places were not legitimized by the SdP as the executive. They are therefore not official editions, but only private souvenir prints without any postal significance.

Special features and varieties

Although these stamps were overprinted in a hurry, the work was done very carefully. Nevertheless, there were some peculiarities such as reversed imprint color, reversed imprint type, headstand or reversed imprints. These varieties are extremely rare. Only a handful should exist at a time, and these are often unique pieces.

literature

  • J. Hugo Hörr: The postage stamps of the Sudetenland . Mustard, Leipzig 1941.
  • Michel catalog Germany special . Schwaneberger Verlag GmbH
  • Gerd H. Hövelmann: Sudetenland - just the end of the beginning? In: Philatelie , Issue 399, September 2010, pp. 28–31.
  • Gerhard A. Späth: Sudetenland 1938 - Handbook of the Sudeten philately . Morgana Edition MPG 12, 2011.
  • Gerhard A. Späth: Handbuch der Sudetenphilatelie - Special . Self-published, July 2019.

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