First day sheet
A first day sheet (short: ETB) is a sheet issued and distributed by the post office , provided with a postage stamp that bears a first day cancellation , i.e. was canceled on the first day of validity. Descriptions of motifs and technical information are also common.
In philately , ETBs are valued separately and often reach a multiple of the catalog value of the respective stamp. In fact, however, the real value is often significantly below the value of the loose stamp, especially for copies from the 1970s and 1980s. On the one hand, this is due to the very high editions of this time, and on the other hand, ETBs are unpopular with many collectors, as their storage is very space-consuming. In addition, the stamps are not suitable for peeling off, as in this case only little of the stamp can be seen.
In Germany , Deutsche Post AG (previously Deutsche Bundespost ) issues first day papers. The first ETB appeared in 1974. The first ETB in recent history for Berlin stamps was published in 1975. However, as early as the 1950s, the Post published some very popular first-day papers for Berlin.
