Mill wheel stamp
The Mühlradstempel were postmarks in Bavaria , which were used from August 1, 1850. These stamps had an identifying number in the middle, depending on the post office, and therefore they belong to the number stamps . They were only used to cancel the postage stamps and, in addition, the post office struck off local postmarks on the remaining letter area.
Initially, these numbers were assigned in alphabetical order starting with number one, and since new postal locations were constantly being added, the order was no longer completely alphabetical. Between November 20 and December 1, 1856 there was a reallocation of the numbers according to the alphabetical order of the time; so changed z. B. the number of Munich from 217 to 325. Here worn closed stamps were replaced by new open mill wheel stamps. In the meantime, the post offices canceled the postage stamps with the place stamps; Items from this phase are a specialty for collectors, these stamps are called "exchange stamps". The closed form has 16 outwardly running "blades", almost like the mill wheel , the later open type has perforated circular rings .
At the beginning of the system there were 402 numbers, at the end of the first distribution there were 603 and finally there were 922, whereby the last two numbers were no longer used. New numbers were added individually or in groups; new groups of numbers were sorted alphabetically. From March 10, 1869, these number stamps were replaced by stamps with place names.
The stamps of smaller places are usually more valuable because they are rarer.
literature
- KK Doberer: Bayern-Philatelie , Phil Creativ, Schwalmtal 1990, ISBN 3-928277-00-6 , pp. 52-54
- Peter Fischer: Mill wheel stamp. In: Deutsche Briefmarken-Zeitung edition 2/2008, p. 86
- Peter Sem: Bavaria Special Catalog Volume I, Handbook of Cruiser Editions , 8th edition, self-published, Gundelsheim 2000, p. 274 ff
A few more references can be found in the philatelic Bavaria bibliography by Christoph Otto Müller , from 1961 on pages 28-29.