Postal history and stamps of Baden

Thanks to the stamps that were issued by the German State of Baden between 1851 and 1871 , the Badner postal history is still present in some scrapbooks as an independent area.

Before the introduction of the first postage stamps

The Italian courier family Taxis, which renamed itself Thurn und Taxis in 1650 and rose to the nobility, had a major influence on the development of postal services in Baden . The oldest post office in Baden was established in 1490, documented from 1495 in Rheinhausen near Speyer as a station on the postal route from the Netherlands to Innsbruck and Italy .

Since the late 17th century, the Thurn und Taxis, as operators of the imperial Reichspost, set up an almost nationwide postal system and took over the entire postal organization in Baden. It was not until 1811 that the Baden postal administration passed into its own hands through the Thurn und Taxis assignment agreement . The postal system was expanded more and more. On October 16, 1850, the Second Chamber of Baden agreed that the state would participate in the advisory board of the German-Austrian Post Association , which was contractually established on April 6, 1850 . The actual entry into the postal association should take place on May 1, 1851, by then postage stamps should be printed, the design of which was commissioned by the Baden Coin Council Ludwig Kachel (1791–1878). The ordinance on future postal traffic in the interior of the Grand Duchy of Baden was published on April 16, 1851 in No. XXVI of the Grand Ducal Baden Government Gazette.

Own stamp issues

The first stamps

Baden cruisers 1, 3, 6 and 9

On May 1, 1851, the first four postage stamps of 1, 3, 6 and 9 Kreuzer were issued in the Grand Duchy of Baden . With these values ​​one could cover all important postal rates with regard to distance and weight at that time. The stamps are designed as numerical drawings that clearly highlight the respective postage value in a central circle of 14.5 millimeters in diameter. These stamps bear the words “Baden” (above) and “Freimarke” (below) as well as “Deutsch-Östr.-Postverein / contract of April 6, 1850” (left and right) in the surrounding frame. The stamps, printed in black on different colored paper, had no silk threads or watermarks, but were instead provided with a secret engraver mark that was withheld from the public to avoid forgeries.

9 cruiser blue-green

The philatelist understands “ 9 Kreuzer blue-green ” to mean the misprint of the value of 9 Kreuzer of the first stamp issue in Baden in blue-green instead of pink. The blue-green color was intended for the value of 6 cruisers. Only three canceled copies are known of this misprint . Two of them are on letters . The misprint is one of the largest philatelic rarities in the world. Its value is several million euros.

Further stamp issues

The first Baden stamps with the coat of arms

By 1871, Baden had issued a total of 28 different postage stamps. The editions of 1853 and 1858 follow the design of the first editions of 1851, but differ in the paper color for the respective postage levels. With the stamps from 1860 , which were now also perforated for the first time, there was a departure from black printing on colored paper and, in future, stamps printed in one color on white paper were issued. From 1860, instead of the numerals, the brands bore the Baden coat of arms.

Country post

Country postage stamps

The rural postage stamps form a special area of ​​Baden's postal history. The three values ​​of 1, 3 and 12 Kreuzer were issued on October 1, 1862 . These postage stamps were not given to postal customers while the stamps were in use and could not be used as postage stamps.

With these Landpost postage stamps postage amounts were levied for unstamped mail carried only by the Landpost as well as the Landpost order fee, which was not paid by the sender, as well as in certain cases other fees. They should be glued on the back, but are often also found on the front.

Fakes

If you soak the 1 Kreuzer stamp from 1853 in tea for a long time, the paper takes on the tinted color of the 1 Kreuzer stamp from 1851, which increases its price tenfold, but the color is a little watery. Dipped in warm water, the discoloration of the falsified brand dissolves and the water becomes darker. The 3-Kreuzer brand is also at risk. The stamp from 1862, perforated 13½, with an unusually narrow margin or particularly beautiful perforation could have been knitted from the mark with perforation 10 in order to increase the value drastically. Both brands have to be the same size. Counterfeits of the 18-Kreuzer brand are quite primitive. Here the letters are different and can be determined by comparing them with other brands in the series. The 30 Kreuzer stamp occasionally comes with a false stamp. In this case only the examiner can help.

The rural postage stamps appear unstamped as a total forgery. The sheet pointing to the value number is not very successful and can be recognized by comparison. The paper is also more brown.

Entry into the German Reich

On December 31, 1871 , the entire postal system in Baden passed into the hands of the Deutsche Reichspost. From this point on, the postal history of Baden divided the postal history of the German Empire . Baden's postage stamps could only be used up to this date, but they could be exchanged for postage stamps from the German Reich until February 25, 1872 .

literature

• Albert Hodapp: 100 years of Baden postage stamps . In: Badische Heimat , vol. 31 (1951), issue 1, ISSN  0930-7001 .
• BE Crole: History of the Deutsche Post . 2nd edition. Verlag W. Malende, Leipzig 1889.
• Konrad Schwarz: Timeline of German Postal History (Post and Telegraphy in Science and Practice; Volume 22). RVDeckers Verlag, Berlin 1935.
• Hans Rackow et al. a. (Editing): Concise dictionary of the postal system . 2nd edition Federal Ministry for Post and Telecommunications, Frankfurt / M. 1953.

expertise Publisher: Deutsche Post AG, edition 2/2011, pp. 8–11

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Adolf Korzendorfer: documents on the early history of Deutsche Post . In: Archives for Postal History in Bavaria , Vol. 3 (1927); see also: Gottfried North: Maximilian I's letter to the city of Speyer . In: Archive for German Postal History , 1990, Issue 2, pp. 10-12, as well as Fritz Ohmann: The beginnings of the postal system and the taxis . Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1909, pages 318 and 324 (plus dissertation, University of Bonn 1908).
2. ^ Hans Meyer: Old Germany. Too much fear of fakes . In: Deutsche Briefmarken-Zeitung , Vol. 58 (1983), Issue 25, p. 4437, ISSN  0011-4790 .
3. ↑ Pseudonym for Bruno Emil König (1833–1902)

Web links

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