Catalogue Germany 1901-1920

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1900 so-called 'Germania' issue

Inscription 'REICHSPOST'

  2 p grey
  3 p brown
  5 p green
  10 p red
  20 p blue
  25 p orange and black on yellow
  30 p orange and black
  40 p red and black
  50 p violet and black
  80 p red and black on red

Surcharged and bisected

  '3 PF' (violet) on half of 5 c green (1901)

This surcharged and bisected stamp was only used on the warship 'Vineta', it is commonly known as 'Vineta-provisorium'. They were produced because of the need of 3 p stamps. The status of this stamp is doubtful, only 600 stamps were overprinted. It seems that the man responsable for making these provisional stamps, made later forgeries using the handstamp and the original backdated shipcancels.

Inscription 'DEUTSCHES REICH' (with lines behind Germania) (1902)

  2 p grey
  3 p brown
  5 p green
  5 p brown (1920)
  10 p red
  10 p orange (1920)
  20 p blue
  20 p green (1920)
  25 p orange and black on yellow
  30 p orange and black
  30 p blue (1920)
  40 p red and black
  40 p red (1920)
  50 p violet and black
  50 p lilac (1920)
  60 p lilac (1905)
  60 p olive (1920)
  75 p green and black (1919)
  75 p lilac (1920)
  80 p red and black on red
  80 p blue
  1 M violet and green (1920)
  1 1/4 M red and lilac (1920)
  2 M red and blue (1920)
  4 M black and red (1920)

Surcharged (1921)

  '* 1,60 M *' on 5 p brown
  '3 M 3' on 1 1/4 M red and lilac
  '* 5 Mark *' (green) on 75 p lilac
  '10 M 10' on 75 p lilac

Overprinted 'Fur Kriegs beschadigte' in fancy letters and surcharged (1919)

  10 + 5 p red
  15 + 5 p violet

A misprint exists of the 3 pf brown, the so-called 'F-variety': 'DFUTSCHES' instead of 'DEUTSCHES' (one error can be found on every sheet of stamps):

I've seen a forged 'F' variety, in which the bottom part of the 'E' was scratched away.

Inscription 'DEUTSCHES REICH', Germania on white background

  2 p olive (1918)
  2 1/2 p grey (1916)
  7 1/2 p orange (1916)
  15 p brown (1916)
  15 p violet (1917)
  15 p lilac (1920)
  35 p brown (1919)

Forgery (to deceive the postal authorities); the perforation is wrong (13 instead of 14 x 14 1/2)and there are some differences is the design (for example the '6' at the right):

Another postal forgery is known as the Chemnitz forgery (10 p red, 'Deutsches Reich').

For the specialist: the 'REICHSPOST' issues are all without watermark. The 'DEUTSCHES REICH' issues were first issued without watermark, but later reissued in 1905 with watermark lozenges, example:

A distinction can be made between the first printings of the 30 c blue, 75 c lilac and 80 c blue and the later printings of these stamps. The first printings of these stamps were done in two seperate parts, the frame seperately and the center, name and value seperately. A small shift can be seen between those two parts. Later, the frame and the rest was printed in only one operation (these are the ones commonly encountered).

(Example of a stamp printed in two seperate parts, not that 'DEUTSCHES REICH' is not placed symmetrically in the containing label)

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
"Reichspost", no Watermark
2 p	c	c
3 p	c	vc
5 p	c	vc
'3 pf' on half of 5 p	RRR	RRR	Vineta provisional issue; dubious issue
10 p	c	vc
20 p	*	vc
25 p	*	c
30 p	*	c
40 p	*	c
50 p	**	c
80 p	***	c
'Deutsches Reich', no Watermark
2 p grey	c	vc
3 p	c	vc	variety 'DFUTSCHES': **
5 p green	c	vc
10 p red	c	vc
20 p blue	*	vc
25 p	*	c
30 p orange and black	**	c
40 p red and black	**	c
50 p violet and black	***	c
80 p black and red on red	***	c
"Deutsches Reich", Watermark Lozenges
2 p	*	c	lined background
2 p olive	c	c	white background
2 1/2 p	c	c	white background
3 p	c	vc
5 p green	c	vc
5 p brown	vc	vc
7 1/2 p	c	vc	white background
10 p red	c	vc
10 p orange	vc	vc
15 p brown	*	vc	white background
15 p violet	c	vc	white background
15 p lilac	vc	vc	white background
20 p blue	c	vc
20 p green	vc	vc
25 p	c	vc
30 p orange and black	c	vc
30 p blue	vc	vc
35 p	vc	vc	white background
40 p red and black	c	c
40 p red	c	vc
50 p violet and black	*	vc
50 p lilac	c	c
60 p lilac	*	vc
60 p olive	vc	vc
75 p green and black	c	vc
75 p lilac	c	c
80 p red and black on red	c	c
80 p blue	vc	vc
1 M	vc	vc
1 1/4 M	vc	vc
2 M	c	vc
4 M	c	c	Exists with fiscal 'Flower' watermark: R
'Deutsches Reich', watermark 'Wafles'
75 p lilac	c	c
1 1/4 M	c	c
'Deutsches Reich', watermark 'Quatrefoils (Vierpass)'
1 1/4 M	RR	R	Printed erroneously on paper with fiscal watermark 'Quatrefoils'
Surcharged
1.60 M on 5 p brown	vc	vc	Watermark 'Lozenges'
3 M on 1 1/4 M	vc	c	Watermark 'Lozenges'
5 M on 75 p lilac	vc	c	Watermark 'Lozenges'
10 M on 75 p lilac	c	c	Watermark 'Lozenges'
Overprinted 'fur Kriegs = beschadigte' (war charity)
10 p + 5 p	c	c
15 p + 5 p	c	c

Se-tenant values

I have seen parts of booklets with two Germania stamps or more of different value printed together. I have seen 7 1/2 p and 15 p violet. I have also seen a block of six stamps, four 7 1/2 p stamps and the bottom center and bottom right stamp 5 p green. Other values exist. From the same source tete-beche pairs can be found, for example the 10 c orange or the 40 c red.

Postal forgeries of the surcharged stamps:

(Postal forgery of the 10 M on 75 p, stamp and cancel genuine, overprint forged)

Postal forgeries exist of the 1.60 M on 5 p and 10 M on 75 p, the basic stamp is genuine, the overprints are forged.

Bogus issue:

The above overprint (of a man with a sword and flag?) on Germania stamps is bogus. This overprint exists in black, red, silver or gold. It seems to have been made in Aachen. Furthermore, stamps with overprint 'Freistaat Sachsen' are also bogus (sorry, no picture available yet).

"Spy fakes":

The 'Spy-fakes' are printed on paper whiter than the genuine paper (according to 'Fakes & Forgeries of Germany & Colonies' by the Germany Philatelic Society Inc.). The watermark is also imitated, but is slightly smaller and differently spaced (according to the same source). The design is copied very accurately. These forgeries are not very well centered (compared to genuine German stamps). These forgeries have probably never been used.

Advertisement labels and forgeries:

However, these have also been forged. Next a total forgery (stamp, label, cancel) made by Peter Winter in the 1980's:

Peter Winter also made forgeries of other labels, I have seen: 'Aquadent Ferd. Jacob', 'Appetitanregend Lecin' and 'Gewerktschaft Quint' (all attached to a 10 p stamp). Note, that the perforation does not 'match' in the corners in these forgeries.

GERMANY 1900-1920 Germania issues