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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

BAVARIA 1914-1918 (Germany)

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For stamps of Bavaria issued from 1876 to 1913, click here.

1914 King Ludwig III

Note: imperforate stamps exists of this issue (and the overprints) and were mainly made for stamp collectors.

  2 p grey
  3 p brown
  5 p green
  7 1/2 p green
  10 p red
  15 p red
  20 p blue
  25 p black
  30 p orange
  40 p olive
  50 p brown
  60 p green
  80 p violet

Larger size

(Note the watermark 'vertical wavy lines')

  1 M brown
  2 M violet
  3 M red

Very large size

  5 M blue
  10 M green
  20 M brown

Surcharged

  '2 1/2' on 2 p grey

Imperforated
  The values 3,20,25,30,40,50,60 and 80 p exist imperforated.

Specialist distinghuish between the first very nicely printings (Friedensausgabe or peace issue) and later deterioating printings (Kriegsausgabe or war issue). All stamps have watermark 'horizontal wavy lines', except 1 M, 2 M and 3 M which have watermark 'vertical wavy lines'. The stamps are perforated 14 x 14 1/2 (if perforated of course).

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Overprinted 'VOLKSSTAAT BAYERN',
  (all these values exist imperforated)

  3 p brown
  5 p green
  7 1/2 p green
  10 p red
  15 p red
  20 p blue
  25 p black
  30 p orange
  35 p orange
  40 p olive
  50 p brown
  60 p green
  75 p brown
  80 p violet

Larger size

  1 M brown
  2 M violet
  3 M red

Very large size

  5 M blue
  10 M green
  20 M brown

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Overprinted 'FREISTAAT BAYERN'
  (all these values exist imperforated)

  3 p brown
  5 p green
  7 1/2 p green
  10 p red
  15 p red
  20 p blue
  25 p black
  30 p orange
  40 p olive
  50 p brown
  60 p green
  75 p brown
  80 p violet

Larger size

  1 M brown
  2 M violet
  3 M red

Very large size

  5 M blue
  10 M green
  20 M brown

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Overprinted "5 Pf fur kriegsbeschadigte FREISTAAT BAYERN"

  10 + 5 p red
  15 + 5 p red
  20 + 5 p blue

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Overprinted "Freistaat Bayern" and surcharged 
  (all these stamps exist imperforate)

  '1,25 M' on 1 M green
  '1,50 M' on 1 M orange
  '2,50 M' on 1 M grey

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Perforated with "E" to serve as railway stamps (1914, "E" for 'Eisenbahn')

  3 p brown
  5 p green
  10 p red
  20 p blue

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

These stamps exist overprinted "SARRE" and bars to be used in the Saar district in 1920.

Tete-beche imperforate pairs of stamps of the values 7 1/2 p and 15 p

Note that the imperforated stamps of this issue are often cancelled to order, example 'Stadt Am Hof 14 JUN 1920':

Some forgeries were made by Great Britain during World War I of the unoveprinted values 5 p, 10 p and 15 p (apparently to be used by spies). More information can be found at: http://www.psywarrior.com/BritishForgeriesWWI.html or in the book 'Postal Forgeries of the World' by H.G.L Fletcher. The design seems to have been copied very accurately (even the watermark). The perforation is different though, in the genuine stamps 14 holes can be found at the top perforation, in the forgeries 15 holes are found.

British intelligence forgery

Private labels with inscription "HIRTH" or "KRPR WILHELM" (= 'crown prince Wilhelm') instead of "BAYERN" and "FUR'S FLIEGERHEIM" at the bottom of the stamp exist. In the center a picture of several German and Turkish men and women. I'm not sure where these (war propaganda?) labels were used for, they seem to have been issued around 1915:

5 p brown and 5 p grey

I've also seen a 5 p brown with the image of "PROF. SCHUTTE" in a similar design, as well as a 5 p brown with "LILIENTHAL", a 5 p brown with "ZEPPELIN", a 5 p blue with "PRINZ ADALBERT", a 5 p blue with "PRINZ AUGUST WILHELM", a p blue with "PRINZ ETTEL - FRIEDRICH", a 5 p blue with "PRINZESSIN ETTEL - FRIEDRICH", a 5 p blue with "WILHELM II", a 5 p violet with "GOLTZ", a 5 p green with "WEDDIGEN", a 5 p green with "FRANCOIS", a 5 p green with "MACKENSEN", a 5 p green "EINEM", a 5 p green "MUCKE", a 5 p green "MEYER WALDECK", a 5 p green "SPEE", a 5 p green "BESELER", a 5 p green "LINDE", a 5 p green "HEERINGEN", a 5 p green "KLUCK", a 5 p green "EMMICH", a 5 p green "MULLER", a 5 p green "BULOW", a 5 p green "WOYRSCH", a 5 p green with "KRPR RUPPRECHT", a 5 p green with "MEYER - WALDECK", a 5 p green with "HINDENBURG", a 5 p green with "HRZG ALBRECHT", a 5 p green with "LUDENDORFF", a 5 p violet with "LOCHOW", a 5 p violet with "LUDWIG" and a 5 p violet with "CARL FRANZ JOSEPH".

I've also seen two sheets with 10 of these stamps (two rows of five), all 5 pf violet with the portraits of "HEINRICH", "FALKENHAYN", "HAESELER", "GOLTZ", "BISSING", "TIRPITZ", "HOLZENDORF", "LIMAN V SANDERS", "LOCHOW" and "DANKE" on the first sheet and "FRANZ JOSEPH", "LUDWIG", "KG WILHELM II v. WURTEMBERG", "ERZH FRIEDRICH", "BETHMANN HOLLWEG", "MOHAMED V", "AUGUST", "GROSSHERZOG FRIEDRICH", "CARL FRANZ JOSEPH" and "ENVER" on the second sheet.

Also a block of 20 (two rows of ten), all 5 p brown with "ZEPPELIN", "PARSEVAL", "NIEBER", "ALBERCRON", "RITTMSTR VON STIETENCRON", "FLIEGERLEUTNT CANTER", "FLIEGERLTNT GALLIESS", "FLIEGERLTNT ALBRECHT", "FLIEGERLTNT KUPPERS", "FLIEGERLEUTNT FRITZ BEHLE", "LILIENTHAL", "GROSS", "PROF SCHUTTE", "HIRTH", "FLIEGERLEUTNT V.PANNWITZ", "FLIEGERHPTM DR.ELIAS", "INGOLD", "FLIEGERLTNT DR.KOESTER", "FLIEGERLTNT G.SUREN", "FLIEGERLEUTNT BOEHMER".

Also a block of 20 (two rows of ten), all 5 p blue with "WILHELM II", "KRPR WILHELM", "PRINZ EITEL-FRIEDRICH", "PRINZ ADALBERT", "PRINZ AUGUST WILHELM", "PRINZ OSKAR", "PRZ.JOACHIM", "PRZ HUBERTUS", "PRZ FRIEDRICH", "ERNST AUGUST", "AUGUSTE VICTORIA", "CECILIE", "PRINZESSIN EITEL-FRIEDRICH", "PRINZESSIN ADALBERT", "PRINZESSIN AUGUST-WILHELM", "GRAFIN INA VON RUPPEN", "PRZ WILHELM", "PRINZ LOUIS FERDINAND", "ERBPRINZ ERNST AUGUST", "VICTORIA LOUISE".

Also with "FUR DEN WITWEN u. WAISENHIFSFUND" instead of the "FLIEGERHEIM" inscription in Austrian currency, but still in the Bavaria design:
5 Hlr red "ERZHERZOG JOSEF FERDINAND", 5 Hlr red "KAISER FRANZ JOSEF I", 5 Hlr green "GENERALOBERST CONRAD V.HOTZENDORF"

Bavaria 1919-1920

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer