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Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

MECKLENBURG-SCHWERIN, MECKLENBURG STRELITZ

Return To Catalogue - Mecklenburg Schwerin, forgeries of the 1856 issue - Other German States - Mecklenburg Vorpommern - Germany

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MECKLENBURG - SCHWERIN

One of the German States. A duchy in Northern Germany. It issued stamps from 1856 to 1867, From then on it used the stamps of the North German Confederation.

1856 Arms of Mecklenburg-Schwerin: Bull's head with crown in a rectangle (issued 1st July 1856)

  2 Schillinge lilac to grey
  3 Schillinge orange
  3 Schillinge yellow
  5 Schillinge blue
  5 Schillinge brown

These stamps were printed in sheets of 120 stamps (12 rows of 10 stamps), later in sheets of 100.

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

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

Remainders:

The following quantities of remainders were sold around early 1869 to G.Schnelle of Schwerin; source: 'The Stamps of the German States' by B.W.H.Poole:
2 Sch lilac; 15,000 stamps
3 Sch yellow; 18,800 stamps
5 Sch brown; 3,000 stamps

Cancels:

(a Rostock cancel, consisting of blue dots)

Rectangular cancel.

Forgeries:

Click here for Mecklenburg Schwerin, forgeries of the 1856 issue.

1856 Four small stamps of 1/4 Schilling forming 1 Schilling (divisible stamp), imperforate or rouletted

  4/4 Schillinge red

For the specialist: two types of these stamps exist, with and without dots behind the background, example of a stamp with dots:

These stamps have identical designs, the dots were removed from the design in October 1864 (the stamps with dots were issued in 1856). These stamps were designed as to be able to make up the rates for variable postage by simply cutting the requested amount from the stamp (i.e. dividing it into pieces).

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

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

Remainders:

A quantity of 36,500 of remainders of the 4/4 Sch value were sold around early 1869 to G.Schnelle of Schwerin; source: 'The Stamps of the German States' by B.W.H.Poole.

Forgeries:

First forgery of Album Weeds (stamp without dots)

(Forgeries, enlarged sizes)

This forgery is printed in black according to Album Weeds (but I have also seen it in blue and red as well). The horns are quite different from the genuine stamps. The horns touch the line under "FREIMARKE" and the ring in the bull's nose touches the line above "SCHILLINGE" (in the genuine stamps, they don't touch these lines). In the genuine stamps, there should be a stop behind the "B" of "MECKLENB". There are many more differences between the above forgeries and the genuine stamps. I've also seen blocks of 4 blue (also red and black) stamps of this particular forgery, cancelled with a 'bull's head' design of the 108 pa stamp of Romania (see the block of four blue stamps above for an example). Also note the "100" cancel. These forgeries must have been issued before 1898, since the journal 'Le collectioneur de Timbre-Poste' by Maury, No 207, 31 January 1898, page 18, says: "Timbres faux: ..... Mecklenbourg-Schwerin, petits timbres 4/4 imprimés en blue"..

Fournier forgery(?)

(Fournier forgery, enlarged size)

Fournier also sold forgeries of these stamps (first and second choice forgeries are offered in his 1914 pricelist). I think the stamps above are some of these second choice forgeries (note the cancel without any date, that can also be found on forgeries offered by Fournier of the larger stamps). Note also that the "F" of "FREIMARKE" is almost touching the line left to it. Even though Fournier sold the above forgeries, I don't think he was the producer. I can be noted that many other forgeries of the German States have similar characteristics (a cancel with no date). For more information about such forgeries, click here. I presume that besides the cancel "GUSTROW" in a double circle the cancels "SCHWERIN" and "ROSTOCK" also exist (as in the larger sized stamp forgeries of Fournier).

A whole sheet of these forgeries.

The next stamp is a Fournier first choice forgery with "DOMITZ 6 1" double circle cancel:

Forgeries from the Fournier Album. These are very deceptive. In my view, there is no dot behind "MECKLENB".

I have also seen a Fournier forgery of this value with the cancel "WISMAR 13 17" (as in the above pictures of forged Fournier cancels).

Forgeries with the ears of the bull touching the framelines.

Another forgery with the ears touching the framelines and a "K.K. ZEITUNGSEXPEDITION" cancel.

Another forgery.

A Peter Winter forged set of stamps on a forged envelope. The back of the envelope is also printed with text. The same envelope can be found in The House of Stamps catalogue, but with three forged Swiss 1850 stamps (with different cancels).

Envelopes

1856 Arms of Mecklenburg Schwerin in an oval

  1 Schilling red
  1 1/2 Schillinge green
  2 Schillinge lilac
  3 Schillinge orange
  5 Schillinge blue
  5 Schillinge brown

Remainders:

The following quantities of remainders were sold around early 1869 to G.Schnelle of Schwerin; source: 'The Stamps of the German States' by B.W.H.Poole:
1 Sch; 26,400
2 Sch; 25,000
3 Sch; 18,700
5 Sch brown; 2,400

Forgeries of these envelopes exist made by the forger Fohl, examples:

A large stock of these forgeries was discovered, overprinted with the word 'Falsch' (=forged in German), and distributed with various stamp journals. The above examples are such forgeries with this overprint.

Fiscal Stamps

1874 Bull's head with crown, inscription "STEMPEL MARKE"

The following values were issued: 10 p orange, 15 p grey, 20 p grey, 25 p brown, 50 p green, 1 M blue, 1 1/4 M brown, 2 M red and 3 M lilac.

1874 onwards, with embossed central part

Four values exist (5 M green, 10 M red, 20 M blue and 30 M violet) with different year (inscribed at the bottom) ranging from 1874 to 1913? Some differences in size also seem to exist.

Later issues: no country name indicated, arms of 'Mecklenburg' (bull's head):

MECKLENBURG - STRELITZ

One of the German States. A duchy in Northern Germany. It issued stamps from 1864 to 1867, From then on it used the stamps of the North German Confederation. Before October 1864 a Thurn and Taxis post office managed the postal affairs of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

1864 Arms of Mecklenburg-Strelitz: Cow with crown in a rectangle (embossed), issued October 1864

  1/4 Silb. Gr. orange
  1/3 Silb. Gr. green
  1 Schilling lilac

Other frame

  1 Silb. Gr. red
  2 Silb. Gr. blue
  3 Silb. Gr. brown

These stamps were printed by the Prussian State Printing Office in Berlin in sheets of 100 stamps (10 rows of 10). The side margins of the sheets have number (1 to 10). The 1 sg, 2 sg and 3 sg were issued in colors corrresponding to the German-Austrian Postal Union convention.

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

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

The remainders of these stamps were sold in 1868 to a dealer in Neu-Strelitz (source: 'The Stamps of the German States' by B.W.H.Poole).

Forgeries of the 1 Sgr and 2 Sgr are described in Album Weeds (they are lithographed instead of being engraved and are imperforate). The 2 Sgr forgery has a dot between the "E" and "I" of "ZWEI". I don't have any pictures of those forgeries right now.

A totally forged 3 sgr stamp, the lettering is totally different from the genuine stamps. Also note the different '3's. I've seen a similar forgery of the 1 sgr value.

Another very suspiscious 3 sgr stamp...

Forgeries with printed central parts. I think the 1/3 Sgr is a cut from an old catalogue?

Forged cancels seem to be abundant. If anybody has more information about forgeries or forged cancels, please contact me!

Forged cancels made by Fournier "NEUBRANDENBURG. 18 5 * 65" (I've seen it on a remainder of the 1/3 gr value, see http://www.stampsx.com/ratgeber/stempelliste-falsch.php) and "WESENBERG 3/5"

The "PP" cancel was probably used for another country.

Envelopes

1864 Design as postage stamps, overprinted with 'POST-COUVERT' and value at the upper right corner

  1 Silb. Gr. red
  2 Silb. Gr. blue
  3 Silb. Gr. brown

Apparently, cuts from envelopes were valid for postage as shown in the 1 sgr red value, where another 1 sgr red has been added from another envelope.

List of Post Offices

There were not that many postoffices in Mecklenburg-Strelitz. The following list was obtained from: http://www.stampsx.com/forum/topic.php?id=673&s=ed432cec1a30b6d030632bbae4dc3293

Altstrelitz
Feldberg
Friedland MBG
Furstenberg MBG
Klein-Pasten
Neubrandenburg
Neubrandenburg-Bhf.
Neustrelitz
Oertzenhof-Bhg
Ollendorf
Stargard
Weisdin
Wesenberg

Railway stamps

Example, "Grossh. Mecklenb. Friedrich Franz Eisenbahn":

(Reduced size)

I have seen the values 50 p violet, 60 p blue and 70 p red.

I've also seen a "Meck. Friedrich- Wilhelm - Eisenb." railway stamp in the value 50 p lilac, 1 M grey, 3 M green, 5 M violet (value always in black).

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer