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Telegraph stamps of the World Click here for a site-map.

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I have brought these prices up to date and added currency selection.   I have used 'RH' numbers (Revised Hiscocks) for new designations to avoid confusion. CheckList         Setup

 

GERMANY.

Steve Hiscocks wrote in 1982:
The telegraph stamps of Germany and of the States which coalesced to form that country are straightforward but interesting in that they reflect the
political history of the period. Thus we have the stamps of Prussia in use only in Berlin (main Post Office and Stock Exchange only) from 1864 to
31 July 1869. The following day, 1 August 1869, the stamps of the North German Confederation were introduced and these were used until 31 October
1872 when they were replaced by the stamps of the German Empire (Deutches Reich). The use of these stamps was abandoned in 1876. The stamps
of Bavaria (1 January 1870 to 31 December 1880) and Wurttemberg (1 January 1875 to 30 June 1881) are independent of the Prussia to German
Empire sequence.

Cancellations will be noted in the appropriate places but it is worth noting here that the telegraph stamps of the German Empire (1873 - 1876) were
also used for postal purposes and are thus found with postal cancellations.

Bavaria also issued telephone stamps. Private issues first appeared in Munich on 5 November 1883 and in other parts of Bavaria soon afterwards.
Official telephone stamps appeared on 1 January 1891 and, with various changes, remained in use until 1908. Telephone stamps were also used
under the German Empire from about 1881 to 1891 but background information is needed.

In the following pages I have taken the states in alphabetical order followed by stamps of the German Empire.

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Shortcuts to other sections
Bavaria	Bavarian Telephone Stamps	North German Confederation	Prussia	Württenberg	German Empire	German Empire Telephone Stamps

 

1. Bavaria.

This was described as a rejected essay of 1869 by Rolf Lamprecht who supplied the image.

 

I. Private Telegraph Stamps.

1870 (1 January) Typographed on vertically laid white paper. White areas embossed. Watermark W1, Perf. 11
Watermarks taken from pages 118/9 of Hiscocks book.

 

H1   ½ SGR.	H2   1 SGR.	H3   7Kr / 25c.	H4   14Kr / 50c.	H4a   14Kr / 50c imperf.
Images courtesy of Andrew Higson.				Don't know where this came from. If yours, please get in touch.

 

 

H5   28Kr / 1Fr.	H6   1F.24Kr / 3Fr.	H7   4F.40Kr / 10Fr.	H8   23F.20Kr / 50Fr.
Images courtesy of Andrew Higson.			Image courtesy of Paul & Les Bottomley.

 

H5   28Kr / 1Fr. Used	H5   28Kr / 1Fr. Used	H6   1F.24Kr / 3Fr. Used	H6   1F.24Kr / 3Fr. Used
One of mine.	Images courtesy of Andrew Higson.		Image courtesy of Les Bottomley.

 

 

Hisc.	Description	Mint	Used
H1	½SGR black (1.2.72) (320,000)	90.00	100.00
H1a	imperf.	-	-
H2	1 SGR black (1.2.72) (3,024,000)	120.00	125.00
H2a	imperf.	-	-
H2b	on bluish paper	150.00	160.00
H3	7Kr — 25c purple (1,300,000)	140.00	110.00
H3a	imperf.	-	-
H4	14Kr — 50c pale blue (3,360,000)	300.00	150.00
H4a	imperf..	-	-
H5	28Kr — 1Fr greyish green (2,758,400)	450.00	250.00
H5a	imperf.	-	-
H6	1Fl 24Kr — 3Fr orange (265,600)	1200.00	900.00
H6a	imperf.	-	-
H7	4Fl 40Kr — 10Fr carmine (13,800)	1800.00	1800.00
H7a	imperf.	-	-
H8	23Fl 2Kr — 50Fr grey (3,200)	3000.00	3000.00
H8a	imperf.	-	-

Quantities printed added in brackets. H8 is shown here as equal value to H7, but in reality is much scarcer.
The Specialized Michel German catalogue (part 1, 2014) is the source of these quantities, and also states
that the top two values were not officially released to the public, but only used internally by officials.
H1 and H2 are often given the same value in catalogues. However I have 3 examples of H1 and have not even seen H2 for sale.

Hiscocks added the following 5 notes:

Note 1. Used values are normally cancelled by punch.

Note 2. Imperforate specimens of all values have been reported but there is not sufficient information to set prices.                 They were reportedly issued some months before the perforates.

Note 3. The sheet consisted of two panes of 16 (4 x 4) with a gutter strip between them. Gutter pairs are very rare.

Note 4. Reprints of No. 5 are known. See note below No. 25.

Note 5. Colour trials of No. 5 are known in purple, orange, carmine and grey — the issued colours of                 Nos. 3, 6, 7 and 8. All are imperforate.

 

H2 proof with embossing.   1 SGR.	H7 proof with embossing.  4F.40Kr / 10Fr.	H8 proof? with embossing.  23F.20Kr / 50Fr.
These are presumably proofs, but the first and last are in the issued colours, so if cut down they could easily be confused with the imperf. items listed by Hiscocks. (See his notes 2 & 5 above) Proofs would not be expected to have watermarks though.  See also the 1992 souvenir sheets below   -   Images courtesy of Andrew Higson. I understand that an example of the 4F.40Kr / 10Fr above sold for €2785 at auction in 2008.

 

Reprints (front and back, see Note 4 above).





The Telephone stamp watermark (W3 below) can clearly be seen. Images courtesy of Andrew Higson.

 

1992 Souvenir sheets.
Two types of Exhibition sheets were produced in 1992 for a Philatelic Exhibition of October 1992 in Passau, Bavaria.
One is on thin white paper with printed embossing and the word 'Faksimile' underneath and nothing on the back.
The other is on thick cream paper genuinely embossed from the original die without 'Faksimile', with a write-up on the back.
Both are printed in black rather than the issued grey colour. Beware of 'modified' versions sold as originals !

The images below are half size for the front an quarter size for the back.
They come courtesy of Andrew Higson.

 

 

 

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1876 (1 January) Same design and watermark, but currency changed to 100 Pfennig = 1 Mark. laid paper. Perf. 11

H9   courtesy of Andrew Higson.	H12   courtesy of ibredguy.co.uk	H14   courtesy of ibredguy.co.uk

Proofs also exist of a 5 Pfennig value that was not issued.

 

Hisc.	Description	Mint	Used
H9	10Pfg pale bluish grey	50.00	50.00
H9a	without watermark	100.00	100.00
H10	20Pfg purple	85.00	85.00
H10a	without watermark	170.00	170.00
H11	25Pfg carmine	120.00	120.00
H11a	without watermark	240.00	240.00
H12	40Pfg blue	85.00	85.00
H12a	without watermark	170.00	170.00
H13	1M yellow	120.00	120.00
H13a	without watermark	240.00	240.00
H14	2M light brown	110.00	110.00
H14a	without watermark	220.00	220.00
H15	4M orange	110.00	110.00
H15a	without watermark	220.00	220.00

Hiscocks added the following 3 notes:

Note 1. There would seem to be some doubt whether Nos. 13 and 15 were in fact issued.

Note 2. The unwatermarked varieties derive from the printing of larger sheets (2 panes of 4 x 5) onto the                 old paper resulting in one (the bottom) row missing the watermark. Watermarked and unwatermarked                 varieties thus occur in the ratio 4:1.

Note 3. Gutter pairs again exist for all values — both watermarked and unwatermarked — and are again                 very rare.

 

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1876 (21 January ?) Same design, but on laid paper of watermark W2. Perf. 11

H16	H17	H18	H19	H20
Last 1876 series, courtesy of Andrew Higson.

 

H21	H22	H23	H24	H25
Last 1876 series, courtesy of Andrew Higson.

 

Hisc. Description Mint Used H16 10Pfg bluish grey 0.45 2.25 H16a         yellowish grey 3.00 4.50 H17 20Pfg purple (shades) 0.60 2.25 H18 25Pfg scarlet (shades) 0.90 3.00 H18a         join in paper - - H19 40Pfg blue (shades) 0.90 3.00 H20 80Pfg yellowish green 0.90 3.00 H20a         join in paper - - H21 1M yellow 2.00 4.50 H22 2M brown 4.50 9.00 H23 4M orange 15.00 30.00 H24 10M silver-grey 120.00 225.00 H25 20M gold 60.00 400.00 The interesting image on the right comes from Les Bottomley. The perforations are correct and it is on watermarked paper (W2), but in addition to being the wrong colour for 10Pfg stamps, the image is in negative, with the embossed parts being coloured instead of the low parts. Does anyone know anything about these ?

The scan was done with the item in a dimpled plastic sleeve. Hence the 'dimpling'.

 

Used examples are relatively scarce.

H18 used	H22 used	H25 used (also illustrated by J. Barefoot)
Used examples of the last 1876 series, courtesy of Andrew Higson.

 

Two shades of the 1 Mark used, courtesy of Andrew Higson.

Hiscocks added the following 3 notes:

Note 1. The very few used copies I have seen have been cancelled with handstamped numbers which could                 be part of the date.

Note 2. Imperforate reprints of No. 17 are known. They are on laid paper watermarked with parallel wavy lines                 (W3 of telephone stamps) and have "Nachdruck" on the reverse. [shown below]

Note 3. The use of telegraph stamps in Bavaria ceased on 31 December 1880.

My Note: I do not know what Hiscocks meant by 'join in paper' (H18a and H20a)
As he noted for the earlier two series, there are also gutter pairs for the last series.

 

Gutter-pairs (Courtesy of Andrew Higson).



3 pairs showing very different shades of the 10pf. The top 2 were scanned together.






Gutter pairs exist because the sheets had two panes of 20 stamps like the pane below (note the perforations on the right-hand side):



Image courtesy of Andrew Higson

 

 

Reprints (front and back, see Note 2 above).





The Telephone stamp watermark (W3 below) can clearly be seen. Images courtesy of Andrew Higson.

 

 

II. Telephone Stamps.

A. Private Telephone Stamps.

1883 (5 November) Lithographed in black on coloured papers as indicated.
Town indicated at top. Control number in black or red. Perf. 12½.

Type 1 taken from Wikimedia Commons.

1 Augsburg Hisc. Description Mint Used H1 10Pfg black / rose (1.7.86) 350.00 350.00 H1a         control in red 350.00 350.00 H2 25Pfg black / brown (1.7.86) 350.00 350.00 H2a         control in red 350.00 350.00 H3 50Pfg black / pale brown (Date ?) 350.00 350.00 H4 1M black / violet (red control) (1.12.86) 350.00 350.00 3 Bayrischzell-Wendelsteinhaus Hisc. Description Mint Used H9 10Pfg black / rose (Date ?) 350.00 350.00 H9a         control in red 350.00 350.00 H10 25Pfg black / brown (Date ?) 350.00 350.00 H10a         control in red 350.00 350.00 H11 50Pfg black / pale brown (1.8.87) 350.00 350.00 H12 1M black / violet (red control) (Date ?) 350.00 350.00 5 Hof a.d. Saale Hisc. Description Mint Used H17 10Pfg black / rose (1.3.90) 400.00 400.00 H17a         control in red 400.00 400.00 H18 25Pfg black / brown (1.3.90) 400.00 400.00 H18a         control in red 400.00 400.00 H19 50Pfg black / pale brown (Date ?) 400.00 400.00 H20 1M black / violet (red control) (Date ?) 400.00 400.00 7 Ludwigshafen am Rhein Hisc. Description Mint Used H25 10Pfg black / rose (1.12.87) 350.00 350.00 H25a         control in red - - H26 25Pfg black / brown (1.12.87) 350.00 350.00 H26a         control in red - - H27 50Pfg black / pale brown (1.9.84) 300.00 300.00 H28 1M black / violet (red control) (Date ?) 350.00 350.00 9 Nürnberg Hisc. Description Mint Used H33 10Pfg black / rose (1.12.85) 250.00 250.00 H33a         control in red 250.00 250.00 H34 25Pfg black / brown (1.12.85) 250.00 250.00 H34a         control in red 250.00 250.00 H35 50Pfg black / pale brown (1.12.85) 250.00 250.00 H36 1M black / violet (red control) (1.12.86) 250.00 250.00

2 Bamberg Hisc. Description Mint Used H5 10Pfg black / rose (1.12.86) 350.00 350.00 H5a         control in red 350.00 350.00 H6 25Pfg black / brown (1.11.86) 350.00 350.00 H6a         control in red 350.00 350.00 H7 50Pfg black / pale brown (Date ?) 350.00 350.00 H8 1M black / violet (red control) (1.12.86) 350.00 350.00 4 Fürth Bayern Hisc. Description Mint Used H13 10Pfg black / rose (1.12.85) 350.00 350.00 H13a         control in red 350.00 350.00 H14 25Pfg black / brown (1.12.85) 350.00 350.00 H14a         control in red 350.00 350.00 H15 50Pfg black / pale brown (1.12.85) 350.00 350.00 H16 1M black / violet (red control) (1.12.86) 350.00 350.00 6 Kaiserslautern Hisc. Description Mint Used H21 10Pfg black / rose (1.3.90) 400.00 400.00 H21a         control in red 400.00 400.00 H22 25Pfg black / brown (1.3.90) 400.00 400.00 H22a         control in red 400.00 400.00 H23 50Pfg black / pale brown (Date ?) 400.00 400.00 H24 1M black / violet (red control) (Date ?) 400.00 400.00 8 München Hisc. Description Mint Used H29 10Pfg black / rose (5.11.83) 250.00 250.00 H29a         control in red 250.00 250.00 H30 25Pfg black / brown (5.11.83) 250.00 250.00 H30a         control in red 250.00 250.00 H31 50Pfg black / pale brown (Date ?) 250.00 250.00 H32 1M black / violet (red control) (1.12.86) 300.00 300.00 10 Tegernsee-Hirschberghaus Hisc. Description Mint Used H37 10Pfg black / rose (Date ?) 350.00 350.00 H37a         control in red 350.00 350.00 H38 25Pfg black / brown (Date ?) 350.00 350.00 H38a         control in red 350.00 350.00 H39 50Pfg black / pale brown (1.9.90) 400.00 400.00 H40 1M black / violet (red control) (Date ?) 350.00 350.00

11 Würzenburg

Hisc.	Description	Mint	Used
H41	10Pfg black / rose (1.12.87)	350.00	350.00
H41a	control in red	350.00	350.00
H42	25Pfg black / brown (1.12.87)	350.00	350.00
H42a	control in red	350.00	350.00
H43	50Pfg black / pale brown (Date ?)	350.00	350.00
H44	1M black / violet (red control) (1.12.87)	350.00	350.00

Hiscocks added the following 2 notes:

Note 1. It is not absolutely clear from the source from which the above information was                 taken whether those values for which the date of issue (in brackets) is unknown                 do in fact exist. Pending further information I have assumed they do.

Note 2. All references I have found to these stamps describe them as rare but give no                 information on which a realistic price might be based.                 Those given above are largely guesswork.

B. State Telephone Stamps.

1891 (1 January) Typographed on pink laid paper, watermarked W3. Imperf.

taken from pages 122 of Hiscocks book and coloured approximately.

Hisc.	Description	Mint	Used
H45	10Pfg black / pink	30.00	20.00
H45a	perf. 11½ on left	30.00	20.00
H46	25Pfg black / pink	60.00	40.00
H43	50Pfg black / pink	60.00	40.00
H44	1M black / pink	80.00	60.00

Hiscocks added the following note:

Note. A 20Pfg value exists in the German Postal Museum. It was not apparently issued.

 

1892 As above but on white paper. No watermark. Imperf.


The example of H49 above is dated 30 July 1892. I have therefore amended the date of 1893 given by Hiscocks.
Image courtesy of Dick Keiser.




This example of H51 is dated 27 October 1895 which is some time after the perforated ones were available.
Image courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

Hisc.	Description	Mint	Used
H49	10Pfg black	30.00	30.00
H50	25Pfg black	60.00	30.00
H51	50Pfg black	60.00	60.00
H52	1M black	120.00	60.00

 

1894 Design as above but wording changed from "von 5 Minuten" to "von 3 bezw. 5 Minuten"
White paper. No watermark. Perf. 11½. Printed in sheets of 10 with 5 rows of 2.

Bavaria Type 3   (H54)

From Wikimedia Commons showing full sheet.

 

Hisc. Description Mint Used H53 10Pfg black 40.00 25.00 H53a         perf. only on left 40.00 25.00 H54 25Pfg black 40.00 25.00 H55 50Pfg black 40.00 25.00 H56 1M black 80.00 50.00   1894 As above but on yellow to yellow-buff wove paper. Watermark W3. Perf. 11½. Hisc. Description Mint Used H57 10Pfg black / yellow to yellow-buff 25.00 12.00 H58 20Pfg black / yellow to yellow-buff 45.00 30.00 H59 25Pfg black / yellow to yellow-buff 25.00 15.00 H59a         imperf. on right 50.00 30.00 H60 50Pfg black / yellow to yellow-buff 25.00 15.00 H61 1M black / yellow to yellow-buff 50.00 30.00 H61a         on brownish 75.00 45.00 Hiscocks added the following note: Note. The use of telephone stamps ceased in 1908 and                 remaining copies were called in.

The 1 Mark has a larger stamp image. Backs of higher face vales are sometimes signed. Note the embossing.

 

 

Telegram Forms.

A telegram headed as German Austria used in Munich on 25 July 1866
The Austro-Prussian War of 1866 resulted in a win for Prussia and a loss for Austria, Bavaria, Saxony and Hanover.
The heading reflects that. There is a large image of the Bavarian Coat of Arms underneath.

"Formular G." at bottom-left.

 

A telegram headed as German Austria used in 1871?
This is very similar to the last, but the year is pre-filled as "187" rather than "186".


This appears to have been cut short.   Image courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

 

A Bavarian telegram used in Brückenau in 1878
There is an image of the Bavarian Coat of Arms at the top.


Image courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

 

 

 

2. North German Confederation.

Following the Austro-Prussian war (1866), a series of treaties, beginning in August 1866, between Prussia and
other North German States led to the creation of the North German Confederation in July 1867 with Berlin as its capital.
Initially Prussian postage stamps were used for telegraphic purposes.
Postage stamps of the North German Confederation became available on 1 January 1868.
I presume that they were then used for telegraphic purposes.

 

1869 (1 August) Typographed on white wove paper. No watermark, values overprinted in black. Perf. 13½ x 14½

H1 - ½ Groschen	H2 - courtesy of Andrew Higson.	H3 - 2½ Groschen	H4 - courtesy of Andrew Higson.

 

H5 - 5 Groschen	RH5a - 5 Groschen - Broken "N" courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht	H6 - courtesy of Andrew Higson.	H7 - 10 Groschen	H8 - courtesy of Mustafa Kocabasi.

The "Broken N" variety may have been caused by something on the plate while printing. The end of the frame is also missing.
I would be interested in hearing of other examples like this.

RH5a - broken N detail RH # Hisc. Description Mint Used RH1 H1 ½Gr blue to grey-blue and black 45.00 22.50 RH2 H2 1¼Gr blue to grey-blue and black 225.00 135.00 RH3 H3 2½Gr blue to grey-blue and black 40.00 15.00 RH4 H4 4Gr blue to grey-blue and black 50.00 55.00 RH5 H5 5Gr blue to grey-blue and black 35.00 10.00 RH5a -         broken "N" - - RH6 H6 8Gr blue to grey-blue and black 100.00 110.00 RH7 H7 10Gr blue to grey-blue and black 55.00 10.00 RH7a H7a         additional inverted value 400.00 - RH8 H8 30Gr blue to grey-blue and black 200.00 125.00

An example of H7a courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht. Rolf has a certificate for it, describing it as "Michel Nr. T7Δ". Hiscocks' description of "inverted value" is misleading. This appears to have an additional inverted offset. Presumably there was one sheet like this.

Hiscocks added the following 2 notes:

Note 1. Cancellations are usually penstrokes in red and in black — usually both colours on each used stamp.

Note 2. It is easy to confuse these stamps with those of the German Empire which are of very similar design and                 colours. The word 'GROSCHEN' is in white on Confederation stamps and in black on Empire stamps.

 

These stamps were superseded by the Stamps of the German Empire when they became available at the end of October 1872. Apparently the Telegraphic stationery continued to be used for some time:



Part of a telegram of 1873. At the top-left, it says "Wird eine Berstümelung in der Depesche vermuthet, so wolle man sich sofort an die Station wenden, welche das Erforderliche veranlassen wird."
which roughly translates as "If the despatch is suspected to have been tampered with, one should immediately turn to the station, which will do the necessary."
Image courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

 

 

3. Prussia.

1864 (15 June) Typographed on white or bluish wove paper. No watermark, rouletted.
These were used at the Berlin Stock Exchange.

H1 - courtesy of Andrew Higson.	H2 fake - courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.	H3 - courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

 

H4 - courtesy of Andrew Higson.	H5 - courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.	H6 - courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

Did you notice the fake? This is to the same scale as the others. It was sold, along with the rest of the set, in a 'Buy it Now' on the internet.
There is a growing cottage industry churning out 'facsimiles', 'reprints' and 'reproductions' for sale on the internet. Some are passed off as genuine.
John Barefoot warns with these "Beware of modern litho or photocopy reproductions". Good advice, but how do you tell from an image (often strangely blurry) on the internet ?
Blurriness can certainly be a clue about having something to hide, but check perforations (these should show rouletting),
paper (modern productions are usually on modern, very white paper), as well as history of the seller. The genuine are about 22.5mm diameter, the fake is 19.5mm diameter.
Rolf has a set of these at that size, all bought together. He thinks they may be trials, but I do not think so. There are also small versions of Jammu & Kashmir stamps being sold on eBay.
The 15Sgr, H6 here shows part of the stamp below, this gives an idea of the spacing.

Hisc.	Description	Mint	Used
H1	2½Sgr brownish to greyish black (1.10.67)	500.00	700.00
H1a	bluish paper (1868?)	500.00	700.00
H2	5Sgr brownish to greyish black (1.10.67)	1200.00	1650.00
H2a	bluish paper (1868?)	1200.00	1650.00
H3	8Sgr brownish to greyish black	550.00	750.00
H3a	bluish paper (1868?)	550.00	750.00
H4	10Sgr brownish to greyish black	550.00	750.00
H4a	bluish paper (1868?)	550.00	750.00
H5	12Sgr brownish to greyish black	550.00	750.00
H5a	bluish paper (1868?)	550.00	750.00
H6	15Sgr brownish to greyish black	1100.00	1200.00
H6a	bluish paper (1868?)	1100.00	1200.00

Hiscocks added the following 2 notes:

Note 1. Use of these stamps ceased on 31 July 1869.

Note 2. Cancellation was by a 'T' shaped punch.

My note: According to Yvert et Tellier, Prussian stamps were replaced by those of the North German Confederation on 1/1/1868.
However, they were not available until 1st August 1869.
According to John Barefoot, Prussian postage stamps were used for telegraphic purposes at the Berlin Stock Exchange and Head Post Office from 1864 until then.

 

An interesting telegram headed as German Austria ? Used in Stettin (Szczecin) in 1867.
The Austro-Prussian War of 1866 resulted in a win for Prussia (then in control of Stettin) and a loss for Austria, Bavaria, Saxony and Hanover.
The heading reflects that.
As a result of the war, according to Britanica.com - 'the war was formally concluded on August 23 by the Treaty of Prague.
The treaty assigned Schleswig-Holstein to Prussia. The latter also annexed Hanover, Hesse-Kassel, Nassau, and Frankfurt outright,
thus acquiring the territory that had separated the eastern and the western parts of the Prussian state.
By the Peace of Vienna (October 3, 1866) Austria ceded Venetia for transfer to Italy. Prussia’s victory in the war enabled it to organize the North German Confederation.'


The bottom has an imprint showing the form was printed in Stetin. This image is from eBay item 164260424475 of September 2020 which is now deleted.
If you are the seller (or buyer) please contact me.

 

 

4. Württenberg.

I have revised Hiscocks' original listing due separating the stamp sizes.     The new designations have 'RH' numbers (Revised Hiscocks) to avoid confusion.   I have though left references to the original designations.

1875 (1 January) to 1878 Typographed on white wove paper. No watermark, value overprinted at centre and bottom in black or blue. Rouletted, overall size 21 x 23½mm.
1878 new colours (80pf and 10M), overall size 21 x 23½mm.
1880 larger overall size 22 x 24½mm. These are very rare genuinely used.

5 pf — RH1, Courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.	5 pf — RH1a	10 pf — RH2, Courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.	10 pf — RH2a, Courtesy of Andrew Higson.

20 pf — RH3 ?	20 pf — RH3a, Courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.	20 pf — RH3b	25 pf — RH4, Courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.	25 pf — RH4a

Unissued 35 pf — RH5, Courtesy of Andrew Higson.	40 pf — RH6	40 pf — RH6a, fake cancel?, Courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.	50 pfennig — RH7	50 pfennig — RH7, with railway cancel.

50 pfennig — RH7a	80 pf — RH8, Courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.	80 pfennig — RH8, Courtesy of Peter Grözinger.	80 pf — RH8a, Courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.	80 pfennig — RH8b

1 Mk — H9, with postal cancel.	1 Mk — H9, with railway cancel, Courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.	1 Mk — H9, with a rather strange cancel, the same as a 40pf above. Does anyone recognise it? Image courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.	1 Mk — H9b, Courtesy of Les Bottomley.

There are noticeable differences in the style and colour of the values on the 1 Mark stamps above. Note also the variable spacing between 'M A'.
Anyone know more about this ?

2 Mk — RH10, Courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.	2 Mk — RH10a, Courtesy of Les Bottomley.	4 Mk — RH11, Courtesy of Les Bottomley.	10 Mk — RH12a, Courtesy of Andrew Higson.	10 Mk — RH12a

Hiscocks refers to RH12 as being vermilion, whereas John Barefoot refers to it as orange. I have only seen examples of RH12a I think.
The German Michel catalogue describes the colours as Dunkelzinnoberrot / dunkelpreußischblau (Dark vermilion / dark Prussian blue) for RH12
and hellrötlichorange / dunkelultramarin (light reddish orange / dark ultramarine) for RH12a.

*John Barefoot refers to a last issue of 1880 as seeing little use and being slightly larger . He quotes the earlier ones as 21 x 23½mm
and the later ones as 22 x 24½mm. Be aware that this is the overall dimensions of the stamps across the rouletting.
The dimensions of the design appear to be all about 19.3 x 22.3mm. I have incorporated these into the table below.

RH # Hisc. Description Mint Used RH1 H1 5 Pfg greenish grey and black (1.3.76) 85.00 30.00 *RH1a -         1880, 22 x 24½mm. 10.00 - RH2 H2 10 Pfg ultramarine and black (1.3.76) 130.00 30.00 *RH2a -         1880, 22 x 24½mm. 12.00 - RH3 H3 20 Pfg brown-red and black (1.1.75) 750.00 600.00 RH3a H3a         grey-brown and black 65.00 30.00 *RH3b -         1880, 22 x 24½mm. 15.00 - RH4 H4 25 Pfg lilac and black (1.1.75) 65.00 30.00 *RH4a -         1880, 22 x 24½mm. 10.00 - RH5 H5 35 Pfg yellow-green and black (1.2.76, not issued)   600.00 - RH6 H6 40 Pfg yellow-brown and black (1.1.75) 65.00 30.00 *RH6a -         1880, 22 x 24½mm. 12.00 - RH7 H7 50 Pfg rose and black (1.1.75) 40.00 25.00 *RH7a -         1880, 22 x 24½mm. 10.00 - RH8 H8 80 Pfg ultramarine and black (1.1.75) 600.00 400.00 RH1 H8a         light green and black (August 1878) 300.00 60.00 *RH8b -         1880 light green and black , 22 x 24½mm. 10.00 - RH9 H9 1M green and blue (1.1.75) 50.00 30.00 RH9a H9a         '1' missing in bottom left corner 80.00 100.00 *RH9b -         1880, 22 x 24½mm. 10.00 - RH10 H10 2M yellow and blue (1.1.75) 600.00 500.00 RH10a H10a         orange and blue (1876 ?) 50.00 50.00 RH11 H11 4M dull blue and blue (1.1.75) 120.00 100.00 RH11a H11a         grey and blue (1878) 120.00 100.00 RH12 H12 10M vermilion and blue (1.1.75) 720.00 600.00 RH12a H12a         salmon and blue (1878) 120.00 100.00

Pen-cancelled pair used at Stuttgart on 4 October 1875. Courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

Hiscocks added the following 3 notes:

Note 1. Cancellation was with handstamps, often with an additional crayon or pen stroke. The most common                 handstamps consist of ovals about 2cm long containing the town, e.g. Stuttgart, above and the word                 'TELEGRAPH' below.

Note 2. The 35 Pfg value (No. 5) was not in fact issued and the 'used' copies reported from time to time are                 fraudulent.

Note 3. I have seen No. 9(a) described as missing the '1' from the bottom right corner. It is not clear whether                 this was mistaken or whether both varieties exist. I have assumed the former.

 

After these were discontinued, normal postage stamps were used:


Image courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

30pf — Courtesy of Andrew Higson.	40pf	50pf — Courtesy of Andrew Higson.	50pf — Courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.	2 Mk — Courtesy of Peter Grözinger.	5 Mk — Courtesy of Andrew Higson.

The German Michel catalogue refers to the crayon marks on telegraphically used 30pf, 40pf, 2Mk and 5Mk above (MiNr. 61, 62, 53, 54) as
"telegraphische Entwertung" (telegraphic devaluation) and warns "Vorsicht vor nachträglicher Entfernung dieser Striche!" (Beware subsequent removal of these lines!).

 

 

5. German Empire.

1872 Typographed on white wove paper. No watermark, value and currency overprinted in black. Perf. 13½ x 14½

H1 - ½ Groschen	H2 - 1¼ Groschen Courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.	H3 - 2½ Groschen	H4 - 4 Groschen

H5 - 5 Groschen	H6 - 8 Groschen	H7 - 10 Groschen	H8 - 30 Groschen

As can be seen, these are usually pen-cancelled, however small towns used postal cancels, generally dated 1875.
     
Steve Hiscocks said that these stamps were also used postally, but according to the Michel catalogue, these (and the following) stamps are not known on cover.
They are worth 3 or 4 times the pen-cancelled prices. Examples courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

 

Hisc.	Description	Mint	Used
H1	½Gr blue (shades) and black	16.00	4.00
H2	1¼Gr blue (shades) and black	30.00	10.00
H3	2½Gr blue (shades) and black	12.00	2.00
H4	4Gr blue (shades) and black	12.00	4.00
H5	5Gr blue (shades) and black	10.00	1.50
H6	8Gr blue (shades) and black	16.00	8.00
H7	10Gr blue (shades) and black	12.00	1.50
H8	30Gr blue (shades) and black	30.00	12.00

See also the notes below.

 

1875 As above but currency altered to Pfennige and Marks. Value and overprints in red on Mark values.

H9 - 3 Pfennige	H10 - 5 Pfennige	H11 - 10 Pfennige	H12 - 25 Pfennige	H13 - 40 Pfennige

 

H14 - 50 Pfennige	H15 - 80 Pfennige	H16 - 1 Mark	H17 - 2 Mark	H18 - 3 Mark

As with the 1872 issue, small towns used postal cancels. Again these are generally dated 1875.
     
This issue was abolished in 1876, but I haven't seen a definite date. I think that existing stocks were simply used up without replacement as later dates can be found.
The 50 pfennige above (used in Berlin) is dated 1879. Examples again courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

 

Hisc.	Description	Mint	Used
H9	3 Pfg blue (shades) and black	16.00	3.00
H10	5 Pfg blue (shades) and black	4.00	1.50
H11	10 Pfg blue (shades) and black	5.00	1.50
H12	25 Pfg blue (shades) and black	5.00	0.60
H13	40 Pfg blue (shades) and black	8.00	2.00
H14	50 Pfg blue (shades) and black	4.00	0.50
H15	80 Pfg blue (shades) and black	10.00	1.50
H16	1M blue (shades) and red	4.00	1.20
H17	2M blue (shades) and red	8.00	2.00
H17a	'I' for 'K' in 'MARK'	30.00	20.00
H18	3M blue (shades) and red	30.00	8.00

These seem prone to damaged lettering.

H9 - 3 Pfennige with doubled letters.	H11 - 10 Pfennige with damaged last 'E'.	H11 - 10 Pfennige with 'F' for last 'E'.	H12 - 25 Pfennige with 'T' for 'I'.	H17 - 2 Mark, this is H17a listed by Hiscocks.

Apart from the last, I do not know if these are constant varieties.
It seems likely that there are similar varieties with the earlier 1872 Groschen series.
These examples are courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.
I would like to hear from anyone with these or other examples of damaged lettering.

 

Hiscocks added the following 2 notes:

Note 1. The above issues are very similar to those of the North German Confederation (q.v.) at first sight and care                 should be taken.

Note 2. Both of the above issues were also used for postal purposes and may be found with normal postal c.d.s.                 cancellations. Telegraphic cancellations normally consist of pen strokes or crosses in both black and red                 on each stamp. Used prices above are for telegraphically used specimens and postally used are normally                 priced at about 3 x the above prices in catalogues covering postage stamps.

 

H14 — courtesy of Mustafa Kocabasi. This has what looks like '72' (or '32') diagonally across the top-left corner.	H14 — courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht. The "2" on this is the same style and size as that on the left, though with less contrast. It is preceded by a "9" and followed by "W."

In the first image (taken with a camera), the "2" has about the same density as the value and was thought to have been similarly printed on the stamp.
The new (scanned) image shows that it was probably stamped on the telegram. It is interesting that these are both on a 50pf stamp. The markings may be indicative of the area or office.
Does anyone have further information or have similar examples ?

 

Telegraphic use of postage stamps.

There are a number of recognisably telegraphic cancels that were subsequently used.
   
Berlin,C / T. A. 2. appears to be a roller cancel for central Berlin. I presume there is also a T. A. 1. at least.
 
These seem to span from the 1890's to 1902 or so. Images courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

Berlin, West (I presume) of 1910. H. T. A. I take to be Haupt Telegraphen Amt or Main Telegraph Office.
 
Image courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht, together with my attempt at a rendition of the cancel.

Bremen Telegraph Office of 1900.	Bremen Telegraph Office of 1902.	Görlitz Telegraph Office of 1916.
Images courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

 

Lübeck Telegraph Office of 1901.	Hannover Telegraph Office of 1902.	Friedrichshafen Telegraph Office of 1907.
Images courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

 

Stuttgart Telegraph cancels
 
Courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.


Courtesy of Andrew Higson.

 

Punched German postage stamps of Bergen, Vogtland. 1914.


I initially thought that these were telegraphic, but apparently 'Paketkartens' parcel receipt with high value stamps were treated like this.

 

Telegraphendirektion Warschau cancels on 'Russisch-Polen' overprinted stamps for use in Russian Poland from 12 May 1915.

Image courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

 

El. - Telegr. - Dir.
Briefstempel
4. Armee

 
1915 - 1918 ??? - Image courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht.

 

S. B.
Telegraphendirektion
für 7. Armee


Image courtesy of Rolf Lamprecht who says this is for Belgium Etappengebiet West (Staging area West).

 

 

II. Telephone Stamps.

1881(?) On plain pink paper. No watermark. Corners perforated for removal in use. No controls.

taken from pages 126 of Hiscocks book.

Hisc.	Description	Mint	Used
H1	50Pfg black / pink	40.00	30.00
H1a	on "mixed/fibrous" paper	40.00	30.00
H2	75Pfg black / pink	80.00	60.00

Hiscocks added the following note:

Note. The illustration is not 2/3 actual size which is reported as 57mm x 40mm. The stamps were in sheets of 12 (3x4).

 

1887(?) New design on white wove paper. No watermark. Corners perforated for removal in use. Controls in black.


H4 - Courtesy of Spink and Son.

Hisc.	Description	Mint	Used
H3	25Pfg grey-blue	80.00	60.00
H4	50Pfg rose	80.00	60.00

Hiscocks added the following note:

Note. Actual size 47mm x 62mm.

1889 As above but design of German eagle changed (wings hanging down).

Hisc.	Description	Mint	Used
H5	25Pfg light green	80.00	60.00
H6	50Pfg rose	80.00	60.00

Hiscocks added the following note:

Note. Nos. 3-6 were issued in sheets of 100 with control numbers 1-100.                 The use of these stamps ceased in 1891.

 

Telegraph Seals.

A range of different seals were used on German telegrams at different times.

This half sized image shows a sample of them.

Steve Hiscocks made a start on cataloguing seals of the world in a book he published in 2007.
It was his hope to update it later, but unfortunately that was not to be.
His original book can be viewed at Telegraph Seals: A World Catalogue. There are links from the pages to my updates.

Alternatively you can view the latest page for Germany which also shows a range of telegrams used.