OFFICIAL POSTCARDS
(1934)

This page was last updated
22-Sep-2024 02:57

MICHEL P251
OFFICIAL POSTCARD
NATIONALER FEIERTAG 1934
NATIONAL HOLIDAY 1934
6Rpf

Officially issued on 30th Apr 1934 but available from 28th Apr 1934 and valid until 31st Dec 1935.

This postcard has a brown 6 Rpf indicia stamp and is printed brown on a cream backgroud. The inscription reads "Nationaler Feiertag 1934" - 'National Holiday 1934'. Introduced in 1933 as "Feiertag der nationalen Arbeit" - 'National Labor Holiday', this May 1st National holiday was re-named "Nationaler Feiertag des deutschen Volkes" -'National holiday of the German people', in 1934.

As well as the official card there are examples with additional private printing.

VARIANTS TO COLLECT

The following are suggested variants that might make good additions to a collection:

1. Used before the official issue date [ie used before 30th Apr 1934
2. Cancelled on first day of issue 30th Apr 1934
3. As a domestic long-distance card without any special features
4. As a border card to Switzerland without additional postage
5. As a foreign used card with 10 Rpf to CSR
6. As a foreign used card with 10 Rpf to Hungary
7. As a foreign used card with 15 Rpf
8. As a Registered card
9. As a local delivery Express card
10. As a posted as land delivery
11. Posted at the Hamburg tram post office
13. USed as a Rohrpost (pneumatic) card in BERLIN
14. Domestic Armail usage
15. European Airmail usage
16. Airmail usage to the USA from Bodensee (Lake Constance)
17. By Slingshot usage from the steamers BREMEN and EUROPA

I would also add the following items:
1. Postally unused
2. Domestic Bahnpost usage
3. Invalid Usage - either after expiration date or with incorrect postage applied
4. With additional private printing
5. Special slogan cancels

EXAMPLES FROM MY COLLECTION

POSTALLY UNUSED

USED BEFORE 30th Apr 1934

Used before the official issue date [ie used before 30th Apr 1934]

CANCELLED on FIRST DAY of ISSUE

Cancelled on the official issue date 30th Apr 1934

DOMESTIC LONG DISTANCE

1. The following domestically used P251 postcard was sent from ESSINGEN to STUTTGART on Thursday 17th May 1934. On this day in Madison Square Garden, New York City, 20,000 pro-Nazi supporters held a rally organised by the "Friends of New Germany"




2. The card below was sent from KAISERSLAUTERN to DUISBURG on Monday 14th May 1934




3. The card below was sent from KEHL to STUTTGART on Wednesday 16th May 1934.




4. The following domestically used P251 card was a local delivery in RHEINHAUSEN (NIEDERRHEIN) on May Day, Tuesday, 1st May 1934.




5. The next card was sent to GÖTTINGEN on Monday 12th May 1934. This was the same day that Werner von Blomberg announced that Jews were banned from serving in the German military.




6. The next domestically used P251 postcard was sent from HEILBRONN to NÜRNBERG on 1st May 1934 (May Day).




7. Mailed on 25th Jul 1934 this card was sent to LEIPZIG.




8. This next card was sent from WEIDA to GERA on 23rd Aug 1935 and has a poster stamp featuring an image of Hitler. It seems strange that the poster stamp has been cancelled despite the fact that it wasn't an official stamp.




9. The long-distance domestically used card below was sent from HALBERSTADT to BERLIN-STEGLITZ on 14th May 1935.

BORDER CARD TO SWITZERLAND WITHOUT ADDITIONAL POSTAGE

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf TO CSR

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf TO HUNGARY

FOREIGN USE WITH 15 Rpf

ARGENTINA

1. The following card was mailed in KÖLN on 7th May 1934 and was sent to BUENOS AIRES in ARGENTINA where it arrived on the 26th, 19 days later.

FINLAND

1. The next P251 postcard was sent to HELSINGFORS, FINLAND from BERLIN NW on 2nd May 1934.

GREECE

1. The following P251 postcard was sent to ATHENS in GREECE on 1st May 1934.

ITALY

1. Posted in ZITTAU on 24th Jun 1934 the following card was sent to MILAN in ITALY. The card is correctly franked at 15 Rpf.

SWITZERLAND

1. The next card was sent from HALLE to BASEL in SWITZERLAND on 2nd May 1934.




2. The following postcard was sent on 21st Jul 1934 to KREUZLINGEN, SWITZERLAND and was correctly franked with 15 Rpf.

UNITED STATES of AMERICA

1. This first foreign used P251 postcard was sent from SINSHEIM to MAPLEWOOD, New Jersey, USA on 7th May 1934.

REGISTERED CARD

EXPRESS DELIVERY CARD

POSTED IN LAND DELIVERY

HAMBURG TRAM POST OFFICE

Posted at the Hamburg tram post office

POSTED AS ROHRPOST IN BERLIN

DOMESTIC AIRMAIL

EUROPEAN AIRMAIL

AIRMAIL TO USE FROM LAKE CONSTANCE

SLINGSHOT USAGE FROM STEAMERS BREMEN and EUROPA

GERMAN BAHNPOST

1. The following card was cnacelled on the train from STRAUBING to GHAM on 1st Jun 1936 and destined for GRÄFELFING near MUNICH.

INVALID USAGE

1. The pre-printed stamp on this postcard was valid until 31st Dec 1935. For the example below the cancellation is dated after the validity date on 20th Apr 1938 and features one of the special slogan cancels used to commemorate Hitler's birthday. The addition of a 6 Rpf self-adhesive stamp was enough to cover the postage in place of the pre-printed stamp.

SPECIAL SLOGAN CANCELS

1. This postally used P251 postcard was cancelled in Karlsruhe on Tuesday 1st May 1934 and destined for Köln. In addition to the regular CDS cancel this card also has a slogan cancel inscribed "Fahrt mit der | Schwebebahn auf den | Schauinsland in Freiburg" - 'Ride with the | Suspension railway on the | Schauinsland in Freiburg'. The slogan invites visitors to Frieburg to take the Schauinsland cable car for views over the Rhine and the Vosges Mountains. This area is very popular for mountain walks, cycling, hiking and skiing.

The message on the reverse is from an uncle to his nephew Otto, and describes how "May has finally come, and the trees are growing. It is good to walk around the mountains and leave your troubles at home. The sender received Margot's card and will send a package to her soon".




2. The next domestically used card was sent from MAGDEBURG on Tuesday 1st May 1935. There is a special slogan cancel which reads "Besucht die | Braune Messe- | Deutsche Woche | Magdeburg | vom l.bis 31.Mai 1934" - 'Visit the | Brown Fair | German week | Magdeburg | from May 1st to May 31st, 1934'. Also on this day Adolf Hitler held a May Day Rally at Templehof Air Field in BERLIN where he committed to tackle the country's high rate of unemplyment "The German people are inspired, from their venerable president down to the worker and peasant, with only one wish - to become happy through work".




3. The following card was sent from COTTBUS to ERFURT on 28th Jun 1934 and has a very common slogan cancel inscribed "Rechtzeitig | Postreisescheck | besorgen!" - roughly translated as 'Buy Travellers checks" and used every year from 4th Sep 1930 until 1944 and then again in 1947, in 127 towns and cities. Also on this day Adolf Hitler attended the wedding of Josef Terboven in the town of Essen allowing him to leave BERLIN and clear the way for the Night of the Long Knives two days later, an event which saw the murder of approximately 100 of his 'opponents'.




4. The following card was a local delivery in BERLIN on May Day, Tuesday 1st May 1934.




5. The next card was sent from NURNBERG to LEIPHEIM on 3rd Nov 1934. This card has a special slogan cancellation for the Reichsluftschutzbund.

REFERENCES

1. MICHEL GANZSACHEN DEUTSCHLAND 2021/2022. 23 Auflage ISBN 978-95402-374-5
2. KATALOG der DEUTSCHEN GELEGENHEITSSTEMPEL by JULIUS BOCHMANN.
3. GANZSACHEN-HANDBUCH DES "DRITTEN REICHES" by Hans Peter Frech. 2014 Edition