OFFICIAL POSTCARDS
(1935)

This page was last updated
24-Aug-2024 06:05

MICHEL P257
OFFICIAL POSTCARD
1936 WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES
6 Rpf

Officially released on 25th Nov 1935 and valid for use until 30th Jun 1937.

There were two postcards published to advertise the coming of the 1936 Winter Olympic Games to be held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Feb 1936. The two cards are identical except for the fact that P257 is brown and has a 6 Rpf indicia stamp whereas P268 is lilac in colour with a 15 Rpf indicia stamp. Both cards feature a winter scene with snow capped mountains in the background

As well as the official cards there were several official cards with additional private printing.

VARIANTS TO COLLECT

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

1. Cancelled on first day of issue 25th Nov 1935
2. With handstamp "GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN IV. Olympische Winterspiele"
3. With machinestamp "Winter-Olympia 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen" on two lines
4. With machinestamp "Winter-Olympia 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen" on three lines
5. With machinestamp "Olympische Winterspiele" used in 93 cities
6. With handstamp "ALTENBERG (ERZGEB), Deutsche Ski-Meisterschaften"
7. As a domestic long-distance card without any special features
8. As a foreign used card with 10 Rpf to CSR
9. As a foreign used card with 10 Rpf to Hungary
10. As a foreign used card with 15 Rpf
11. As a Registered card
12. As a local delivery Express card
13. Posted at the Hamburg tram post office
14. USed as a Rohrpost (pneumatic) card in BERLIN
15. Domestic Armail usage
16. European Airmail usage
17. Airmail usage to the USA from Bodensee (Lake Constance)
18. Used as Zeppelin postcard on "Olympiafahrt" flight

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. Other special slogan cancels

EXAMPLES FROM MY COLLECTION

POSTALLY UNUSED

CANCELLED on FIRST DAY of ISSUE

Cancelled on the official issue date 25th Nov 1935

HANDSTAMP
"GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN IV. Olympische Winterspiele"

With handstamp "Garmisch-Partenkirchen IV. Olympische Winterspiele"

1. This second domestically used card has the special cancel used in GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN during the IV Winter Olympic games. It was posted on 6th Feb 1936 and was destined for the city of WIESBADEN, the capital of the state of HESSE.

MACHINE STAMP
"Winter-Olympia 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen"
on two lines

With machinestamp "Winter-Olympia 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen" on two lines

MACHINE STAMP
"Winter-Olympia 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen"
on three lines

With machinestamp "Winter-Olympia 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen" on three lines

MACHINE STAMP
"Olympische Winterspiele"

With machinestamp "Olympische Winterspiele" used in 93 cities

1. The next P257 card was posted from GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN on 16th Feb 1936, the last day of the Winter Olympic Games. The card features one of the special slogan cancels used to promote the games and the desitnation was GÖRLITZ.




2. Favour cancelled P257 card with two line special machine stamp.

HANDSTAMP
"ALTENBERG (ERZGEB), Deutsche Ski-Meisterschaften"

With handstamp "ALTENBERG (ERZGEB), Deutsche Ski-Meisterschaften"

1. This domestically used card was posted in ALTENBERG on 14th Feb 1937 and has a special cancel related to the German Ski Championships in 1937.

DOMESTIC LONG DISTANCE

1. This card, posted in ALTENBURG (THÜR), was cancelled on 16th Aug 1936 with a regular CDS handstamp and was destined for LEIPZIG.




2. The following card was also sent to LEIPZIG, this time from HEERANE on 24th Aug 1936.

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf TO CSR

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf TO HUNGARY

1. The next P257 postcard was sent from LEIPZIG on 8th Nov 1936 to BUDAPEST in HUNGARY. To cover the extra postage a self-adhesive 4Rpf HINDENBURG Medallion stamp has been added. This example has the special slogan cancel used in LEIPZIG inscribed "FRUHJAHRS | MESSE 1937 | BEGINN 28.FEBRUAR" - 'SPRING | FAIR 1937 | STARTING FEBRUARY 28'

FOREIGN USE WITH 15 Rpf

CHILE

1. The card below was cancelled on 16th Feb 1936 and features the special handstamp used in GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN to commemorate the Winter Olympics. The destination was Santiago, Chile where it arrived almost a month later on 13th Mar 1936. The card is overfranked by 3 Rpf and has 18 Rpf of postage applied, instead of the 15 Rpf that was required.

DENMARK

1. Posted in HUSUM on 7th Jan 1937 the postcard below was sent well after the games was over. The destination was a town in Denmark and the card was overpaid by 1Rpf.




2. The next postcard was sent from NAUMBERG (SAALE), and like the previous card was sent to Denmark, this time the capital city of Copenhagen on 26th Dec 1935.



3. Below is a third example sent to DENMARK, this example being sent from WIESBADEN to COPENHAGEN on 11th Jun 1936.

GREAT BRITAIN

1. The folowing card had a shorter journey, from WUPPERTAL to LONDON, ENGLAND on 20th May 1936 and it too has additional postage added, only this time a special Winter Olympic Issue 12Rpf stamp for a total of 18Rpf, more than was required.

SOUTHWEST AFRICA

1. The next P257 postcard was sent from RÄHNITZ to RIETFONTEIN on the South African, Namibian border on 26th Feb 1936.

SWITZERLAND

1. BERN in Switzerland was the destination for this postcard. It was posted at DÜSSELDORF 1 post office on 12th Dec 1935.

USA

1. This first example was posted in BERLIN on 14th Mar 1936 and was sent to NEW YORK, USA. To cover the extra postage a self-adhesive 3Rpf HINDENBURG Medallion and a 6Rpf Winter Olympics issue stamp have been added to meet the 15Rpf overseas postage rate.




2. Mailed on the train from DRESDEN on 8th Dec 1935 this card was also destined for New York City, U.S.A. The card is correctly franked at 15Rpf.

REGISTERED CARD

EXPRESS DELIVERY CARD

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

USED on the SPECIAL ZEPPELINFAHRT FLIGHT

GERMAN BAHNPOST

The following P257 was cancelled on board the WÜRZBURG-FRANKFURT train No. 2400 on 22nd Dec 1935.

INVALID USAGE

SPECIAL SLOGAN CANCELS

1. Posted a week after the Winter Olympic games had finished, this card was sent from MUNICH on 24th Feb 1936 and was destined for ASCHAFFENBURG, a three hour train journey today. This example features a Special postmark used in MUNICH and NÜRNBERG.




2.




3.

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