OFFICIAL POSTCARDS
(1938)

This page was last updated
27-May-2024 06:46

MICHEL P273
OFFICIAL POSTCARD
THANKSGIVING DAY

VALIDITY: Valid from 28th Sep 1938 to 31st Dec 1939

BACKGROUND: Released to commemorate Thanksgiving Day in 1938. The 6 Rpf pre-printed stamp features a portrait of Hitler with the inscription "Erntedanktag 1938" - 'Thanksgiving Day 1938'. The image on thr left-hand side depicts a farmer's wife in traditional Schaumburg costume with a fruit basket. The card was designed by Berlin based graphic artist Eric Stahl.

The card sold for 25 Rpf, nineteen Rpf of which was a donation to Hitler's Cuture Fund. The cards were available from post offices throughout Germany until 15th Oct 1938 when they were withdrawn and from then on were only available at the BERLIN and VIENNA Collector's counters.

There was no special event at BÜCKEBERG unlike in previous years, so there was no special BÜCKEBERG cancellation in 1938. The reason for this was logistic. In 1937 the Reichsbahn had used 500 special trains to transport people to and from the BÜCKEBERG event, but in 1938 those trains were needed to transport troops of the German Army to the east due to the so-called Sudeten crisis. The BÜCKEBERG festival was cancelled at very short notice. [4]

SPECIAL CANCEL: NONE

VARIANTS TO COLLECT

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

1. Cancelled before first day of issue 28th Sep 1938
2. Cancelled on first day of issue 28th Sep 1938
3. As a domestic long-distance card without any special features
4. As a foreign used card with 10 Rpf to CSR
5. As a foreign used card with 10 Rpf to Hungary
6. As a foreign used card with 15 Rpf
7. As a Registered Delivery card
8. As a local delivery Express Delivery card
9. Used at the Hamburg Straβenbahnpost
10. Used as a Rohrpost (pneumatic) card in BERLIN
11. Domestic Armail usage
12. European Airmail usage
13. Airmail usage to the USA
14. Postally unused
15. Domestic Bahnpost usage
16. Invalid Usage - either after expiration date or with incorrect postage applied
17. With additional private printing
18. With Special slogan cancels

EXAMPLES FROM MY COLLECTION

POSTALLY UNUSED

CANCELLED BEFORE FIRST DAY of ISSUE

The following card is interesting in that it bears the special Reich's Adler cachet used in ASCH (in the soon to be 'liberated' Sudetenland) on the same day as the ASCH insurgency, 21st Sep 1938. There are three versions of the red ASCH cachet, this one being the most common version. It seems a little strange that a card only issued on the 28th Sep 1938 could have a cancellation date one week earlier, so the question remains: was this card actually available before 28th Sep or does this card have a back-dated favour cancellation rather than a genuine usage.

CANCELLED on FIRST DAY of ISSUE

Cancelled on the official issue date 28th Sep 1938

DOMESTIC LONG DISTANCE WITHOUT SPECIAL MARKINGS

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf to CSR

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf to HUNGARY

FOREIGN USE WITH 15 Rpf

U.S. A

1. The following foreign used P273 postcard was send from ZITTAU on 12th Nov 1938 and was destined for CHICAGO, U.S.A. Two additional self-adhesive stamps, a 6Rpf and a 3Rpf have been added to cover the 15Rpf overseas charges.

REGISTERED DELIVERY CARD

EXPRESS DELIVERY CARD

HAMBURG STRAβENBAHNPOST

POSTED AS ROHRPOST IN BERLIN

DOMESTIC AIRMAIL

EUROPEAN AIRMAIL

AIRMAIL TO USA

GERMAN BAHNPOST

INVALID USAGE

SPECIAL SLOGAN CANCELS

1. The example below was sent to a Mr. Willie Beer in GERA and was cancelled in TRIER on 3rd Oct 1938.




2. This next example was sent from WEIMAR to GREIZ on 29th Oct 1938. This card has a special cancel not related to the issue of the card but inscribed "WEIMAR | GROSS | DEUTSCHES | DICHTERTREFFEN | Woche des Deutschen Buches 1938" - 'WEIMAR | BIG | GERMAN | POET MEETING | Week of the German Book 1938'




3. The card below features a special handstamp used to commemorate the HAMBURG Postal Stationary Show on 9th Oct 1938




4. The following example was sent from MAGDEBURG to BERLIN-CHARLOTTENBURG on 8th Oct 1938.




5. The next card was cancelled in IGLS on 14th Oct 1938 and was sent to RABENSTEIN.

MAIN REFERENCE SOURCES

1. MICHEL GANZSACHEN DEUTSCHLAND 2018. ISBN: 978-3-95402-225-0
2. BOREK GANZSACHEN-SPEZIAL-KATALOG DEUTSCHLAND ab 1933. ISBN: 3-87091-060-7
3. MICHEL BILDPOSTKARTEN- UND MOTIVGANSACHEN KATALOG DEUTSCHLAND 1997. ISBN: 3-87858-631-0
4. GANZSACHEN-HANDBUCH DES "DITTEN REICHES" 1933-1945 by FRECH. ISBN: UNKNOWN