OFFICIAL POSTCARDS
(1938)

This page was last updated
27-May-2024 07:24

P274 / 02
NOVEMBER

VALIDITY: 18th Nov 1938 to 30th Jun 1939

BACKGROUND: The following series of 6 postcards was issued at various stages from 14th Oct 1983 through to 21st Feb 1939 with a valid date up until 30th Jun 1939. 4 Rpf of the proceeds from the sale of each card went towards the Winter Relief Fund.

The cards are labelled from Oct to Mar, with each card representing a different month. Each of the cards depicts a tradesperson going about their work. The official theme of the cards was "flowers from the Ostmarke" and the designs were from prolific artist von Axtler-Heudlass. The design of the cards closely matches the design of the door plaques that were being used during this period.

The pre-printed value stamp features two Eidelweiss flowers and 6 Rpf was for postage whilst the remaining 4 Rpf was donated to the WHW.

Similar sets of six cards with a different theme were also issued in 1939 and again in 1940.

The six cards are as follows:

P274/01: October - Issued 14th Oct 1938
P274/02: November - Issued 18th Nov 1938
P274/03: December - Issued 1st Dec 1938
P274/04: January - Issued 29h Dec 1938
P274/05: February - Issued 1st Feb 1939
P274/06: March - Issued 21st Feb 1939

In addition to the offical cards there were also several examples of privately printed cards as below

VARIANTS TO COLLECT

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

1. Cancelled on first day of issue 14th Oct 1938
2. Cancelled with "WHW" handstamp
3. Cancelled with "WHW Ein Volk hilft sich selbst" machine stamp
4. As a land or rural cancellation
5. As a domestic long-distance card without any special features
6. As a foreign used card with 10 Rpf to CSR
7. As a foreign used card with 10 Rpf to Hungary
8. As a foreign used card with 15 Rpf
9. As a Registered Delivery card
10. As a local delivery Express Delivery card
11. Cancelled as a Hamburg Straβenbahnpost
12. Used as a Rohrpost (pneumatic) card in BERLIN
13. Domestic Airmail usage
14. European Airmail usage
15. Airmail usage to the USA
16. As a Zeppelin post card
17. Postally unused
18. Domestic Bahnpost usage
19. Invalid Usage - either after expiration date or with incorrect postage applied
20. With additional private printing
21. With Special slogan cancels

POSTALLY UNUSED

CANCELLED on FIRST DAY of ISSUE

Cancelled on the official issue date 18th Nov 1938

CANCELLED WITH "WHW" HANDSTAMP

CANCELLED WITH "WHW Ein Volk hilft sich selbst" MACHINE STAMP

AS A LAND OR RURAL CANCELLATION

1.

DOMESTIC LONG DISTANCE WITHOUT SPECIAL MARKINGS

1. This domestically used postcard was a local delivery in NEUSTADT on th Dec 1938.




2. The following domestically used postcard was a sent from SWINNEMÜNDE to HANNOVER on the 8th Dec 1938.




3.

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf to CSR

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf to HUNGARY

FOREIGN USE WITH 15 Rpf

UNITED STATES of AMERICA

1. This first foreign used P274/02 was sent from ULM to St. LOUIS, MISSOURI, USA on 29th Apr 1939. The card was correctly franked at 15 Rpf which included the pre-printed 6 Rpf, a 1933 issue Michel 517 8 Rpf and a Michel 512 1 Rpf Hindenburg Medallion Stamp.

REGISTERED DELIVERY CARD

EXPRESS DELIVERY CARD

HAMBURG STRAβENBAHNPOST

Cancelled as a Hamburg Straβenbahnpost

POSTED AS ROHRPOST IN BERLIN

DOMESTIC AIRMAIL

EUROPEAN AIRMAIL

AIRMAIL TO USA

ZEPPELIN POST

1. The postcard shown here was carried on the Zeppelin Sudetenland flight of 1st/2nd Dec 1938 and has the required red circular cachet and FRANKFURT-MAIN departure stamps. There is no arrival stamp or special slogan announcing the upcoming election. The card was franked with 56Rpf, 6Rpf for the Reichspost and 50Rpf to fill the Zeppelin company's coffers.

This is as close as it gets to a Zeppelin card used for personal use rather than purely philatelic and has the sender, Robert telling his father that he has arrived safely at his destination, and to give the card to Franz for his collection once he has read it.

GERMAN BAHNPOST

INVALID USAGE

SPECIAL SLOGAN CANCELS

1.

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