OFFICIAL POSTCARDS
(1938)

This page was last updated
27-May-2024 07:33

P274 / 03
DEZEMBER

VALIDITY: 29th Dec 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 29th Dec 1938

CANCELLED WITH "WHW" HANDSTAMP

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

The following card was domestically used and sent from BERLIN to RADEBEUL on 19th Jan 1939. There card also has the accompanying special slogan cancel inscribed "WHW | Ein Volk | hilft sich selbst" - "WHW a people helps itself"

AS A LAND OR RURAL CANCELLATION

DOMESTIC LONG DISTANCE WITHOUT SPECIAL MARKINGS

1. This domestically used card was sent from BAMBERG to COBURG on 20th Jan 1939, a distance of around 45 Km.




2. Another domestic long-distance card below this one was cancelled in BAD MERGENTHEIM and was sent to SOLINGEN on 2nd Feb 1939, a distance of around 350 Km.




3.

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf to CSR

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf to HUNGARY

FOREIGN USE WITH 15 Rpf

ITALY

1. This next card was sent from BERLIN to ROME on 16th Jan 1939.

POLAND

1. This first card was sent from MÜNCHEN to GUBEN (on the German - Polish border) on 8th Jan 1939. The card has two different special handstamps

SWITZERLAND

1. The following card was sent to SWITZERLAND from MUNICH in Jan 1939

UNITED STATES of AMERICA

1. This next forign usage example was sent from DRESDEN on 6th Apr 1939 and was destined for DETROIT, MICHIGAN, USA.

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

GERMAN BAHNPOST

INVALID USAGE

SPECIAL SLOGAN CANCELS

1 and 2.




3.

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