OFFICIAL POSTCARDS
(1939)

This page was last updated
08-Apr-2024 05:39

MICHEL P279
OFFICIAL POSTCARD
NATIONAL LABOUR DAY

VALIDITY: 28th Apr 1939 until 31st May 1940

BACKGROUND: This postcard was a re-issue of P275 from 1938 commemorating the Sudeten Plebiscite and is here used to commemorate National Labour Day (Tag der Nationalen Arbeit) on 1st May 1939. The difference between the two issues is that with this postcard the indicia stamp has a bar obliterating the date on the bottom of the stamp, and there is now an additional inscription below the word "Postkarte" that reads "zum 1. Mai Groβdeutschelands" roughly translated to 'from 1st May Greater Germany'.



ABOVE LEFT: Original stamp from 1938 with "4 Dezember 1938" inscription
ABOVE RIGHT: Revised stamp for this issue "4 Dezember 1938" obliterated

The card was available from post offices throughout Germany and sold for 15 Rpf. The difference between the stamp price (6 Rpf) and the total (15 Rpf) being a donation to Hitler's Culture Fund.

VARIANTS TO COLLECT

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

1. Cancelled before the official date of issue 28th Apr 1939
2. Cancelled on first day of issue 28th Apr 1939
3. Cancelled with "MÜNCHEN HAUPSTADT DER BEWEGUNG 1. Mai 1939" handstamp
4. Cancelled with "LAUTAWERK (LAUSITZ) Tag der Nationalen Arbeit" hand stamp
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 Special slogan cancels

POSTALLY UNUSED

CANCELLED BEFORE FIRST DAY of ISSUE

Cancelled before the official issue date 28th Apr 1939

CANCELLED on FIRST DAY of ISSUE

1. The following card was cancelled in BERLIN on the first day of issue 28th Apr 1939 and was sent to OFFENBACH

CANCELLED WITH "MÜNCHEN HAUPSTADT DER BEWEGUNG 1. Mai 1939" HANDSTAMP

1. Sent from MUNICH to OFFENBACH on 1st May 1939 this card has the special May Day handstamp that was used just for one day on the 1st May.

CANCELLED WITH "LAUTAWERK (LAUSITZ) Tag der Nationalen Arbeit"
HAND STAMP

11. The following card was posted on Labour Day, 1st May 1939 in the town of LAUTAWERK, and was destined for the town of GOTHA.

DOMESTIC LONG DISTANCE WITHOUT SPECIAL MARKINGS

1. This first domestically used P279 postcard was sent from BRUNSBÜTTELKOOG to LUBECK on 29th Apr 1939.




2. The following card was sent from DESSAU to WEISENDORF.




3. Posted in AMBERG on the 18th May 1939 this card was sent to a R.A.D facility No. 3/296.




4. The next card was posted in BAD DURKHEIM on 3rd Aug 1939 and was destined for PFALZ.




5. The card below was sent by a stamp collector to himself, and he has requested "bitte, sauber abstempeln!" - 'Please stamp cleanly!'. Considering it was franked on May 1st perhaps he was hoping for a special Labour Day cancellation rather than the LUDWIGSHAFEN CDS that was applied.




6. The next example has a simple CDS cancellation applied in DUISBURG on 15th May 1939.




7. Below is another example with a simple KARLSRUHE CDS dated 5th May 1939.

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf to CSR

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf to HUNGARY

FOREIGN USE WITH 15 Rpf

SWEDEN

1. This foreign used example was sent from BERLIN to STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN on 1st Dec 1939.

THE UNITED STATES

3. This foreign used Airmail example was sent from ARTERN to CHICAGO, USA on 1st May 1939.

REGISTERED DELIVERY CARD

EXPRESS DELIVERY CARD

HAMBURG STRAβENBAHNPOST

Cancelled as a Hamburg Straβenbahnpost

POSTED AS ROHRPOST IN BERLIN

DOMESTIC AIRMAIL

EUROPEAN AIRMAIL

SWEDEN

1. This foreign used Airmail example was sent from HAMBURG to The Strand Hotel, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN on the first day of issue, 28th Apr 1939.

AIRMAIL TO USA

ZEPPELIN POST

GERMAN BAHNPOST

INVALID USAGE

SPECIAL SLOGAN CANCELS

1. The following example was sent from LUCKA to ZEITZ on 26th Jul 1939 and features a special handstamp.




2. Posted on 30th Apr 1939 in HAMBURG, this postcard was sent to Kiel (?). The slogan on this example advises German's to include the house and street number on their mail to aid with delivery.

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