OFFICIAL POSTCARDS
(1934)

This page was last updated
22-Sep-2024 02:53

P250
OFFICIAL POSTCARD
6Rpf

Postcard P250 was issued to commemorate the 1st Anniversary of Adolf Hilter becoming Chancellor of Germany on January 30th 1933. The picture features a Nazi Party rally beneath the Brandenburger Tor in Berlin and is inscribed "Deutschland, Deutschland über Alles!" ("Germany, Germany above everything!") the German National Anthem since 1922. The anthem is officially called 'Das Lied der Deutschen' or 'The Song of the Germans'.

The scene pictured is believed to have taken place on the 21st Mar 1933 and is not a picture of the 25,000 strong SA procession organised by Goebels that marched past the Reich Chancellery on the 30th Jan 1933.

The 6 Rpf indicia stamp depicts Adolf Hitler and the old Chancellor von Hindenburg. Hitler is pictured with Hindenburg in order to generate a sense of legitimacy and a connection to the past as Hindenburg was a well respected and admired national hero. For the first few years of the Nazi regime this was a constant theme (it can also been seen on propaganda posters), utilising Hindenburg to legitimise the regime, however as the Nazi stranglehold began to tighten and the regime grew more secure this link to the past was dropped (for example the Hindenburg stamps of 1934 were later replaced by very similar Hitler portrait stamps in 1941).

As well as the official card there were a number of official cards with additional private printing.

This card was officially issued on 29th Jan 1934 and was valid until 31st Dec 1935. The first day of issue is considered to be 29th Jan 1934 but cards can be found cancelled from 24th Jan onwards.

MICHEL P250
UNUSED

VARIANTS TO COLLECT

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

1. Used before the official issue date [ie used before 29th Jan 1934
2. Cancelled on first day of issue 29th Jan 1934
3. As a domestic long-distance card without any special features
4. As a Rural. Land use
5. As a foreign used card with 10 Rpf to CSR
6. As a foreign used card with 10Rpf to Hungary
7. As a foreign used card with 15 Rpf
8. As a Registered card
9. As a local delivery Express card
10. As a Rohrpost card in Berlin
11. Domestic Armail usage
12. European Airmail usage
13. Airmail usage to the USA from Bodensee (Lake Constance)
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. Special slogan cancels

EXAMPLES FROM MY COLLECTION

POSTALLY UNUSED

USED BEFORE 29th JAN 1934

Used before the official issue date [ie used before 29th Jan 1934]

CANCELLED on FIRST DAY of ISSUE

Cancelled on the official issue date 29th Jan 1934

DOMESTIC LONG DISTANCE

1. Cancelled "OSTERWIECK 1-2-34" and sent to BRAUNSCHWEIG, Lower Saxony, North Central Germany.




2. Another weather beaten example of a P250 postcard, this time Cancelled "LECK 4-3-34" and destined for HAMBURG.




3. The following domestic example of a locally used P250 postcard was sent from BAD GODESBERG and has a CDS cancel dated 1.2.34.

"Dear Edi! I am ordering some sheets of Wohlf again these days. - Fridericus brands from Berlin. Please let me know within the next week whether you, or possibly your friends, are interested in a pad or return prints. Otherwise I will use the items myself in the usual way. Let me know exactly what you want to do. Warm regards from home. Hans, Bad Godesberg 1.2.34 before 5-6"




4. This next example of a locally used domestic P250 postcard was sent to/from TREPTOW, and has a CDS cancel dated 30th Jan 1934. The mesaage on the reverse ends with a familiar "Heil Hitler!" greeting.




5. The next locally used domestic P250 postcard was sent to/from Nürnberg on 30th Jan 1934.




6. The following locally used domestic P250 postcard was sent to/from STUTTGART also on 30th Jan 1934.




7. The following domestically used P250 postcard was sent to ERFURT from BINZ on 18th Feb 1934.

RURAL / LAND USE

1. This next example was sent from a rural post office to AUSPACH on 3rd Feb 1934.

FOREIGN USE TO CSR

FOREIGN USE TO HUNGARY

FOREIGN USE WITH 15 Rpf

ARGENTINA

1. This somewhat worn P250 postcard was cancelled in MUNICH on 30th Jan 1934 and was sent to BUENOS AIRES in ARGENTINA. In order to cover the additional postage fee two HINDENBURG Medallion self-adhesive stamps have been added for a total of 15 Rpf.

AUSTRALIA

1. The following P250 postcard was posted in FREIBURG on 30th Dec 1934 and was sent to KILDA, VICTORIA in Australia. The card was correctly franked at 15 Rpf.

DENMARK

1. The card below was sent from ALTONA to COPENHAGEN, DENMARK on 30th Jan 1934

FRANCE

1. The foreign used P250 postcard below was likely sent to an address in FRANCE from MUNICH on 30th Jan 1934.

ITALY

1. The next P250 postcard was posted in FRANKFURT (MAIN) on 25th Jun 1934 and was sent to MILAN, ITALY. The card was correctly franked at 15 Rpf.




2. The folloing example was sent to the town of MAILAND in northern ITALY from DRESDEN on 1st Jun 1934. It was correctly franked with 15 Rpf.

The NETHERLANDS

1. The P250 card below was sent from BERLIN GRUNEWALDE 1 to AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND on 16th Feb 1934.

The UNITED STATES of AMERICA

1. The following P250 postcard was sent from LECHBRUCK to NEW YORK, USA on 2nd Mar 1934.




2. The P250 card below was sent from ESCHWEGE to DETROIT, USA on 31st Jan 1934.




3. The P250 card below was sent from WANDSBECK to PARKLAND, CALIFORNIA, USA on 30th Jan 1934.

REGISTERED CARD

EXPRESS DELIVERY CARD

ROHRPOST in BERLIN

DOMESTIC AIRMAIL

EUROPEAN AIRMAIL

HOLLAND

1. The example below was both an airmail and a registered mail postcard sent from KÖLN to NIJMEGEN in HOLLAND on 3rd Feb 1934. It was also cancelled during the journey at DÜSSELDORF FLUGPLATZ

SWITZERLAND

1. The following example was first cancelled at multiple locations including FRANKFURT (MAIN) FLUGHAFEN, HALLE / LEIPZIG FLUGHAFEN and HANNOVER. There are two confirmation stamps, a two line red "Mit Luftpost befördert | Frankfurt (Main) 2 Flughafen" and a round "MIT LUFTPOST BEFÖRDERT | POSTAMT | HANNOVER".

AIRMAIL TO USE FROM LAKE CONSTANCE

GERMAN BAHNPOST

1. This rather beaten up postcard has a BAHNPOST Cancel inscribed "HOLZMINDEN-BRAUNSCHWEIG | BAHNPOST | Zug 400 | 19-3-34" on the front and a circular, violet, "Gemeindekasse Kreis Boslar" handstamp on the reverse.

INVALID USAGE

SPECIAL SLOGAN CANCELS

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