OFFICIAL POSTCARDS
(1934)

This page was last updated
24-Aug-2024 02:46

P252
OFFICIAL POSTCARD
NAZI PARTY RALLY
5th / 10th Sep 1934

Officially issued 1st Sep 1934, but available from 30th Aug, and valid until 31st Dec 1935.

BACKGROUND: The image on the card depicts an SS standard bearer and the 6 Rpf indicia stamp shows NÜRNBERG castle.

This was the 6th Party Congress (held from September 5th to 10th, 1934) and was attended by about 700,000 Nazi Party supporters. Initially it did not have a theme. Later it was labelled the "Rally of Unity and Strength" (Reichsparteitag der Einheit und Stärke), "Rally of Power" (Reichsparteitag der Macht), or "Rally of Will" (Reichsparteitag des Willens). The Leni Riefenstahl film 'Triumph des Willens' was made at this rally. In addition, this rally was particularly notable due to Albert Speer's Cathedral of light: 152 searchlights that cast vertical beams into the sky around the Zeppelin Field to symbolise the walls of a building.

As well as the official card there were several official cards with additional private printing, as well as a number of other propaganda postcards.

SPECIAL CANCEL: There were three Special postmarks that are associated with this event.

VARIANTS TO COLLECT

Frech Recommends the following are suggested variants that might make good additions to a collection:

1. Used before the official issue date [i.e. used before 1st Sep 1934
2. Cancelled on first day of issue 1st Sep 1934
3. With round handstamp SST "REICHSPARTEITAG | NÜRNBERG"
4. With machine stamp SST "REICHSPARTEITAG | N.S.D.A.P | in NÜRNBERG"
5. With machine stamp SST "Nürnberg | Die Stadt der | Reichs= | Parteitag"
6. As a domestic long-distance card without any special features
4. As a border card to Switzerland without additional postage
5. As a foreign used card with 10 Rpf to CSR
6. As a foreign used card with 10 Rpf to Hungary
7. As a foreign used card with 15 Rpf
8. As a Registered card
9. As a local delivery Express card
10. Posted at the Hamburg tram post office
13. Used as a Rohrpost (pneumatic) card in BERLIN
14. Domestic Airmail usage
15. European Airmail usage
16. Airmail usage to the USA from Bodensee (Lake Constance)


I would also add the following items:
1. Postally unused
2. Domestic Bahnpost usage
3. Invalid Usage - either after expiration date or with incorrect postage applied
4. With additional private printing
5. Special slogan cancels

EXAMPLES FROM MY COLLECTION

POSTALLY UNUSED

USED BEFORE 1st Sep 1934

Used before the official issue date [i.e. used before 1st Sep 1934]

CANCELLED on FIRST DAY of ISSUE

Cancelled on the official issue date 1sr Sep 1934

WITH ROUND HANDSTAMP SST
"REICHSPARTEITAG | NÜRNBERG"

WITH MACHINE STAMP SST
"REICHSPARTEITAG | N.S.D.A.P | in NÜRNBERG"

WITH MACHINE STAMP SST "REICHSPARTEITAG | N.S.D.A.P | in NÜRNBERG" | von 5. mit 10. Sept 1934

1. This first domestically used P252 postcard was sent from the rally in NÜRNBERG on 8th Nov 1934 to HANNOVER. As well as the usual CDS cancel this card also has the special slogan cancel inscribed "Reichsparteitag | N.S.D.A.P | in Nürnberg | vom 5 mit 10. Sept 1934".




2. The following domestically used card was sent from the 1934 Nazi Party Rally and bears the special cancellation used during the event.




3. The next two cards are purely philatelic creations. The cards were both posted in Germany and sent to locations within the country. The postal rate should have been 6 Rpf but in both cases the sender has added related special issue Reichsparteitag self-adhesive stamps in order to have all three commemorative stamps on the same card.

WITH MACHINE STAMP SST
"Nürnberg | Die Stadt der | Reichs= | Parteitag"

Machine stamp inscribed "Nürnberg | Die Stadt der | Reichs= | Parteitag" and features a small swastika and a coat of arms with two imperial eagles with outstretched wings.

DOMESTIC LONG DISTANCE WITHOUT SPECIAL FEATURES

1. The next domestically used card was sent from WITTEN to MÜLHEIM on 15th Jan 1935.




2. This second domestically used example was posted several weeks after the rally had ended on 25th Oct 1934, and was sent from WIESENBAD to DRESDEN.

BORDER CARD TO SWITZERLAND WITHOUT ADDITIONAL POSTAGE

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf TO CSR

FOREIGN USE WITH 10 Rpf TO HUNGARY

FOREIGN USE WITH 15 Rpf

REGISTERED CARD

EXPRESS DELIVERY CARD

HAMBURG TRAM POST OFFICE

Posted at the Hamburg tram post office.

POSTED AS ROHRPOST IN BERLIN

DOMESTIC AIRMAIL

EUROPEAN AIRMAIL

AIRMAIL TO USE FROM LAKE CONSTANCE

GERMAN BAHNPOST

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