PROPAGANDA POSTCARDS
(1943)
This page was last updated
12-Oct-2022 08:42
TAG DER BRIEFMARKE
EINHEITSORGANISATION DER DEUTSCHEN SAMMLER
(11th Jan 1942)
BACKGROUND: Sponsored by the Unified Organisation of German Stamp Collectors to commemorate Stamp Day on 10th Jan 1943. There were several cards published to commemorate this event as can be seen below
SONDERSTEMPEL: The postcard below features the special cancel used in 1943 and inscribed "WIEN | TAG DER BRIEFMARKE | 1943 | GEMEINSCHAFT DEUTSCHER SAMMLER e.V" and featuring an image of Mercury, the winged messenger. This handstamp exists with either "-", "/", "a", "b" or "c" counter strikes and was only used on one day, 10th Jan 1943.
This handstamp was available in the following 27 towns and cities: Aschaffenburg, Augsburg, Berlin, Bochum, Bremen, Breslau, Den Haag, Dresden, Erfurt, Essen, Hamburg, Kassel, Kattowitz, Kiel, Köln, Leipzig, Linz (Donau), Magdeburg, München, Münster (Westf), Nürnberg, Salzburg, Stettin, Strassburg, Stuttgart, Wien and Wiresbaden.
The first card,, designed by Ludwig Hesshäimer, was a re-issue of the 1942 'Tag der Briefmarke' postcard used in Vienna. This time however the building has been blacked out. Of note is the blacking out of the R.d.P (Reichsbund der Philatelists) and K.d.F (Kraft durch Freude) logos which have been replaced with large "G.D.S" (GEMEINSCHAFT DEUTSCHER SAMLER') or Society of German Collectors, initials. The same thing was also done with the special handstamp which had "R.d.P" and "K.d.F" logos in 1942 but "GEMEINSCHAFT DEUTSCHER SAMMLER" in 1943.
A second card, also designed by Ludwig Hesshäimer, can be seen below. Strangely this card still has the "R.d.P" and "K.d.F" logos and there is no mention of the "G.D.S"