Sorting through some glassines of Germanias I found this weird one on the right.
Compared to the "normal" issue on the left, this has a distinctly heavier paper (but not "heavy" as from a pre-printed envelope or postcard). The entire face of the stamp is the same color as the paper on the back.
The cancel Berlin, N. 58 7 | 8 is also very distinct from any others I've seen. Perhaps it's a clue?
re: Another Weird One - Germania "Reichspost" Color and Paper Oddity
Thanks Michael.
Toning was my initial thought but the coloring is so even throughout, and the same on front and back - plus the paper is distinctly different. So I don't think that's it.
re: Another Weird One - Germania "Reichspost" Color and Paper Oddity
I got into the stampsx site ok, but my German is pretty rusty. Nice to have that bookmarked, thanks.
Still trying to find out what the deal is with that stamp though. Inspected it with a decent magnifying glass and can't find any evidence that it is simply toning. Searching on-line to no avail. I'm keeping a separate page of color variations that aren't already in Scotts and my Steiner pages so it may just have to sit there with a question mark.
I might put in a title "Extremely Rare" under it just to mess up my estate executors since everyone who inherits a collection seems to have a predisposition to think that their pile of common stuff will pay off the mortgage...
re: Another Weird One - Germania "Reichspost" Color and Paper Oddity
From time to time when soaking stamps off of colored paper, the stamp takes on the color of the paper to which it was previously attached. If that stamp had been attached to brownish paper and left under moist or wet conditions in close contact with that paper for any length of time, the color could have bled uniformly into the stamp.
As an example that everyone seems to understand, think of one red sock in a load of laundry with a pile of white socks. The end result is a pile of permanently stained pink socks.
re: Another Weird One - Germania "Reichspost" Color and Paper Oddity
Hi Everyone;
My favorite area of my collection is my "???" pages. I like to look at them occasionally and just
wonder a bit. I could always post them in here for IDs but....
That would spoil my fun musings tho....
TuskenRaider
re: Another Weird One - Germania "Reichspost" Color and Paper Oddity
the RN blockade, caused shortages in germany ... no gum arabic, and paper substitutions.
some non-standard papers were used in germania production "kriegsdruck" rough cuts
philaseiten.de also offers a large cancel database