I don't think I have shown this cover before but I find it interesting and worthy of a lazy day speculation.
The cover as seen was mailed from a German Pastry Shop, Quattlender with a Brooklyn location, in 1938 to the German Consulate in New York City.
Was the German Hindenburg stamp added along with U.S. postage in order to exhibit sender's Germanic pride in the then current regime?
Was the addition of the German stamp a way to signal the German Consulate about an important matter contained within that differentiated the mailing from the common mail stream mailings?
re: German Stamp Added To US Cover Third Reich Era
By now the Nazi party is taking full totalitarian control over Germany. This is a high time of German pride in the United States as well. This low-value stamp is being used as a sign of pro-Germanic sentiments.
re: German Stamp Added To US Cover Third Reich Era
Thanks for the commentaries.
I looked at the posts by Facebook members and one of them mentions the bakery did survive the war; they recalled being there in 1966.
Bruce
re: German Stamp Added To US Cover Third Reich Era
An interesting cover. I'd buy that!
It's possible that the sender was commemorating the memory of Paul von Hindenburg, the German military officer who is pictured on the German stamp. He was a statesman and politician who served as the second President of Germany from 1925 until his death in 1934. My understanding is that that he was held in high esteem by many Germans, and he was not fond of Hitler, who successfully deposed him in 1933. Hitler was not fond of Hindenburg, either.
I've always found it interesting that the 1932 German definitive set picturing von Hindenburg is watermarked with the "net" design common to many German stamps of that era, but the 1933-1936 re-issue, following Hitler' s accession to power, is watermarked with swastikas. I've always wondered if Hindenburg was aware of that subtle change to "his" stamps, which were used throughout the Second World War. Hindenburg was held in such high esteem by many Germans that Hitler apparently didn't think it wise to remove his stamps from circulation. He (Hindenburg) looks like a rather grandfatherly sort, but his life was utterly devoted to Germanic superiority and military power. There appears not to have been a shred of compassion in his personality. Imagine that, a politician without compassion!
Dialysis, damned if you do...dead if you don't 21 Mar 2017 01:51:20pm
re: German Stamp Added To US Cover Third Reich Era
German name, German bakery, contacting the German consulate...
I would have guessed they added the stamp to show their heritage to the consulate. I wonder if perhaps they were contacting them for a passport, visa, or some other favor?
Don
The truth is within and only you can reveal it 23 Mar 2017 08:32:18pm
re: German Stamp Added To US Cover Third Reich Era
It would not have any more value than that given it by a few interested bidders at auction.
I think it would properly fall under the category of a contrived curiosity.