HockeyNut
23 Jan 2020 12:26:59pm | re: Saxon blackening / Sächsische Schwärzungen
State Sachsen
Use-up provisionals, so-called "Saxon blackening"
After the surrender, postal traffic was temporarily suspended. The resumption took place in the area of the (former) Oberpostdirektionen (= OPD) Chemnitz and Leipzig on May 12th, in the area of the OPD Dresden on May 16th, 1945. The relevant rulings indicated that until new stamps were issued the postage stamps still valid on 8. 5.1945 of the German Empire could still be used, but head images or other National Socialist features were made unrecognizable
had to, but the indication of value had to remain legible. -
This blurring had to be done by the post offices before the sale; the stamps in public hands could be "blackened" by the postal customer even before the consignments were posted. The form and design were not prescribed, which resulted in overprints, upper stamps with cork, rubber or similar stamps, smearings (including fingerprints), Letters that were delivered before the collapse and were only carried out later received this treatment afterwards.
Only stamps that were used as franking equipment after the end of German sovereignty can be regarded as provisional provisionals ("Saxon blackening"). Under no circumstances may they be confused with the so-called rollovers that come from all parts of the German Reich (including the Reich Protectorate Bohemia and Moravia and the General Government) may occur; some of these rolls were made unrecognizable before delivery.
The "Saxon darknesses" cannot be regarded as independent local editions. Exceptions are expenditures by the authorities, which freely interpreted the orders of the Upper Post Office or were temporarily separated from the superior authority and used characteristic and distinctive imprints to make them unrecognizable.
In theory, all stamps of the German Reich that were still valid on postage paid on May 8, 1945, could have been made illegible. So far, however, only the stamps cataloged below have been available. In order to avoid renumbering in the event of late registrations, the MICHEL numbers of the stamps of the German Reich with an AP (= provisional provision) were used instead of the previous Roman numbers.
The following stamps are used:
Hindenburg medallion: AP 512 - AP 528
Hitler-köpf: AP 781 - AP 802 and AP 826 - AP 827
Special stamps: AP 830, AP 856, AP 874, AP 887, AP 895, AP 903, AP 907
Official stamps: AP 138, AP 143, AP 155 - AP 177
Combo prints: AP E1, AP W 153, AP S 292, AP KZ 38
We distinguish 3 areas:
I: for OPD Chemnitz (12-05-1945 to 08-08-1945)
II: for OPD Dresden (23-05-1945 to 20-06-1945)
III: for OPD OPD Leipzig (12-05-1945 to 08-08-1945)
Postal stationery:
The postal stationery received the same treatment as the stamps
Real consignments (if possible from authorities, savings banks, well-known companies) are exempted at a maximum of 54 Pf (= registered double letter) and bear the day stamp until about 10.8.1945, since shortly before (between 3.8. And 8.8.1945) the use ban came into effect. Higher values can appear on postal orders, payment cards and parcel cards (office staff). Letters with individual stamps that correspond to the normal postage rate are the letters with so-called. prefer complete sentences. The typesetting letters are no higher than pieces of paper!
Taking advantage of the opportunity to make the stamps unrecognizable or have them made when the consignments were delivered, retailers and collectors presented entire sets and occasionally various special stamps for convenience corking, so that the post offices began to pay the nominal value again desire.
Demand letters with mixed frankings (consignments with several brands in different types of imprint) justify a price premium. If there are several similar blurrings on letter, the price for the most expensive stamp is the letter price, for the remaining pieces the letter is quoted.
Types of blurring:
A = informal blobs or smears (paint, ink, ink, fingerprints, etc.)
B = full circles (cork, rubber, wooden stamps, imprints), about 10 to 25 mm in average.
C = other forms typical for individual post offices (circles with features, rectangles, hexagons, stars, numbers, bars, etc.
It was possible that blackening of a neighboring town was also used, so that the location stamp is not always proof of the type of blackening of the delivery PA. It is important to clearly determine the type of blackening (C) that is characteristic of the post office in question. Company punchings are also known from some places.
The occasional blackening of Bad Schmiedeberg (see local edition Wittenberg-Lutherstadt), Pretzsch and Mühlberg are attributable to the province of Saxony.
Blackening has also emerged from the area of the OPD Berlin-Brandenburg (Erkner, Dahme), the OPD Halle (e.g. Pretzsch, Zerbst, Braunsbedra) and other parts of the Soviet zone.
In the area of the OPD Leipzig west of the Mulde, the holdings of earlier permanent and official stamps were confiscated in June 1945 in order to provide them with a uniform overprint in the letterpress process (see West Saxony, so-called Holzhausen edition), but blackening was also featured ¬nommen.
Because of numerous counterfeits, especially from Crimmitschau, Eibau, Herrnhut, Löbau, Niederoderwitz and Oberoderwitz, some with falsified "test marks" and subsequently produced letters, great caution is advised! All documents with "Saxon blackening" should only be acquired checked!
For further blurring (not listed here), see German local editions from 1945 onwards
Issues of OPD Dresden see East Saxony No. 41-65, issues of OPD Leipzig see West Saxony No. 116-165
Finally, a note on excellent literature on the subject.
The interested collector will find an exhaustive presentation in the two volumes "Die Sächsische Schwärzungen 1945" Volume 1 (Postal History) and
Volume 2 (catalog) by Messrs Anderson, Bänsch, Meyer and Porsche.
Login to Like this post |