A personal act of defiance?
It really looks like some sort of Polish local stamp but I can't seem to find it in my Barefoot book. I'll take a slower look later, but I'm pretty sure that's what it is!
Edit: Took a slower look and still can't find it. It sure would look nice in my collection of Poland Locals!
It seems to be a handwritten overprint "Poczta Polska"
I never have seen this before.
BUT THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WAS THAT THE ORIGINAL STAMP IS MICHEL NR 55 THAT WAS ISSUED IN 1900.
REICHSPOST
DEUTSCHES REICH (Friedensdruck)
DEUTSCHES REICH (Kriegsdruck)
All the overprints I know off are on the germania stamps that have the inscription "DEUTSCHES REICH" and NOT "REICHSPOST"
So I think it is a fake.
At the end of the 1st WW there were a lot of local overprints.
Some districts I know are :
GRODJISK
KALISZ
MAKOW
OSTROW
PLONSEK
SKIERNEWICE
WLOCLAWEK
LECZYCA
POZNAN
BRZEZINY
they have all slighty different overprints (see pictures below)
POZNAN issues
BRZEZINY issues
GRODJISK issues
KALISZ issues
LECZYCA issues
Thanks to everyone for the help. Another addition to my junk tote.
The basic stamp is definitely from the 1900 series. That doesn't necessarily make it a fake, at least not yet! There is no reason why regional stamps couldn't have existed in that time period. Surely there is an expert in early German stamp overprints or hand stamps that can help out here! Of course, maybe it is fake - someone having a bit of fun with a common German stamp!
That's what I meant with my earlier remark that this might be an act of defiance. Perhaps there was someone over there in Eastern Silesia or Western Prussia or whichever German region that had a Polish minority, who thought "how do you mean this is Germany, this is Poland!" and singlehandedly changed a German stamp to a make believe Polish one.
JanSimon, if's that what was done to the stamp, does it have any real value or is it just a novelty?
In Dutch we say "wat de gek ervoor geeft", what translates to "whatever a fool wants to pay for it".
Nice phrase Jansimon!
In Scotland a gowk is a fool (or a cuckoo).
Hunt-the-gowk is making someone an April fool.
I might be a fool , probably am, but as a novelty I would give it a value of about $5 - $10. Seems reasonable to me!
"There is no reason why regional stamps couldn't have existed in that time period."
I was talking about the earlier time period. There was nothing to stop someone from a region from making up their own regional stamp using a hand stamp or any method they wanted to use. This might not be the case here, but anyone can doctor a stamp to fit what they consider to be a need at the time. That could make this stamp a one-off manufactured by a single person. It might have no value except as a curiosity. I have the book by Barefoot (Poland 1918 Locals) so I do realize when most, or all, of the locals were done. But there is no reason why someone couldn't do a few for themselves at an earlier date. Just my opinion, but I still think this stamp has some(?) value as a curiosity.
Edit: Or I suppose it could have been someone last year messing around with a ca 1900 German stamp just for something to do. No way of knowing!!
As a certain German "expert" wrote, "If it is not in my collection, it must be
false."
I found this stamp in a collection of German Occupation of Poland. Reichpost is crossed out and the word "Polska" is written across the stamp. Can anyone tell me what I have? Thank you.
re: German Occupation of Poland?
A personal act of defiance?
re: German Occupation of Poland?
It really looks like some sort of Polish local stamp but I can't seem to find it in my Barefoot book. I'll take a slower look later, but I'm pretty sure that's what it is!
Edit: Took a slower look and still can't find it. It sure would look nice in my collection of Poland Locals!
re: German Occupation of Poland?
It seems to be a handwritten overprint "Poczta Polska"
I never have seen this before.
BUT THE FIRST THING I NOTICED WAS THAT THE ORIGINAL STAMP IS MICHEL NR 55 THAT WAS ISSUED IN 1900.
REICHSPOST
DEUTSCHES REICH (Friedensdruck)
DEUTSCHES REICH (Kriegsdruck)
All the overprints I know off are on the germania stamps that have the inscription "DEUTSCHES REICH" and NOT "REICHSPOST"
So I think it is a fake.
At the end of the 1st WW there were a lot of local overprints.
Some districts I know are :
GRODJISK
KALISZ
MAKOW
OSTROW
PLONSEK
SKIERNEWICE
WLOCLAWEK
LECZYCA
POZNAN
BRZEZINY
they have all slighty different overprints (see pictures below)
POZNAN issues
BRZEZINY issues
GRODJISK issues
KALISZ issues
LECZYCA issues
re: German Occupation of Poland?
Thanks to everyone for the help. Another addition to my junk tote.
re: German Occupation of Poland?
The basic stamp is definitely from the 1900 series. That doesn't necessarily make it a fake, at least not yet! There is no reason why regional stamps couldn't have existed in that time period. Surely there is an expert in early German stamp overprints or hand stamps that can help out here! Of course, maybe it is fake - someone having a bit of fun with a common German stamp!
re: German Occupation of Poland?
That's what I meant with my earlier remark that this might be an act of defiance. Perhaps there was someone over there in Eastern Silesia or Western Prussia or whichever German region that had a Polish minority, who thought "how do you mean this is Germany, this is Poland!" and singlehandedly changed a German stamp to a make believe Polish one.
re: German Occupation of Poland?
JanSimon, if's that what was done to the stamp, does it have any real value or is it just a novelty?
re: German Occupation of Poland?
In Dutch we say "wat de gek ervoor geeft", what translates to "whatever a fool wants to pay for it".
re: German Occupation of Poland?
Nice phrase Jansimon!
In Scotland a gowk is a fool (or a cuckoo).
Hunt-the-gowk is making someone an April fool.
re: German Occupation of Poland?
I might be a fool , probably am, but as a novelty I would give it a value of about $5 - $10. Seems reasonable to me!
re: German Occupation of Poland?
"There is no reason why regional stamps couldn't have existed in that time period."
re: German Occupation of Poland?
I was talking about the earlier time period. There was nothing to stop someone from a region from making up their own regional stamp using a hand stamp or any method they wanted to use. This might not be the case here, but anyone can doctor a stamp to fit what they consider to be a need at the time. That could make this stamp a one-off manufactured by a single person. It might have no value except as a curiosity. I have the book by Barefoot (Poland 1918 Locals) so I do realize when most, or all, of the locals were done. But there is no reason why someone couldn't do a few for themselves at an earlier date. Just my opinion, but I still think this stamp has some(?) value as a curiosity.
Edit: Or I suppose it could have been someone last year messing around with a ca 1900 German stamp just for something to do. No way of knowing!!
re: German Occupation of Poland?
As a certain German "expert" wrote, "If it is not in my collection, it must be
false."