German Postal History: From Weimar to the Third Reich, A Covers Album

This album gathers commercially travelled covers — real posted mail, not mint stamps in a stockbook — spanning the closing years of the Weimar Republic and the full sweep of the Third Reich. The run opens with Hindenburg definitives, advertisement slogan cancels and the SAAR overprint of the mid-1930s, then passes through Dienstmarke official mail, the Hitler-head definitives and propaganda cancels of the war years, and closes with Feldpost and the 1938–39 commemorative issues.

Many envelopes are addressed to the Ziegler family of Hersfeld (Hesse) — several at Wittastraße 16 — joined by correspondence to the family's institutional addresses, including the Hersfeld Stadtarchiv and, later, the Marburg University medieval-history institute. The cancellations run the gamut from small-town offices like Gotha, Schwarzenau, Apolda and Hamm to the city offices of Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover, Frankfurt and Würzburg.

Below, each album page is shown as scanned, with a short read on every stamp and cancellation visible on its covers.

Page 01

Weimar Reds, SAAR and Slogan Cancels

1934 Hindenburg and Germania-definitive covers with advertising slogan cancels.

12pf red "Tag der Deutschen Post" commemorative

A special stamp marking a German Postal Day, cancelled at Gotha in 1934. Addressed to Familie Runkwitz at Orlishausen, near Sömmerda. The black flag-style slogan reads "Die Stadt der…" (partly obscured).
12pf red Hindenburg definitive, black "SAAR" overprint

Cancelled at Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe in 1934 — issued around the Saar plebiscite period. Addressed to Fräulein/Herrn Dr. Ziegler at Hersfeld, Wittastraße 16.
20pf grey-black Germania numeral definitive

Cancelled at Schwarzenau (Kr. Ziegenhain). Addressed simply "An Herrn Ziegler in Hersfeld," an older-style Weimar-period letter.
8pf green Reichspost eagle definitive

Weimar Reichsadler design, struck with a "Fernsprecher spart Zeit und Geld" (the telephone saves time and money) advertising slogan cancel. Sent to a Fräulein E. Walz in Wiesbaden.

Page 02

Registered Silesian Covers

Two Einschreiben (registered) covers from Petrowitz, Upper Silesia.

8pf red + 30pf black Hindenburg definitives, registered

An "Einschreiben" cover with red label "Petrowitz (Kr. Kattowitz, Oberschlesien) No. 422." Addressed to the Wirtschaftsamt (economic office) in Petrowitz, Upper Silesia.
4pf grey + 30pf green + strip of 1pf brown Hindenburgs, registered

A second registered cover from the same Petrowitz office, label No. 890. Multiple low values were combined to make up the registered-letter rate.
3pf brown Hindenburg definitive

Struck with the "Kaiser Friedrich Quelle" mineral-spring advertising slogan cancel. Addressed to Frau Elise Ziegler in Bad Hersfeld, Wittastraße 16.

Page 03

Dienstmarke Official Mail

Official service (Dienstmarke) covers of the Third Reich, 1941–42.

12pf red swastika Dienstmarke

Official service stamp, cancelled at Weimar 1941, sent to Fräulein Dr. Ziegler at the Hersfeld Stadtarchiv. Bears the embossed eagle/swastika seal of "Land Thüringen, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Weimar" (Thuringia State Art Collections).
12pf red swastika Dienstmarke

Struck with a "Unversiegelte Weihnachtspakete bis 500 RM, volle Haftung" (unsealed Christmas parcels, full liability) wartime postal slogan. Sent to Fräulein Dr. E. Ziegler in Hersfeld; the sender's institutional seal is present but the address line has been redacted with a black bar.

Page 04

Marburg University Correspondence

Covers bearing the seal of the medieval-history institute at Marburg University.

12pf red Hindenburg/swastika definitive

Marburg cancel, bearing the seal of the "Institut für mittelalterliche Geschichte, Mittelalterliches Seminar" at Marburg University. Addressed to Fräulein Dr. Elisabeth Ziegler in Hersfeld.
12pf red Hindenburg definitive

Same institute's seal, Marburg cancel dated 1938. Addressed to Dr. P. Ziegler with a red "NSDAP Mitgliedskarte Nr. 4629697" party-membership stamp added to the envelope.

Page 05

Hitler-Head Definitives, WWII Era

Hitler-head frankings of 1942–45, including one registered cover from Tegernsee.

Pair of 6pf red-violet Hitler-head definitives

Cancelled at Berlin in 1945 with a "Grossdeutsches Reich" slogan. Addressed to a Frau at Eschwege (Werra district).
12pf red Hitler-head definitive

Berlin cancel 1942, struck with the propaganda slogan for the "Das Sowjet-Paradies" exhibition (an anti-Soviet Nazi exhibition). Addressed to Frau Emmi Rompel in Frankfurt am Main.
30pf black + pair of 12pf red Hitler-heads, registered

A registered cover, label "R Tegernsee 076." A wartime registered letter with a multi-stamp franking to make up the higher rate.

Page 06

Feldpost and Wartime Correspondence

Feldpost and civilian wartime mail with Hitler-head and 1938 commemorative frankings.

12pf red Hitler-head definitive, Feldpostbrief

Cancelled at Königstein, addressed to Fräulein Ilse Böttger, Lehrerin, at Alberoda.
Pair of 9pf violet Hitler-head definitives

Hamburg cancel, addressed to Anna Jonck, care of Lt. H. Klipper, Hamburg.
Pair of 6pf violet Hitler-head definitives

Addressed to Dr. Paul Vogel at Nordhausen.
Green "Ein Volk, Ein Reich" 1938 commemorative + pair of 1pf black definitives

The green stamp marks the Anschluss/Sudeten plebiscite of April 1938. Addressed to Max André in Hannover.

Page 07

Stationery and Commemorative Frankings

A pre-printed postal-stationery card and commemorative frankings of 1938–39.

Unused Postkarte with green "Ein Volk, Ein Reich, 10. April 1938" stamp

A pre-printed postal-stationery card, blank and unsent — a stationery item rather than a used cover.
Mixed franking

Berlin cancel struck with the "Zum 30. Januar 1939" slogan (marking the sixth anniversary of the Nazi seizure of power). Addressed via Charlottenburg to a recipient at Neustadt.
Pair of green "Ein Volk, Ein Reich" 6pf commemoratives

Hannover cancel, addressed to Bart H. André.
Pair of green "Deutsche Nothilfe" (winter relief) 6pf stamps

Würzburg cancel, addressed to Fritz Klingner at Böhringen.

Page 08

Older Definitives and Air-Defence Propaganda

Weimar-era definitives alongside a Luftschutz propaganda-franking cover.

10pf red Reichspost/Germania-style definitive

Older cancel, addressed to a Frau at Hannover — pre-dates the Nazi-era stamps on the surrounding pages.
12pf red definitive

Cancelled November 1934 or similar, addressed to Fräulein H. Kahnemann in Hildesheim.
Pair of 6pf black "Luftschutz" stamps + 3pf brown definitive

Hamm cancel, addressed to Herren Max André in Hannover. The envelope carries a printed "Rauft Wohlfahrtspostkarten!" (buy welfare postcards) charity label.

Page 09

Historical Odds and Ends

Weimar-era officials, a Mother's Day strip, and later definitives.

3pf green Weimar-era numeral Dienstmarke

Altona cancel 1927, addressed to Fräulein Minna Hell in Altona-Ottensen.
Strip of four 3pf brown "Muttertag" (Mother's Day) commemoratives

1935 cancel, addressed to Max André at Hamm's municipal hospital.
Purple definitive

Older cancel, marked "Frei laut Avers No. 21" (a franking-exemption/official mail notation), addressed to Lehrer R. Ziegler.
Purple/lilac definitive

Apolda cancel, addressed to Pfarrer (Pastor) Schreine at Schöten bei Apolda.

From Weimar to the Third Reich: A German Covers Album

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