GERMAN STATES (overview)

Altdeutschland

Return To Catalogue - Germany overview - German States that only issued fiscal stamps

Baden - Bavaria 1849-1913 - Bavaria 1914-1920 - Bavaria Miscellaneous - Bergedorf - Bremen - Brunswick - Hanover - Hamburg - Heligoland - Lubeck - Mecklenburg-Schwerin - Mecklenburg-Strelitz - North German Confederation - Oldenburg - Prussia - Prussia miscellaneous - Saxony first two issues - Saxony other issues 1851 onwards - Schleswig-Holstein - Thurn and Taxis - Thurn and Taxis numeral cancels - Wurttemberg - Wurttemberg part 2:1866-1900 - Wurttemberg miscellaneous

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Before the foundation of the German Empire in 1871 some individual states of Germany issued their own stamps. The following states existed;
four kingdoms: Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and Wurtemberg;
six grand-duchies: Baden, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Saxe-Weimar, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Oldenburg;
five duchies: Brunswick, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Anhalt;
seven principalities: Schwartzburg-Sondershausen, Schwartzburg-Rudolstadt, Waldeck, Reuss-Greiz, Reuss-Schleitz, Schaumburg-Lippe, Lippe-Detmold;
three free towns: Lubeck, Bremen, Hamburg
and one 'Reichsland': Alsace-Lorraine.
Many of them issued their own stamps. For a more extensive history of Germany see 'Germany and it Colonies' by Bertram W.H.Poole.
The stamp issuing states were:

In south Germany:

BADEN:

Baden

WURTTEMBERG (K.WURTT. POST):

Wurttemberg - Issues of 1866-1900 - Miscellaneous official etc.

BAVARIA (BAYERN):

Bavaria 1849-1913 - Bavaria 1914-1920 - Bavaria Miscellaneous

THURN AND TAXIS

"Thurn and Taxis stamp" 3 s brown
Thurn and Taxis - Thurn and Taxis numeral cancels

In East Germany:

SAXONY (SACHSEN):

3 pf green
Saxony first two issues - Saxony other issues

(Fiscal stamps, 'STEMPELMARKE' of Saxony)

MECKLENBURG SCHWERIN AND MECKLENBURG STRELITZ

Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Strelitz

In West Germany:

HANOVER (HANNOVER):

Hanover

The following cities:

BERGEDORF:

BREMEN:

LUBECK

HAMBURG:

OLDENBURG

BRUNSWICK (BRAUNSCHWEIG):

Brunswick

HELIGOLAND

Heligoland

And the following States

SCHLESWIG HOLSTEIN

Schleswig-Holstein

PRUSSIA

"Prussia" stamp
Prussia and Prussia miscellaneous

NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION (NORDDEUTSCHER POSTBEZIRK)

North German Confederation

Most of these States (except Baden, Wurtemberg and Bavaria) joined the North German Confederation in 1868.

The Prussian Postal Administration proposed in 1861 to use a uniform color scheme for the stamps used in the German Austrian Postal Union. Despite the different currencies, it would be immediatly clear if the right stamp was used on a letter. The colors used were red, blue and brown. Click here for the German States, unified color scheme of 1861

Click here for German States that only issued fiscal stamps.