GERMAN EMPIRE
OFFICIAL
POSTCARDS
1897
All 1897 Official postcards are now on this page. Official postcards are cards that were issued by the Reich’s post office, had pre-printed (indicia) stamps and were widely available throughout German towns and cities.
Secondly Printed to Private Order postcards are postcards that were generally issued by entities that were advertising an event or commemorating an anniversary, and also had pre-printed stamps, but were not widely available throughout Germany (most were only available at the event they were commemorating).
Thirdly Other postcards are postcards that fall into the same general category as printed to private order however they do not have pre-printed stamps.
Finally, Miscellaneous postcards is where you will find postcards that do not fit into the first three categories (i.e. they are not official, they do not have pre-printed stamps, and they do not commemorate an event).
Quick Links:
KARTENBRIEF:
K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, K6 and K7
MICHEL K1 **
OFFICIAL KARTENBRIEF
10Pf
Issued 1897. This Kartenbrief has a 10Pf, carmine, 'large eagle in circle' German Empire pre-printed stamp and measures approximately 141 x 93mm. K1 is the first of 8 Kartenbrief with this 10Pf 'large eagle in circle', pre-printed stamp.
The design on the front of K1 is identical to that of K2 through K8, with the inscription "Deutsche Reichspost | Kartenbrief" in the top, centre and the word "An" on the left-hand side. Directly below and between "An" and "Deutsche Reichspost" is the word "in" and below that "Wohnung | (Straβe und hausnummer)".
It is not possible to differentiate K1 from K2 through K8 from the front, the differences are on the reverse side and on the inside.
The reverse side reads "in denjenigen Verkehrsbeziehungen ...." or "in those traffic relations ..." and the inside has a grey net pattern and a serrated upper flap.
Click here for more details.
MICHEL K1
10Pf Carmine
10Pf Carmine
FROM MY COLLECTION
MICHEL K2 **
OFFICIAL KARTENBRIEF
10Pf
Issued in 1897. K2 has the same design on the front as that of K1 and K3 through K8. K2 is the second of 8 Kartenbrief with this 10Pf 'large eagle in circle', pre-printed stamp.
On the reverse side the upper flap is not serrated all the way to the end. The inscription is the same as that of K1, as is the internal design (grey net pattern). K2 is differentiated from K1 by the flap serrations.
here for more details.
MICHEL K2
10Pf Carmine
10Pf Carmine
FROM MY COLLECTION
MICHEL K3 **
OFFICIAL KARTENBRIEF
10Pf
Issued in 1897. The front design is the same as K1 and K2, as well as K4 through K8. K3 is the third of 8 Kartenbrief with this 10Pf 'large eagle in circle', pre-printed stamp.
The text on the reverse now has 7 lines starting with "Briefporto, auch für Kartenbrief" or "Postage for letters, also for letter cards".
here for more details.
MICHEL K3
10Pf Carmine
10Pf Carmine
FROM MY COLLECTION
MICHEL K4 **
OFFICIAL KARTENBRIEF
10Pf
Issued in 1897. The front design is the same as that of K1-K3 and K5-K8. K4 is the fourth of 8 Kartenbrief with this 10Pf 'large eagle in circle', pre-printed stamp.
The design of the reverse is the same as K3, 7 lines of text, but now the inside of the envelope is a smooth grey without any pattern.
here for more details.
MICHEL K4
10Pf Carmine
10Pf Carmine
FROM MY COLLECTION
MICHEL K5 **
OFFICIAL KARTENBRIEF
NOT ISSUED
MICHEL K6 **
OFFICIAL KARTENBRIEF
10Pf
Issued in 1897. The front of K6 has the same design and layout as the previous cards K1-K4 and K7-K8. K6 is the sixth of 8 Kartenbrief with this 10Pf 'large eagle in circle', pre-printed stamp.
Click here for more details.
MICHEL K6
10Pf Carmine
10Pf Carmine
FROM MY COLLECTION
MICHEL K7 **
OFFICIAL KARTENBRIEF
10Pf
Issued in 1897. As with K1-K6 and K8, the design on the front of the card is the same. K7 is the seventh of 8 Kartenbrief with this 10Pf 'large eagle in circle', pre-printed stamp.
On the reverse side the flap no longer has perforations all the way up to the bend of the flap, instead there are just three perforations each side. There is also no inscription on the reverse side.
here for more details.
MICHEL K7
10Pf Carmine
10Pf Carmine
