GERMAN EMPIRE
OFFICIAL POSTCARDS
Please note the following for this website. Official Postcards are defined as:
1. Postcards of the German Empire issued by the Official German postal Authority, from 1873 until 1945.
2. Postcards that were generally available throughout the entire country and have a pre-printed (Indicia) stamp to cover the cost of postage.
The vast majority of official postcards have no printing on the reverse side so no image of the reverse side is provided, except in the few instances where there was something printed on the reverse of the card.
P8, P9, P14 and P15
10Pf SMALL EAGLE in ELLIPSE
"PFENNIG"
P8 and P14 are the only two postcards printed with this version of value stamp. P9 and P15 were the only reply cards printed with this version of value stamp. P8 occurs occasionally, P9 almost exclusively with red fluorescent value stamp under UV light.
These cards also exist with one of two types of border. Border Type 'a' has the top of the white line in the right-hand edge facing outwards, whereas border type 'b' has the top of the white line in the right-hand border facing inwards.
Border Type 'a'
Border Type 'b'
P8
(POSTCARD)
Issued 1st Oct 1878. Measures 140 x 90mm. Initially issued without gaps in the dotted address lines (P8-II), later with gaps in the 4th dotted address line (P8-I). P8-II has two sub-variants: P8-II/01 has a border type (a) and P8-II/02 has a border type (b).
P8 can be differentiated from P14 by the border. P8 has a continuous, uninterrupted border around the edge of the card and has the inscription 'WELTPOSTVEREIN. (UNION POSTALE UNIVERSELLE.) | POSTKARTE AUS DEUTSCHLAND. | (ALLEMAGNE)'. P14 has the words 'Deutschland - Allemagne.' in a rectangle in the top, centre of the border.
P8-I
with gap(s) in 4th dotted address line
border type (b)
with gap(s) in 4th dotted address line
border type (b)
P8-II/01
without gap(s) in dotted address line
border type (a)
without gap(s) in dotted address line
border type (a)
P8-II/02
without gap(s) in dotted address line
border type (b)
without gap(s) in dotted address line
border type (b)
Valid gap positions:
P8-I: Left 5,10, 15, 30, Right 5 or 15.
There are some anomalies with P8, the more common of which are as follows: i) the period after the word "UNIVERSELLE" is outside the bracket (usually it is inside the bracket), ii) Without a period after the word "DEUTSCHLAND", iii) the period after the word "DEUTSCHLAND" is diamond shaped rather than the normal circular shape.
P9
(REPLY CARD)
Issued 1st Oct 1878. Measures 140 x 90mm. Only one variant exists as this card was only printed without gaps in the address lines.
P9 can be differentiated from P15 by the border. P9 has a continuous, uninterrupted border around the edge of the card and has the inscription 'WELTPOSTVEREIN. (UNION POSTALE UNIVERSELLE.) | POSTKARTE AUS DEUTSCHLAND. | (ALLEMAGNE)'. P15 has the words 'Deutschland - Allemagne.' in a rectangle in the top, centre of the border. In addition P9 has the following text in the lower left-hand corner of the question side of the card 'Die angebogene Karte ist fur | die Antwort bestimint. | (La carte cl-jointe est destinde | à la réponse)' - 'The reverse of the card is intended for the reply'.
P9 - REPLY CARD
P14
(POSTCARD)
Issued 1886/87. There are two variants of this postcard: P14/01 has a border type (a) and P14/02 has a border type (b).
P14 can be differentiated from P8 by the border. P14 has the words 'Deutschland - Allemagne.' in a rectangle in the top, centre of the border. P8 has a continuous, uninterrupted border around the edge of the card.
P14/01 (L20)
P14/02 (L5)
Valid gap positions:
P14/01: Left 5, 10, 15, 20, right 5 or 15
P14/02: Left 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, right 5, 15 or 20
P15
(REPLY CARD)
Issued 1st Oct 1878. Measures 140 x 90mm. P15 is inscribed "Postkarte mit Antwort - Carte Postale avec réponse payée | Weltpostverein. - Union Postale universelle."
P15 can be differentiated from P9 by the border. P15 has the words 'Deutschland - Allemagne.' in a rectangle in the top, centre of the border. P9 has a continuous, uninterrupted border around the edge of the card.
P15 exists in three variants. P15/01 has a border type (a/a), P15/02 has a border type (b/b) and P15/03 has a border type (a/b) where the first letter refers to the question (F) side of the card, and the second letter refers to the border type of the reply (A) side of the card.
P15/02 - REPLY CARD
Valid gap positions:
P15/01: Left 30
P15/02: Left 30
P15/03: Left 30
P15/01 and /02 with narrow stippled lines and without hatching are proofs
MAIN REFERENCE SOURCES
1. MICHEL GANZSACHEN DEUTSCHLAND 2018. ISBN: 978-3-95402-225-02. BOREK GANZSACHEN-SPEZIAL-KATALOG DEUTSCHLAND ab 1933. ISBN: 3-87091-060-7
3. MICHEL BILDPOSTKARTEN- UND MOTIVGANSACHEN KATALOG DEUTSCHLAND 1997. ISBN: 3-87858-631-0
4. GANZSACHEN-HANDBUCH DES "DITTEN REICHES" 1933-1945 by FRECH. ISBN: UNKNOWN
