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.
P1 and P3
(1873)
P1 and P3 are the only two official cards that have the ½ GROSCHEN stamp.
P1
(POSTCARD)
P1 is a regular postcard with a ½ Groschen pre-printed stamp and a flowered border. The text on the postcard reads "Deutsche Reichs-Post | Postkarte. | Auf die Borderseite ist nur die Adresse zu Schreiben" - 'German Reichs-Post | Postcard. | Only the address is to be written on the border side'. If your card has a ½ Groschen pre-printed stamp and a flower border, then you have a P1 postcard, no other official card has both of these.
P1 - POSTCARD
P3
(REPLY CARD)
If your card has a ½ Groschen pre-printed stamp and a wavy line border, then you have a P3 reply card, no other official card has both of these. P3 is a reply card with a 'question' (frageteile) or 'F' side and an answer (Antworte) or 'A' side. When you see these reply cards for sale and they are advertised as P3(F) or P3(A), that means that only half of the card is present. For the complete card it should be advertised as P3(FA) or the image should be as below. You can determine whether you have the 'F' or the 'A' part by the inscription (it differs on the 'F' and the 'A'). The 'F' side has the inscription 'Rückantwort bezahlt', and the 'A' side is inscribed 'Bezahlte Rückantwort' below the word 'Postkarte'.
P3 - REPLY CARD
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
