Bohemia and Moravia
Stamps of 1939

Michel 1
"Coat of Arms"

Issued 15th July 1939. Czechoslovak issued stamps with "BÖHMEN u. MÄHREN / ČECHY a MORAVA" overprint. Former country name obliterated using 3 lines. This stamp features the version of the Czechoslovak 'Middle Coat of Arms' as used between 1920 and 1939 (see image on the right).

Mi 1
5H
black cobalt
Coat of Arms

Valid until: 15th Dec 1939

Quantities: 603,000

Unlike some other stamps in this set Michel 1 was only ever overprinted on existing stamps.

There are many counterfeit overprints in existance, the genuine overprints can be detected by magnification where it can be seen that the overprint is made up of small dots. The counterfeit examples are typically solid and do not show individual dots. In addition there are many counterfeit cancellations, many of which are backdated and these need to be expertised to ensure they are genuine.

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