Schleswig-HolsteinFirst Postage Stamp

Made carefully, used little

Issued on 15 November 1850, the first stamps of Schleswig-Holstein appeared in two values: 1 schilling blue and 2 schilling rose. Typographed, with a central embossing and a vertical silk security thread in the paper. Practical security features typical of German early classic. They were issued in the aftermath of the First Schleswig War (1848–1851). Schleswig and Lauenburg came under Danish rule in 1850, while Holstein briefly followed a separate postal path before full unification in 1852. Another war in 1864 would soon change everything again. Postal use was very limited. Although around 1.3 million of the 1 schilling were printed, recorded usage is estimated at only 8,000, a gap that still defines scarcity today. As a result, genuinely used examples with clear cancels are the standouts in collections today. Forgeries followed quickly. The Serrane handbook records false sets attributed to master forgers Fournier, Allan Taylor, and Oneglia. A private Rosenkranz reprint (1894) also exists, lacking the silk thread and showing a simplified background behind the eagle. A stamp prepared for circulation, seldom put to use.