30 Jan 1920·Plebiscites

SaarFirst Postage Stamp

Name: Stamp Origins: First Postage Stamps Database
Creator: Stamp Origins
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Keywords: first postage stamps, philately, postal history, stamp forgeries, stamp collecting, first issue stamps, classic stamps, rare stamps

First postage stamp of Saar, 30 Jan 1920

Image Reference:30pf red & black on buff, type I — Y&T 10, Mi 280

Sixteen overprinted values

29 January 1920. The Saar steps into philately. Not with a new design, but with German stamps overprinted SARRE, with bars obliterating DEUTSCHES REICH. A clean break, visually and politically. A small region between Germany and France, the Saar was placed under League of Nations administration after WWI, with France receiving control of its coal mines. The first issue comprised 16 German Reich values carrying the new overprint. At first glance, it feels straightforward. It isn’t. Different fonts, one or two bars depending on the value, shifting impressions… it quickly becomes a proper rabbit hole. Forged overprints exist, especially on the scarcer values, and cancellations can also mislead, with strikes known that do not match the period of use. In 1935, the Saar voted to return to Germany and reverted to German stamps. After WWII, it came under French administration again, with dedicated issues from 1947. By 1959, it was fully integrated into West Germany. A short-lived first issue, but one with plenty to look for.

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