Content of Michel Handbook Plattenfehler Deutsches Reich 1875-1945:

Stamps issued by the German Empire (1872-1945) MiNo. 1 to MiNo. 910, the plate flaws of which have already been recorded, including official and telegraph stamps as well as semi-officially airmail stamps based on the MICHEL Catalog Deutschland-Spezial 2018 (Volume 1).

Details:

• First re-issue since 2015
• New: now including plate flaws on the crown on shield issues of the German Empire (MiNo. 1–30)
• Thorough cataloguing of the issues, followed by specific cataloguing of the plate flaws
• Over 100 plate flaws newly included
• 200 new pictures illustrate this new reference book
• Numerous price adaptations throughout the book

Plate flaws are an exciting specialized collection area and they are highlights of any regular collection of a specific country. Particularly the damaged plates used during the era of the German Empire gave birth to many famous stamps that were affectionately given nicknames. However, the airmail stamp MiNo. 533 proves that a plate flaw can also make a postage stamp stand out financially. Just one tiny mistake in the word “Luftpost“ has increased the value of this issue from 50 to 1000 Euros.

Press Release:

On December 11^th, 1922, two surtax stamps for the benefit of the support of children and the elderly were issued in Germany. Their designer, Professor Johann Vincenz Cissarz, chose a kneeling young woman who is planting a tree sapling, depicted from the side, as the motif. Her hands appear caring, her eyes focus on a star that sparkles over her head. Cissarz portrays her as an allegory of charity.

The comforting handkerchief in her left hand actually fits well into the picture. Yet Cissarz did not intend for it to be there. It is only apparent on Field 40 of the counter sheet and owes its existence to a flawed plate. Which makes it extremely interesting for collectors of plate flaws.

Plate flaws – deviations in the image of a stamp due to flawed plate forms – add curious highlights to a collection. They turn a stamp into something quite unique, and therefore a number of plate flaws of the German Empire have been endowed with imaginative nicknames: Besides ”Huge Pearls” and “Horseshoes” you can find “Starter Cranks“, ”Lost Boot Soles “ and the aforementioned “handkerchiefs”. The emergency relief issue of 1932 is evidence of the fact that a plate flaw can also make a postage stamp stand out financially. A small error in the print has increased the value of the issue from 32 to whopping 18000 Euros.

This Michel Handbook Plattenfehler Deutsches Reich (1875-1945) wants to attract philatelic researchers, fans of odd deviations and market-oriented collectors alike. It contains all official postage stamps of the German Empire, including official stamps and telegraph stamps as well as semi-official airmail stamps, the plate flaws of which have already been recorded. In addition to the basic listing of the issues, the relevant plate flaws are presented in detail, described and appraised in up to five price columns.

More than 100 plate flaws have been newly included in this second edition of the reference book. For the first time it also contains the plate flaws of the crown on shield issues of 1872–1874 as well as numerous novel discoveries from the years 1875–1945. This reference book contains 200 extra illustrations, thus including over 1000 pictures that present a fascinating collection area.

As always we hope our readers have lots of fun with the new MICHEL – and that they discover a few curiosities for their own collections.

Schwaneberger Verlag GmbH
The Editorial Team

Target Group:

Collectors of Deutsches Reich stamps, experts, dealers, thematic collectors, study groups, teachers

Additional Information:

Edition: 2nd Edition, in color.
Pages: 92
Size: 150 mm x 225 mm, paperback
Publisher: Schwaneberger Verlag GmbH
Publication Date: June 22, 2018
Language: German
ISBN: 9783954022311

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It is more than 100 years since the stamp dealer Hugo MICHEL from Apolda in Thüringen published the first MICHEL stamp catalogue in 1909. He thereby created a product that would be continually be improved, but never surpassed. In the same year, publisher and philatelic editor Hugo Schwaneberger founded a publishing company that bore his name. The philatelist, who was well known in his field, created the Schwaneberger Album, the first album to adopt a scientific approach.
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