French Zone
Rheinland-Pfalz
1947-1948
The French zone state of Rheinland-Pfalz, or
Rhineland-Palatinate in English, was established on August 30, 1946. It
was formed from the Northern part of the French Occupation Zone, which
included parts of Bavaria (the Rhenish Palatinate), the Southern parts
of the Prussian Rhine Province, and parts of Hesse-Darmstadt. The new
state was confirmed by referendum on May 18, 1947, and its capital was
established at Mainz.
The new state of Rheinland-Pfalz issued
their first definitive postage stamps shown above (Mi. #1-15, Sc. #6N1-15) between May 1947 and February
1948. The stamps were photogravure and printed on
unwatermarked papers of varying quality.
The
new definitive set featured twelve designs, which are: Ludwig von
Beethoven, Wilhelm von Ketteler, a girl carrying grapes, Porta Nigra at
Trier, Karl Marx, Devil's Table near Pirmasens, a street corner in St.
Martin, the Cathedral of Worms, the Cathedral of Mainz, a statue of
Johann Gutenberg, Gutenfels and Pfalzgrafenstein Castles on the Rhine,
and a statue of Charles the Great (Charlemagne).
Due to the post-war economic crisis in the Allied
occupation zones, the Western Allies instituted currency reform during
June 1948. The old Reichsmark currency was replaced by a new Deutsche
Mark currency, and this would eventually become the official currency of
the soon-to-be Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) until 2002,
when it would be replaced by the Euro.
The 1947 stamp designs were re-issued between June and August of 1948 to coincide with the currency reform. The same designs were issued in new colors, with most of the denominations now expressed as "D.Pf." or "D.M.", as shown in the images above (Mi. #16-29, Sc. #6N16-29).
Both this set and the 1947-1948 set exist imperforate. They are valued at about $475.00 each for mint never hinged sets.
The two stamps shown above (Mi. #30-31, Sc. #6NB1-2) were issued on October 18, 1948,
with the surtax providing aid for the inhabitants of Ludwigshafen. The
stamps picture St. Martin and St. Christopher.
During
the early part of the 20th Century, Ludwigshafen became a chemical
research and manufacturing center -- the headquarters of BASF are
located there. The city was completely devastated, as a result of World
War II. After the war, the city received a considerable amount of
Allied aid, and particularly, American aid. In 1948, the "Pasadena
Shares Committee" sent packages of blankets, clothing, food, and
medicines to help the residents. Many friendships started to form, and
in 1956, Ludwigshafen and Pasadena, California became "sister cities",
which they still are today!
Between November 1948 and July 1949, more definitive
stamps were issued for the French zone state of Rheinland-Pfalz,
featuring some denomination and color changes. All of them are shown
above (Mi. #32-41, Sc. #6N30-38). These new definitives do not have the denomination name, "Pf." or
"D.Pf.", on them.
Anyone considering specializing in these should get a copy of the Michel Deutschland-Spezial Katalog Volume II.
The specialization possibilities are tremendous. All of these stamps
come in various papers, in multiple types, and there are many plate and
printing errors in this series.
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Return to Allied Occupation Stamps from
French Zone - Rheinland-Pfalz - 1947-1948
