The alternating German occupation - French occupation of Lorraine has been ongoing for centuries now.
The Lorraine -- Lothringen in German -- region is the only region having borders with four countries: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany. The location of Lorraine has contributed to its being seen as a strategic asset, and as the crossroads of four nations, it has played a very important role in European affairs. Metz is considered to be the official capital, since that is where the regional parliament is situated.
From
the 9th Century, Lorraine was part of the Holy Roman Empire, but during
the 18th Century, it became part of the Kingdom of France. Following
the Franco-Prussian War, the Moselle area of Lorraine was annexed by the
German Empire, with the other parts of the region remaining under the
control of France. After World War I, the Moselle area of Lorraine was
returned to France, and it was incorporated, along with the French
controlled areas, into a single region called Lorraine. In 1940,
Lorraine was annexed by the military forces of the Third Reich.
The sixteen overprinted German stamps
shown above (Mi. #1-16, Sc. France #N43-58) were issued on August 21, 1940, for use in the newly occupied
Lorraine region. They were valid for postage until December 31, 1941,
when they were replaced by the postage stamps of the Third Reich.
No noteworthy variations of these issues are mentioned in the Michel
catalogs. The set is priced at 36 Euros for mint never hinged condition
and 30 Euros for used condition. Thus one can COMPLETE the wartime
issues for Lorraine for a very minimal investment!
After World War II, the Lorraine region was returned to France, and French postage stamps have been used there since then.
The following links feature category-focused affiliated seller listings on various eBay sites worldwide. They may enable visitors to shop
for and to buy specific items for the
particular collecting subject they've just read about.
The
affiliated eBay seller auction lots provided by eBay,
Inc. are not the responsibility of the management of this
website. On high priced material, make sure the lots you are buying are properly authenticated.
Remember
that the lots on European eBay sites are priced in EUROS. Shipping
charges may be more, and the lots may take longer to arrive. Also, make
sure the foreign seller ships to your country, before bidding on or
buying his lot.
Return to German Occupation Stamps from Lorraine