Saar Plebiscite Territory
Issues of 1926-1928
Between 1926 and 1928, the Saar Plebiscite Territory,
"Saargebiet" or "Saar Occupation" in German, issued their first
surcharged charity stamps and a brand new series of definitive postage
stamps.
On October 25, 1926, the four "Volkshilfe" or
"Charity" stamps shown above (Mi. #104-07, Sc. #B1-4) were issued. The new stamps were
photogravure, unwatermarked, and perforated 13 1/2. The surtax was to
raise funds for charitable organizations.
The
four designs feature a red cross dog leading a blind man, a nurse with
an invalid, children drinking at a spring, and a maternity nurse with a
child.
On October 1, 1927, the identical charity stamps were re-issued (Mi. #122-25, Sc. #B5-8) with the overprint "1927-1928".
At the end of 1926, the Saar Plebiscite Territory
began issuing a brand new series of pictorial definitive postage stamps. The
1926-1927 issues are shown in the first three images above (Mi. #108-21, Sc. #120 // #135). These new
stamps were wider than the previous definitive postage stamps, and one
could say the stamps were beginning to get that French-colonial-postage-stamp "look" to them. These new stamps were printed in photogravure, and they were all perforated 13 1/2.
The
designs, which are repeated throughout the set, feature (in the order
of their appearance): the Market Fountain in St. Johann, a view of the
Saar Valley, a scene from the Saarlouis fortifications, Colliery
Shafthead, Tholey Abbey, and the Burbach Steelworks.
In
September 1928, two airmail stamps were issued. They are shown in
the last scan above (Mi. #126-27, Sc. #C1-2). Though intended for airmail service, they were
also used as regular postage stamps. The design features a biplane
flying over Saarbrücken.
On December 23, 1928, the third set, in what would
become an annual charity stamp issue, was placed on sale. These seven
new stamps, shown above (Mi. #128-34, Sc. #B9-15), have the same physical characteristics as the previous (and
subsequent) annual charity stamp issues.
The
three designs, repeated in the set, feature details from paintings
representing "charity", as follows: "The Blind Beggar", by Dickmans
(1811-1888), "Almsgiving", by Schiestl (1869-1939), and "Charity", by
Raphael (1483-1520).
The charity issues of
Saargebiet are very popular with thematic collectors of Art / Paintings
on Stamps, which has resulted in these sets becoming quite expensive.
The 1928 set, containing the painting by Raphael, is the most expensive.
Subsequent issues, though not cheap, are more affordable.
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Saar Plebiscite Territory - Issues of 1926-1930
