Wurttemberg Stamps
Numeral and Arms Issues
1851-1874
The first Wurttemberg stamps were issued in 1851, with
the stamp designs being very similar to the first stamp issues of Baden.
The postal services of Wurttemberg had previously been provided by Thurn and
Taxis, but the Kingdom of Wurttemberg joined the German-Austria Postal Union in 1850, which
required the adoption of their own postage stamps.
The five new major-type Wurttemberg stamps shown above were issued between 1851 and 1852. The
new adhesive postage stamps were typographed in black on unwatermarked
paper of various colors. These new
designs featured a square frame, with Wurttemberg at the top and
Freimarke at the bottom. In the middle of each frame was a black
numeral, imposed over a diamond shaped ornament.
There are multiple
types on the lower denominations and many plate varieties for this
issue. See the Michel Deutschland Spezialkatalog Vol. I for details.
The catalog attributes are as follows.
- 01 Kr. (1851 - Mi. #1, Sc. #1) - Black on Buff, Black on Straw.
- 03 Kr. (1851 - Mi. #2, Sc. #2) - Black on Yellow, Black on Orange.
- 06 Kr. (1851 - Mi. #3, Sc. #4) - Black on Yellow Green, Black on Blue Green.
- 09 Kr. (1851 - Mi. #4, Sc. #5) - Black on Rose.
- 18 Kr. (1852 - Mi. #5, Sc. #6) - Black on Dull Violet.
Reprints
of these stamps were made around 1864. On the reprints, the word
"Wurttemberg" is smaller, and the right branch of the "r's" runs upward,
instead of downward.
The five new major-type Wurttemberg stamps shown above were issued between 1857 and 1860. These new postage stamps were typographed in
color on white paper, with an embossed coat of arms in the center. The word "Wurttemberg" no longer appears at the top of the
stamps. Instead, "FREIMARKE" is at the top, and the denomination,
spelled out in numerals and letters, appears on each of the three
remaining sides.
The catalog attributes, for stamps with orange silk security threads, are as follows.
- 01 Kr. (1857 - Mi. #6, Sc. #7) - Yellow Brown, Dark Brown.
- 03 Kr. (1857 - Mi. #7, Sc. #9) - Yellow Orange.
- 06 Kr. (1857 - Mi. #8, Sc. #10) - Green.
- 09 Kr. (1857 - Mi. #9, Sc. #11) - Carmine Rose, Lilac Red.
- 18 Kr. (1857 - Mi. #10, Sc. #12) - Blue, Dark Blue.
The
reprints of this issue have red or yellowish security threads, and the
stamps are printed 2 mm apart, instead of the 3/4 mm separation of the
originals.
The catalog attributes, for stamps without silk security threads, are as follows.
- 01 Kr. (1859 - Mi. #11, Sc. #13) - Yellow Brown, Dark Brown.
- 03 Kr. (1859 - Mi. #12, Sc. #15) - Yellow Orange.
- 06 Kr. (1859 - Mi. #13, Sc. #16) - Green.
- 09 Kr. (1859 - Mi. #14, Sc. #17) - Carmine Rose, Lilac Red.
- 18 Kr. (1860 - Mi. #15, Sc. #18) - Blue, Dark Blue.
In 1859 a perforating machine was ordered from Vienna
by the postal administrations of Baden and Wurttemberg, and the new
machine was setup at Carlsruhe. Experimentation began in late 1859,
utilizing the current imperforate arms definitive postage stamps.
The five major-type perforated Wurttemberg stamps shown above were issued between 1860 and 1862. Their printing attributes are identical to those of the stamps issued in 1859 and 1860.
The catalog attributes, for stamps printed on thick paper and that are perforated 13 1/2, are as follows.
- 01 Kr. (1860 - Mi. #16x, Sc. #19) - Brown, Dark Brown.
- 03 Kr. (1860 - Mi. #17x, Sc. #20) - Yellow Orange.
- 06 Kr. (1860 - Mi. #18x, Sc. #21) - Green.
- 09 Kr. (1860 - Mi. #19x, Sc. #22) - Carmine.
The catalog attributes, for stamps printed on thin paper and that are perforated 13 1/2, are as follows.
- 01 Kr. (1861 - Mi. #16y, Sc. #23) - Brown, Black Brown.
- 03 Kr. (1861 - Mi. #17y, Sc. #25) - Yellow Orange.
- 06 Kr. (1861 - Mi. #18y, Sc. #29) - Green.
- 09 Kr. (1861 - Mi. #19y, Sc. #27) - Rose, Claret.
- 18 Kr. (1862 - Mi. #20y, Sc. #29) - Dark Blue.
The catalog attributes, for stamps printed on thin paper and that are perforated 10, are as follows.
- 01 Kr. (1862 - Mi. #21, Sc. #30) - Black Brown.
- 03 Kr. (1862 - Mi. #22, Sc. #31) - Yellow Orange.
- 06 Kr. (1862 - Mi. #23, Sc. #32) - Green.
- 09 Kr. (1862 - Mi. #24, Sc. #33) - Claret.
The German-Austrian Postal Administration adopted a
regulation under which all the members agreed to use the same colors for their commonly used definitive postage stamps. Because of these required color changes, the contemporary Wurttemberg stamps were re-issued in new colors during 1963.
The five major-type perforated Wurttemberg stamps shown above were issued between 1863 and 1867. Their technical attributes are identical to those of the stamps issued between 1860 and 1862, but the colors are different.
Catalog attributes, for stamps that are perforated 10, are as follows.
- 01 Kr. (1863 - Mi. #25, Sc. #34) - Yellow Green, Green.
- 03 Kr. (1863 - Mi. #26, Sc. #36) - Rose, Dark Claret.
- 06 Kr. (1863 - Mi. #27, Sc. #37) - Blue.
- 09 Kr. (1863 - Mi. #28, Sc. #39) - Yellow Brown, Red Brown, Black Brown.
- 18 Kr. (1864 - Mi. #29, Sc. #40) - Orange.
In 1865, the Wurttemberg postal service ordered a
rouletting machine from Berlin, so they wouldn't have to travel all the
way to Carlsruhe, every time they wanted to perforate new stocks of
printed sheets of stamps. The new arms definitives of 1863 were now
rouletted 10.
The only problem with
rouletting sheets of postage stamps was that it made a mess of the
individual stamps. Many of the rouletted stamps were torn, when separation was attempted, as shown in the image above.
Catalog attributes, for stamps that are rouletted 10, are as follows.
- 01 Kr. (1865 - Mi. #30, Sc. #41) - Yellow Green, Green.
- 03 Kr. (1865 - Mi. #31, Sc. #42) - Rose, Dark Claret.
- 06 Kr. (1865 - Mi. #32, Sc. #43) - Blue.
- 09 Kr. (1866 - Mi. #33, Sc. #45) - Yellow Brown, Red Brown, Black Brown.
- 18 Kr. (1867 - Mi. #34, Sc. #46) - Orange.
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Return to German States Stamps from
Wurttemberg Stamps - Numeral and Arms Issues - 1851-1874
The 7 Kr. Wurttemberg definitive stamp shown above (Mi. #35, Sc. #44) was issued during May 1868, as required by a postal rate change.
The 70 Kr. denomination definitive stamp shown above (Mi. #42, Sc. #53) was issued during January 1873. This new stamp was imperforate and was issued in sheets with a
dotted line, for separation, drawn around each of the individual stamps
on the sheet.
Only 24,000 of these stamps were originally printed. They were withdrawn on June 30, 1875, after a period of usage of only 18 months. Today, they are very scarce and are one of the prized rarities of Wurttemberg philately.