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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

SMS EMDEN CHARITY STAMP


Wayne Saillard

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From what I have been told, the stamp shown below was issued in Germany to raise funds for the crew members of the SMS EMDEN who were prisoners of war on Malta. It would be greatly appreciated if someone could please provide more information about it.

Thanks & regards

Wayne

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Wayne

Would that be about the stamp or the ship ?

If it's the ship you might start with this:

http://www.ahoy.tk-jk.net

Enter sms emden in the search box at top left of screen

This guy, Mac,is an ex-Royal Australian Navy Officer with an interesting site.

Best wishes

Sotonmate

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Hello Sotonmate !

Thank you for your reply and the link. Please forgive me for not being clear in what information I am after. My interest is in the stamp itself - who designed it, the full date of issue, was it a single issue or part of a set, etc.

Regards

Wayne

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Wayne

I took a peek in some of my (limited) places but saw no ref to the stamp. Sorry.

Sotonmate

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Wayne,

I know nothing about stamps, but I've searched around using German Google www.google.de

and found one pic of your stamp together with another design on a German auction site, and with a third design on this site: http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/sms_emden_1.htm

No details beyond what you know already, but there are evidently at least 3 stamps in the series. Also, the name of the organisers of the fundraising is abbreviated on the stamps. 'Mitteld. Verband Weimar' is short for 'Mitteldeutscher Verband Weimar' (Central German Association, Weimar — ie. Association based in the (then) central German city of Weimar).

Hope this takes you a little further forward.

Mick

post-11021-1159521180.jpg

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Hello Mick,

Thank you for helping out. It is greatly apprciated. I can now follow up the link you have kindly provided and see where I go from there.

Regards

Wayne

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Wayne,

This stamp is not included in Gibbons' catalogue and is therefore not an officially issued postage stamp. The German Post Office did issue some charity stamps after the war ended but yours is not included. It was probably issued by a "private" naval charity.

Best wishes

David

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Hello David,

Thank you for looking. My attempts so far to learn more about these stamps have met with no success. It looks like I will have to locate a German stamp dealer to progress any further.

Regards

Wayne

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I would guess that such a privately-issued stamp would not serve as postage for a card or letter (the postage for a PC at this time was 5 pfennig) but could be added to postage to show the sender's contribution for the good cause, patriotism, etc. So it is really not a "postage stamp", strictly speaking.

Bob Lembke

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Hello Bob,

Unfortunately, I have not been able to uncover any further information as yet - so we do not even know who issued it.

The only thing that is certain is that it was issued as a Charity Stamp in order to raise funds for the SMS EMDEN's crew who were imprisoned on Malta after their ship had been sunk by HMAS SYDNEY.

Regards

Wayne

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Hello DCS !

Thank you for this link. I have just sent them an email and will naturally advise what happens.

Regards

Wayne

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Hello Wayne Saillard, One of my interests are the various charity stamps (also known as cindarellas and poster stamps) of various nations in WWI. There were actually eleven stamps in the four stamp Emden series. All were 10 PF. They were issued by the "National Fund for the Heroes of the 'Emden' Central German League, Weimar." Emden under steam with German flag, flowers, lifebelt and anchor was issued as 1) black, red, salmon & blue-grey and 2) black, flesh and pale-green sage; Emden firing at town on horizon was issued as 1) deep blue & cream, 2) reddish purple & cream, 3) black & blue-grey, 4) black & greyish lilac, 5) green and 6) blue-green. Emden firing at town on horizon with German flag and Bavarian arms was issued as violet-black, red & grey=blue. Emden with pillars was issued as 1) violet & black and 2) orange-red & black.

The Emden stamps are listed on pages 92-93 - Section D. Issues in Aid of Various War Charities in "For God, Kaiser & Fatherland 1914-1918," First World War 'Cindarella' Stamps of the Central Powers Alliance, compiled by Alan Jackson, published by Oxford Cindarellas in New Zealand, 1993. ISBN 0-473-02251-6. An amazing compilation of 403 pages. A reprint was done in April 2001, with 80 added illustrations and accompanying changes to text. Hoping this will be of some assistance. agblume

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Hello agblume !

This is fantasic. Thank you for giving this information. I am only interested in the Emden stamps. Would you be able to send me a high resolution scan of the two pages ?

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Thanks & regards

Wayne

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