Postage stamp booklet

A stamp booklet or Booklets (abbreviated MH ), ( officially earlier postage stamp booklets, postage stamp booklets or postal postage stamps booklet), is a special form of sale of stamps to post offices and formerly also stamp vending machines, a compilation of several stamps ( in Germany / West Berlin often 8-10 brands, however, it varies from 4-30) in popular values ​​in a booklet to a round Retail Price ( formerly often 1 or 2 DM, now usually ten times the standard letter postage) contains. The advantage is the simple stock purchase of commonly used brands as well as the protected and contiguous storage. When selling stamp booklet vending machines these were against the sale of individual stamps from the roll at an advantage because the Booklets not stuck together even at high humidity, which was never completely ruled out in Rollenmarken despite special rubber coating.

Previously, several values ​​were often present, which could be combined to varied postage rates. Nowadays, Booklets Deutsche Post AG ( the Post jargon as tag set ( 10 stamps ) or Maxiset (20 marks ) refers ) predominantly of ten self-adhesive commemorative stamps in a single denomination, but also not "round" ( = highly automatic grade ) have Sold more.

Historical Development

Germany ( Federal Republic from 1949 specifically with West Berlin)

First post office counter -MH

The first German stamp booklet issued by the imperial postal service ( German Post ) on 1 November 1910. It included three book sheets with 12 free links to 10 and 16 pfennig postage stamps to 5 cents. The Bavarian postal administration was followed in 1911 with its first stamp booklets. By the end of empire 48 more permanent and commemorative booklets published.

Characteristic of these to 1960 conventional post office counter -MH (because of exclusive sale through the switch ) in long format is the construction of two cardboard covers on the front and back, with the intervening book sheet or sheets and partly advertising interleaves with a steel bracket are stapled together on the left side. The right side remains open. As a book sheets are referred to the most cut from specially prepared Booklets arches stamp blocks ( there are also book sheets that come from normal switch arcs), with partially different values ​​are printed side by side connected, a special case of a large variety of possible Zusammendrucken from the booklet pane and Bookletpanesheets out separate brands yields (special collection area tenants ).

In May 1947, the first German post-war booklet appeared with definitives digits as the output of the Allied occupation.

The first stamp booklets of the German Federal Post Office came on 30 October 1951 in an edition of 750,000 out at a retail price of 2.50 DM. The contents were two book sheets with a total of three four - penny, three - penny - 6, four 10 - penny and nine 20 -pfennig trademarks of Posthorn series. More books definitives Heuss followed 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1960.

2 machine -MH

Starting in 1960, the structure of the booklet was changed to allow the sale of machines. This MH waive a clip instead the book sheet is glued with its underside at margins very narrow on the lid. Also new is the coherent cardboard cover which is folded in the middle of a puncture and is glued together on the left open side with an adhesive bond lumbeckartigen including the inner booklet pane. To remove stamps from the closed so both sides MH, the opening at the perforation was provided, but this greatly the value of collectors so torn MH diminishes, instead, a hole on the left bond is regarded as perfectly. The MH tentatively sold in extremely limited circulation only in Darmstadt proven itself, so in 1961 the machine -MH dominated with brands definitives Significant German, Brandenburg Gate, and accident prevention. Until 1967, this long- format -MH were common (format about 12 x 5 cm), from 1968 came a change to small-format MH ( size approximately 6 × 5 cm).

3 - point Chromolux MH

As of 1974, the small format booklets from Chromolux cardboard, a coated, colored cardboard that is folded along said through stitch and remains open without glue on one side appeared. The book sheet is at margins glued by moistening the rubber coating on the cardboard. Also new is the production of the book sheets in roll printing, why not Bookletpanesheets occurs. The revised procedure caused a number of novel phenomena that widespread attention from collectors excited. Particularly striking is the imperforate upper and lower edge of the booklet sheet, resulting in brands with cut upper or lower edge arise, as opposed to roll or sheet marks. Brands from the definitives accident prevention, fortresses and castles and places of interest dominated this for the 1970s to the 1990s, typical MH.

4 self- MH

For several years, booklets are available with self-adhesive, wavy stamped stamps mainly that are easily peeled off and stuck on the mailpiece. The first such books published in 1991 (still with straight punch ), but only in 2000 began the era of self-adhesive MH that since there mainly. Goods until the mid- 1990s period series booklets ( only in 1972 there was a commemorative booklets ) prevail, now began the era of commemorative booklets. In the GDR, however, commemorative booklets were distributed much earlier.

Another appearance since 2008, the film leaves that have no booklet form but a single, unfolded sheet represent with self-adhesive stamps and have now replaced the actual MH for the most part. Strictly speaking, these are not MH, but iA considered to be unfolded Booklets.

Special -MH

MH, the cost of which information to Porto increases were invalid, often have a stamp phrase such as etc. "Fees information invalid" receive. The diversity of the stamp used is large and requires an independent specialty within the MH.

For adjustment and maintenance of Booklets Versuchsjustier - Booklets ( VJ- MH) were used, with the aim of ensuring the Automatengängigkeit for MH ( because in this area there were often problems ). The VJ- MH contains no stamps in the narrow sense, but turquoise or colorless, unprinted blank fields in brand form. The lids are partially identical with the normal MH, partly there are unprinted cover. A sale via the post did not happen, but got a large number in the possession of collectors.

Furthermore, there are machines sample -MH, which were manufactured by printing a test basis within the framework of the introduction of new MH and also included unprinted blank fields.

MH - specialties

For production reasons, there are a large number of features, which are used in special collectors a lot of attention and the collector's value of some significantly increase. These include: skirt variations ( = Strichelleistenvarianten on the left edge of the booklet sheet ) Randzudrucke (such as counting numbers ), cover versions ( color, cardboard thickness, puncture width in Deckelfalz ), lid pressure variations ( print, double print, cliché variants), count bars, disk errors, balancing teeth, Randzähnungstypen, cut mark variants Gummierungsunterschiede.

Pictures

• Stamp booklets

Content of MH 1: Heftchenblatt 1

Content of MH 1: Heftchenblatt 2

Post office counter -MH the post Berlin from 1952 with six book sheets definitives Berlin buildings and five advertising interleaves (MH 2)

Bund post office counter -MH 1958 ( MH 4 ) a continuous series Heuss

Interior view of MH 4

Back of MH 4 X with advertising Pelican

Back MH 4 Y with advertising winner

Confederation machine -MH ( MH 8) of 1963 outside

German Empire post office counter -MH 14

The first post- MH 1947 (MH 50) with a rare blend cover: Part of the writing on the lower edge is located at the top

Fugpost -MH 1948

Confederation MH 2 from 1955 with three book sheets of Heuss- series

Advertising variants of Berlin MH 3 of 1962-64

Cover versions of federal MH 8 ​​: Left on roulette, right close puncture.

Berlin -MH machines in miniature of 1970 ( MH 6 )

Confederation machines, small-format -MH 14 1968

The first chromo -MH the Federal Post of 1974 ( MH 20 )

Berlin MH 10 1977 with Countable and rare tight lid piercing

Machine - Chromolux MH 1982 with count bars (MH 24)

The last MH Berlin of 1989 ( MH 15)

Confederation MH 32 1995 with black count bars

Confederation MH 14 " invalid fees details " with overprint by hand. In the case of Porto MH changes were often provided with outdated fee levels with appropriate endorsement

Confederation MH 15 " invalid fees details " with handstamp and additionally date stamp.

Machinery sample -MH 16 with red lid pressure

Inside of the machine sample MH - 16 with empty fields

Berlin Versuchsjustier MH - 12 with empty fields