Who Engraved This Stamp?

Found some more info for you. I added it to my previous post.

Rod, the same stamps were also issued by the Federal Republic
of Germany and Michel adds a bit more detail.

It states Holzstich von W. Seidl. Holzstich = woodcut
So it appears that Seidl engraved the die for the ones printed
via typography (relief printing) and Falz engraved the recess die.

Obviously the printer didn't use wooden plates but Seidl's
work was transferred onto either rubber or metal plates used
for typography presses.

What a journey this has been.
Image lifted from link offered previously
PS: Had fun with Google German pronounciation of "Intaglio"
took some practice.(Stichtiefdruck)

Yes Rod it's amazing how much fun one can have with a very
plain simple definitive set.

You are truly a philatelic detective.

The translation Marke ==> brand is incorrect. Marke is short for Briefmarke , i.e., stamp.

NSK, rod222 and lithoengraving,
Thank you all for such wonderful information, well beyond my hopes. I was working from the Michel catalogue "Deutschland 2016/2017" and the information is not listed, nor it is listed in my more detailed Michel catalogue "Deutschland-Spezial 2016". Lithoengraving, was the catalogue you illustrate the Michel 1991/92 specialised, band 2? If so I must get a copy because it looks like I am missing out. I also didn't think to check the similar entry for the Bundesrepublik but when I did, still no luck in my more recent editions.

I offer the following as a timeline.

The Melton Prior institute website has that superb interview with Rudolf Riess in which he says that a wood engraving of Herr Bundespräsident was done by Willi Seidl in Stuttgart, direct from the photograph by Liselotte Strelow. The website captions the engraving with 1959 but considering the 10pf and 20pf values were issued on 31 January 1959 I would think he did his work in 1958. Of course the 10pf and 20pf values were typographed but they were surely designed direct from the work of Willi Seidl, not from the photograph.
The picture of the work of Willi Seidl shows it as a wood engraving (done on the endgrain of the wood, specially prepared) rather than a woodcut, which is done across the grain of the wood with different tools.

Working from the portrait by Willi Seidl, M.E. Cordier then designs all five stamps and the Bundesdruckerei decide to do the lower three values, to be issued first, by typography and the two top values will be printed intaglio. Egon Falz then engraves, in recess, the dies for the 40pf and 70pf values.

I must say that seeing the original wood engraving I do like it a lot, moreso than than the smaller version on the stamp. I have included below a detail from the 10pf typographed and the 40pf engraved just to compare. Whatever techniques were used to transfer the design from the wood engraving to the typographed stamp it does not produce as nice a result as Egon Falz did by hand.

Hi indigo,

I have the Deutschland Standardkatalog





When I bought the 2005/2006 I found that the engravers had disappeared
but the designers were still listed.

Thank you lithograving for the explanation, though why they would purge engravers and not designers is beyond my ken.
I checked my Michel catalogue and although the "boxed script S" symbol (for Stich) is still listed at the front I couldn't find a single instance of it in any listing inside. If I thought a catalogue from one of the other publishers would show engravers I would get it, having previous regarded Michel as having the most information.
Things are odd indeed when Gibbons is giving more information in their standard German listing than Michel gives in their specialised!

That's a great find, thanks for all the hard work! I like how Falz has tried to mimic the actual wood cut, rather than produce a more regular intaglio engraving. Great scans indigo!

I checked to see whether the engraver of the 1954 Heusser stamps was known, but no luck there. Nothing in my SG Part 7 Germany of 2005 and nothing in my Michel Deutschland-Spezial of 1995. Is anything mentioned in any of your sources? Hope so!

Adrian,

the engraver for the 1954 Heuss definitives was Leon Schnell.

To compare with the previous artwork of Prof. Dr. Heuss, this earlier 1954 stamp was based on a photo by Prof. Walter Hege. The post office announcement for the issue is preserved on the arge-posthorn-heuss website and says, in part:

Die Deutsche Bundespost bereitet die Herausgabe einer neuen Postwertzeichen-Dauerserie vor. Als Motiv wird das Kopfbild des Herrn Bundespräsidenten Prof. Theodor Heuss verwendet. Der Entwurf unter Benutzung einer durch Prof. Walter Hege, Gelsenkirchen, hergestellten photographischen Aufnahme, stammt von Graphiker Max Bittrof in Frankfurt ( Main). Den Druck führte die Bundesdruckerei Berlin aus.

The Deutsche Bundespost is preparing to issue a new series of postage stamps. An image of the head of the Federal President Prof. Theodor Heuss is used as the subject. The design using a photograph taken by Prof. Walter Hege, Gelsenkirchen, comes from graphic artist Max Bittrof in Frankfurt (Main). Bundesdruckerei Berlin carried out the printing.

The original photo is preserved in the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Hamburg, but the image below comes from Foto Marburg, part of the Philipps University of Marburg. It is a master class in engraving to see how Schnell captures so wonderfully the nuances in the photograph. We can be sure it is the right photo, not just because of the perfect likeness but also because the museum notes the incription on the back which says:

Aufnahme als Unterlage für den Graphiker zu der Briefmarke

Used as the basis for the stamp by the graphic artist

Thanks to AKPhilately for asking about this issue and of course thanks to lithograving, whose older (and well worn) copy of Michel is serving us all so well.

The low value 1954 Heuss definitives were printed typography.
The mid and high values were printed recess.
Leon Schnell was the engraver.



20Pf Scott 710, 40Pf Scott 756, 50Pf Scott 714, 3DM Scott 721

The 7 mid values were reprinted during 1956/57 in a slightly
smaller format and a change of colour.


Scott 721 Michel 196

I believe Schnell did an excellent job in interpreting
the photo to near perfection.

Thanks for that lithograving! Could you upload large scans of the other two formats as well? It would be good to compare the engravings. If all is well, Schnell will have made three separate engravings, though I understand printers sometimes cut corners and managed to enlarge original engravings (ore reduce them in size), with all sorts of disastrous effects and recuts being needed etc.

Adrian I agree in that Schnell made 3 separate engravings.
I believe there are minute differences in the eyes, ears and
hair on forehead and also where hair is in line with the first
S of BUNDESPOST

Scott 714, Michel 189
First Printing 1954



Scott 756, Michel 260
Second Printing 1956