German Tunis Feldpost Stamp

Here's a popular one for German collectors with a lot of historical significance.

In April 1943, Rommel's Afrika Korps began using this stamp on packages sent through the military mail system (feldpost). Each soldier was issued two of the stamps, which covered the cost of postage for a package up to 250 grams. Packages from 250-1,000 grams required an additional 20 Pf postage, so this package stamp can also be found (though it is rare!) on piece or cover with the 20 Pf Hitler definitive.

Michel catalogs two major varieties --


Mi 5a -- Thick, grey-yellow paper, striped gum, perforation usually faulty


Mi 5b -- Light chrome to mid-chrome-yellow paper with honeycomb-like net structure, striped gum, perforation usually faulty

The 5b variation is much rarer, and catalogs for about 4x the 5a.

Imperf copies of Mi 5a can also be found, though they are rarer than the perf copies. These were salvaged from remainder stock.

These stamps are rarer on piece, and exceptionally rare on complete package wrappers with address (catalog €7,000-10,000).

I know we have several SCFers who have copies of this stamp, so let's see 'em!

Nice one, your page looks great PostmasterGS.

Here is/are mine..... perforation measures 11.5



What are your thought on these? Genuine or not?

Have a good one,

Skilo54

I am no specialist in this matter, but I notice a distinct difference between the one shown in the first post and the pair. Does that mean either one of these is a fake? I do not know, but I do know these stamps are heavily forged.

What difference stand out to you? I note major differences between each of the original three myself, but look forward to learning of others observations.

Have a good one,

Skilo54

The one you posted seems to be of much better print quality than the blurry ones shown by PostmasterGS. Especially the meandering border looks very different. In your version the white lines are finer and the total image is sharp.
The palm tree is floating in the air above the swastika when you look at PostmasterGS's scans, while you can see the tree behind the swastika at your version. The flowery things in the corners are well defined at your stamps and just blobs in the others.
Even the 5a and the 5a you in the first post seem completely different, where they ought to be the same, apart from the perforation (or rather the lack of in 5a U)

Anyway, Michel specifically warns for forgeries of these stamps.

I have certs for the 5a and 5b, but not the 5aU. I'm sending the 5aU for one, but the expertizer for these isn't very quick, so I don't expect a firm answer for a while.

Michel lists two imperfs -- the 5aU and a proof (5 P U). To me, the paper color looks more like the proof, but it was sold by a reputable auction house as a 5aU, so that's what I'm going with until I get a definitive answer from the expert.

As to Skilo's pair, the definition of the lines and corner ornaments is definitely different from mine, but the genuine example given in my forgery catalog actually has the well-defined lines and corners as well. So, it's likely that different printings have different qualities.

Interesting! I would have expected the 5a and 5b you showed to be forgeries. This of course not based on knowledge, but just on their appearance.

When you consider the conditions under which these were produced, the poor print quality is actually to be expected. That's partly what makes it tough to spot the forgeries.

Postmaster, is your second copy used (the violet ink on the left)?

It is.

Postmaster, do you know how these were issued? Were they issued in an all purpose kit with cigs, chocolate, morphine, pen and paper etc... Were they put into a small envelope of some sort? I assume most un-used copies of this stamp did not survive after being issued to soldiers. The why's and how's are as fascinating as the stamps are. Thanks

I do not really understand the number of stamps printed according to Michel: about 1,000,000.
So 2 stamps per soldier, does that mean the Afrika Korps was 500,000 men big? At the time they surrendered in May 1943, 200,000 were made prisoner of war and that was only a month after the issue of the stamps. Michel also claims at least 620,000 stamps were destroyed, leaving 380,000 stamps "in the field" I cannot imagine that in one month 380,000 packets were sent from North Africa to Germany so that means many stamps were "out there".
With this in mind, it is strange that these stamps have a catalogue value of 140 euros, because they are not nearly as rare as some other stamps that were issued in far lower numbers, but have also a far lower catalogue value.

Michel's Feldpost catalog states that two were given to each soldier each month, but no specifics as to how they were distributed.

Approximately 1,000,000 were printed, but 650,000 were believed to have been destroyed due to the war. Unused copies are more common than used simply because of the nature of its use. As a package stamp, it was usually placed on package wrappers, not covers. And naturally, most people threw away the paper when opening the package.

Beginning in 1944, a German gentleman named Gustav Volz began keeping a registry of known copies. I've been unable to find the status of this registry, but as of 1976, it contained about 3,700 entries:

5a
MNG -- 1,980
MNH -- 770
Used -- 610

5b
MNG -- 215
Used -- 73

In 1978, the German stamp association BDPh published Die Tunispäckchenmarke und die Palmenstempel. It's a pretty good reference, but it's in German. I'm not aware of a detailed study in English, but I'm sure there's one out there somewhere.

Sorry those are not the same stamps ,there are too many difference between them . Something is wrong here.

To which ones are you referring?

Here is the stamp,guess those other ones are fine that were posted earlier ,some reason thought it was a finer printing.