Bavaria --Prewar Printing And War Printing Variety

The nice thing about the Scott's Classic Specialize is the continuing additions of the various color varities ,making it easier to expand any pre-1940 collection . The top row are the pre-war issues which are finer detail and brighter colors .

Excellent comparison pic, floortrader!

k

Floor trader, your image is nice, but it shows why you should never ever rely on Scott when it comes to Germany area stamps. The 5pf and 10pf stamps shown in the top row are in colors only used on wartime printings. The Michel Deutschland-Spezial catalog Bavaria section gives a very clear picture of the Ludwig III issues. With the wartime issues, there is a range of clarity in the printings. Besides the colors, one way of differentiating the issues is the cancellation date. If the stamp has a 1916 or later cancel, the chances are really great that it is a wartime printing.

I see the image difference example in Michel. My older 2005 Michel Deutschland-Spezial has listed:

3pf
pre-war: dark orange brown to brown
wartime: brown to dark ocher brown

5pf:
pre-war: dark to blackish olive green
wartime: blackish yellowish green to dark yellow green

Am I reading that correctly? (I'm not at all fluent in German)

You are absolutely correct with your statement on colors. There are ranges of colors on these, as well the complicating factor of age (affecting ink and paper) that make identification by color alone difficult, and sometimes impossible. The yellow green 5pf and the carmine red 10pf stamps are later issues with different catalog numbers (Mi #s 112 and 114).

Oh, I just noticed that the 20pf stamp on the top row has a 1919 postmark date. So, it is most likely a "wartime" printing.

I knew about the image and date methods. I never paid too much attention to the colors, as I'm not good with colors. I usually don't check the Michel until I run into a problem with the Scott. So thanks for bringing up the Michel listings.

Here is a better scan of the 20 pf ,I believe they are from two different printings and you can't use the "most likely" because of the date on the cancel .

Floortrader, you are very probably correct. BUT having received so many surprises (sometimes good, sometimes bad) from the Bundespruefer, I would say you cannot be certain without the expertzer's name on the stamp.