Question On German Stamps ( Tabs Explained )

Wondering what these tabs indicate on my stamps. I read in another post that there might be increased value with them attached which is great. But really interested in there purpose.




Thanks for any info.

Thought I would change the title just encase someone else was looking for an explanation.

Northener), their purpose is to help the person selling the stamps calculate the total price of the row and / or column. It is a very old habit that can be found on stamps of many nations. Even here in the US you will sometime find accounting numbers, like on some modern coils where they are called 'back numbers'. And yes, some people collect these stamps with tabs attached, but I have no clue as to value!

Peter

The numbers on the tabs are for counting. They enabled the postal clerk to quickly remove a set value from the sheet.

For example, in this sheet, each stamp is valued at 12+38 Pf, or 50 Pf.



The numbers in the top margin show the value of the sheet to that point (working left-to-right). In this instance, because 100 Pf = 1 Mark, the first column has 2.50 Marks of stamps. If a customer wanted 10 Marks worth of stamps, the clerk would know instantly to remove 4 columns of stamps to produce the desired amount.

As far as value goes, there is a slight premium for having the margins attached.

Thanks Peter and PostmasterGS very informative.

Postmaster, well made point