(wm-pcp) Hansmichael Krug is considered the leading expert in Germany on the German Reich’s Brustschild issues. He has been an expert for these issues at the Association of Philatelic Experts since 1994, having gained many years of experience as a stamp dealer and, since 1979, as a freelancer at the Heinrich Köhler auction house. He has been appointed to the team of experts for several major international exhibitions, including BELGICA 2006, BULGARIA 2009 and ANTWERPIA 2010. Since 2002, he has also been a member of the International Association of Philatelic Experts (AIEP), since 2012 chairman of the ArGe Brustschilde, and since 2020 a member of the Consilium Philatelicum. His exhibits on the Dominican Republic, his second area of expertise, and on Brustschild issues from 1871–1875 have been awarded gold and grand gold medals on several occasions.
His collection of ‘Brustschildausgaben’ has already been documented in volume 67 of the Edition d’Or book series. This new volume now presents his collection of North German Postal Service (NDP) stamps, which served as a kind of ‘precursor’ to the German Empire founded on 1 January 1871. Although its constitution came into force on 4 May 1871, its own ‘German Empire’ stamps, the well-known Brustschild issues, did not appear until eight months later, on 1 January 1872!
In order to maintain smooth postal services, the Post Office decided to recognise the validity of all NDP stamps issued by the North German Confederation since 1 January 1868, making them the first stamps of the German Empire, both in name and in fact.
Krug began his collection in 1975 and has continued to expand it ever since. It was last on display at DEBRA 2024 in Haldensleben, where it was awarded a large gold medal. He focuses on regular stamps from 4 May 1871 onwards, showing the use of stamps from 1 January 1868 with perforations, then the perforated stamps with the denominations ‘Groschen’ and ‘Kreuzer’, even including the perforated Hamburg city postmark and the stamps for internal use in numerical design. The final “chapters” deal with postal stationery, tax stamps and issues that were used after their validity period.
This 144-page collection contains an overwhelming wealth of letters, many of which are very rare, with unusual destinations, postage and units, including large sheets. This collection is a joy to look at, and the book could serve as an introduction to following in Krug’s footsteps. It certainly offers a great deal of help and support in this regard.
Key details: Format 25.5 x 34 cm, 144 pages, colour, art paper, hardcover with dust jacket and gold embossed title and spine, retail price: €79. Available from: Auktionshaus Heinrich Köhler GmbH & Co. KG, Hasengartenstr. 25, 65189 Wiesbaden, tel. 06 11/34 149-0, email: info@heinrich-koehler.de, www.heinrich-koehler.de
Translated with DeepL (www.deepl.com)
