Ralph A

One cannot fully comprehend the seed-ground for National Socialism in Germany, without contemplating this $50,000,000,000 "inflation" stamp:

"Culture-donation" stamp. It carried a surcharge; a donation to the Arts.

Note the '37 Parteitag designation.

More vending machine stamps. These are known as "Hitler Heads."

Another rarity.

What keeps this from being outrageously expensive (and out of my reach) is the fact that on the stamp to the extreme left, the perforation bites into the artwork.

These were meant to come from a vending machine:

Another block:

A "block."

Four types of Feldpost stamps. If you could find the blue one cancelled on a bit of parcel wrapper, you would have something worth several thousands of dollars.

He got rich off these - he earned a minuscule royalty for each one sold:

Rarities:

Heinz sent me this set as a gift! Poignant...

I like to acquire series, and blocks (w/gutters)... but I am less even than an amateur philatelist.

I got most of my stamps from a gentleman in Canada named Heinz Paryas - a certified dealer, and a friend. He is Croatian, and his father perished at Stalingrad.

These are insurance-payment stamps.

I have a bundle! Herewith is a sampling.

Here, for your enjoyment, is one of my favorite things:

Bob, yes it is card stock.

Here's one made of fabric! (over tin)

I went to school here (E Company!):

The Citadel

The Citadel fought as a unit in the US Civil War (known there as the War of Northern Aggression), and has 8 battle streamers on their standard (Battles).

An interesting sidebar:

There is a statue of George Washington on the steps of the State Capitol building in Columbia, S.C., that was there at the time of the War. He holds in his hand a walking cane - it's broken off. It was broken during the "unpleasantness", as the War is referred to by genteel Southerners.

Who broke the cane? Sherman's troops in 1865. Why? Some say because the bluebellies did not feel that a statue of the Father of the Country should be on the steps of that building - where the Articles of Secession were promulgated (they were signed in Charleston, however, due to an outbreak of smallpox in Columbia).

The Yankees tried to remove the statue, but succeeded only in breaking off the cane. It is still broken to this day.

Here's the interesting part:

The Confederates left the statue there to begin with, because they believed that what they were trying to build was the sort of confederation of states that Washington and the Founding Fathers actually had in mind!

Sidebar to Rick's translation:

"Eigene vs. eignen."

?Funf Mark die Woche musst du sparren;

Willst du im eignen Wagen fahren.?

An article (American Heritage history series) enthusiastically quoted this KdF blurb as an ?insight? into the state of the German economy of the mid-30?s.

It translated the blurb as ?If you ever want to own a car, you?ll need to save?? the point being that a German having an automobile was something relatively rare in that day.

But what it really says is ?If you ever want to own a suitable car??

...which is another thing entirely.

tsk tsk. Gotta watch those translations! Moving ONE letter makes all the difference...

Did I call this correctly? I wrote a letter to the editor, which went unanswered.

Not uncommon, but interesting:

Those cigaret holders are exceptional, by the way.

None of these are Imperial, but what the hey. Note the nice TR Era three-pack.

...

...

New acquisition:

A couple more pieces. The "key ring" is for a strongbox. Enjoy, gentlemen, and thanks for looking at this little "change of pace."