In the centenary year of Deutsche Lufthansa, stamps and rare postal items are increasingly coming into focus for airmail and thematic collectors. Hardly any other field combines the history of technology and philately as impressively as the development of civil aviation in Germany.
One of the earliest notable issues is German Reich stamp number 603, dated January 6, 1936, commemorating the tenth anniversary of Lufthansa. The stamp depicts the elegant Heinkel He 70 "Blitz" high-speed aircraft, a symbol of speed and progress, printed in blue halftone on coated paper. While moderately valued in postmarked condition, first-day covers command significantly higher prices.
On February 11, 1944, the stamp set MiNr. 866–868 “25 Years of the German Airmail Service” was issued. The designs of these surcharge stamps document the technical development; in addition to the Lufthansa crane logo, they depict important aircraft types such as the Focke-Wulf FW 200 “Condor”, the Blohm & Voss Ha 139 seaplane, and the Junkers Ju 90 “The Great Dessauer”.
To mark the relaunch of Lufthansa's flight services, the Federal Republic of Germany revived tradition with the set MiNr. 205–208 dated March 31, 1955. The stamps depict the stylized crane, the company's well-known emblem. Printed using offset printing by Bagel, and featuring various watermark positions and plate flaws, they represent an interesting niche. Particularly noteworthy are the multiple frankings, which can fetch considerable prices.
In the GDR, a special set of stamps was issued from February 1956 to commemorate the opening of civil air traffic there (MiNr. 512–515). Besides a flag motif, three of the stamps depict Ilyushin Il-14 aircraft. While most of the stamps are common, the 5 Pfennig MiNr. 512 XI with the rare "GDR and Posthorn" watermark (Type I instead of II) is among the great rarities of GDR philately. Because it is rarely offered on the market, it was in Michel-Special catalog previously listed with placeholder -,- instead of price information.
In April 2026, a lower left corner of a sheet of paper bearing the imprint "VEB Graphische Werkstätten Leipzig III" and the philatelic first-day cover "BERLIN LUFTPOSTSTELLE 1.2.56" was offered for auction by Müller. A recent photographic certificate by Henry Mayer VP from September 2025 confirmed its authenticity and excellent condition (bottom edge gently pre-folded). The particularly attractive rarity, of which only a few examples are known, was expected to fetch €1500.
Michael Burzan, AIJP
