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The Danzig Coil Stamps - Some New Discoveries
by Giles du Boulay

The booklet, “INeAutomatenmarken der Frden Stadt Danzig” (published 1983) by Hem, (iehrmann of Wuppertal is the most valuable reference source of specia1iid information on the subject of coil stamps used in automatic vending throughout the Free State of I)anzig during the years 1924 to 1939. For a full appreciation of the new discoveries listed below, all From my Collection, it is imperat ive that the reader refers to Herr (iehrmann’sexcellent study.

1. The provisional stamps: second experimental stage.

At first the coils of 501) stamps (5P1 & lUll. Mi. 19314) were made up from vertical strips taken from across the whole sheet, with us lower margin removed. [ach strip was joined in turn to the next OflC by sticking the Ia.st stamp ol one strip over the upper margin and accumulating counting numbers of the next strip. Thus, the joints were made under every tenth stamp in a coil.

As a second, and short-lived, experimental stage, some coils were made up by gumming the lower sheet margin of one strip under the top stamp of the next stamp (effectively every eleventh stamp in the coil). These joints under the upper third of the stamp are very rarely found indeed. A probable explana non is that experiments were made with the strips joined in this way. hut it was found that the coils jammed the machine mechanism, so this method was abandoned.

Herr Gehrmann refers to only one stamp ‘s being known (it’s in his collection), dacstarnped on 29.8. 1925. which has such a joint [mm the lower margin of the previous strip.

I am now able to show a second example on a postcard sent on 31.8.1927, from Daniig to Germany. In fact, both stamps on this postcard are provisional coil stamps. It is the IOPf value, however, which ha.s, beneath its upper portion, the joint trom the lower margin of the previous strip. Under magnificat ion (Fig. 2). the joint can he seen slightly protruding, and the usual green printed line from the lower margin of the sheet is just visible. The full card ascIi is illustrated in Figure 1.

 

Danzig Report Vol. 1 - Nr. 105 - October - November - December - 1999, Page 29.