Galerie

 

In this Report:
First Air Issue: Hand-Painted Essays ......................................................... Pages 1-3
Unusual Air Covers: 1921 ..................................................................................... 4-5
Letters to the Editor ............................................................................................. 6-11
Danzig Folio Print................................................................................................... 12
Michaelis/du Boulay Luftpost von und nach Danzig......................................... 13-24

application of the opaque pigment. Before we discuss the other examples of hand-painted essays, you should be aware of the ease with which an amateur artist could apply paint to a stamp and produce what may appear a newly discovered historical item. Since these examples were purchased with a larger group of authentic material soon after WWII, they may well be 100% echt; however, we may lose out in today’s market. Karl Kniep expressed the problem when we saw him last year, and we doubt that he would be inclined to expertise such material that is so easy to duplicate.

Illustration B at the right shows the familiar Danzig stamp with underprint points down, and an applied light green paint depicting a biplane and 1 MARK 1 covering the 30 Pfg value. The biplane was also tested in C with a red painted MK 10 Mk overprint, as well as a black s/MARK io /MARK similar to A on Page 1.

Perhaps the most damaging evidence concerning the authenticity of these “essays”, or renderings, can be found in tracing the 30 Pfg red-orange Germania stamp No. 8911x thru Danzig No. 5 (of 14.5.20), Danzig No. 16 (of 10.8.20), and No. 4111 (1.11.20). Note, then, that the first provisional air set was issued on 29.9.20! In order to meet this deadline, the proofs containing both the Danzig black overprint and the points-down network had to be available to Julius Sauer’s artist (did the firm do the air over—printing ?) many weeks prior to the issue date of 29.9.20. It would seem that at least four weeks were required for the making of cliches, etc.

 

Danzig Report Vol. 1 - Nr. 63 - April - May - June - 1989, Page 2.