German States Stamps: Thurn und Taxis, Hannover, and Classics

Bavaria issued the first German state stamp on November 1, 1849 - a black square imperforate known to collectors as the Schwarzer Einser, or Black One, printed in a single color on ungummed paper and paid for in kreuzer. The other German states followed: Baden in 1851, Prussia in 1850, Saxony and Hanover in 1851, Thurn und Taxis operating across multiple territories with its own postal authority, the small city-states of Hamburg and Bergedorf with their own distinctive issues. This era ended in 1871 when the North German Confederation unified postal authority across the German Empire, ending the independent state-issuing period that philatelists catalog under the Altdeutsche Staaten (Old German States) designation.

German States Stamps attract specialists who build single-state depth rather than breadth across the category - a Bavaria specialist who tracks the Schwarzer Einser through the later color printings in blue and yellow develops expertise in paper and perforation varieties, printer identifications, and authentication standards that a generalist across all German States can't match. The Michel catalog's detailed German States classifications are the reference standard for the category, with variety attributions that differ meaningfully from Scott and other Western catalogs.

Two practical habits. Pursue BPP (Bund Philatelistischer Prüfer) expertization for any significant German States acquisition - the BPP certificate is the German philatelic authentication gold standard, and expertized examples command meaningful premiums over unexpertized equivalents of the same stamp while providing provenance confidence that affects both insurance and eventual resale. And study Michel catalog varieties for the state issues you're collecting; perforation varieties, watermark distinctions, and color gradations are catalog-essential for German States, and variety attribution matters for accurate collection assessment.

The Altdeutsche long game

Learn the Stamps fundamentals - German States catalog organization by state and issuing authority, how BPP expertization standards apply to pre-1871 issues, and which state issues have the most documented collector demand from European philatelic specialists - and keep notes on state, Michel number, and expertization status at acquisition.

Find the other German States collectors

Niches like German States Stamps grow sharper when collectors tracking state-specific varieties can compare expertization approaches and sourcing leads. Amassable lets you log stamps with state and variety notes, display the collection like a gallery, and meet others building the same single-state depth. Early members help shape how this specialty develops.

Your turn

Log the stamps, document the Michel varieties, pursue the BPP expertization. Amassable is built for German States Stamps collectors - catalog what you own, track the state gaps, and start conversations about the pre-1871 issues worth finding. Download Amassable from the official store links on our homepage, and help bring the German States community together, one Altdeutsche stamp at a time.