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Special rules for the area of the German Democratic Republic

These expertising rules apply to the stamp issues from Michel No. 182 and the postal stationery, stamp booklets and stamp booklet sheets, registration and parcel fee stamps, official stamps of Administration Post A (ZKD) and Administration Post B (official stamps A), Administration High-Value Post, special services of Administration Post A including controls, stampless official covers, POL perfins, postal forgeries, minor forgeries, propaganda forgeries (KgU) and postal war covers.

The expertising rules are divided into:

A. Issues for the Soviet Zone and the GDR from Michel No. 182, postal stationery, stamp booklets, stamp booklet sheets, commemorative stamp booklets, registration and parcel fee stamps, postal forgeries, minor- and propaganda forgeries, postal war covers and POL perfins.

B. Official stamps of the Administration Posts A and B, special services of Administration Post A including controls, stampless official covers and Administration high-value covers.

A. Marking

1. Watermarks, paper types, colours, gum types, varieties, and plate errors are marked only on the basis of the Michel classifications with the proviso: only as much detail as is necessary for a definite classification.

2. According to the Michel numbering for overprint / plate errors or type / plate errors the plate error marking is always done on the stamp’s lower edge equal to the position of the expertising mark.

3. Single stamps from proven former multiples or multiples that are to be divided, as well as stamps from pieces or stamps removed from similar documents, that are no longer expertisable as individual stamps, also stamps with incomplete overprints but which can be proven to be genuine and contemporary by the expertiser who has particular documents at his disposal, will receive in addition to the expertising mark the additional marking “”ECHT im Block geprüft” (GENUINE expertised in a multiple).

4. In the case of Michel No. 339 xb only cancellations with dates up to 21 March 1953 of such offices where the stamp was definitely used will be recognised.

5. “Shaded circle” and “Circle with an S”

5.1 These markings are made on philatelic material with official cancellations applied for philatelic purposes, whereby on all issues with limited validity the cancellation could have been correctly date even after being taken out of use.

5.2. This group of cancellations includes the issue-related special postmarks, the date- and special postmarks of the philatelic agency for collectors including its successors and different date- and special postmarks of the Berlin C 2 and Leipzig C 1, C 2 and N 18 post offices in addition to further date- and special postmarks of other post offices.

5.3 On attestations or findings the description “Versandstellen Abstempelung mit zeitgerechtem Datum” (Philatelic agency postmark with correct date) is used in this circumstance.

5.4 Printed postmarks receive a “G” in addition to the cross-hatched circle.

5.5 Covers that were definitely carried by post, or items submitted for expertising that come from these, for which the burden of proof rests with the submitter and must go with the items for expertising, do not belong in this category. Such items receive the additional “circle with a dot” mark.

5.6 In Michel catalogues the first price column for used items or the designated price for “circle with an S” applies to these. Printed postmarks are not shown separately.

6. Cancellations of West Berlin post offices on SBZ stamps are expertised.

7. All State-arranged reprints with printed postmarks are marked “Nachdruck” or “Neudruck” without further details. Specific features can be added in attestations or findings.

8. “Poststellen-II” postmarks, parcel postmarks and other undated postmarks on single stamps cannot normally be expertised, unless Paragraph 3 applies.

9. Stitched stamp booklets may not be expertised as a whole. The stamp booklet leaves contained therein are expertised. In addition, an attestation or findings can be issued as expertisation.

10. Commemorative stamp booklets may not be expertised as a whole. Only the stamps included may be expertised.

11. Unused or used postal stationery items are given expertising marks as imperforate issues. Postmarked but not genuinely carried postal stationery items are marked on the back on the lower edge of the indicium.

12. Envelopes, cards or other items franked with stamps and postmarked on the first day which are shown not to have been carried by post are marked as pieces.

13. Official state FDCs franked with stamps that are not from the first printing are expertised with findings.

14. Registration fee stamps are expertised mint and on cover; parcel fee stamps only on genuinely carried parcel address labels. PU provisions are not carried out.

15. Used postal forgeries (for example the Zschopau postal forgery) on cover/PK/PKA will be expertised with an attestation or findings, minor forgeries on postally used covers with findings, propaganda forgeries on postally used covers or postal war covers with an attestation or findings.

16. Commemorative and definitive stamps with POL perfins will be doubly marked. Covers will be expertised with an attestation or findings.

17. When genuine and forged, faked or questionable stamps are found together on covers, no cover marking can be done. However, findings can be given. Forged (or faked) stamps on such covers will be marked as forged (or faked), as pieces are signed in accordance with section 6.4 of the BPP expertising rules.

18. If sheets of low-value stamps up to a Michel value of DM 10 per stamp are submitted, only the lower left corner stamp is marked. Any request to mark every stamp must be indicated. Varieties and special characteristics are always signed in the presence of the submitter.

19. No attestations can be issued for mixed sets with official cancellations made for philatelic purposes and/or printed postmarks with other postmarks. Stamps with the additional marking “ECHT im Block geprüft” (GENUINE expertised in a multiple” may also not be attested.

20. The unissued set for the 1984 Summer Olympics will be expertised.

21. Phased prints will be expertised with findings as complete sets or only from the last printing phase.

22. The charity stamp Michel No. I is not expertised.

23. In the case of Michel Nos. 212/27, stamps with special marginal features will receive an additional marking above the stamp in the margin.

24. For Michel Nos. 212/27 in used condition with flaky gum, the requirement that these be submitted with no paper adhering to the back does not apply.

A. Quality

1. Production-related creases on commemorative stamps up to Michel No. 385 and definitive stamps up to Michel No. 585 are not faults.

2. The rough perforation teeth that occur on Michel Nos. 212/27 in combination with hard, glassy, parchment-like and transparent paper are not regarded as evidence of damage. Otherwise only commemorative and definitive stamps with all sides evenly perforated, including the corner teeth, are considered faultless.

3. Striped gum is occasionally found on definitive stamps; this occurred during production and does not indicate damage to the gum. The only stamps regarded as having flaky gum are those that predominantly show this characteristic.

4. The granular gum with some small defects that is found only on Block 7 occurred during production and is not a fault.

5. The dimensions given for miniature sheets in the Michel catalogue up to Block 6 are the minimum ones.

B. Marking

1. Watermarks, paper types, colours, gum differences, varieties and plate errors are marked only on the basis of the Michel classifications with the proviso: only as much detail as is necessary for a definite classification.

2. According to the Michel numbering for overprint / plate error or type / plate error the plate error marking is always done on the stamp’s lower edge equal to the position of the expertising mark.

3. Official cancellations done for philatelic purposes with genuine postmarks on Administration Post B stamps are marked with a shaded circle. Cliché- (sheet) cancellations (printed postmarks) receive a “KL” mark in addition to the shaded circle.

4. The official Administration Post B reprints with printed postmarks will be marked with “Nachdruck” (Reprint) without further indication if there are no additional special features.

5. With Michel Nos. 16 to 31 of Administration Post A, portions of postmarks may be expertised with the help of “Tausenderrollen” evidence of use and the list of “Restrollen” remainders. There will be a full expertisation of the postmark.

6. Cancellations using “invalid postmarks” with Administration Post A will be additionally marked with a “U and three horizontal lines” marking.

7. Cancellations with the “BERLIN BPA -ba-” machine postmark die are not expertised on Administration Post A stamps.

8. State-arranged faked (as postally carried) items with Michel Nos. IV to IX of Administration Post A are expertised with findings.

9. Covers with control slips of Administration Post A are expertised with findings..

10. Postal exchange documents are expertised with attestation or findings.

11. Administration high-value post covers without frankings (government agencies) are expertised with attestation or findings.

12. Administration Post A items dating from 10 October 1955 to 31 March 1956 with the originating postmark “BERLIN 0 17 bezahlt” with code letter “a” struck in red, and all items sent to Berlin are expertised with attestation or findings.

13. Stampless official covers with secrecy levels “VVS”, “AGMs” or “GKdos” are expertised with attestation or findings.

14. Official covers carried by courier are expertised with findings.

15. Deposit books of Administration Post A are expertised with attestations.

16. Control stamps of Administration Post A with the overprint “4a” and “4B” are only expertised on items carried through the post.

17. “MM-Aushändigung durch Zusteller/Datum/ZKD-Kontrolle VPKA Leipzig” covers of Administration Post A are expertised with attestation or findings.

18. Official air mail (courier flights Geneva-Berlin) is expertised with attestation or findings.

19. Official mail from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expertised with findings.

20. Pilot official and manoeuvre mail of the NVA is at present not yet expertisable.

21. ZKD stamps with the postmark “BERLIN BPA ba” will be expertised with the BPA shaded circle or findings.

B. Quality

1. Production-related creases in Michel Nos. 1 to 41 of Administration Post B are not faults.

2. In the case of postally used Michel Nos. 6 to 15 stamps of Administration Post A, slight perforation defects are usual; the stamps are regarded as flawless. Otherwise, only stamps with uniform perforation are regarded as having flawless perforation.

3. Stamps with tears or cuts, or that have been made unrecognisable with Administration Post A postmarks will be marked at a higher level.


Miscellaneous

1. The watermark expertising of stamps on cover (or other substrates) is in many cases not possible beyond doubt. Such items may be returned with the request to resubmit these with detached stamps.

2. Up to a Michel value of € 25, the following minimum fees apply to forgery-prone philatelic expertisation items:

Each individual mint stamp €1

Each individual used stamp €1

The following charges may be made:

Postmark expertisation €1

Overprint expertisation €1

Variety expertisation €1

For each colour, paper or type expertisation €0.50

Sheet expertisation 1% of the Michel catalogue value subject to a minimum of €2

3. For all special requests, a supplement may be charged depending on the time spent. Any kind of special request requires prior agreement with the expertiser.

4. Not every expertiser checks the entire expertising area. The specialisations are to be found in the expertisers’ list of the BPP e. v.

Approved and signed by the following expertisers on 1 August 2001:

Henry Mayer, Dr Fritz Modry, Siegfried Paul, Heinz-Jörg Schönherr