Supplement to the expertising rules

for the expertising area of the German Reich, Michel nos. 31-52 (incl. related postal stationery)

1. Expertisation

Differences in paper thickness are listed in the MICHEL specialised catalogue although, due to the much greater efforts involved in investigating these varieties, they are expertised only after an explicit request by the submitter for items specified by him. Overall requests such as “expertise for paper thickness also” will be disregarded.

In the case of used stamps with colour shades that clearly show divergent quartz reactions under UV light due to chemical changes, water additions or other changes, “verwaschen” (= washed out) will be written by hand on the back of the stamp. In addition, the colour identification for low value stamps that are marked on the lower edge of the stamp without a named expertising mark will be placed higher up, towards the middle of the stamp. With better stamps, which receive the named expertising mark in its unchanged state, this is omitted and only the colour identification is applied to the bottom of the stamp.

Extreme colour changes will be marked as “faked”.

In the case of perfect gutter pairs – if not given any findings or attestation – each stamp is “marked” in accordance with the marking overview, and in addition they are given the mark “ZS”/”ZW”. This additional marking is not applied to faulty gutter pairs. The same applies to single stamps with adjoining gutter.

2. Quality

Some issues in this expertising area – this applies particularly to Michel Nos. 31-38, as well as for the first printing(s) of Michel Nos. 45-50 – often show low slightly blunt perforation teeth. As the stamps were printed on soft or thin paper, examples with slightly blunt perforations – this especially applies to unused stamps – are not considered inferior, and will be expertised as faultless.

3. Overview of marking

Double BPP expertising mark	BPP expertising mark	Type / colour marking without expertising mark
○	○	○
	31 b	31 a
33 aa		33 a, b
	34 b	34 a
	35 a, aa, ab, b, c
	36 a, b
	38 a, b
37 a ○ 1875-1880	37 a, b, c, d, f = + ○	37 e
39 aa, Ic	39 ba, IIc	39 a, b
	41 aa	41 a, ab, b
	42 aa, ba	42 a, b, c
43 bb	43 a, ba, ca	43 b, c
	44 ba, c, ca, d	44 a, b
45 aa	45 d	45 a, b, c, ca, cb, e
46 aa, ba		46 a, b, c
47 aa, ba, ea	47 ca, db, e	47 a, b, c, d, da
48 aa, ba, c		48 a, b, bb, d
49 aa	49 a, ba	49 b
50 a, aa, ab	50 b, ba, da	50 c, d

B and C formats, x and z paper thicknesses, PF 31-52 (except 45 I)	D formats, CE formats, y paper thicknesses, PF 45 I

In the case of Michel No. 37 the above overview applies to postmarked and pen-cancelled stamps. All mint and unused values – if not given any findings or attestation – will receive only a single name-mark. Unused low values (e.g. Michel Nos. 39 II b, 40 II, 45 b) without gum or with gum remainders are given only a type / colour identification without “signing”.

The lowest value stamps, which are marked only with the colour identification, are not expertised in regard to quality.

Features that go beyond the MICHEL special catalogue, such as for example post-dated postmarks, special types of postmark, paper folding, perforation varieties and constant flaws, will only be marked with simple colour / type designations in addition to the expertising mark of the expertiser and a corresponding handwritten note (the type identification remains unaffected according to the overview of marking). Such marking is at the discretion of the expertiser.