Supplement to the expertising rules

for the expertising area of the German Reich, Michel nos. 53-97 (including the related se-tenant stamps and postal stationery)

The following rules change or supplement the currently valid version of the BPP expertising rules.

1. Expertisation

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 are marked as “faked”.

The war and propaganda forgery Michel No. 4 (the so-called espionage forgery) in unused condition is “signed” as a normal stamp with the additional designation “Pfä”.

In the case of unused sheets of low value stamps – insofar as they are typical colour shades – the so-called “sheet expertising” may also be done, that is, the corner blocks of four, upper marginal stamps and stamps with HAN will be given a colour- and type identification. Otherwise, all stamps of (part-) sheets will be “signed”.

2. Quality

Some issues of this expertising area were issued with particular forms of perforation (the ‘B’ perforation of Michel Nos. 78-81), on special papers (Michel Nos. 89 y and 91y) or were issued under difficult conditions of production (war printings). Items which show production-related features (such as slightly blunt perforation teeth) are not regarded as defective.

3. Miscellaneous

Forerunners and contemporary issues of independent areas (Danzig, Memel etc.) are marked with a signature and an appropriate handwritten addition. For mixed frankings with overprinted stamps of these areas as well as certain cancellations one should usually consult the expertiser in whose expertising area these issues fall.

4. Overview of marking

Attestation, findings as appropriate		BPP expertising mark		Type / colour marking such as Ix or IIa without expertising mark
*/	○	*/	○	*/	○
54 b		54 a	54 b		54 a
56 b, c		56 a	56 b, c		56 a
58-62 I	58-62 I
63 b	63 c	52-62
64 II	64 II
66 I	66 I	63-66	64-66		63 a
69 I	69 I
69 b		69 a	69 b		69 a
70 a		70 b	70 a		70 b
72 c, b	72 c	72 a	72 b		72 a
78 Aa	78 Aa	78 Ab, B	78 B		78 Ab
			79
80 Ab, Bb	80 Ab, Bb	80 Aa, Ba	80 Aa, Ba
81 Aa, B	81 Aa, B	81 Ab	81 Ab
81 Z	81 Z
82 Z	82 Z	82 A			82 A
		82 B	82 B		83 I
		83-93 I			84 I
85 I b			85 I b		85 I a
86 I c			86 I c		86 I a, b
86 I d	86 I d
87 I b, d			87 I b, d
89 I y			89 I y		87 I a
					88 I
					89 I x
91 I y			91 I y		90 I
					91 I x
92 I b	92 I b		92 I a
					93 I
97 A I a	97 A I a	94-97 A I	96-97 A I		94-95 A I
		84 II b	84 II b	84 II a	84 II a
86 II d		85 II d, e	85 II d, e	85 II a	85 II a
86 II e	86 II e, g	86 II f	86 II d, f	86 II a, c	86 II a, c
		87 II a, c	87 II c
87 II b	87 II b			87 II d	87 II a, d
		88 II a	88 II a	88 II b	88 II b
		89 II y	89 II y	89 II x	89 II x
		90 II a	90 II a	90 II b	90 II b
		91 II y	91 II y	91 II y	91 II x
		92 II a, c	92 II a, c	92 II b	92 II b
		93 II a	93 II a	93 II b	93 II b
		94-97 A II	94-97 A II
95 B II b, c		94-97 B II			94-97 B II
96 A II
96 W	96 W		95 B II b, c
97 M	97 M	96 B II b	96 B II b
			Dienst
			D1, 2, 7-14

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

Features that go beyond the MICHEL special catalogue, such as for example post-dated postmarks, special postmarks, particular types of postmark, paper folds, perforation varieties and constant flaws identified in handbooks, will in the case of low values 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, in accordance with the overview of marking). Such marking is at the discretion of the expertiser.