Stamps of Baden

Prior to the North German Confederation, German States stamps were issued by most of the separate Germanic kingdoms, duchies, free-cities, etc. of Northern Europe. The Grand Duchy of Baden was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. The State of Baden came into existence since the 12th Century. However, the Grand Duchy of Baden came into existence in 1806 It became a republic for a while in 1849, following the German uprisings of 1848, but Prussia intervened, and the Grand Duchy was restored. With the advent of postage stamps and new postal administrations, Grand Duchy of Baden also issued stamps. Though less in number, the handful stamps of Baden give a peek into the history of Baden. Get ready to explore the small and sweet Duchy of the stamps of Baden.

Grand Duchy of Baden came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subsequently split into various smaller territories that were unified in 1771. In 1803 Baden was raised to Electoral dignity within the Holy Roman Empire. Upon the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, Baden became the much-enlarged Grand Duchy of Baden. This article refers to the postal history and postage stamps of the German state of Baden from 1851 to 1871. Before the regular stamps, the dukes of Thurn und Taxis had a great influence on the postal development of Baden. From 1718 to 1811, they established their own postal system and took over the postal organization. It was 1811 before the postal administration changed hands to Baden’s authority with the Zessionsvertrag (Assignment Treaty) of Thurn und Taxis. The postal system continued to develop and on May 1, 1851, Baden joined the German-Austrian Postal Union. On the same day, the first Stamps of Baden were issued.

Numeral Issue:

 

Stamps of Baden

 

Known as the Numeral Issues, the First Stamps of Baden were issued on 1st May 1851. They were issued with the denominations of 1Kreuzer, 3Kreuzers, 6Kreuzers, and 9Kreuzers. The stamps were printed in Black on papers with colours such as pale buff, orange, blue-green, and deep rose. The stamps were imperforated, designed in the same model as Bavaria containing the denomination in a circle and inscribed “Baden” and “Freimarke”. These stamps were in continuous circulation till 1858 as it is. However, in the year 1858, the 3 Kr. was printed in black on blue paper.

The Coat of Arms Issues

 

Stamps of Baden

 

While the first issues were imperforate, in 1860 the first perforated stamps were issued. This series is known as the Coat of Arms Issue and come with different varieties. The stamps feature the coat of arms in the centre. The coat of arms of Baden comes from the personal arms of the Margraves and Grand Dukes of Baden, the traditional rulers of the region. The Arms show a crowned coat in the centre with two rampant griffins on either side.

  1. a) From 1860 to 1862, new designs with the Baden coat of arms were issued. They were all printed on white paper, with a lined background behind the arms. They were issued with the denominations of 1 Kreuzer in black, 3 kreuzers in Prussian blue and 6 Kreuzers in Red.
  2. b) The other variety was issued in the year 1862 with a plain white background without the lining. The stamps were issued with the denominations of 1 Kreuzer in black, 3 Kreuzers in pink, 6 kreuzers in Prussian blue, 9 Kreuzer in reddish brown, 18 kreuzers in Green and 30 Kruezers in yellow.
  3. c) In the year 1868, a new set of stamps were issued with the modification in the denomination panel. The new set of stamps was as earlier with the coat of arms on a white background. They featured the denomination in the tablet at the bottom abbreviated, instead of spelled out, as on prior issues. The new stamps come with the denominations 1Kruezer in Green, 3 Kruezers in Carmine and 7 Kruzezers in Blue.

Landpost Postage Due Stamps

 

Stamps of Baden

 

The Landpost postage due stamps is a special area in Baden’s postal history. The three values of 1, 3, and 12 Kreuzer were issued on October 1, 1862. These stamps were not given to postal customers during their valid period and could not be used as definitive stamps. With these stamps, additional delivery charges to addresses in rural villages, not served by a local post office, were paid. The sender could choose to pre-pay the charge. The Landpost stamps were not regular Postage Due stamps, although their use as such, and for other charges, is also known. They should have been stuck on the reverse, but are often seen on the front.

Conclusion:

The Stamps of Baden are subject to many forgeries due to their rarity. On December 31, 1871, the entire postal system of Baden changed hands to the German Reichspost and since then the postal history of Baden is part of the German Reich. Stamps of Baden could only be used until the end of 1871, but stamps of Baden could be exchanged for stamps of the German Reich until February 25, 1872.

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