2018-07-31 Tue

Bergedorf is a small city-state to the north of Germany. Since 1420, Bergedorf had belonged to both of the Hanseatic cities of Hamburg and Lübeck. And in 1868, Hamburg bought Bergedorf from Lübeck for 200,000 Prussian Thalers. Since then, Bergedorf has been a borough of Hamburg.

German States stamps for the postal district of Bergedorf were issued on 1st November 1861 and Bergedorf issued only five stamps between 1861 and 1867. The stamps feature a unique design in the centre consisting of the right half of the coat of arms of Hamburg and the left half of the coat of arms of Lübeck. The stamps are:
½ Schilling Black on Pale Blue
1 Schilling Black on White
1 ½ Schilling Black on Olive Yellow
3 Schilling Blue on Light Rose
4 Schilling Black on Brownish Orange

The ½ Schilling Black on Pale Blue stamp was later changed in 1867, which was the last issued independent stamp of Bergedorf. In 1868, Bergedorf, along with Hamburg, became part of the North German Confederation, and their postal service was replaced by that of the North German Postal District.

Image Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org