Digits in Circle-New Colors-1890

Wuerttemberg, Kingdom, Digits in Circle-New Colors-1890, February 5th, 1890, Michel Nr. 55-58; Four nominals (3Pf, 5Pf, 25Pf and 50Pf) were issued in new colors and in perforation 11.5:11.0.

Hers is the mint hinged with full original gum set in the a) colors (the 50Pf value is shown below).

5Pf stamp in the rare color variety black-blue-green (Michel Nr. 56b) mint never hinged. Signed W.Engel

25Pf stamp mint never hinged with full original gum. Signed „a Winkler“.

50Pf stamp mint with full original gum (hinged). Signed „Thoma“

In order to introduce the new stamps to the general public postal authorities specimens were distributed to members of the press. In order to prevent these samples to be misused to defraud the post they received a black or blue overprint that stated „Probe zur Frankatur nicht verwendbar“ (Specimen not valid as postage). Here are the mint hinged with full original gum specimen for the 3Pf and 5Pf stamps.

Varieties do exist. Here is the 25Pf stamp imperforate, mint with full original gum (hinged).

Trial prints exist of the 3Pf and 5Pf nominals. Here is a very rare imperforate trial print of the 5Pf value where one cliche was inserted up-side-down. Only a handful of this errors have be come known. Listed in Michel under 56PU3K

Trial Print of the imperforate 5Pf stamp in dark-green color and printed on waste paper. Listed in Michel under 56PU5

This shows the reverse of this strip of three

Here is the used set (all in „a“ colors).

Mixed franking of the 3Pf stamp on a postal stationary with the same nominal sent in March of 1892 from Stuttgart to Haarlem in The Netherlands. Harlem arrival cancel on the reverse.

Mixed franking of the 3Pf and 5Pf stamps (2) on a 2Pf postcard paying an overall postage of 15Pf sent from Stuttgart to Constantinople in Turkey. Constantinople arrival cancel on the reverse.

Mixed franking of the 2Pf and 3Pf Digits in Circle on a 5Pf answer-postcard paying an overall postage of 10Pf. The card was initially sent from the 1900 Paris World Exhibition in Paris to Annweiler. It was cancelled by the American post office that attended the World with the machine cancel made for the fair. The card was then returned to Paris, France. This time it was canceled with the large „Heilbronn Zweigpoststelle 1900“ canceler (Level 3 price level). Both cards are still attached to each other which is rather rare. Intact answer postcards are much rarer than was assumed until now.

Mixed franking of the 10Pf and 50Pf stamps (3) paying an overall postage of 1.60 Marks on a package card accompanying a package from Stuttgart to Rorschach in Switzerland. Two of the 50Pf stamps form a pair. Michel values a used pair at 2.5 times that of a single stamp