Political
control in Saarland’s hills and valleys, hotly disputed since the 17th
Century, has shuffled between French and German authorities, although the city
of Saarbrücken and its surrounds have remained ethnically German.
The two
20th Century political shifts occurred immediately following World Wars One and
Two, both meant to punish Germany for its belligerence. In the first of these,
the League of Nations governed the Saar Protectorate from 1919 until 1935,
largely under French administration. German stamps were immediately overprinted
with Sarre (the French word for the region) and a bar striking Deutches
Reich. Bavarian stamps were also pressed into use. Subsequent stamps with
original designs feature mainly the area’s industrial strengths – coal
production, steel mills, river transport.
Among these is my favorite stamp. It depicts the blazing furnaces of the Burbach steel works at nighttime (#83).
In 1935, the people of Sarre were allowed to vote on which country would be their homeland, a plebiscite scheduled by the Versailles Treaty. Twenty-seven Saar stamps were overprinted “Volksabstimmund 1935” to help promote the event, all showing in the supplement, below, on home-made pages. A large voter turn-out resulted; more than 90.73 percent chose affiliation with Germany, a lop-sided victory for Hitler. The remaining votes were for the status quo (8.86 percent) and unification with France (0.40 percent). Thereafter, German Reich stamps were again used. For the years from 1919 to 1935, however, all Saar stamps can be regarded as League of Nations issues.
In 1946,
following World War Two, France again took control of Saar (Protectorat de
la Sarre). New stamps were issued, 179 of which have spaces provided in Big
Blue, Parts 2, 3, and 4. In 1956, France agreed to return the Saar to
(West) Germany whereupon it became a small federal state in Germany, a status
that continues to today in reunited Germany.
Census: 132
in BB spaces, three tip-ins, 72 on supplement pages.
Notes:
1. https://www.nationsonline.org/map_small/Germany/Saarland_sm.jpg
2. ibid.
One will note, for Saar Stamps, that "used" often have a higher CV than "unused".
Type I: Larger letters, no control mark (short thin line) below bar.
Type II: Larger letters and control mark present.
Type III: Smaller letters and control mark present.
I find it is helpful to look at the "r" in "Saare". The "r" appears taller (2mm+) in Type I compared to Type III (2mm).
The Scott catalogue has Type I as major numbers, and Type II and Type III as minor numbers. Some of the minor numbers have a very high CV ($1,000+ !).
