Big Blue 1840-1940: Saar - Bud's Big Blue

Saar indicate by small red box (1)

Bud's Big Blue

Bud's Observations

Political control in Saarland’s hills and valleys, hotly disputed since the 17^th Century, has shuffled between French and German authorities, although the city of Saarbrücken and its surrounds have remained ethnically German.

Scott #s 6 and 7, orange and red, overprints in French

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.

Scott #83 dark blue, red orange, and black

Among these is my favorite stamp. It depicts the blazing furnaces of the Burbach steel works at nighttime (#83).

Scott #s C5-C8, red, red orange, black, brown

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.

Horseshoe bend in the River Saar (2)

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.

Jim's Observations

On January 30, 1920, stamps of Germany (1906-19) were overprinted "Saare" for the mandated territory. Seventeen major number stamps are found in the Scott catalogue, and CV ranges from <$1-$10+ for fifteen of them.

One will note, for Saar Stamps, that "used" often have a higher CV than "unused".

Overprint Types

The overprint is found with three types.
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+ !).

Saar Post & BB Checklist

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