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A New HP-1 Discovery(?) by Rex A. Dixon
Rex Dixon reports on what appears to be an unpublished variety


Editor’s Note: This article will appear in Germanla. the journal of the Germany and Colonies Philateiic Society.. We have received permission to print the article, and we hope to show a clear picture of the variety. We’d hoped to use an acetate overlay, but that was no more successful than what you see on the next page.. Meanwhile. we wish to thank Rex, Giles and G&CPS for their courtesy in allowing the North American Colonies this opportunity.


Early in 1934. I)anzig released a semi-official postal stationery issue catalogued in Michel as 1-IPI. The cards were issued by the Winterhilfswerk (WEIW) organization in the Free City of 1)anzig and are inscribed 1933/34. They come in strips of three, printcd on poor-quality card stock, with a poor- quality black and white photograph on the reverse. The catalogues list 33 different views (numbered in Michel from 01 thru 33) and four different personalities (numbered from a thru d) as being depicted in the photographs. The following combinations are known:

01/02/03          04/02/03               05/06/07               08/09/010          011/01 2/013       014/01 5/01 6
017/018/019          020/021/022               023/024/025                a/026/027            b/028/029 c/030/031              d/032/033

One of the three cards in each strip bears a 10 Pfg. green imprint of the Danzig Wappen stamp. But which card received the imprint was not constant. Only the 33 viewcards ever received the imprint.

There was at least two printings, which slightly differ in the card and the color of the imprint. The pair of combinations 01/02/03 and 04/02/03 represent the two printings, with card 04 substituted for 01
01 “Mondschein am Strand Bmsen” vertical photograph
04 “Mondschein am Strand von Brosen” horizontal photograph

The discovery I am reporting is that the photographs on card 05 (“Danziger Niederung Graben”) also comes in two readily distinguishable forms. I have not seen references to this in the literature, hut it may he that I haven’t searched hard enough. I have been undecided whether the two printings inv olved correspond to those for the strips jLlst mentioned, as I find the differences in card and color in my two 05/-6/07 strips barely distinguishable. Because of this. I have arbitrarily denoted them as types I and 11. If anything. the color in type II is slightly paler.

The same photo of the polders is used in both types. & both are near enough to the same size (120½ x 80mm for type 1, 121 x 80mm for type II). The difference lies in the degree of enlarging employed. and hence in what is included in the frame. Type I has been enlarged more and shows a narrower angle.

The differences are most clearly seen in the pollarded willows. It may he difficult to disdinguish the differences in reproductions of the original poor quality prints.

In type I. the big willow in the left foreground is 2 mm closer to the left edge than in type II. The row of distant willows on the right is 5 mm longer in type 11 and includes 1 ‘/2 more trees, including a particularly tall one where the row intersects the right edge.

The other two photos, 06 Danzig: St. Katherinenkirche hei Naciii and 07 Zoppoter Segeiregatta. in the same strip, do not show any similar differences in enlargement and cropping. although there are similar (hut not identical) very slight differences in size. (No differences are apparent in the black type on the reverse side.)

My two strips do show minor printing flaws in the photographs. hut these have the appearance of being non-consistent in nature. I do not have access to other copies to compare. indeed, the high catalogue value and scarcity of these strips makes study difficult. For the record. I mention them:
- Small white spot on right trunk of willow in left foreground: on 05. type I.
- Fleck in sky above left of center sail, on 07 (in same strip as 05. type II).


I would he grateful if readers would examine any cards and strips in their possession and report similar findings to me, via the editor.

 

Danzig Report Vol. 1 - Nr. 101 - October - November - December - 1998, Page 10.