Gallery

 

According to Arthur Falk, author of the classic catalogue on Hindenberg Airship crash mail, the addressee “G. Thoolen” in Fig. 1 is said to be a stamp dealer, as is the cover at Figure 4. What is important here is that it was mailed from Memel on 22 March, 1939, and contains the same stamp (no longer valid) as in Fig.1. The Lithuanian foreign letter rate had been 60c up to the German takeover. There is an old German cancel used until 1920 and resurrected in 1939. The German stamp wasn’t used to make the foreign letter rate; it was merely a label. Postal clerks did not realize that this stamp was no longer valid to pay postage. Mixed frank covers with Lithuanian and German stamps were permitted in Mernel until the end of March. “Memel is Free” overprinted stamps were issued on this day.

 

Danzig Report Vol. 1 - Nr. 94 - January - February - March - 1997, Page 19.