Lettered Stamps

It is difficult to believe in today's social marketing climate that these small poster stamps were once considered a very popular form of advertising, but during the first half of the last century, stamps were used to advertise everything from bicycles, expositions, printing, to sewing machines (as you will see below). In the world of stamp collecting, they are referred to as cinderellas, as they are not government issue postal stamps. They were often affixed to mailing envelopes however, and given away as promotions to encourage people to collect entire series. Their artwork was prized for being miniature posters and collector clubs sprang up across many countries. Today the collecting frenzy continues, and they are still considered affordable and desirable. With rare exceptions you will find costs vary between $1 to $5 at paper shows in the states, but you can purchase them in large lots if you aren't particular about the subject matter. On one of my recent visits to a local paper show I found this 1931 Hungarian poster stamp advertising the 700th anniversary of St. Anta—my favorite of the bunch here. It inspired me to dig deeper for more initials on advertising stamps, which proved to be a difficult challenge. My search revealed only two others in this group, while others required a more ambitious digital dig.

A Swedish poster stamp advertising the Dürkopp sewing machine. No date.

Undated German poster stamp for the Dietrich Vesta sewing machine. Interesting that the style of the D is very similar to the Dürkopp stamp above. Now available on eBay for a limited time.

1929 poster stamp for an international exhibition of motorcycles. A great example of the Italian Futurist Movement of that era. This is from a low-rez Flickr image of other very nice motorcycle stamps.

Who knew that women sewing away behind giant letters was such a popular theme back in the day? This undated German poster stamp for Pfaff sewing machines is now available on eBay for a limited time.

This German poster stamp is from the Konigl Fachingen series seen below which promote their natural mineral water. They are all from a 2008 poster stamp and mail art exhibit at the Oberlin Clarence Ward Art Library. All other poster stamps in this post are from my own archives unless otherwise noted.