Bergedorf - Postage Stamps

Postage Stamps

Bergedorf is of note to philatelists because it issued its own postage stamps in 1861. At that time it had 2,989 residents, making it by far the smallest of the German towns to do so. The issue included 5 square stamps with denominations from ½ to 4 schillings. All used the same design - a combined coat of arms of Hamburg and Lübeck - but the higher values were larger stamps. All values were printed in black on different colored papers, except for the 3s stamp, which was printed in blue on pink paper.

Since Bergedorf was such a small town, relatively few of these stamps were made, and even fewer used; the price of unused stamps is from US$30–$50, while genuinely used stamps go for US$300–$2,000. Reprints, forgeries, and especially faked cancellations are quite common.

Bergedorf began using stamps of the North German Confederation in 1868.