German Democratic Republic (East Germany) Covers

This thread is to show nice covers from the German Democratic Republic (East Germany - DDR). No special subjects or themes, just nice covers and cards in all kinds - FDC's with commemorative postmarks, commercial covers, FD cards and Postcards. Please, share your items from DDR.

Friedrich Engels Year, issued on November 7, 1955. Postmark applied in Karl Marx Stadt:

Lufthansa, the national airline of DDR, issued on February 1, 1956:

Visit of the Soviet Cosmonaut Gherman Stepanovich Titov to DDR, issued on December 11, 1961. The 20Pf. stamp shows Titov meeting Walter Ulbricht, General Secretary of DDR:

Here's a postcard from my collection, promoting the artificial international language Ido ("The Modern World Language"), but written in German rather than Ido. It was franked with Michel #317 (Scott #110), postmarked in Großbothen on 26 June 1953, and sent to Bad-Klosterlaus[n]itz.

Cover sent from Pirna to Munich, W. Germany, franked with two definitive stamps. On the back, two Cinderella stamps, I think from USSR, and arrival postmarks:

Famous buildings in the DDR, issued on November 14, 1955. Postmark applied in Karl Marks Stadt:

"Protected birds" full set (year 1973, Michel # 1834/41) on two covers from Berlin to Bourg de Peage (misspelled),France
"Naturschutzwoche" : Nature Conservation Week

Not from USSR.
"Spendenmarken" from DDR
One for each former soviet republic

Here is the one for Estonia


And here is an almost complete set (not mine)

Thanks, Vayolene, for the correction and for sharing the Spendenmarken and information.

Shipbuilding, engraved by Margot Sachs-Bitzer and issued on August 24, 1971:
Iwan Franko-class passenger ship:
Type 17 cargo ship
Cargo motor ship "Rostock" type XD
Fish trawler "Junge Welt"
Cargo motor ship type 451
Expedition ship "Akademik Kurtschatow"

Here is a cover sent from Erfurt to Strasbourg,with Michel # 1267 ("Tomb in the snow",painting by Caspar Friedrich),and Michel # 1293 ( german poet Georg Herwegh),both stamps from 1967


The "sondermarken" I showed in my previous post are from 1987,and celebrate 70 years of german-soviet friendship.
I've just found the full sheet (20 stamps + 5 labels) here :
https://www.ddr-spendenmarken.de/Ma...SF/HE_87.php

Thanks again, Vayolene, for sharing the cover and the link. There are stamps issued to celebrate the Society of German-Soviet Friendship Society, the society that issued the sondermarken you posted:

25th anniversary of the German - Soviet friendship society, issued in 1972. Cover sent to Weimar franked with a set of two stamps, one shows Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev of USSR and Erich Honecker of DDR:


30th anniversary of the German - Soviet friendship society, issued in 1977. SS on cover sent registered to Munich, W. Germany:

1947-1948 Allied Occupation. The two stamps (Mi. #941-42, Sc. #B296-97) were issued on March 5, 1947 to publicize and fund the 1947 Leipzig Spring Fair (a semi-annual export exhibition that dates back to Medieval times). These stamps were beautifully engraved on white paper with a diagonal zigzag lines watermark. The two designs feature Leipzig Proclaimed a Market Place in 1160 and foreign merchants displaying their wares in 1268.

Many thanks, ninhao, for sharing! Indeed, great engraved stamps.

Archaeological finds from Musawwarat, Sudan, issued in 1970. Two FDC's sent to Israel. Arrival postmark on the registered cover was applied in Jerusalem:



Since several of the stamps show different elements of Egyptian mythology, I prepared a page for my Mythologies collection:

Musical Instruments on three different sets:

Musical instruments of different peoples of the world, Musical instruments Museum, Markneukirschen, 1971:


Musical instruments from Vogtland, a region spanning the German states of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia and north-western Bohemia in the Czech Republic, 1977:


Old musical instruments from Leipzig museum, 1979:

Here is an oversize cover sent registered to Austria, franked with part set issued to mark the 50th anniversary of October revolution and with SS with two stamps of the set issued to publicize the stamp exhibition held to mark this anniversary event. It apllied with commemorative postmark:

The cover was probably sent from the post office operated in the exhibition hall as the registration label indicates:

The back of the covers contains three labels publicizing the exhibition and the anniversary event:




Commemorative Postmark: