Germany – Memel year 1920 French stamps Overprinted MH/Used lot
That is an excellent and historically complex area of collecting! The stamps of Memel (Klaipėda) during the 1920 French Administration are highly sought after due to the period of transition following World War I.
The French mandate administration began in February 1920. Lacking local stamps, they overprinted French postage stamps with the German currency values (Pfennig/Mark), which were still in use.
🇫🇷 The 1920 French Overprinted Set Details
The initial and largest set of French stamps overprinted with “MEMEL” and a new value was released on July 7, 1920. The set features stamps from two major French definitive series:
- Sower (Semeuse): Used for the low and medium values.
- Merson (Allegorical Subjects): Used for the high values.
The complete standard set consists of 16 different values, which are catalogued as Michel 18–33.
| Michel No. | Original French Value | New Memel Value | French Stamp Design |
| 18 | 5 Centimes (c) | 5 Pfennig (p) | Sower |
| 19 | 10 c | 10 p | Sower |
| 20 | 25 c | 20 p | Sower |
| 26 | 50 c | 1 Mark (m) | Sower |
| 28 | 1 Franc (Fr) | 2 Marks (m) | Merson |
| 30 | 5 Fr | 3 Marks (m) | Merson |
| 33 | 5 Fr | 20 Marks (m) | Merson |
(The list above is a selection of key values in the set; the full set of 16 covers the full range of postal needs at the time.)
