Germany Berlin year 1949 stamps Universal Postal Union

In 1949, the Allied occupation authorities in West Berlin issued a set of three stamps to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). Here are the key details:

Denominations:

• The set included 20pf, 30pf and 84pf values.

Designs:

• The 20pf stamp featured the UPU emblem of a posthorn.
• The 30pf showed a mail truck leaving the Berlin Postbahnhof train station.
• The 84pf depicted the arched entrance to the former Berlin Main Post Office.

Printing:

• The stamps were printed using photogravure by the graphic design firm Giesecke & Devrient in Bielefeld.
• They were issued in panes of 50 stamps.

Significance:

• This was the first commemorative stamp set issued specifically for West Berlin after currency reform in 1948.
• It marked the re-admission of Germany (through its occupied zones) to the UPU after World War II.

Quantities:

• Despite small printing runs, the stamps are not considered rare today.
• Around 2.2 million of the 20pf, 2.1 million of the 30pf, and 1.6 million of the 84pf were issued.

These 1949 Berlin UPU stamps are significant both for their attractive designs depicting the postal theme as well as their historic context soon after the end of World War II and the Berlin Airlift crisis. They remain affordable semi-modern issues for collecting.