Germany year 1875-1880 5pf stamps MNG
📮 German Empire Stamps 1875–1880 — 5 Pfennig
🇩🇪 1. 1875 “PFENNIGE” Issue (Numeral Series)
This is the first 5 Pfennig issue of the newly–formed German Empire series after the switch to Mark/Pfennig currency in 1875.
- Inscription: PFENNIGE (with the ending “-e”) — an older plural form.
- Design: Large numeral “5” in an oval with DEUTSCHE REICHSPOST and small crown elements (or numeral in middle variants).
- Perforation: typographed, no watermark, perf 13½×14½.
- Issued: From 1 January 1875 (usually listed through ~1879).
- Michel catalogue numbers: Mi 32 (1875 5 Pf violet).
- Notes: Early versions with PFENNIGE are considered less grammatically correct and are often more interesting to collectors.
👉 If you have one of these, check the inscription — PFENNIGE (with ‘e’) clearly shows it’s from the 1875–1877 period.
🇩🇪 2. 1880 “PFENNIG” Issue (Re-engraved Series)
Around 1880, Germany re-issued the same basic series but changed the currency wording to the modern PFENNIG (without the final “-e”).
- Inscription: PFENNIG (no extra ‘e’).
- Design & perforation: Similar numeral style; typographed stamps with perf 14½×13½ (often slightly different from the 1875 type).
- Issued: Starting 1880, continuing into the early 1880s.
- Michel numbers: generally Mi 39 (5 Pf violet) and related shades.
- Characteristics: These are considered the continuation of the original French style numeral series but reflecting the corrected spelling and slight design tweaks.
