German East Africa Postal Stationery Card - Printable Version

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German East Africa Postal Stationery Card - Hugh - 07-08-2025

I had a great time at the Gananoque Stamp Show a few weeks ago and got some cool stuff. Just before leaving (as I, to my surprise, still had a bit of money left) I sat down at Graham's boxes to get a bunch of inexpensive covers. I was looking for interesting cancels. One of the one's I found was this one. (that's a lot of ones)

It's an Imperial German postal stationery card used in East Africa. It has an 1894 cancel from Tanga on a 5Pf numerical indicium with a local overprint changing the currency and value to 3 Pesa.

It was addressed to Herrn Dr. Kremser, Tanga, R.P.D. Bundesrath. R.P.D. is the abbreviation for a Reichspost‑dampfer (Imperial mail‑steamer). SS Bundesrath was one of the East‑Africa Line mailboats that shuttled between Hamburg, Tanga and Dar‑es‑Salaam; she happened to be in port, so the card was delivered Herr Doctor aboard.

As far as I can tell, the message reads:

Tanga d. 23 August  94.

Mein lieber Dr.

Werden hiermit freundlichst einge-
laden zum Skat und Süßbier.
Heute Abend 8h.

Mit Gruß
Kaphingst.

[Tanga, 23  August  1894 / My dear Doctor, / Please accept this cordial invitation to join me for Skat and a sweet-beer this evening at 8 o’clock. / Kind regards, / Kaphingst]

Sounds like a local businessman or government worker on shore is making plans to enjoy a card game and German sweet-beer with someone he knows on the steamer -- a passenger or the ship's doctor perhaps.

I spent the morning pouring over my Michel catalogs. I was concerned this was too good to be true for a couple of bucks. However, so far it looks good.

Postal Stationary
German East Africa
Provisional Overprint [Due to Currency Change on July 1, 1893] on Mi.Nr. Germany P36]
Issued on July 1, 1893
Overprint, in black 3 PESA 3 on German P36
3 PESA on 5Pf, Green
Mi.Nr. P1ii

This was a provisional fix, a local press added the 3 PESA 3 overprint to the existing stock of 5Pf cards, first the P30s, then the P36s while waiting for rupee-currency stamps and stationary from Europe.

That it is type ii (OP on P36 vs P30) is indicated by: 194g imprint in lower right corner - P30 cards have no print datum; P36 cards show three numerals + one lower case letter; thick continuous line printed between the 3rd and 4th dotted address lines, only on cards P32 to 36; The word An is 93mm from the left edge of the indicium stamp frame, on P30 it would have been 79mm.
Source: Michel Granzsachen-Katalog Deutschland

I understand that 12,000 of these cards were printed on P30 and 8-10,000 on the P36.

Cancel
Single ring CDS, in black
Inside the ring * TANGA *
Centre: 2[4] 8 / 94

It would appear that the invitation was written on the 23td but that the CDS was not applied until the 24th. Herr Doctor may have missed his card game and beer. Hopefully they got together the next day. 

Cheers, Hugh

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