Nachgebühr

 

If you collect Luxembourg’s World War II German occupation stamps and covers, you’ve probably encountered examples with a narrow rectangular cancel reading Nachgebühr in German [English: postage due].  Here is an attractive example that I recently acquired:

 

 

Domestic registered letter from Ettelbrück to Bourschied sent unfranked in late 1940 or early 1941 (based on the franking) by the Ettelbrück Nutrition Office with postage due of 46 Rpf. (12 Rpf. 20g letter + 30 Rpf. registry fee)

Germany has never used postage due stamps, so it is unsurprising that they did not issue such stamps for use in Luxembourg during the WWII occupation.  Instead, after Luxembourg’s pre-occupation stamps were demonitized on October 1, 1940, postage due payments during the WWII occupation were documented by affixing and cancelling then-valid stamps with an undated Nachgebühr cancel, as seen above..

The Prifix catalog illustrates four varieties of the 35 x 10 mm. Nachgebühr cancel – two in Gothic letters and two in Latin letters.

Who has all four varieties in their collection?

Covers showing use of this cancel are fairly difficult to find.  Initially, the stamps documenting the postage due payment were affixed to the front of the cover and cancelled Nachgebühr in black; later, the stamps usually were affixed to the back of the cover and cancelled Nachgebühr in red or violet, with the amount due often shown on the front in blue crayon.

 

Local letter from the Luxembourg-Ville Wirtschaftsamt [Management] Office to the suburb of Limpertsberg, May 15, 1941, charged postage due of 8 Rpf. (the local letter rate), endorsed at the top Portopflichtige Dienstsache [recipient pays the postage as postage due].

 

Special delivery money letter, insured for 150 RM, posted stampless within Wasserbillig, July 19, 1941.  Charged 1.70 RM postage due (insurance fee = 1.00 RM + 30 Rpf. registry fee + 40 Rpf. special delivery fee).