Rare Stamps & Postal History of the World

1901 surcharged "3PF" on right half of 5pf green, the so-called Vineta provisional, tied by "Kais. Deutsche Marine Schiffspost No.1 12/5/01" pmk on piece, little toning, mostly at top, otherwise fine, with 1947 BPA certificate. This famous provisional was created on April 13, 1901 on board the cruiser SMS Vineta. As the postal officer had not been supplied with 3 Pfennig Germania stamps, he bisected his stock of the 5 Pfennig stamps and stamped them by hand with a "3 PF" mark. Mail with the Vineta provisional stamp was sent from Pernambuco to Germany on April 17, 1901. Only 600 were surcharged, majority have been destroyed or disappeared over the years, making this provisional one of the rarities of German philately (Mi.AI, €10,000)
Cat. Val. $7,000
Estimate: $4500