Oldenburg

What Can Be Done: The stamps of Oldenburg are some of the most interesting of the German States area. There are a total of 25 issued stamps and Oldenburg presents on its own all of the enjoyments and difficulties of any classic specialty. The stamps are scarce, but not rare, and they are attractive, and not easy to find. The first issues were printed by lithography and there are very credible forgeries so buyers need to exercise caution. Many collectors who have a specialist bent prefer to collect specialties where forgeries present a problem. Literature of Oldenburg forgeries is available and these specialists like developing the skills to determine forgeries. People enter our hobby for different reasons and if careful study under magnification to identify forged stamps appeals to you then the first issues of Oldenburg should be on your list of stamps to specialize in.

By the late 1860’s, Oldenburg began to take greater precautions in printing and designing its stamps. The later issues are printed and also embossed. Embossing adds a second process to stamp production. Forgers have rarely tried to forge embossed stamps. Aligning the embossing and getting the embossing wheels to look right are difficult processes and there are no decent forgeries of embossed stamps in general and none for Oldenburg in particular.

Finding all of the 25 stamps of Oldenburg is difficult. Most of the values sell for less used than mint, but a few values are very rare used and so collectors need to be cautious of forged cancellations on these stamps. Completing Oldenburg is a challenge both in finding all of the stamps genuine and in terms of funds. The country can be completed for less than $1000, if you look for attractive stamps with small faults.

Stamp Catalogs: The Michel catalog is the gold standard for Oldenburg as it is for all of the German area. The Scott Classic catalog is also very good and is the catalog that is preferred by most American collectors.

Stamp Album: The country complete, like most of the individual German States fits on just a couple of specialty pages in both the Scott and Lighthouse albums. Many German States specialists make their own album pages or collect in stock books so they can add specialty pieces or collect the countries the way they want.

Availability of Material: The stamps of Oldenburg are a bit difficult to find and are offered less often than the stamps of most of the other German States. The problem with forgeries on the earlies make some dealers skittish so you should either become expert yourself in these stamps, rely on experts certification, or only buy from reputable sources.

Expense: The country van be complete for less than $1000, making it about average for German State area.

Overall Grade: B