Third Reich stamp sets and issues of 1942:

Stamp Day 'Tag der Briefmarke' (11th January 1942):

This is a single semi-postal stamp issued on the 11th January 1942 for 'Tag Der Briefmarke' or 'Stamp Day'. It depicts a collector pouring over a stamp album with a magnifying glass and in the foreground is a rotating world globe. Many philatelic items were issued by the Nazi regime including yearly stamp issues, numerous commemorative postkartes as well as a range of special cancels.

The stamp is a blackish red violet colour and has a face value of 6 + 24 Pfennig. It was designed by Erich Ludwig Stahl and has a Michel catalog code of DR 811.

Heroes Day 'Heldengedentag' (10th March 1942):

This is a single semi-postal stamp issued on the 10th March 1942 for 'Heldengedenktag' or 'Heroes Remembrance Day'. It shows the head of a dead soldier alongside a military helmet. Below that are a bunch of oak leaves which feature prominently on Third Reich era postal issues and nationalist propaganda.

This stamp is a greenish black colour and has a face value of 12 + 38 Pfennig. It was designed by Richard Klein and has a Michel catalog code of DR 812.

Blue Ribbon Grand Prix (16th June 1942):

This stamp is a single issue with a catalogue code of Michel DR 814.

German Goldsmiths' Society (8th August 1942):

This is a set of 2 semi-postal stamps issued on the 8th August 1942 to honour the German Goldsmiths' Society. This being one of the Third Reich's many philatelic tributes to their association. It shows two golden artifacts, on the left an 'Aquamanile' and to the right a 'Nuremberg bridal cup'. The latter is a traditional and ornate cup that stems from a classic legend. I won't delve too deeply into it but a goldsmith many centuries ago was supposedly tasked with creating a cup that two people could drink from at once without spilling a drop. This was supposedly an unsolvable task but the goldsmith managed and in doing so created the Nuremberg Bridal Cup. The 'Aquamanile' is a ewer or jug type vessel in the form and combination of one or more animal or human figures. The one depicted on the stamp is, to the best of my knowledge, at least partly a lion. I'll now run through the details of the two stamps.

- Golden Artifacts, 6 + 4 Pfennig, Dark Carmine Red, DR 816.

- Golden Artifacts, 12 + 88 Pfennig, Blackish Emerald Green, DR 817.

SA Sports Competition (8th August 1942):

Here is a single stamp issue for the 'Wehrkampftage Der SA 1942', this translates to 'SA military combat days'. Obviously the SA or 'Sturmabteilung' were the original paramilitary organisation of the Nazi Party and Adolf Hitler. They provided much of the muscle and street presence needed to help bolster Hitler's steady rise to power. Gradually the SS began to supersede their order as Hitler's personal guard, aiming to prove to be a more 'elite' taskforce, something that appealed to Hitler's narcissism. This wasn't exactly a difficult task as the SA or 'brownshirts' enjoyed nothing more than street fighting, drinking and general destruction; at first a beneficial intimidation strategy for Hitler but eventually an embarrassment. This culminated eventually in SS leader Heinrich Himmler and Hermann Göring convincing Hitler that SA leader Ernst Röhm was planning a coup. I won't go into extensive detail but the 'Night of the Long Knives' followed and many of Hitler's opponents were instantly liquidated allowing him to continue to climb the rungs of power with virtually zero opposition.

That was in 1934. This stamp however was issued in 1942 and as I mentioned was created to showcase for the SA military training days. It really serves only as a form of nationalist propaganda and all of the classic trademarks are there in terms of the imagery utilized. A large dominant swastika protected by a medieval looking sword and finally surrounded in the classic oak wreath. I feel no other stamp quite encapsulates Himmler's laughable view of the Nazi armed forces and SS as a noble knights order more than this issue.

This particular example is of course mint never hinged and still has a border from it's original sheet on it's upper edge. Oddly and entirely coincidentally it has the numbers 4, 20. Or the 20th of April if format your dates as Germans do. Which was of course Adolf Hitler's birthday. A celebratory occasion that plagues Third Reich stamp issues enough already if you ask me. It is Michel catalogue code DR 818.

Anniversary of Peter Henlein's Death (29th August 1942):

Featured is a single issue with a Michel catalogue code of DR 819.

Signing of Axis Postal Agreement (19th October 1942):

Featured here is a set of 3 overprinted stamps with Michel catalogue codes of DR 823-825.

Hitler Head Definitives (December 1942):

Featured here is a 'set' of 2 stamps that may appear identical to the Hitler head definitives of the previous year but in fact they both have subtle differences. The 10 Pfennig brown hitler head issued in 1942 (this example) was printed with typography on a chalky sort of paper whereas the 1941 issue (Michel 787) was engraved on regular paper. As for the 12 Pfennig red hitler head in the middle; the only difference is in the prescence of cross-hatching. As you can see in the small example on the right side of the image the 1941 issue has noticeable cross-hatching in the face and the 1942 example here has none, the lines are entirely straight and not intersecting. These issues are catalogue code Michel 826a-827.