Illustration of a historical stamp for learning, shown at screen size. Not valid for postage.
How to read it
DEUTSCHES REICH under Germania.
- 1DEUTSCHES REICH
- Inscription
- DEUTSCHES REICH · 2½
- Meaning
- DEUTSCHES REICH: the German Empire.
- Issued by
- German Empire
- Today
- Germany Flag of Germany
- Year
- 1916. Issued 28 July 1916.
- Made by
- Paul Eduard Waldraff (design and engraving, died 1917)
One fact
Germania stayed on German stamps from 1900 to 1922, through the empire and into the early Weimar Republic.
Source and public-domain rule
Creators died more than 70 years ago. Waldraff died 1917. Copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years, counted from 1 January of the year after death. Every named designer and engraver of the stamp died before 1 January 1956; any contributor who was never named counts as anonymous, whose term is 70 years from publication, and the stamp was published before 1956. Legal sources: Directive 2006/116/EC, Art. 1(1) life + 70 years; Art. 1(3) anonymous works 70 years from publication; Art. 7(1) comparison of terms for works from outside the EU; Art. 8 terms run from 1 January, Switzerland, Norway.
Scan: DR 1916 98 Germania.jpg on Wikimedia Commons (revision 1161191028), licence templates {{PD-old-auto-1923}}. Downloaded 2026-10-19, sha256 80985515e856…; cropped and cleaned for this site. Facts checked 2026-10-19 against source 1 and source 2. Research record, not legal advice; a human rights review is pending. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
