German Emergency Relief in 1924

On February 25, 1924, a series of four surcharge stamps was issued for the benefit of German Emergency Relief. Three of the four stamps were produced in the colors green, red, and blue, the UPU colors described previously. The fourth stamp was orange-brown. The stamps were designed by Professor Ernst Böhm, born in Berlin on March 6, 1890. He became a painter and type designer, and one of the leading figures in his field during the period of the Weimar Republic. He had previously designed a postage stamp, the 15 Pfennig stamp commemorating the opening of the national meeting in Weimar. His design was inspired by Jugendstil, Art Deco, and New Objectivity. But back to the 1924 series *Noodhulp*. The series was based on 'The Life of Saint Elisabeth' by Moritz von Schwind, an Austrian painter from the early 1800s (see image). Elisabeth of Thuringia was the daughter of the Hungarian King Andrew II and Gertrud von Andechs. She was born on July 7, 1207. Elisabeth soon became known for her charity. Shortly after her death in November 1231, the sick were miraculously healed upon visiting her grave. In 1235, Elisabeth was canonized. One of the miracles was called the Miracle of the Rose, symbolically incorporated into the stamps by Böhm. The four themes appearing on the stamps are world-famous. – Feeding the hungry – Quenching the thirsty – Clothing the naked – Caring for the sick Böhm took details from Von Schwind's paintings and made drawings of them. These drawings, in which Saint Elizabeth exercises the four virtues, are incorporated into the central panels. Professor Böhm disappeared from view when Hitler came to power. He was married to a woman of Jewish descent, but after the Second World War he was reinstated as a professor and dean at the Art University of Berlin. He died on September 2, 1963. But why do these stamps look so 'speckled'? If you turn them over, it is immediately clear. The stamps are printed on paper with a watermark. Collectors of stamps from the German Empire know this watermark as 'wafers'. In this case, 'lying wafers'. And the gum used is gum arabic. This gum enhances the effect of the watermark so that it becomes visible on the front of the stamp. For the collector, here are some technical details: Letterpress printing; 5 + 15 Pfennig, number of stamps sold 2.156.217; 10 + 30 Pfennig, number of stamps sold 2.059.818; 20 + 60 Pfennig, number of stamps sold 550.277; 50 + 150 Pfennig, number of stamps sold 295.368. There is also a deviating stamp in which the letter I in HUNGRIGEN (the 5 Pfennig stamp) was mistakenly entered as the digit 1. Do you have that deviating stamp?