Neu Kamerun – Near the end of the existence of the colony, Kamerun would do what no other German colony would do again; it nearly doubled in size by annexing land from a rival.  This land (right, in pink) would be taken from French Equatorial Africa in late 1911, fulfilling a German colonial objective to improve Kamerun’s access to international trade.

As early as 1907, the German colonial office had advocated for obtaining some of this land in order to obtain better access to the Congo River and the increased shipping capacity that entailed.  The land so obtained was of questionable value in this regard; the controversy this inspired eventually led to the resignation of the colonial secretary.

In any event, the opportunity to obtain the French lands that would become “Neu Kamerun” presented itself in 1911, in an overlap with another German colonial entity in Morocco.  In the run up to 1911, Germany was continually jockeying with Britain, France, and Spain for control in the still-nominally independent Kingdom of Morocco.  In short, the German view was that France was choosing to send a large number of troops into the Moroccan interior as a threat to German interests; Germany sent warships to Morocco in response.  This series of events, known as the “Agadir Crisis” was resolved by a treaty signed in late 1911, in which Germany accepted French control of most of Morocco in exchange for the 110,000 km² of French Equatorial Africa that it wanted to add to Kamerun.  This expansion of Kamerun was to be short lived; the treaty was signed on 4 November 1911, approximately 2 ½ years before the outbreak of the First World War.

The treaty which ceded Neu Kamerun to Germany created a territorial anomaly that anyone looking at a 1911 map of Kamerun can easily see.  The Spanish colony of Rio Muni was now surrounded on three sides by German territory, with only a very narrow strip of land separating Rio Muni from French Gabon.  However, it should be noted that the Agadir crisis mentioned above also left Spain in uncontested control of the Spanish zone of Morocco in the north of the country.  Germany began negotiations with Spain in 1912 to take control of the Spanish possessions in this part of Africa in compensation for having to forgo controlling any part of Morocco. These negotiations would ultimately come to nothing due to the First World War.

Neu Kamerun – Near the end of the existence of the colony, Kamerun would do what no other German colony would do again; it nearly doubled in size by annexing land from a rival.  This land (right, in pink) would be taken from French Equatorial Africa in late 1911, fulfilling a German colonial objective to improve Kamerun’s access to international trade.

As early as 1907, the German colonial office had advocated for obtaining some of this land in order to obtain better access to the Congo River and the increased shipping capacity that entailed.  The land so obtained was of questionable value in this regard; the controversy this inspired eventually led to the resignation of the colonial secretary.

In any event, the opportunity to obtain the French lands that would become “Neu Kamerun” presented itself in 1911, in an overlap with another German colonial entity in Morocco.  In the run up to 1911, Germany was continually jockeying with Britain, France, and Spain for control in the still-nominally independent Kingdom of Morocco.  In short, the German view was that France was choosing to send a large number of troops into the Moroccan interior as a threat to German interests; Germany sent warships to Morocco in response.  This series of events, known as the “Agadir Crisis” was resolved by a treaty signed in late 1911, in which Germany accepted French control of most of Morocco in exchange for the 110,000 km² of French Equatorial Africa that it wanted to add to Kamerun.  This expansion of Kamerun was to be short lived; the treaty was signed on 4 November 1911, approximately 2 ½ years before the outbreak of the First World War.

The treaty which ceded Neu Kamerun to Germany created a territorial anomaly that anyone looking at a 1911 map of Kamerun can easily see.  The Spanish colony of Rio Muni was now surrounded on three sides by German territory, with only a very narrow strip of land separating Rio Muni from French Gabon.  However, it should be noted that the Agadir crisis mentioned above also left Spain in uncontested control of the Spanish zone of Morocco in the north of the country.  Germany began negotiations with Spain in 1912 to take control of the Spanish possessions in this part of Africa in compensation for having to forgo controlling any part of Morocco. These negotiations would ultimately come to nothing due to the First World War.

The other option seen is mail with square box cancels reading “VERVIERS / (date) / COELN” (right) applied at Railroad Post Office No. 10 on the Köln-Verviers rail line. Mail with this cancel was generated by mail carried by Woermann ships which called at ports on the English Channel (e.g., Le Havre, Dieppe, etc.). Such mail was given to the railroads in these ports of call, which forwarded it to Railroad Post Office (RPO) #10 on the Köln-Verviers line. (Doing so would ultimately speed up its transit.) No postmarks of distinctly Kamerun origin would appear until 1887.

The other option seen is mail with square box cancels reading “VERVIERS / (date) / COELN” (below) applied at Railroad Post Office No. 10 on the Köln-Verviers rail line.

Mail with this cancel was generated by mail carried by Woermann ships which called at ports on the English Channel (e.g., Le Havre, Dieppe, etc.). Such mail was given to the railroads in these ports of call, which forwarded it to Railroad Post Office (RPO) #10 on the Köln-Verviers line. (Doing so would ultimately speed up its transit.) No postmarks of distinctly Kamerun origin would appear until 1887.

It should be noted that these cancel devices were NOT restricted to mail of Kamerun origin, so either on piece or on cover examples must show definitive Kamerun origins to be considered a Vorläufer. Additionally, many of these first items were actually sent stampless.  The Hamburg OPD supplied only 20 marks worth of postage stamps at first, and each ship’s consignment of mail typically required much more postage than that.

This system, however, created some problems, particularly with mail deposited at train stations in the Channel ports.  For reasons that are not entirely clear, but which appear to be related to some sort of abuses and/or loopholes in the system, the OPD Hamburg requested the Woermann personnel handling mail from Kamerun to write down – by hand and on each mail piece– the port where that item was given to the railways for forwarding from the middle of 1883.  While doing so could have addressed postal concerns, it proved cumbersome and ineffective to carry out.  These notations were sometimes illegible, and sometimes not made at all.

This situation led to the introduction, in mid-1884, of a marking which has since become firmly linked with mail from Kamerun – boxed postal markings reading “AUS WEST AFRIKA”.  The first such marking was a three-line marking reading “Aus West-Africa / mit / Hamburger Dampfer” (top right), which was used at RPO #10.  This cancel device was applied – apparently in error – to stamps initially, but was intended to be applied to the cover away from the stamps.  Usage of this device continued until 1894 (and occasionally until 1898) even though the Woermann line stopped depositing mail at ports on the English Channel in 1886, and brought it instead only to Hamburg.  Mail from this period still would officially be cancelled in Hamburg, but a new boxed marking reading “AUS / WESTAFRIKA” was also applied at Hamburg to ever increasing amounts of mail.

Additional cancels applied to German stamps with the phrase “Aus Westafrika” (bottom right) are also connected to Kamerun, and can occur in connection with the parcel post service run by Woermann between 1885 and 1893.  Parcel post carried by Woermann was handled by the Hamburg 2 Post office, which applied a circular date stamp reading “Aus Westafrika / über Hamburg” in place of a town name to parcel post cards.

It should be noted that these cancel devices were NOT restricted to mail of Kamerun origin, so either on piece or on cover examples must show definitive Kamerun origins to be considered a Vorläufer. Additionally, many of these first items were actually sent stampless.  The Hamburg OPD supplied only 20 marks worth of postage stamps at first, and each ship’s consignment of mail typically required much more postage than that.

This system, however, created some problems, particularly with mail deposited at train stations in the Channel ports.  For reasons that are not entirely clear, but which appear to be related to some sort of abuses and/or loopholes in the system, the OPD Hamburg requested the Woermann personnel handling mail from Kamerun to write down – by hand and on each mail piece– the port where that item was given to the railways for forwarding from the middle of 1883.  While doing so could have addressed postal concerns, it proved cumbersome and ineffective to carry out.  These notations were sometimes illegible, and sometimes not made at all.

This situation led to the introduction, in mid-1884, of a marking which has since become firmly linked with mail from Kamerun – boxed postal markings reading “AUS WEST AFRIKA”.  The first such marking was a three-line marking reading “Aus West-Africa / mit / Hamburger Dampfer” (below), which was used at RPO #10.

This cancel device was applied – apparently in error – to stamps initially, but was intended to be applied to the cover away from the stamps.  Usage of this device continued until 1894 (and occasionally until 1898) even though the Woermann line stopped depositing mail at ports on the English Channel in 1886, and brought it instead only to Hamburg.  Mail from this period still would officially be cancelled in Hamburg, but a new boxed marking reading “AUS / WESTAFRIKA” was also applied at Hamburg to ever increasing amounts of mail.

Additional cancels applied to German stamps with the phrase “Aus Westafrika” (below) are also connected to Kamerun, and can occur in connection with the parcel post service run by Woermann between 1885 and 1893. 

Parcel post carried by Woermann was handled by the Hamburg 2 Post office, which applied a circular date stamp reading “Aus Westafrika / über Hamburg” in place of a town name to parcel post cards.

The operations of the colonial branch of the Reichspost began in earnest on 1 February 1887. Kamerun can thus claim that it was the first colony to have any form of German postal facilities. On that date, Germany was operating post offices abroad in only three locations: Apia (opened 1886), Constantinopel (1870), and Shanghai (1886).  (Note: Although Samoa would eventually become a German colony, that did not happen until 1900.  In 1887, the post office in Apia was treated as a Kaiserlich Deutsche Postagentur like those in the other two cities rather than the colonial postal facility it would later become.) 

The first colonial postal agency—not officially a post office until 1897 – was appropriately called “Kamerun” and opened on this first day, and generated a sizable chunk of all Kamerun Vorläufer (right).  Other post offices which were open prior to the April 1897 issuance of distinct Kamerun stamps include Viktoria (opened 12 December 1888), Bibundi (5 July 1891), Gross-Batanga (1 March 1893), Kribi (10 August 1894), and Rio del Rey (9 January 1897).

Owing to their opening dates, Vorläufer cancels on the 1880 German definitive series must have been applied only at either Kamerun or Viktoria.  Cancels from all of these offices can appear on Vorläufer from the 1889 series. Additionally, Mi. V37 (Vorläufer usages of the 2 Mark stamp first issued in 1875) can also occur with the cancel of the Buea post office, which opened on 15 February 1900.

The operations of the colonial branch of the Reichspost began in earnest on 1 February 1887. Kamerun can thus claim that it was the first colony to have any form of German postal facilities. On that date, Germany was operating post offices abroad in only three locations: Apia (opened 1886), Constantinopel (1870), and Shanghai (1886).  (Note: Although Samoa would eventually become a German colony, that did not happen until 1900.  In 1887, the post office in Apia was treated as a Kaiserlich Deutsche Postagentur like those in the other two cities rather than the colonial postal facility it would later become.) 

The first colonial postal agency—not officially a post office until 1897 – was appropriately called “Kamerun” and opened on this first day, and generated a sizable chunk of all Kamerun Vorläufer (below). 

Other post offices which were open prior to the April 1897 issuance of distinct Kamerun stamps include Viktoria (opened 12 December 1888), Bibundi (5 July 1891), Gross-Batanga (1 March 1893), Kribi (10 August 1894), and Rio del Rey (9 January 1897).

Owing to their opening dates, Vorläufer cancels on the 1880 German definitive series must have been applied only at either Kamerun or Viktoria.  Cancels from all of these offices can appear on Vorläufer from the 1889 series. Additionally, Mi. V37 (Vorläufer usages of the 2 Mark stamp first issued in 1875) can also occur with the cancel of the Buea post office, which opened on 15 February 1900.

As was the case across the German Colonial Empire, distinctive colonial stamps were issued for Kamerun beginning with the issue of a new 10 Pf stamp in April 1897.  By the end of 1897, Kamerun post offices would be supplied with overprinted examples of all six (6) values from the 1889 definitive series.  All values consist of an otherwise ordinary German definitive with the word “KAMERUN” overprinted diagonally across the face of the stamp at approximately 56°.

Despite several values going through multiple printings, the angle of the overprint was never changed as long as this series was current.  This overprint appears to have been applied very consistently, and with a little more attention paid to quality control.  Unlike in other colonies, Michel does not note any varieties related to flaws involving the overprint.  Indeed, the only overprint variety noted is a “stronger overprint” created in early 1897 on 800 sets of stamps sent as specimens to the Universal Postal Union – the “Bern” Issue (right).

Collectors of plate flaw varieties involving the underlying stamps typically will find little to collect in this issue.  As is the case with most of the overprinted colonial issues, not all of the plate flaws noted for the 1889 series were present on stamps that received colonial overprints.  Michel lists five in the case of Kamerun; in addition to the nearly universal break in the right scroll on the 3 Pf stamp, Michel notes a short foot on “P” in “PF.” on the 10 Pf, and on the 25 Pf, a split in the top of “I” of “Reichspost”, a damaged top right of the “I” in “Reuchspost”, and a colored dot next to the lower left scroll.

One highly sought variety of this series is Mi. 4 H, the so-called Valdivia provisional, which is a tolerated usage of a bisected 20 Pf stamp used as a 10 Pf stamp at the Kamerun office only on 3 October 1898.  This was done as a provisional measure due to a shortage of 10 Pf stamps caused by the visit to Kamerun of the Deutsche Tiefsee-Expedition (German Deep Sea Expedition) (below) aboard the steamer Valdivia.  This shortage was apparently solved very quickly.

However, as collectors of German bisects know, the Reichpost was very much against the practice.  To say they “frowned upon it” is something of an understatement, as the Reichspost indicated in the following excerpt from the English translation of the Friedmann guide shows:

“…You are informed that the franking of a number of letters in Kamerun with bisected 20 Pf stamps was done by the local post office on its own responsibility to avert a temporary embarrassment.  The Postal Ministry sees no reason to discuss the justification of this action further at this time.”

In modern terms, the Reichspost was essentially “throwing the Kamerun office under the town bus” while saying “is that a bus honking its horn?” at the same time.

As was the case across the German Colonial Empire, distinctive colonial stamps were issued for Kamerun beginning with the issue of a new 10 Pf stamp in April 1897.  By the end of 1897, Kamerun post offices would be supplied with overprinted examples of all six (6) values from the 1889 definitive series.  All values consist of an otherwise ordinary German definitive with the word “KAMERUN” overprinted diagonally across the face of the stamp at approximately 56°.

Despite several values going through multiple printings, the angle of the overprint was never changed as long as this series was current.  This overprint appears to have been applied very consistently, and with a little more attention paid to quality control.  Unlike in other colonies, Michel does not note any varieties related to flaws involving the overprint.  Indeed, the only overprint variety noted is a “stronger overprint” created in early 1897 on 800 sets of stamps sent as specimens to the Universal Postal Union – the “Bern” Issue (below).

Collectors of plate flaw varieties involving the underlying stamps typically will find little to collect in this issue.  As is the case with most of the overprinted colonial issues, not all of the plate flaws noted for the 1889 series were present on stamps that received colonial overprints.  Michel lists five in the case of Kamerun; in addition to the nearly universal break in the right scroll on the 3 Pf stamp, Michel notes a short foot on “P” in “PF.” on the 10 Pf, and on the 25 Pf, a split in the top of “I” of “Reichspost”, a damaged top right of the “I” in “Reuchspost”, and a colored dot next to the lower left scroll.

One highly sought variety of this series is Mi. 4 H, the so-called Valdivia provisional, which is a tolerated usage of a bisected 20 Pf stamp used as a 10 Pf stamp at the Kamerun office only on 3 October 1898.  This was done as a provisional measure due to a shortage of 10 Pf stamps caused by the visit to Kamerun of the Deutsche Tiefsee-Expedition (German Deep Sea Expedition) (below) aboard the steamer Valdivia.  This shortage was apparently solved very quickly.

However, as collectors of German bisects know, the Reichpost was very much against the practice.  To say they “frowned upon it” is something of an understatement, as the Reichspost indicated in the following excerpt from the English translation of the Friedmann guide shows:

“…You are informed that the franking of a number of letters in Kamerun with bisected 20 Pf stamps was done by the local post office on its own responsibility to avert a temporary embarrassment.  The Postal Ministry sees no reason to discuss the justification of this action further at this time.”

In modern terms, the Reichspost was essentially “throwing the Kamerun office under the town bus” while saying “is that a bus honking its horn?” at the same time.

The “Yacht” series of Kamerun definitives was issued in November of 1900.  Kamerun stamps of this design followed the “standard” series of issues denominated in Marks and Pfennigs, namely nine (9) small yachts with face values between 3 and 80 Pfennig, and four (4) large yachts with face values of between 1 and 5 Marks.  The colors and shades of this issue match similar stamps issued in all the other colonies that used the Mark as their currency.  Values for mint and used stamps also follow the trends for similar stamps from other colonies.  The only exception to this is the 1 M value which has a CV of €80-€100 in either mint or used condition.  The reason for this is somewhat unclear, but appears to be a combination of a lower than typical print run for 1 M stamps combined with a lower survival rate for used examples.

As was the case with the “Kamerun” overprints, one bisect exists from the Yacht series, the so-called Longji Provisional.  As was previously the case, a post office ran low of 10 Pf stamps, so used bisected 20 Pf stamps in their place.  Unlike the prior instance, this post office (Longji) also applied a strike of their dateless Dienstsiegel (official seal) beside the postmarked bisect (right).  For those unfamiliar with the much more common Caroline 10 Pf bisects, the Dienstsiegel produces a negative image with the uninked areas creating the inscriptions and any symbols present in the seal – i.e., the exact opposite of what occurs in a postmark.  Legitimate uses of the Longji bisect occurred only on 19 May 1911.  Michel notes that other offices created bisects of Mi. 9, 10, and 21, but states explicitly that these are “philatelic gimmicks.”

The more unique areas of the Yacht series in Kamerun, rather, are found in the watermarked issues rather than the unwatermarked issues.  Like several of the other colonies, lower value Friedensdruck versions of the 5 Pf and 10 Pf stamps were issued prior to the outbreak of the First World War.  Printings of the 10 Pf value were high enough to generate two Friedensdruck shades, neither of which is considered rare or valuable.

Unlike in other colonies, though, these stamps were joined by watermarked versions of the 20 Pf, 1 M, and 5 M stamps as well.  Although Friedensdruck 1 M stamps never reached the colony and so do not exist in postally used condition, the 20 Pf and 5 M stamps did reach Kamerun and can be collected used or on cover.  Both are worth substantially more when genuinely used; the 20 Pf has a CV of €150 if used (versus €4,50 mint) while the collector will need approximately €5,000 to get a used 5 M rather than €80 for mint.

Additionally, the Friedensdruck 5 M stamp was printed with both pre-war “26:17” as well as war-time “25:17” perforations.  The Friedensdruck 5 M with 25:17 perforations (top right) was never postally used, but mint examples are also very hard to come by as indicated by their €1,000 Michel CV.  As Michel says “expertisation is highly recommended.”

With regard to Kriegsdruck printings, Kamerun offers the collector a variety of options in both the shade and perforation varieties.  The Reichspost produced only one shade each of Kriegsdruck 3 Pf and 5 Pf stamps, but produced three (3) Michel-listed shades of the 20 Pf—two of which are actually more highly valued in the Michel catalogue than mint examples of the Friedensdruck printing.  Additionally, both the 1 M and 5 M stamps were issued with 26:17 and 25:17 perforations.  For once, there is really not much value difference between perforation varieties for the 5 M value. However, 1 M stamps with the 26:17 perforations (bottom right) have catalogue values 11 times higher than their 25:17 siblings.

The “Yacht” series of Kamerun definitives was issued in November of 1900.  Kamerun stamps of this design followed the “standard” series of issues denominated in Marks and Pfennigs, namely nine (9) small yachts with face values between 3 and 80 Pfennig, and four (4) large yachts with face values of between 1 and 5 Marks.  The colors and shades of this issue match similar stamps issued in all the other colonies that used the Mark as their currency.  Values for mint and used stamps also follow the trends for similar stamps from other colonies.  The only exception to this is the 1 M value which has a CV of €80-€100 in either mint or used condition.  The reason for this is somewhat unclear, but appears to be a combination of a lower than typical print run for 1 M stamps combined with a lower survival rate for used examples.

As was the case with the “Kamerun” overprints, one bisect exists from the Yacht series, the so-called Longji Provisional.  As was previously the case, a post office ran low of 10 Pf stamps, so used bisected 20 Pf stamps in their place.  Unlike the prior instance, this post office (Longji) also applied a strike of their dateless Dienstsiegel (official seal) beside the postmarked bisect (below).

For those unfamiliar with the much more common Caroline 10 Pf bisects, the Dienstsiegel produces a negative image with the uninked areas creating the inscriptions and any symbols present in the seal – i.e., the exact opposite of what occurs in a postmark.  Legitimate uses of the Longji bisect occurred only on 19 May 1911.  Michel notes that other offices created bisects of Mi. 9, 10, and 21, but states explicitly that these are “philatelic gimmicks.”

The more unique areas of the Yacht series in Kamerun, rather, are found in the watermarked issues rather than the unwatermarked issues.  Like several of the other colonies, lower value Friedensdruck versions of the 5 Pf and 10 Pf stamps were issued prior to the outbreak of the First World War.  Printings of the 10 Pf value were high enough to generate two Friedensdruck shades, neither of which is considered rare or valuable.

Unlike in other colonies, though, these stamps were joined by watermarked versions of the 20 Pf, 1 M, and 5 M stamps as well.  Although Friedensdruck 1 M stamps never reached the colony and so do not exist in postally used condition, the 20 Pf and 5 M stamps did reach Kamerun and can be collected used or on cover.  Both are worth substantially more when genuinely used; the 20 Pf has a CV of €150 if used (versus €4,50 mint) while the collector will need approximately €5,000 to get a used 5 M rather than €80 for mint.

Additionally, the Friedensdruck 5 M stamp was printed with both pre-war “26:17” as well as war-time “25:17” perforations.  The Friedensdruck 5 M with 25:17 perforations (below) was never postally used, but mint examples are also very hard to come by as indicated by their €1,000 Michel CV.  As Michel says “expertisation is highly recommended.”

With regard to Kriegsdruck printings, Kamerun offers the collector a variety of options in both the shade and perforation varieties.  The Reichspost produced only one shade each of Kriegsdruck 3 Pf and 5 Pf stamps, but produced three (3) Michel-listed shades of the 20 Pf—two of which are actually more highly valued in the Michel catalogue than mint examples of the Friedensdruck printing.  Additionally, both the 1 M and 5 M stamps were issued with 26:17 and 25:17 perforations.  For once, there is really not much value difference between perforation varieties for the 5 M value. However, 1 M stamps with the 26:17 perforations (below) have catalogue values 11 times higher than their 25:17 siblings.

Kamerun was one of three African colonies, including SW Africa and East Africa, to issue stamps in booklet form.  As was the case with the other two colonies, three different booklets were issued, identified by the letter printed on the front cover of the booklet.  All three contained only 5 Pf and 10 Pf watermarked Yacht stamps, which added up to 2 Marks in face value.

Booklets “A” and “B” were issued only in Kamerun and were not sold at the philatelic counter in Berlin.  These consisted only of single-denomination panes of five stamps with an advertisement label in the upper left position of the pane.  Intact booklets, as well as intact booklet panes, command substantial premiums over other multiples of sheet stamps issued at the same time.  Single stamps attached to the labels are also notably more valuable than other single used stamps.

Booklet “C”, on the other hand, was never sold in Kamerun.  These booklets were only available in Berlin from the philatelic counter, and stamps were not available for use in Kamerun.  Panes from these booklets do not include any ad labels in the manner of the earlier booklets.  Instead, the “C” booklet consisted of the following: 1 pane (of 6) of the 10 Pf stamp, 3 panes of the 5 Pf stamp, and 1 se-tenant pane consisting of 2 x 5 Pf and 4 x 10 Pf.  The ads were moved to the dividers and the covers of the booklets rather than being printed on labels as was done previously.

Both booklets were produced with “A” and “B” type perforations.   Type “A” perforations (top right) cut all the way through the selvage on the left-hand side of the pane, while type “B” perforations (bottom right) did not.  The differences can be seen in the scans of these perforation differences.  Due to production quality issues, most booklet panes are found with straight edges or perfs cut short when the panes were cut apart by the printer.  This is considered to be their typical condition.

Kamerun was one of three African colonies, including SW Africa and East Africa, to issue stamps in booklet form.  As was the case with the other two colonies, three different booklets were issued, identified by the letter printed on the front cover of the booklet.  All three contained only 5 Pf and 10 Pf watermarked Yacht stamps, which added up to 2 Marks in face value.

Booklets “A” and “B” were issued only in Kamerun and were not sold at the philatelic counter in Berlin.  These consisted only of single-denomination panes of five stamps with an advertisement label in the upper left position of the pane.  Intact booklets, as well as intact booklet panes, command substantial premiums over other multiples of sheet stamps issued at the same time.  Single stamps attached to the labels are also notably more valuable than other single used stamps.

Booklet “C”, on the other hand, was never sold in Kamerun.  These booklets were only available in Berlin from the philatelic counter, and stamps were not available for use in Kamerun.  Panes from these booklets do not include any ad labels in the manner of the earlier booklets.  Instead, the “C” booklet consisted of the following: 1 pane (of 6) of the 10 Pf stamp, 3 panes of the 5 Pf stamp, and 1 se-tenant pane consisting of 2 x 5 Pf and 4 x 10 Pf.  The ads were moved to the dividers and the covers of the booklets rather than being printed on labels as was done previously.

Both booklets were produced with “A” and “B” type perforations.   Type “A” perforations (top below) cut all the way through the selvage on the left-hand side of the pane, while type “B” perforations (bottom below) did not.  The differences can be seen in the scans of these perforation differences.  Due to production quality issues, most booklet panes are found with straight edges or perfs cut short when the panes were cut apart by the printer.  This is considered to be their typical condition.

Kamerun was one of four German colonies in which colonial railroads operated. 

In Kamerun, a railway named the “Nordbahn” ran a relatively short distance of 135 km (84 miles) north from the port town of Bonaberi to the railway terminus in the town of Nkongsamba.  Why this was called the “Nordbahn” is not completely clear; other railroads were planned but did not open prior to the war.  Initially, the railroad applied the old “Duala” type 1 postmark with the year removed, so showing only the month and year of the date.  It was applied in violet ink (from January 1912-November 1912) and in black ink (from November 1912-May 1913).  In 1912, the year date “12” is sometimes seen applied separately, and can appear in odd places within the cancel.

In the period between 18 May 1913 and 25 September 1914, two styles of oval German-style “Bahnpost” cancels were used along this line, which generally resemble similar marks used in Germany proper, but which are more elongated than this type of cancel.  It may be that the cancels needed to be wider in order to accommodate the longer place names placed along the top arc of the oval (right).  Having said that, this is the only German colonial cancel where the word “Zug” (train) is not spelled out completely but is shown as “Z. (number)” even though there is more than enough space to write it out completely.  Two train numbers, 1 and 2, can appear on the left-hand side of the oval after the “Z.”, of which the number 1 is worth significantly more than the number 2.

Kamerun was one of four German colonies in which colonial railroads operated. 

In Kamerun, a railway named the “Nordbahn” ran a relatively short distance of 135 km (84 miles) north from the port town of Bonaberi to the railway terminus in the town of Nkongsamba.  Why this was called the “Nordbahn” is not completely clear; other railroads were planned but did not open prior to the war.  Initially, the railroad applied the old “Duala” type 1 postmark with the year removed, so showing only the month and year of the date.  It was applied in violet ink (from January 1912-November 1912) and in black ink (from November 1912-May 1913).  In 1912, the year date “12” is sometimes seen applied separately, and can appear in odd places within the cancel.

In the period between 18 May 1913 and 25 September 1914, two styles of oval German-style “Bahnpost” cancels were used along this line, which generally resemble similar marks used in Germany proper, but which are more elongated than this type of cancel.  It may be that the cancels needed to be wider in order to accommodate the longer place names placed along the top arc of the oval (below).

Having said that, this is the only German colonial cancel where the word “Zug” (train) is not spelled out completely but is shown as “Z. (number)” even though there is more than enough space to write it out completely.  Two train numbers, 1 and 2, can appear on the left-hand side of the oval after the “Z.”, of which the number 1 is worth significantly more than the number 2.

Kamerun was lucky – perhaps – in that the colony did not fall under Allied control immediately after the start of the First World War.  Instead, the Allies had to militarily conquer the colony in stages.  The British and French would end up invading the colony from the borders of their respective colonies (Nigeria and French Equatorial Africa), with all or nearly all the coastal areas falling under their control by the end of 1914.  The British would end up moving inland more slowly after that, while the French took over most of the areas along their borders more slowly.  By early 1915, German control was reduced to the part of the colony to the center and slightly to the south, centered around the town of Jaunde. 

About half of the postal facilities in the colony remained under German control at the beginning of 1915, although that area shrank steadily as the war progressed.  Once Jaunde fell on the last day of 1915, the German population in that area moved overland to the town of Ngoa on the border of the Rio Muni part of Spanish Guinea.  The entire German civilian population, along with what was left of the government, tried to hold out until 2 February 1916, when they finally crossed the border into Spanish territory.  These people would be interned on the island of Fernando Poo (now Bioko), which was another part of Spanish Guinea.  This internment would last until 1920 for the Africans who came with the Germans.  The last German outpost at Mora would surrender to the Allies at this time due to lack of ammunition.

Collectors of “war date” cancellations will have a wealth of cancels to hunt for, but knowledge of specific dates of use are vital.  Adding to the confusion, some postal facilities used cancel devices from a post office which closed but whose operations moved along with the fleeing Germans.  For example, all of the 1916 war date cancels are known from the 2nd cancel device of the Ebolwoa post office, with dates known up to 2 February of that year.  However, Ebolwoa fell to the Allies and was closed on 8 January.  The postal facilities and the cancel device moved with the Germans to Ngoa, where it continued to be used for another month.  This sort of “movement” of postal facilities was a common factor.  In one other instance, the town of Makure (which did not have its own post office) “hosted” the postal facilities of Kribi, Longji, and Plantation for awhile once those offices were closed under Allied onslaught.

Occasionally, usage of legitimate cancel devices on legitimate German colonial stamps does not count as a war date.  Some cancel devices were retained.  Another example would be war dates for Ukoko, which are known in 1914.  Genuine uses are hard to come by, particularly since this cancel device was captured by the French and applied to German stamps that were in the post office. The Michel catalogue notes that this cancel, applied in purple and with a date of 16 September 1914 is an example from the French occupation period.

Kamerun was lucky – perhaps – in that the colony did not fall under Allied control immediately after the start of the First World War.  Instead, the Allies had to militarily conquer the colony in stages.  The British and French would end up invading the colony from the borders of their respective colonies (Nigeria and French Equatorial Africa), with all or nearly all the coastal areas falling under their control by the end of 1914.  The British would end up moving inland more slowly after that, while the French took over most of the areas along their borders more slowly.  By early 1915, German control was reduced to the part of the colony to the center and slightly to the south, centered around the town of Jaunde. 

About half of the postal facilities in the colony remained under German control at the beginning of 1915, although that area shrank steadily as the war progressed.  Once Jaunde fell on the last day of 1915, the German population in that area moved overland to the town of Ngoa on the border of the Rio Muni part of Spanish Guinea.  The entire German civilian population, along with what was left of the government, tried to hold out until 2 February 1916, when they finally crossed the border into Spanish territory.  These people would be interned on the island of Fernando Poo (now Bioko), which was another part of Spanish Guinea.  This internment would last until 1920 for the Africans who came with the Germans.  The last German outpost at Mora would surrender to the Allies at this time due to lack of ammunition.

Collectors of “war date” cancellations will have a wealth of cancels to hunt for, but knowledge of specific dates of use are vital.  Adding to the confusion, some postal facilities used cancel devices from a post office which closed but whose operations moved along with the fleeing Germans.  For example, all of the 1916 war date cancels are known from the 2nd cancel device of the Ebolwoa post office, with dates known up to 2 February of that year.  However, Ebolwoa fell to the Allies and was closed on 8 January.  The postal facilities and the cancel device moved with the Germans to Ngoa, where it continued to be used for another month.  This sort of “movement” of postal facilities was a common factor.  In one other instance, the town of Makure (which did not have its own post office) “hosted” the postal facilities of Kribi, Longji, and Plantation for awhile once those offices were closed under Allied onslaught.

Occasionally, usage of legitimate cancel devices on legitimate German colonial stamps does not count as a war date.  Some cancel devices were retained.  Another example would be war dates for Ukoko, which are known in 1914.  Genuine uses are hard to come by, particularly since this cancel device was captured by the French and applied to German stamps that were in the post office. The Michel catalogue notes that this cancel, applied in purple and with a date of 16 September 1914 is an example from the French occupation period.

Owing to a relatively large number of stamps captured by the advancing Allies, the decision was made to put them back into use after overprints were applied to make them more politically correct. 

To this end, the British overprinted the entire series of Kamerun Yachts that was present in the post offices they took over.  This meant that some denominations (5 Pf, 10 Pf, 20 Pf, and 5 M) were available on watermarked paper, while the rest were the older printing on normal paper. 

This British overprinted set has the letters “C.E.F. / (value)” with a new value in British currency. (C.E.F. stands for “Cameroon Expeditionary Forces”) (right).

Although the French undoubtedly also captured stocks of stamps, they did not issue any overprinted German stamps the way that the British did.  Instead, the French overprinted stamps from their own colonies and placed them in use in the areas under their control. 

Initial French issues have overprints reading “Corps Expéditionnaire / Franco-Anglais / CAMEROUN” (Anglo-French Expeditionary Corps, Cameroun), applied mostly to stamps of French Equatorial Africa.  Later issues have overprints reading “Occupation / Française / du Cameroun” or “CAMEROUN / Occupation / Française” or just “CAMEROUN” applied to stamps of the French Congo and Middle Congo (right).

Owing to a relatively large number of stamps captured by the advancing Allies, the decision was made to put them back into use after overprints were applied to make them more politically correct.  To this end, the British overprinted the entire series of Kamerun Yachts that was present in the post offices they took over.  This meant that some denominations (5 Pf, 10 Pf, 20 Pf, and 5 M) were available on watermarked paper, while the rest were the older printing on normal paper.  This British overprinted set has the letters “C.E.F. / (value)” with a new value in British currency. (C.E.F. stands for “Cameroon Expeditionary Forces”) (below).

Although the French undoubtedly also captured stocks of stamps, they did not issue any overprinted German stamps the way that the British did.  Instead, the French overprinted stamps from their own colonies and placed them in use in the areas under their control.  Initial French issues have overprints reading “Corps Expéditionnaire / Franco-Anglais / CAMEROUN” (Anglo-French Expeditionary Corps, Cameroun), applied mostly to stamps of French Equatorial Africa.  Later issues have overprints reading “Occupation / Française / du Cameroun” or “CAMEROUN / Occupation / Française” or just “CAMEROUN” applied to stamps of the French Congo and Middle Congo (below).

Both the British and French used captured Kamerun cancel devices to process mail, although the cancel devices were replaced as quickly as possible with British and French devices.  Usage of captured devices could sometimes be changed from one side to the other. Stamps from both sides were used at the Duala post office, for instance.