125 years of German railways - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 1960 - 10 Pfennig

In 1960 the German railways existed for 125 years. To mark this anniversary, the Deutsche Bundespost is issuing a commemorative stamp intended to recognize the importance of the important mode of transport, the "train". At first there was the understandable desire to represent on this brand one of the most modern train types, which is currently in traffic. However, it was questionable whether a truly brand-compliant solution could be expected with such a narrow range of topics. It also made sense to recall, on the occasion of the jubilee, what was 125 years ago. Thus, it was up to the entrusted artists to try solutions with a historic steam locomotive or with the juxtaposition of old and new. The submitted drafts show that all given possibilities have been exhausted. The graphic artists Karl Oskar Blase and Georg Kühlborn each submitted two proposals. Prof. Walter Breker and Hermann Bentele each supplied three, the graphic designers Gerd and Erika Aretz four and Hermann Rastorfer seven designs. The diversity of the solutions, which have a considerable artistic level overall, led them first to narrowly select a small group of works characterized by particular clarity of structure or by the originality of the mental conception. Highly valued were the two works of Prof. Walter Breker, the festive wreathed locomotive, which is built into a charming neckline in the brand area, and the very amusing solution with the underlying timetable form. In addition, the two strictly articulated works of Hermann Bentele, who confined himself to the old locomotive and reproduced it as a black silhouette with precise internal drawing. Finally, the final choice fell on the brand design, which gains a graphic enrichment through the beautifully shaped arabesque of the white fireplace smoke. The Federal Minister for the Post and Telecommunications has given his consent to the execution of this draft. The stamp was produced in two-color offset printing in green and black at Bundesdruckerei Berlin.