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How to See Watermarks on Old German Stamps

Individual German city states first started issuing watermarks on their adhesive postage stamps in the 1850s, with a wavy line for Hamburg and laurel wreathes for Hanover and Prussia. They continued to be used in varying forms until they were discontinued in 1966. Watermarks on German stamps can be detected in the same way as those on stamps from any other country with the help of one of three methods.

Things You'll Need

Tweezers
Magnifying glass
Light source
Petroleum ether/ watermark fluid
Watermark detector

Instructions

- 1
  Hold the stamp up to a strong light source using a pair of tweezers. The watermark should be visible as a ghostly outline. You should be able to see it in some detail with the aid of a powerful magnifying glass.
- 2
  Lay the stamp face down on a plain black tray and apply a few drops of petroleum ether of a 40 to 60 distillation fraction. This should highlight the watermark for a short period and enable you to study it with your magnifying glass. Alternatively, purchase a bottle of specialist watermark fluid (which retails in the region of $16) from an online philatelic accessories store and apply it in the same fashion.
- 3
  Place the stamp inside a watermark detector. These work upon the principle of applying pressure to the stamp in order to reveal the thinning of the paper caused by the presence of a watermark. Available from online philatelic stores, these devices range hugely in complexity and in price (from $30 to $400).

Stamp Collecting