PÄRNU I

Local issue. Soviet stamps overprinted with a threeline black "Pernau 8. VII 1941" (I in Roman numerals). Issued by the Post Office in Pärnu with the permission of the local German commander.

Printing: Typographed OPT by "Oma" in Pärnu. Only one printing plate was used. After completing the printing the plate was destroyed. There are so many smaller differences in the OPT that we are entitled to speak of 100 different types of the OPT. The following more noticable ones deserve to be mentioned:

    Pos.
1.    Line before "P" 81
2.    "P" without serif 85
3.    "P" with hook 43
4.    Mutilated bottom of "P" 13
5.    "a" without hook and elongated serif on first "1" 45
6.    OPT strongly shifted to left, "8" completely outside of "P" 18, 80
7.    Ditto, only half of the "8" out side of "P" 8, 57, 76, 86, 96, 97
8.    "8" with open top 33
9.    "8" with open bottom 50
10.    "8" with smaller lower loop 75
11.    Vertical line between "V" and "I" and broken top of "u" 54
12.    Hook on foot of "4" 1
13.    Reversed Arabic "1" 51
14.    Last Roman "I" with damaged top 7, 57, 58, 71, 96
15.    "3 instead of "8" 90
16.    Thin "P" 87
17.    "u" with open bottom 77

Prices: 125 % of normal prices. Four sheets of the 30 kop. value have inverted OPT. The 5 kop. value occurs with double OPT. 60 sheets (out of 100) of the 10 kop. value did not have the year 1941 in position 91.

Forgeries are known of the 50 kop. value and of the inverted OPT's. Expertization is necessary.

Valid: The issue was valid August 16-25,1941.

Literature:
Votele Org: Eesti post ja Postmargid 1940-42 (Estonian Post and stamps in 1940-42), Stockholm 1959 (in Estonian).

    Ei. No. Mi. No. Issued

1.

 5 Kop. Red 1 5I 10.000 25:- 40:- --
  E:1 Double OPT       +60:- -  
  E:2 Strongly shifted OPT       +10:- --  
2. 10 Kop. Blue grey 2 6I 10.000 25:- 40:- --
  E:3 Missing year in OPT       +100:- --  
3. 15 Kop Grey green 3 7I 20.000 20:- 25:- --
  E:4 Inverted OPT       +60:- -  
4. 20 Kop. Green 4 8I 6.000 50:- 60:- --
5. 30 Kop. Blue 5 9I 30.000 20:- 25:- --
  A:1 Right side imperforate       -- --  
  E:1 Double OPT       +70:- -  
  E:2 Strongly shifted OPT       +10:- --  
  E:4 Inverted OPT       +40:- -  
6. 50 Kop. Brown 6 10I 800 950:- 950:- --

Please note that all prices are estimates in USD, based on the average retail market of 1985, when the original catalogue/handbook was written. The prices are considerably higher today.