La collecte du « Kreuz-Pfennig » au profit de la Croix-Rouge

The concept of the Kreuz-Pfennig collection originated in Germany over 100 years ago. It is closely related to the First World War. The principle of this collection for the benefit of the German Red Cross was extended to the whole German Empire, including of course Alsace-Lorraine, a province lost by France after the defeat of 1870-71.

The book is divided into two distinct parts. The first part is historical and contains numerous official documents that allow us to understand the genesis of the vignettes, their distribution as well as the functioning of this organization, particularly in Alsace-Lorraine. All layers of the local population, willingly or constrained, were closely involved in this collection. The second part, more philatelic and marcophilic, gathers numerous documents, cards and letters with vignettes that complemented the postage.

This book features many unpublished documents and sheds new light on the Kreuz-Pfennig vignettes in view of the way they were distributed and used. We hope that it will give everyone a better understanding of the context of the issue and use of these precursors of charity stamps.

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