50th anniversary of death - Germany / Saarland 1958 - 1,200 Pfennig

Fifty years ago, on January 9, 1908, the artist, painter and poet Wilhelm Busch died in Mechtshausen via Seesen. In memory of him, the German Federal Post Office issues the two commemorative stamps. There is a self-portrait from 1894 drawn by the 62-year-old with the typical energetic strokes of the pen that are known from his picture stories. At the request of the Wilhelm Busch Society in Hanover, it was chosen as the motive for the one brand value. What could be more obvious than to take the theme of the second value of the most popular of his picture stories "Max and Moritz", which is also common in many foreign countries? Two groups of artists were commissioned to deliver designs. Of Hans Michel and Günther Kieser went five, of Müller and Bubble a series. In their silhouetted simplification, the white figures emerging from the baker's flour crate approach the essence of the brand. The choice of the Art Advisory Council therefore fell on a solution of this kind, taking into account that the pair of brands, despite the diversity of image and scene a good harmony. The Federal Minister of Posts and Telecommunications was present in person at the discussions of the Art Advisory Council and gave his consent. The stamps were executed in two-color offset printing in the large-format graphic production company A. Bagel in Düsseldorf in the colors green and red, each with a black imprint. Since November 20, 1947, the French currency was 1 Franc = 100 centimes on the Saarland stamps. the editorial board therefore records the nominal values ​​from catalog number 226 in centimes.