Portal:Germany/Issuing Authority

The Federal Ministry of Finance is responsible for the issuing of Postage Stamps in Germany.

The Federal Minister of Finance does not make decisions regarding Postage Stamp themes alone, as the issues are supposed to represent Germany.

There are two committees that support him in his decisions:


 * The Program Advisory Board thinks about the topics of the stamps, examines public suggestions for new stamps and puts together a list of suggestions for the new releases of a year.
 * The Art Advisory Board assesses the graphic quality of the designs. The Art Advisory Board was convened for the first time in 1954 - after harsh criticism of the design of the postage stamps of the young Federal Republic.

Not only politicians and administrative experts sit on the committees, but also graphic designers, stamp collectors and representatives of the Post:

Around 100 graphic designers are currently working on the design of German postage stamps. For each new issue, the Treasury asks six to eight of them to submit a draft.

Each design is lovingly designed on an area of ​​just a few square centimetres. That turns the individual stamp into a small work of art.

Deutsche Post in turn distributes the Postage Stamp Issues through its network of Post Offices.