Postal history of Heligoland

Heligoland is located 44 miles from the German coastline and consists of two islands. In 1807, Heligoland was seized by the British from Denmark. Britain gave up the islands to Germany in 1890.

Between 1867 and 1890, during the period when Heligoland was a British possession, about 20 postage stamps were issued.

The stamps were printed by the Prussian State Printing Office in Berlin. They were denominated in the Hamburg Schilling until 1875, when both German Reich and English values appeared on each stamp issue (the Farthing/Pfennig issues). All are embossed with a silhouette of Queen Victoria excepting the four highest values which featured the Heligoland coat of arms.

Mint stamps of Heligoland are moderate to medium priced. Because used stamps are often more valuable than mint stamps, forged postal cancellations are plentiful and are the rule on many high-value items.

To learn more about the postal history of Heligoland, click here.