1948 Allied Military Government franchise stamp

philately Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. While closely associated with stamp collecting and the study of postage, it is possibl ...

a franchise stamp or frank stamp is a stamp given to an individual or organisation to enable them to send mail without charge. Typical recipients include charities, refugees and soldiers on active service (military franchise stamps). France overprinted a 90c stamp with an olive branch design for refugees from the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

(Scott No. S1) and Brazil issued a franchise stamp between 1865 and 1870 for use by soldiers during the war with Paraguay. In Portugal franchise stamps were issued to members of the military commission in charge of prisoners of war and to a number of other organisations, including the ''Red Cross Society'', civilian rifle clubs and the ''Geographical Society of Lisbon''."New Collector" by John Holman in

Gibbons Stamp Monthly ''Gibbons Stamp Monthly'' (''GSM'') is a British philatelic magazine which can trace its roots back to 1890. GSM is published by the famous stamps and collectables firm of Stanley Gibbons and each issue includes updates to their various catalogues ...

, Vol.40, No.10, March 2010, p.31. Franchise stamps have also been issued by Switzerland and Spain. In 1948, franchise stamps were issued by the

Allied Military Government The Allied Military Government of Occupied Territories (originally abbreviated AMGOT, later AMG) was the form of military rule administered by Allied forces during and after World War II within former Axis-held territories they occupied. The fir ...

to permit exemption from the travel permit fee when crossing borders."Germany: Allied Military Government Travel Permits 1947-51" by Theo J.F. Schalke in The Revenue Journal, Vol. XXII, No. 3, December 2011, pp. 129-139.

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Images of 1931 Portuguese Franchise Stamps for the Red Cross
Philatelic terminology {{philately-stub