Lithuanian Philatelic Forum

In my collection I have found the stamp attached (hope the upload will work)
The cancellation looks like POGEGEN which used to be one of the towns of Memelland (now Pagegiai I believe)
I know that 1923 was a period of turmoil but I am surprised to find a cancellation of Memelland on a Lithuanian stamp in 1923 (the annexation was officially effective from 1924 so in 1923 I did expect to find Pogegen cancellations only on Memel stamps ) and furthermore I am surprised to see the name of the town in German. I thought that after the annexation the Lithuanian names were adopted, even more if used on a Lithuanian stamp.
Where am I wrong?
Stefano

Hi Stefano,

Lithuanian stamps were valid for postage in the Memel / Klaipėda territory from Aug 5, 1925. However, surviving covers from 1924 suggest that official postal regulations had not been adhered to. Hence, Lithuanian stamps were accepted for postage charges, perhaps as early as 1923, but only in some post offices.

As far as the Memelgebiet cancellations are concerned, they were phased out gradually over two years (1923-1924). The last day of use (LDU) of Pogegen *** was Feb 5, 1924.

Below are few other examples of Memelgebiet cancellations on Lithuanian stamps I found in my collection:

Lankuppen Memelgebiet, LDU: Dec 20, 1923, although scan below may suggest a later date
Michelsakuten Memelgebiet - LDU: Mar 3, 1924
Willkischken ***, LDU: Apr 5, 1924

Dear friends,

Stamps of Lithuania with old cancellations are not common. My opinion is based on my 20 years experience in the philatelic market. For better overview of the subject I'll add scans from my collection.

Vygis