Kronenberg COllection
KRONENBERG COLLECTION
The following are pages from the Kronenberg Collection. Dr Stanley Kronenberg was one of the foremost authorities on Polish philately and we proudly present pages from his extensive collection and research. Included in this collection are extensive studies of forgeries and the identifying characteristics of these fakes. Many of the items shown are important reference items for specialists in Polish philately. Polonus would like to thank Hank Bieniecki for his work in preserving Dr. Kronenberg’s collection. After Dr. Kronenberg’s death in 2000, Dr. Kronenberg’s wife, Eva, approached Hank to discuss how to best preserve a record of his collection. Hank suggested to digitize the collection and worked to acquire the necessary equipment. He taught Eva how to scan the collection with the result of what you see here today. It should be noted that Dr. Kronenberg never allowed a computer in his home prior to his death!
Biography:
Dr. Stanley Kronenberg (1927-2000) was a world-renowned nuclear physicist and authority on nuclear-radiation technology and detectors. Kronenberg enjoyed a long and decorated career with the U.S. government. Born on 3 May 1927 in Krosno, Poland, Kronenberg received his PhD in physics from the University of Vienna in 1952. Kronenberg was an international expert in Polish philately who determined, for collectors and auctioneers, whether stamps were genuine or forgeries. 100 publications about stamps and related subjects bear his name. He is also the recipient of the Polonus Founders Award for his lifelong contributions to Polish philately.
18th & 19th Century Stampless Military Mail
This section presents a number of historically significant stampless military covers from the Kronenberg collection. Included is correspondence is a 1798 letter from Polish hero, Tadeusz Kosciusko and a 1799 letter from the Brig General Wielhorski of the Polish Legions in Italy.
Collection size: 19 pages
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1st Polish Corps under General Muśnicki – 1918
The Polish I Corps, under the command of General Dowbor-Muśnicki, was the first large Polish unit to become independent from Russian command in 1918. An organized field postal service was also available to the civilian population. Featured are the overprinted Russian stamps which came from the postal supplies held in the occupied post offices.
Collection size: 19 pages
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1918-1919 Issues – 2nd Republic of Poland
This section of the Kronenberg collection focuses on issues of the 2nd Republic after its formation in November 1918 after the end of World War 1. Of particular note is presentation of the Second Warsaw Provisional issue, overprints of the “Karlfund” stamps (“Lublin Issue”), and the first and second (“Gniezno”) Poznan issues and their forgeries.
Collection size: 97 pages
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1919 Kraków Overprints
This section features a study of the 1919 Kraków Issue overprints. These overprints refer to the provisional postage stamps created in January 1919 by the postal administration in Kraków, Poland. They consist of existing Austro-Hungarian stamps overprinted with “POCZTA POLSKA” to serve local postal needs following Poland’s resurgence of independence after World War I, prior to the release of unified national stamp issues.
Collection size: 112 pages
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1919 Kraków Forgeries
This section includes Kraków Issue overprints which were forged to defraud collectors. Beginning from the time of the official overprinting had begun, forgeries were made which range from the most primitive to advanced.
Collection size: 33 pages
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1916-1919 Local Issues
Presented here are pages from Kronenberg’s collection featuring local mail issues form Checiny, Luboml, Otwok, Przeborz, Sosnowice, Zawierce, Zarki, St. Augustow and Suwalki from the period from 1916 to 1919 Included are examples of each issues and varieties, postal uses, proofs, and forgeries.
Collection size: 99 pages
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1918-1919 Local Overprints
This section of the Kronenberg collection focuses on the 1918-19 local overprints . After the collapse of the German and Austro-Hungarian administrations in late 1918, newly established Polish postal authorities frequently had to make use of existing German, Austrian, or Ukrainian stamps. Local post offices sometimes applied their own handstamps because centrally produced Polish stamps were unavailable.
Collection size: 87 pages
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Plebecites 1919-1922
This section includes stamps and postal history of the Plebecites in Marienwerder,Olsztyn, Upper Silesia, Eastern Silesia
Collection size: 50 pages
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Central and Southern Lithuania: 1918-1923
Presented stamps and postal history Central and Southern Lithuania from 1919-1923. Included is the rare Warwiski overprints, Grodno connecting mail overprints and interesting 1919 inbound mail to Wilno.
Collection size: 69 pages
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Consular Mail 1919-1920
This section includes the “Levant” overprinted stamps of the Polish Postal Agency in Constantinople. Also include are proofs and forgeries of the “Levant” overprints. Also included is the Odessa Overprints of the Polish Consular Mail in the Ukraine
Collection size: 19 pages
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Ghetto Post
This section includes stamps and postal history of the Warsaw and Lodz ghettos at the beginning of World War II Additional items of German concentration camps are included.
Collection size: 26 pages
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World War II Local Overprints: 1944-45
This section of the Kronenberg collection is an extensive summary of the World War II local overprints. Included are overprints from Rudnik and Sanem, Siedlce, Sosnowiec, Wawolnica and the extremely scarce Zamość overprints. Examples for forged overprints are also shown.
Collection size: 40 pages
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Poland and World War II
This section includes stamps and postal history of Poland during World War II. Included is Polish Government in Exile, Poland at War, Monte Cassino issue, Polish Miltary Post in Russia, Kozielsk (USSR) and Starobielsk POW camp correspondence, Dojdziemy Stamos (Siberia), Polish Army in France, Polish Army Corp in Great Britain, IInd Polish Army Corps.
Collection size: 75 pages
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World War II Officer POW Camps: Woldenberg
Presented here are pages from Dr. Kronenberg’s of POW and DP Camp issues. These pages specifically include philatelic items from the Officer POW Camp at Woldenberg, Oflag IIC. During Easter 1942, prisoners wished to facilitate the mailing of Easter leading to establishment of postal services at the camp. The camp mail was active from March 18, 1942 until the January 25, 1945, when the camp was closed and the prisoners were driven further west.
Collection size: 65 pages
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World War II Officer POW Camps: Murnau
Presented here are pages from Dr. Kronenberg’s of POW and DP Camp issues. These pages specifically include philatelic items from the Officer POW Camp at Murnau, Oflag VIIA. This section is divided into the issued stamps and separately external postal usages prior to the establishment of the camp mail system. The Murnau Officers POW camp was located close to the town of Murnau. The camp mail was active from November 6, 1942 until the liberation by the Allies on April 29, 1945.
Collection size: 52 pages
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Collection size: 15 pages (External Usages)
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World War II Officer POW Camps: Gross Born
Presented here are pages from Dr. Kronenberg’s collection of World War 2 Officer POW and DP Camp issues. These pages specifically include philatelic items from the Officer POW Camp at Gross Born Oflag IID. The Gross Born camp was located in a toen close to Pila in the district of Bydgoszcz. Internal mail started operations on December 3, 1943 and lasted until the closing and evacuation of the camp on January 28, 1945.
Collection size: 36 pages
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World War II Officer POW Camps: Neubrandenberg
Presented here are pages from Dr. Kronenberg’s collection of World War 2 Officer POW and DP Camp issues. These pages specifically include philatelic items from the Officer POW Camp at Neubrandenberg, Oflag IIE. The Neubrandenberg camp issued stamps between January 1944 until June 1944 when the camp was merged into the Gross Born camp.
Collection size: 20 pages
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1944-1950 Issues
Presented here are selected pages from Kronenberg’s collection for issues between 1944 and 1950. These pages include forgeries of Lublin (1944) Wodzowie Proofs, unissued “Krakow” overprints and liberated cities issues. Included are examples of each issues and varieties, postal uses, proofs, and forgeries.
Collection size: 100 pages
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Post World War II: Displaced Persons
Presented here are selected pages from Kronenberg’s collection of post World War II material relating to Polish displaced persons. Included in this section are displaced person camps (Ettlingen, Helmstedt, Freiman, Lubeck, Hellbrun), Polish Internee Mail (Romania, Switzerland), Camps of Former Political Prisoners in Dachau-Allach, the “Libertas” Issues, Polish Settlements in Italy, among others.
Collection size: 79 pages
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