Luxembourg Stamps 1944-1949 by Gary Little

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Grand Duchess Charlotte

Definitives (right profile)

Dates of Issue

November 6, 1944	5c, 10c
March 20, 1946	20c
November 6, 1944	25c
March 20, 1946	30c
November 6, 1944	35c
March 20, 1946	40c
November 6, 1944	50c
July 22, 1946	60c
November 6, 1944	70c red
March 20, 1946	70c green, 75c
November 6, 1944	1F, 1 1/4F
March 20, 1946	1 1/2F
November 6, 1944	1 3/4F
March 20, 1946	2F, 2 1/2F, 3F, 3 1/2F
November 6, 1944	5F, 10F, 20F

The November 6, 1944 stamps were the first issued by Luxembourg following the liberation of Luxembourg City by the allied forces on September 10, 1944. They were also surcharged and sold (in cancelled form only) in a commemorative folder with the proceeds benefiting war evacuees.
[FDC (March 20, 1946)]

Homage to the Allied Nations

Date of Issue: March 1, 1945

These stamps honor the four most influential allied nations of World War II who fought to restore the freedom and independence of Luxembourg -- France, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and the United States of America.
[FDC]
[1945 commemorative sheet]

Heraldic Lion

Dates of Issue

October 1, 1945	20c
July 19, 1945	30c
December 13, 1945	60c
October 1, 1945	75c
May 15, 1945	1.20F
July 19, 1945	1.50F, 2.50F

The lion is the central design element of the Luxembourg coat-of-arms.

Octave

Date of Issue: June 4, 1945

The Octave, or National Pilgrimage, is a two-week period of religious activity beginning on the third Sunday after Easter. The central location is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg, Consoler of the Afflicted, and patron saint of the city. Various views of the Cathedral are shown on these stamps.

Our Lady of Luxembourg

Date of Issue: October 4, 1945

The Virgin Mary, Consoler of the Afflicted, was chosen as the patron saint of Luxembourg City on October 10, 1666.
[FDC]

Heroes and Martyrs

Date of Issue: December 20, 1945

These stamps honor Luxembourg nationals who worked bravely in the underground during World War II to help defeat the Nazi occupiers. The surtax was for the National Welfare Fund.
[FDC]

Heroes and Martyrs

Souvenir Sheet

Date of Issue: January 30, 1946

These stamps honor Luxembourg nationals who worked bravely in the underground during World War II to help defeat the Nazi occupiers. The surtax was for the National Welfare Fund.

Aerial Views of Luxembourg

Date of Issue: June 7, 1946

The aerial views shown on these stamps are the Moselle River (1F, 4F, 10F), Luxembourg City (2F, 5F, 20F), and Vianden Castle (3F, 6F, 50F).
[FDC]

Postage Due

Numerals of Value

Dates of Issue

July 22, 1946	5c, 10c, 20c, 30c, 50c, 70c
December 16, 1946	75c
July 22, 1946	1F, 1.50F, 2F, 3F, 5F, 10F, 20F

These postage due stamps were used until March 4, 1965.

Dudelange National Postage Stamp Exposition

Date of Issue: July 28, 1946

This exposition was held in Dudelange on July 28-29, 1946. The souvenir sheet sold for a surtax of 5F with the proceeds going to the benefit of the exposition.
[FDC]

Jean the Blind

Date of Issue: December 5, 1946

This issue commemorates the 600th anniversary of the death of national hero Jean the Blind, Count of Luxembourg, at the Battle of Crécy.
[FDC]

Echternach Basilica

Date of Issue: May 23, 1947

The surtax was to aid in restoring the Basilica of St. Willibrord in Echternach following its destruction during World War II.
[FDC]
[1948 commemorative folder]

General George S. Patton, Jr. (1885-1945)

Date of Issue: October 24, 1947

Patton was a four-star general in the United States Army and is known as the "liberator of Luxembourg" because of his heroic efforts in driving the Nazis from Luxembourg during World War II. In the winter of 1944-45 his division successfully engaged the enemy many times in northern Luxembourg during the Battle of the Bulge, the final important Nazi offensive of the war. Patton died in an automobile accident shortly after the war and was buried in the U.S. military cemetery in Hamm, near Luxembourg City.
[FDC]

Michel Lentz (1820-1893)

Date of Issue: December 4, 1947

Lentz was born in Luxembourg on May 21, 1820 and died on September 8, 1893. Although he wrote his first poem at age 17, it was not until 1859 that he achieved widespread fame and popularity when he presented his song "D'Letzeburger" at the inauguration of the Luxembourg railroad station. The song is now known as "De Feierwon" ("The Iron Horse") and has been adopted as the national anthem. He collaborated often with the composers Laurent Menager and Jean-Antoine Zinnen; Menager wrote the music for 23 of Lentz' poems and Lentz and Zinnen together created the national hymn "Ons Hémecht" which was performed in public for the first time in Ettelbrück on June 5, 1864.
[FDC]

Landscapes

Date of Issue: August 5, 1948

The classic landscapes shown on these stamps are:

• the castle ruins at Esch-sur-Sûre in the Oesling region
• the vineyards along the Moselle River
• the steel mills in the mining basin of the south
• Luxembourg City

Dicks (Edmond de la Fontaine) (1823-1891)

Date of Issue: November 18, 1948

Dicks was born in Luxembourg on July 24, 1823. Although he studied law and received his degree in 1850, he made his name as a composer and a poet. In 1855 Luxembourgers heard for the first time a stage play in their own language, a vaudeville comedy by Dicks. In 1857 his collection of Luxembourg proverbs was published and over the years most of his operettas appeared in book form. He died in Vianden on June 24, 1891.
[FDC]

Grand Duchess Charlotte

Definitives (left profile)

Dates of Issue

March 15, 1951	5c, 10c
May 10, 1949	15c
August 1, 1958	20c
December 15, 1948	25c
July 1, 1958	30c
March 15, 1951	40c
July 1, 1958	50c
December 22, 1949	60c, 80c
December 15, 1948	1F
May 18, 1953	1.20F
March 15, 1951	1.25F
December 15, 1948	1.50F
May 10, 1949	1.60F
December 15, 1948	2F
March 15, 1951	2.50F, 3F, 3.50F
December 15, 1948	4F
July 1, 1958	5F
May 10, 1949	6F, 8F

Grand Duchess Charlotte

30th Anniversary of Reign

Date of Issue: January 8, 1949

Charlotte became Grand Duchess on January 15, 1919, after her older sister, Marie-Adélaïde, abdicated.
[FDC]

Universal Postal Union

75th Anniversary

Date of Issue: October 6, 1949

The UPU is an international organization that facilitates the exchange of mail between nations. It is a forum in which countries can discuss and work out problems that interfere with the free flow of mail among them. The UPU was formed in Berne, Switzerland in 1874 and is now an agency of the United Nations.
[FDC]

Michel Rodange (1827-1876)

Date of Issue: December 5, 1949

Rodange was born in Waldbillig on January 3, 1827 and died in Luxembourg-Clausen on August 27, 1876. He was the author of the satirical epic poem "Rénert the Fox", published in 1872. It parodied contemporary life and events, modified and adapted to the characters and the communities of Luxembourg.
[FDC]