22nd October 1945
British Zone postcard (Mi.P673) with HAGEN (WESTF) 1 cancel and local post office proof of purchase hand stamp (faint purple circle).
Reverse
Letter that accompanied the postcard when purchased by Briefhistory.co.uk
The text refers to the present postcard (Mi.P673) and is an enquiry from Willi Driesen,
most probably a relative of the original 'Absender', Gerh. Driesen of Hagen.
The reply reads, in part, 'At the end of the war, the postage stamps and postcards with value imprints used in the "Third Reich" were withdrawn. As a replacement for the postcards with value imprint, postcards with the imprinted note "6 Rpf paid" were issued by the postal administration for a transitional period - despite several enquiries we were unable to determine the exact period. In addition to the note "6 Rpf paid", a rubber stamp with the inscription of the issuing office was printed on the postcards. The imprint of this stamp was to prove that the postcards had been paid for. The "6 Rpf paid" mark was cancelled by the usual daily postmark imprint.'