New issues feature classic automobiles

German Post came up with a novel theme for this year's semipostals that raise funds for charities. Rather than the designs of various symbols of charity work, the stamps issued this month feature classic autos.
The 45+20 euro stamp depicts a 1954 Isetta 300, a small two-seater produced by BMW and powered by 12-horsepower motorbike engine. The popularity of the Isetta, it is said, was a key to the postwar survival of BMW.
The Trabant P50 of 1958 (55+15 euros) was an unpretentious two-door vehicle manufactured so that simple maintenance could be done by the driver to ensure its longevity. It was a popular vehicle in the former East Germany.
The 55+25 euro semi-postal depicts the Mercedes Benz 300SL, the sensation of the 1954 New York auto show. It was the company's first postwar sports car and was outfitted with gullwing doors. Only 1,400 were produced, and at the time, a model cost six times the price of the VW Beetle.
Beetle's popularity
The 1949 Beetle (55+25 euros) was the model that launched the VW "Bug" to world popularity. The Beetle was developed in the late 1930s for the home market, but the 1949 model, the first one exported to the United States, changed all that. Today, people in more than 170 countries drive the Beetle.
The 1954 Isabella Coupe (144+56 euros) was a luxury sedan befitting its female name with elegant body lines, delicate shape, high quality and generous interior, according to a German car magazine.
The stamp surcharge, the second numeral in the denomination, is earmarked for the Federal Working Party on Independent Welfare. The organization provides funds where public aid is not sufficient. The first numeral in the design is the actual post fee.
Information on the stamps is available at www.deutschepost.de
Semipostal stamps have experienced mixed results in many countries, as many postal patrons regard such stamps as a tax and refuse to purchase them.
The United States has issued two semipostals and both have been successful, the U.S. Postal Service reported.
In 1998, the breast-cancer research semipostal was issued for 40 cents, 32 of that for the first-class letter rate and 8 for research. Since then, 412.2 million semipostals have been sold, reaping $28.8 million for research.
Last year, the 45-cent Heroes semipostal was issued to honor rescuers of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack; 37 cents was for the letter rate, 8 for the rescue workers. Since then, 65.5 million stamps have been sold netting, $5.5 million.
Both semipostals now sell for 45 cents, with 8 cents benefiting the causes.
XDominic Sama is stamps columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer; write to him at the Philadelphia Inquirer, P.O. Box 8263, Philadelphia, PA 19101.
Knight Ridder Tribune