Description: This is a definitive postage stamp from the German Democratic Republic (DDR) issued during the 1954 "Surcharge" series. The underlying base stamp is the 12 Pfennig blue value from the Five-Year Plan series, depicting a farmer (left, with straw hat) and a worker (right) shaking hands—the classic "Alliance of the Working Class and Peasantry" propaganda motif. Because the postal rate for this specific value became obsolete, the state applied a heavy black overprint. A bold "10" is stamped at the bottom to set the new lower value, while heavy black bars (or an "X") cancel out the original "12" at the top. The prominent "IX" visible at the top of your copy is part of the circular cancellation date, likely indicating it was posted in September (Month IX).
Circa: 1953 - 1960s
Condition: Used, corner ripped
Notes: