Postage stamps and postal history of Żarki

A local postal service briefly operated in the Polish town of Żarki during the month of October 1918.

On August 27, 1918, the Żarki city council requested permission from the officer in charge of Civil Affairs[1] to create a local post.

[2] On September 18, 1918, the city council requested permission to collect delivery payments and issue stamps.

[3] The post began and ended operation shortly after in October, 1918, only having issued one stamp design featuring the Żarki Catholic church.

[1] Philatelic historians disagree over who is responsible for organizing the effort to start the Żarki local post.

[5][6] Others believe that well-known stamp dealer Szlojme Abramsohn (Abramson) persuaded Franczak and authorities to begin the post.

[1][6][7] Delivery service was established with rates denominated in heller (abbreviated as h), the currency of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that occupied the region at the time.

Service was also extended to neighboring Cholon, Niegowa, and Włodowice where rates were 5h for newspapers and postcards and 12h for all other mail.

All stamps were denominated in heller (abbreviated as h), the currency of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that occupied the region at the time.

[1] The hand-stamps read 6, 10, or 24 halerzy, which is the genitive declension of the Polish word halerz[12] that translates to heller in English.

[1] Barefoot states that a variety of the 6h stamp exists where part of the right-hand roof of the church is omitted, leaving a white void.

[1] Polish philatelic expert Dr. Stanley Kronenberg identified at least one genuine 3h stamp that contained two hand-stamps due to human error.

[1][8][11] On genuine stamps, the crescent formed by the shadow in the circle on the center of the church is aligned to about 8 o'clock.

Odd numbered positions in the forged sheets contain a small blot northwest of the letter P and a dot below rk.

[1] It is estimated by noted Polish philatelic expert Stefan Petriuk[4] that only about 300 genuine stamps survive, with only a handful appearing on postal matter.