door In the 1920s, the German company Phönix-Verlag from Charlottenburg (Berlin) introduced the Auto-Phoenix, an auxiliary motor for bicycles. In the Netherlands, it was offered at 150 guilders (purchase price and without bicycle and mounting), equivalent to approximately €1,450 today. Phönix-Verlag targeted the Dutch market, sending printed and illustrated cards in flawless Dutch to various recipients, including the bicycle manufacturer Kestein in Rotterdam, in November 1923. In addition to the motor, the company offered various bicycle parts, such as dynamo lighting and bicycle whistles.
Kestein began producing bicycles under its own brand in 1924. One of their popular models was the ‘Omafiets Grandma’. Unfortunately, the factory went bankrupt in the 1950s.
The promotional postcard from Phönix-Verlag to Kestein is notable for its postage: franked with eight stamps of 1 billion marks, the rate for printed matter sent abroad between 12 and 19 November 1923. The postmark is dated 19 November, during a period of extreme inflation in Germany. A day later, the postage was already double and on November 26, 8 times as much. This unique card will be offered in March at auction 69 (lot 5704) of René Hillesum Filatelie.
