These are archive photographs of stamp proposals entered in the stamp design competitions of Deutsche Bundespost. Non-accepted artwork was given back to the artists, so the authorities took photos and archived them. These photographs had no influence on the design selection or stamp production process. If you are exhibiting them in FIP competitions, the chairman of the FIP commission for thematic philately has stated, "the FIP teamleaders for thematic philately agreed to tolerate them as "borderline material". In consequence, they must be properly described and, of course, do not reward any points for rarity. The purpose for using them is strictly thematic, and any issued stamp, stationery or postmark showing the same thematic detail would be better to show. These photos derive from boxes which were put aside when the responsibility for stamp issues changed from the Postal Ministry to the Ministry of Finance and the government moved from Bonn to Berlin. The material starts in the late 1950s and reaches until mid-1970s. Usually, about 5 copies of each proposed design were kept in the archive. The reason for doing so was probably purely "good administration behavior": Better make a copy and file it because you never know ... The original designs (and only them, not black-and-white photographs) were on hand when the German stamp selection board made its decisions, and either these originals were handed back to the artist or they were bought by Deutsche Bundespost. In both cases, they were no longer available to the administration so there was a reasonable purpose for keeping a copy "just in case". Photocopy machines were not available at these days, so a photograph was taken and filed. Negatives were either not filed or destroyed when moving; at least there is no sign that they survived.