Here is a table that compares the color terms used by the Michel Catalog (now identical to the Michel Farbenfuhrer [Color Guide], Hellmuth Lemberger's Helgoland Philatelie and Robert Pollard's study (reproduced elsewhere on this site). The main reason for this table is to permit the classification of VARIETIES and REPRINTS using the Lemberger and Pollard research and the Michel color terminology. Thus one should be able to compare a stamp to the color chips in the Michel "Farbenfuhrer," compare the Michel terminology to Lemberger's, and classify it according to color.

I have now added "color chips" as background behind the color terms. They are only my color estimates and I periodically try to improve them. Regardless of the versatility of the computer, some colors cannot be matched exactly. The virtual "chips" are best for showing the more obvious differences among the varieties. One must also keep in mind that there is a range of color tones for each stamp. The Michel FarbenFührer remains indispensible. Real stamps must be examined against real color chips and real stamps authoritatively identified. Because of occasional color shifts, some stamps can be identified only by a process of elimination, mostly disregarding the accepted shades for that stamp.

If the identical words are used by Lemberger and Michel, they are printed in light gray. Where one of Pollard's terms, in translation, is the same as one of the others, it is also printed in light gray.

One limitation here is that the range of color terms for the reprints used by Lemberger is not quite identical to the terms he uses for the originals. Thus no direct comparison between Lemberger terms and Michel terms is possible in the case of some reprints. I have begun this by starting a table that compares original and reprint colors.

Also note that Pollard does not make as many shade distinctions as do the others.

Lastly, some people feel that the pre-2003 Farbenführer was better for Helgoland than the new system that matches exactly the Farbenführer chips with the Michel Deutschland-Special Katalog .

I have considered adding other catalog color schemes, but they are incomplete and therefore not as helpful as these three.

I assume most of the German words will be translated by the collector without need for a dictionary; yet for convenience I have translated a few words at the bottom of the table—words that I had to look up.