Stamps used to be collectible, and first day covers especially so. Special stamps were issued for occasions, and first day covers included a short explanation. They thus present a form of history of West Berlin, the political enclave that disappeared in 1990.
I grew up there, and I want to share some recollections here.
West Berlin was rocked by the kidnapping of Peter Lorenz. Immigration was a big issue: foreigners were banned from moving to the inner-city boroughs, which were deemed too multicultural, 12% being the limit. Tempelhof Airport closed for civil aviation. It is interesting that the stamp motif ‘Industrie und Technik’ (Industry and Technology) appears four times this year, probably reflecting West Berlin’s desire to be seen as a modern, industrial city despite its geopolitical situation and its ensuing industrial decline. The men portrayed on the stamps this year - the sculptor Gottfried Schadow, the surgeon Ferdinand Sauerbruch, the painter Lovis Corinth, and the politician Paul Löbe - all left their mark on German history and culture. The one sports event commemorated is the 6th Gymnaestrada held in Berlin, an event I had never heard of before and probably a lesser event in an isolated city....