Issued 31 December 1938 to publicize the carnival, it was on sale only in Koln and the philatelic counter in the Berlin post office.
It was valid until 31 December 1939.
The imprinted stamp features the coat-of-arms of Koln surmounted by a jester’s cap and bells. The stamp was printed in photogravure by the Berlin State Printing Works, and the card itself was printed by M. DuMont Schauberg of Koln. It is believed that the slogan in the upper left of the card refers to the traditional definition of carnival as a “farewell to the flesh,” i.e., the beginning of Lent. The inscription in the sonderstempel dated 21 February 1939 translates, The singing, ringing, laughing 1939 Kiiln Carnival.