International letters in the summer of 1964

Business letters to West-Germany

Govenius & Dahlgren was a company in the chemical industry with a focus on wood conservation and protection from insects - the ones that like to chew on wood. They even publish some books about this and the author was one of the partners, Mr. Bertil P. Govenius. The firm corresponded by this time with a company in Germany called Dedelux Chemie GmbH (GmbH is like Limited). The Dedelux Chemie is actually still registered as a company in Swabia which is a part of  Bavaria, but Govenius & Dalhgren seem to be long gone.

The first letter was posted Wednesday 20 May 1964 at the Post Office Stockholm Ban, the Post Office at the Stockholm Central Station. In May the postal rate for an international letter  - 20 g was still 50 öre and there was of course a suitable stamp in the Gustaf VI Adolf, type III definitive series that covered that, the 50 öre olive-green.

1962, July 2, 50 öre olive-green Gustaf VI Adolf, type III. Qty: 20,100,000.

The rates for international postcards and letter from July 1962 until June 1964:

postcard	- 20 g	- 40 g	- 60 g	- 80 g	- 100 g
30 öre	[50 öre]	80 öre	1.10 kr	1.40 kr	1.70 kr

The next letter was posted on Friday 31 July at the Post Office Stockholm 1, it was co-located with the head quarters of the Swedish Post at Vasa Street (Vasagatan), where the Swedish Post filled up two blocks of buildings. The 60 öre red was a new and fresh stamp in the Gustaf VI Adolf, type III series issued in June.  As it seems those new stamps were not around when the letter below was posted. If the stamps were applied by the firm themselves or by a service minded postal clerk I do not know, but someone used a 10 öre blue New Numeral Type, type II, the 15 öre red Gustaf VI Adolf, type III and the 35 öre blue Gustaf VI Adolf, type III . The last stamp, the 35 öre blue was the stamp that used to cover the most common postal rate; the one for domestic letter  - 20 g, but since 31 days it was obsolete in that role. Maybe the stock of that stamp had to be finished before the new ones could be used?

1961, May 8. 10 öre blue New Numeral Type, type II. Qty: 239,000,000 (both type I & II)
1961, March 20. 15 öre red Gustaf VI Adolf, type III. Qty: 105,000,000
1962, July 2. 35 öre blue Gustaf VI Adolf type III. Qty: 366,000,000 

The new rates for international postcards and letter from July 1964:

postcard	- 20 g	- 40 g	- 60 g	- 80 g	- 100 g
35 öre	[60 öre]	95 öre	1.30 kr	1.65 kr	2.00 kr

I have actually a third letter from the Govenius & Dahlgren firm. It was posted Wednesday 16 September and this time it was handed over to the care of the Swedish Post at Stockholm Ban again. The stamp is a commemorative stamp, the booklet version of the 60 öre brown 800th Anniversary of the Archbiscopric of Uppsala. That stamp really do not belong to this blog, but it is okay.

1964, June 12. 60 öre brown 800th Anniversary of the Archbiscopric of Uppsala. Qty: 2,700,000

You can read more about the New Numeral Type series  - here and about the Gustaf VI Adolf type III series - here.