A unique 20 öre stamp

The 20 öre green blue/orange Posthorn from 1965 is a beautiful stamp. It is also pretty unique in some ways. First of all it was the first Swedish two-coloured steel engraved stamp. It was the new three-tone steel-engraving rotary press from Goebel AG in Germany delivered at the end of 1964 that made this possible. It also was unique in the way that it has the year of issue printed between the initials of the artist and the engraver. That was a mistake actually. Beginning  in 1963 the year-of-issue was printed on non-definitive stamps, i.e. commemorative stamps. The Posthorn is the only definitive stamp that has the year printed. The stamp to the left on the parcel address card below is the 20 öre Posthorn.

Domestic Parcel 6 kg; fee: 7 kr.
1965, 17 May. 20 öre green blue/orange Posthorn. Qty: 28,200,000.
1967, 16 October. 30 öre red-orange/blue Outer Archipelago of Stockholm. Qty: 184,000,000.
1967, 12 January. 2.80 kr orange-red Three Crowns. Qty: 15,000,000.
1967, 15 February. 3.70 kr violet The Lion Fortress. Qty: 16,000,000.

This parcel address card makes me a little bit excited. It displays very well the changes in Swedish stamp design that occurred in the mid sixties. I think that maybe the 20 öre Posthorn was meant to be the first in a series of definitive stamps, just like the New Numeral Type it was intended to replace. Considering the design it would have been well suited for that, adding new denominations over time. That did not happen. The thing that happened was that Swedish Post got a new Director-General in 1965, the distinguished civil servant Mr. Nils Hörjel. The task given by the Swedish Government was to rapidly modernize the Swedish Post and make it more effective and profitable. He did and he also on the fly modernized the conservative Swedish stamp issuing policy.

Instead the Posthorn became the first of a long line of single series definitive stamps. Before Mr. Hörjel the definitive series had traditional motifs like the king, the denomination value itself or Swedish symbols. The definitive series at the time consisted of Gustaf VI Adolf type III, Three Crowns, Rock Carvings and New Numeral Type. They used to be stretched over decades and consisted of many stamps (of the same motif) and of course of many different denominations. No more from now on. Mr. Hörjel increased the number of stamps issued, both commemorative and definitive ones, and he granted single stamps series of definitive stamps. One effect was that the definitive stamp series got a much shorter lifespan and at the end there were more stamps to collect.


The next stamp is the 30 öre Outer Archipelago of Stockholm and belongs to the series called Definitive Stamps, a series of  stamps with different motifs and different denomination. There were four motifs in that series from 1967. If the old policy would have still been in place that stamp would maybe rather have been a 30 öre Posthorn.


The third stamp from the left is the 2.80 kr Three Crowns and represent the old policy. The Three Crowns was the longest running stamp series with 34 stamps in almost 30 years. The 2.80 kr was the next to the last issue of the Three Crowns.


Finally to the right the 3.70 kr Lion Fortress. One of these new stamps representing the big change in stamp issuing policy. A single definitive stamp with a unique motif. It was aimed for for covering the rate for domestic parcels, 1 - 3 kg, it did that well until January 1969 when it was discontinued. If the old policy would have still been in place that stamp would instead maybe have been a 3.70 kr Three Crowns. Who knows?

New and old Cash On Delivery

This post is about two C.O.D. parcel address cards. The first one is of an older version. The parcel was handed over to the Post Office Bromma 19 in Nockeby a suburb of Stockholm on Monday 2 December 1968. The odd thing is that they used a card designed in January 1939 [more precisely form 398 b.] almost thirty years old by that time. Nockeby was built in the 30s and maybe this card was from the original stock from the opening of the Post Office?

Cash On Delivery parcel 2 kg fee: 3.70 kr + C.O.D fee 0.70 kr + unknown fee 1.20 kr
1958, 17 September. 5 kr blue Royal Palace, Stockholm II. Qty: 16,500,000 (2-sided perforation)
1967, 16 October, 30 öre red-orange/blue Outer archipelago of Stockholm. Qty: 184,000,000

The total sum paid was 5.60 kr. The fee for a parcel weighing up to 3 kg was 3.70 kr in 1968 and the C.O.D. fee was 0.70 kr. That makes 4.40 kr but the sum is 1.20 kr more. My guess is that this parcel was bulky since that fee was an extra 50%, which is the missing 1,20 kr. Maybe the bulky lable came off or they just forgot to label. Anyways the stamp 5 kr blue Royal Palace Stockholm II was first issued in 1941 but then printed on panes. The 2-sided perforated version in coils actually on the card arrived not until 1958. The 30 öre red-orange/blue Outer archipelago of Stockholm single use was for printed matter, but it was a new kind of definitive stamps. One can say that it replaced the New Numeral Type series from the fifties when it came in 1967.  The 30 öre stamps belonged to a series called just Definitive Stamps. The denominations of the series were 5 öre, 10 öre, 30 öre and 90 öre. Read more about the Definitive Stamps series - here.

The content of the parcel were boots and they were bound for the shop called The Shoe Company (Skokompaniet) on King's Street (Kungsgatan) downtown Stockholm. The parcel was picked up the next day. We can also note that the sender filled in the correct postal code 111 22. Postal codes were a novelty for 1968 and introduced in May.


The second C.O.D. parcel address cards was sent more than a year earlier, on Wednesday 25 October 1967, but it looks much more modern. The card came in 1964 and was called form 2010.5. In this case the card has to be printed 1965 or later beacuse the card has the new logotype that was introduced the same year. The parcel was sent from the town Linköping to the village Tandsbyn in the province of Jämtland. The weight was 3 kg and the fee was in this case the same as above, 3.70 kr, the C.O.D. fee was 70 öre totaling 4.40 kr. It was sent from Post Office Linköping 1 situated in a magnificent building at 18 - 20 St. Lars Street (S:t Larsgatan 18 -20).

C.O.D. parcel 3 kg fee 3.70 kr + C.O.D. fee 0.70 kr
1967, 15 February, 3.70 kr violet the Lion Fortress. Qty: 16,000,000
1957, 1 June. 70 öre orange Rock Carvings type II. Qty: 10,900,000

In this case it is the 3.70 kr violet the Lion Fortress that is new, issued in February 1967. The 70 öre orange Rock Carvings is a definitive stamp of an older generation where the first stamp in that series was issued in 1954 as a complement to the long running Three Crown series. In the fifties the Rock Carving series felt fresh and it stayed around at least as long as in the beginning of the 70s. On this card both stamps are a nice couple of Swedish definitive stamps.

Here is where the Post Office Bromma 19 used to be. (Google)

. . .  and here is where you could find the Post Office Linköping 1. (Google)

Where are the places?
Nockeby is situated 8 km W of Stockholm
Tandsbyn is situated 446 km NW of Stockholm.
Linköping is situated 174 km SW of Stockholm.

From unknown to known

Shorter life spans

The stamp 3.70 kr violet the Lion Fortress from spring 1967 had as a purpose to cover parcel rates. It covered parcels weighing 1 to 3 kg.  The domestic parcel address below got one Lion Fortress stamp and it was sent from Helsingborg Thursday 13 June 1968 to Stockholm. Mr. Münch the sender did not have the correct address to Mrs. Wedar, as it seems. Apparently Mrs. Wedar did not live on 2 Tor's Street (Torsgatan 2). That building was used as office building and was not residential. The address card got stamped "back to sender" on the front and "address unknown" on the back. However the Post Office Stockholm 1 did not give up and sent it to its special bureau for finding addresses.

Domestic parcel 2 kg fee: 3.70 kr.
1967, 15 February, 3.70 kr violet the Lion Fortress. Qty: 16,000,000

The back side of the parcel address card.

On Monday 17 June the card got in the hand of the special address bureau according to the oval stamp on the back and they sorted out the problem quickly. The parcel was intended for the Swedish magazine Swedish Journal (Svenska Journalen). The correct address was added to the card on the front. Mrs. Wedar worked there as a journalist, she was also an author of several books. The parcel was picked up the next day.

The 3.70 kr violet the Lion fortress was a new kind of definitive stamps that replaced the old Three Crowns series. The new thing in 1967 was the fact that it was just a single stamp not a series of stamps with the same motifs but different denomination as before.

Take the 1.70 kr red Three Crowns for example. That stamp had the same main purpose as the Lion fortress. It was issued in 1 June 1951 and then it covered the new rate for domestic parcel 3 - 5 kg. In June 1952 it covered the new rate for 1 - 3 kg parcels and finally in June 1961 it covered the new rate for parcels up to 1 kg until July 1964 when the rates were raised again. The denomination 1.70 kr propagated through the postal rates for parcels. After that the 1.70 kr faded away.

The Lion Fortress on the other hand did not last after the raise of the parcel rates in January 1969. The reason was that in the sixties the raises had to become much more substantial than before. Often these specific stamps just lasted during one period of parcels rates.

The life span of the 1.70 kr Three Crowns as a stamp for domestic parcels [öre]

June 1951 to June 1952 to June 1964

- 1 kg	1 - 3 kg	3 - 5 kg
110	140	[170]
140	[170]	200
[170]	200	250

The life span of the 3.70 kr the Lion Fortress as a stamp for parcels [öre]

January 1967 to December 1968

- 1 kg	1 - 3 kg	3 - 5 kg
280	[370]	450

Holland Michigan

Ordinary Gustaf VI Adolf stamps

On Wednesday 1 April 1970 the incorporated company Proinvestements Scandinavia in Stockholm sent a letter to Surplus Service in the town of Holland in Michigan, US. Two 55 öre red Gustaf VI Adolf type II and one 10 öre blue/black Swedish ship in Öresund made 1.20 kr. The letter cover has no Air Mail label but the sum 1.20 kr was the rate for air mail letter to North America 5 - 10 g. The rate for sending the letter by surface would have cost 70 öre.  The 55 öre Gustaf VI Adolf single use was domestic letter  - 20 g since March 1969 until October 1971. Two 55 öre Gustaf VI Adolf would cover the fee for international letter 20 - 40 g. The 10 öre stamp was a complementary denomination and belonged to the quite revolutionary series called Definitive Stamps from 1967. Read more about the Definitive Stamps series - here.

Air mail to North America 5 - 10 g fee: 1.20 kr
1969, 28 February. 55 öre red Gustaf VI Adolf type III. Qty: 269,000,000
1967, 16 October, 10 öre blue/black Swedish ship in Öresund. Qty: 156,000,000

The letter was handled by the Post Office Nacka 1, but the address of the company Proinvestments Scandinavia was 33 King Street down town Stockholm, definitely a quite posh address, at least thirty years earlier. The closest Post Office would have been Stockholm 1. Nacka is a suburb south of Stockholm.

In 1970 the address of the sender was 33 King's Street in Stockholm. (Google). Just besides one of the two famous King's Towers, Stockholm's first skyscrapers,    . . . well, high raises) and the crossing bridge of  the Ridge Dividing Street (Malmskillnadsbron).
Read more about the King's Tower - here.

There are not much traces of Proinvestments Inc. The Surplus Service in Holland, Michigan, seems to have been in business at least during the sixties and seventies. The regularly advertised in magazines as the Popular Mechanics or the Field & Stream. They sold any kind of government surplus to the public. Just write for inquiries,  . . . so did indeed Proinvestment.

Add from Field & Stream July 1970.

A farewell FDC

The Three Crowns series on its way out . . .

Three different definitive stamps were issued on 20 January 1969. Different series and different motifs - yes, but also representing different issuing policies.

The 10 öre denomination from the series Definitive Stamps came as a booklet, the same with the 50 öre green Gustaf VI Adolf type III and then there was the 2 kr wine-red Three Crowns. This was the last stamp of that series. The first stamp of the Three Crown series, the 60 öre red-carmine, was issued on 10 February 1939, almost 30 years earlier. The series came in 34 denominations. The original idea was that this series should cover the fees for the most common postal rates for domestic parcels and C.O.D. parcels.  That was not the case with the 2 kr wine-red, it could be used a single stamp for domestic letter -250 g, it could also be used for various money orders  until 1971 and later on  used for international letters  -50 g between 1975 and 1976. Read more about the Three Crown series - here.

First Day Cover 1969, 20 January.
10 öre blue/black Swedish ship in Öresund. Qty: 9,500,000 [pairs]. 3-sided perforation.
From the 217th booklet issued by Swedish Post.
50 öre green Gustaf VI Adolf type III. Qty: 3,400,000 (pairs). 3-sided perforation.
From the 218th booklet issued by Swedish Post.
2 kr wine-red Three Crowns. Qty: 67,700,000

The 10 öre blue/black Swedish ship in Öresund represents the new kind of definitive stamps that showed up for the first time in 1965, like the Posthorn and the Ale's Stones. The 10 öre belongs to the series called Definitive Stamps and it was first issued in 1967. The series emphasized the new issuing policy of Swedish Post with definitive stamps in smaller series and adding the concept with different motifs within the same series. That was a big novelty in 1967. The Definitive Stamps series and the Iron Age slot machine booklet were examples of that. Why Swedish Post almost two years later choose to issue a booklet with twenty 10 öre stamps from that series beats me.

The 50 öre green Gustaf VI Adolf was first issued as a two sided perforated stamp in January 1968 and now a year later it also came in a booklet with ten stamps. There was an earlier 50 öre stamp in the series, the 50 öre olive-green from July 1962 where its single use covered International Letter  - 20 g until July 1964. The reason why there was a new need for that denomination in the series was that the rate for C.O.D became 50 öre in 1967. Oddly enough the fee 50 öre lasted only until March 1969. That must have been some what of a bummer, but 50 öre probably did good use as a complimentary denomination for the following years.

The big change

Old school vs. modern times

One significant changed when it came to Swedish stamp issuing policy occurred during spring 1967 with the release of a completely new kind of slot machine booklet. So far the classic lower denomination definite stamps were used for slot machine booklets, the Gustaf VI Adolf series of type I, type II, type III and the New Numeral Series. In 1966 the price for those booklets was raised from 1 kr to 2 kr and it became a little easier to fill up the booklet with useful denominations.

The first 2 kr slot machine booklet was was issued in April 1966 and it was the sixteenth since 1951. Its denomination was 5, 10, 15 öre as complementary stamps, 30 öre covered domestic postcards and 40 öre domestic letter  - 20 g.

Top: 1966, 18 April, 16th slot machine booklet. Qty: 1,270,000 [the old type of booklets]
Bottom: 1967, 17 May, 17th slot machine booklet. Qty: 3,770,000 [the new type of booklets - what a difference]

The stamps involved were:
1964, 25 June (pair). 5 öre red New Numeral Type, type II. Qty: 45,300,000. 3-sided perforation.
1964, 25 June (pair). 10 öre blue New Numeral Type, type II. Qty: 8,800,000. 3-sided perforation.
1965, 26 May (pair). 15 öre green New Numeral Type, type II. Qty: 20,800,000. 3-sided perforation.
1966, 18 April (pair). 30 öre red Gustaf VI Adolf, type III. Qty: 2,600,000. 3-sided perforation.
1964, 25 June (pair). 40 öre blue Gustaf VI Adolf, type III. Qty: 94,200,000. 3-sided perforation.

The 16th slot machine booklet was the last appearance of the New Numeral Series.


The next slot machine booklet released was the Iron Age, Öland about 500 A.D. The kind of motifs that were used were not completely new. Pre historical inspired motif had been used before for Swedish definitive stamps like the Rock Carving series from the 50s and the Ale Stones from 1966. But the difference was that these new stamps were not part of a definitive series consisting of many denominations and different varieties. It was a one time definitive series just for this booklet release. No coil versions. No more long series of definitive stamps issued for several years. The stamps were also of a smaller size than usually. From now on there would be no more slot machine booklets with stamps of the king. All later slot machine booklets were based on their own themes and motifs. It was also the goodbye and farewell to the New Numeral series which was replaced with this booklet, the Definitive Stamps of 1967 and the 20 öre Posthorn.

The denomination was 10 öre, and 15 öre  as complementary stamps, 30 öre still covered domestic postcards and 35 öre international postcards in May 1967. But not for long, from July 1967 35 öre was required for domestic postcard and domestic letter  - 20 g was raised to 45 öre. The Swedish post planned for the postage fee raises and the booklet was still useful since 10 öre blue plus 35 öre brown summed up to 45 öre and the 15 öre brown plus 30 öre rose also summed up to 45 öre. 35 öre was the new rate for domestic postcards. Wonderful, well, it was less wonderful for stamp collectors who wants pairs with the same denomination, for example 35 öre brown and 35 öre brown. Most cancelled pairs of this series is of course 10 öre + 25 öre or 15 öre + 30 öre.

The stamps of the all new 17th slot machine booklet were: (all were released on 1967, 17 May)
10 öre blue Man holding bear. Qty: 17,600,000
15 öre brown Man fighting bears. Qty: 8,800,000
30 öre rose/brown Warrior disguised as a wolf. Qty: 8,800,000
35 öre brown/rose Helm crested warriors. Qty: 8,800,000

The design was made by Czesław Slania and Arne Wallhorn, and they were engraved by Czesław Slania. The motifs was enlarged parts of helmet-crests that were found on the island of Öland.


Lets have a look at the covers as well:

Top: the cover of the 16th slot machine booklet
Bottom: the cover of the 17th slot machine booklet

The 16th slot machine booklet front cover has a pretty general design just listing the different denominations. The backside has an add that tries to convince you to invest in stamps, it is an add by one of the by the time leading Swedish stamp dealer Frimärkshuset. Frimärkshuset was the publisher of the Facit catalogue as well.

The 17th slot machine booklet front cover has instead a motif that connects with the motifs of the stamps. The back of the cover is an add for the airline SAS. SAS wants to take you to America in this add.

Even the cover was new on this all new type of slot machine booklet.

Standard parcel with a typical single stamp

Vacuum cleaner parts travel south

This is a great example how the higher denomination stamps for parcels were supposed to be used. One single stamp and it is done. Swift, fast and an everyday routine. This parcel weighed up to 3 kg and in the fall of 1970 4 kr and 50 öre was needed to cover the postal rate. The stamp is the 4.50 kr red Uppsala Cathedral issued in March 1967. The Uppsala Cathedral stamp was a new kind of definitive stamp series, consisting of only one stamp. (The 4.50 kr Ale Stones from 1966 was the first one of this type.) That was a novelty during the mid 60s and a change of policy. So far stamps aimed for parcels were issued in longer series with several stamps often spanning over decades. The Swedish stamp policy shifted remarkably during 1967. This stamp was soon followed by the 7 kr Gripsholm Castle and the 3.70 kr Lion Fortress was issued in already in February 1967.

Parcel Address Card 1 - 3 kg fee: 4.50 kr
1967, 17 March, 4.50 kr red Uppsala Cathedral. Qty: 22,700,000

Nilfisk is a Danish company that sells vacuum cleaners, they are still around. They seem to have had a sales office in Luleå, it is situated 727 km north east of Stockholm. On Monday 9 November 1970 the local office felt like they had to return some surplus vacuum cleaner parts back to the companies logistics centre in Malmö south of Sweden. At least that is the information the parcel address card hints us about.

The parcel was handed over to the Post Office Luleå 1, 53 Main Street (Storgatan 53). The Swedish Post covered half that block and the post office building with its terminal was built in 1953. This is also another beautiful building built by the Swedish Post. It was such a beautiful building so even postcards were made (below).

Here is the Post Office Luleå 1 at its heydays (postcards).

The parcel went to Malmö and made a stop first at the post office depot Hullkajen (the Hull quay). The next day it reached the post office Malmö 4 at 31 Great New Street (Stora Nygatan 31). Why it first arrived to the depot at the Hullkajen I don't know. The depot Hullkajen was in service between 1965 to 1975 and it belonged to the main Post Office, the Malmö 1. The square stamp on the card put there by Malmö 4 says that the parcel can be picked up at lanes 18 or 19 at the Post Office.

Here are the rates for domestic parcels in November 1970:
- 1 kg - 3 kg - 5 kg - 7 kg - 10 kg - 15 kg - 20 kg
  3.50   4.50    5.50      8.50    12.50   17.00   21.00  kr
[effective since January 1969 and until December 1971]