Gustaf V right profile - quantities

A look at some statistics . . .

First place. 1,076 millions issued.
April 1940 to approx. June 1951.

The stamp of the Gustaf V right profile series that was issued in the greatest number including all varieties, was the 20 öre red Gustaf VI right profile type II. Which should not be a surprise to hardly anyone. After all it covered the rate for the most common postal item - the domestic letter first weight class (up to 20 g), international postcard and the extra fee for registered mail until April 1948. In addition, during a time when the postal rates were not changed that often. It was hence around for a very long time period compared to commemorative stamps and other definitive stamps further on.

Second place. 563.5 millions issued.
January 1941 to April 1948.

As a good number two is the 5 öre green. It was around from January 1941 until April 1948 when it was replace by the 5 öre orange. The 5 öre green covered printed matters.

Third place. 506.4 millions issued
November 1939 to April 1948.

It was a hard struggle about the third place, but the 10 öre violet type II was issued in a mere million more than the 15 öre brown. The 10 öre violet was used for local letter  - 20 g until July 1944 as well as for domestic postcards until April 1948.

The quantities issued of Gustaf V right profile series type I and II

The 15 öre brown was used for domestic letter  -20 g until April 1941, local letters after June 1944  and also for domestic postcard after April 1948, that is an explanation why the number was pretty high.

The 10 öre green replace the 10 öre violet in April 1948 because the rate for international printed matter (and domestic) was raised from 5 to 10 öre. Since Sweden still complied to the UPU-colouring principle the 10 öre stamp had to be green. The old 5 öre green was replaced by the 5 öre orange.

Among the higher denomination the 40 öre olive-green sticks out. I think the main reason is that 40 öre was the total fee for registered domestic letter  - 20 g until April 1948 and also it covered domestic letter second weight class (20 - 125 g) from April 1942, as well as local letter  - 500 g until July 1944. To me it was a little bit surprising that the 30 öre blue was issued in a comparatively small number. After all it covered the rate for international letter first weight class for a long time, from April 1940 until approximately June 1951.

Lastly, there are the two stamps that were issued in really small number and they are of course the only two stamps in the type I series issued in spring 1939. They were withdrawn and re-engraved.

Least quantity. 8 millions.
February 1939 to April 1940.

As good as new

Imprecise Address

Here is a letter cover that resisted time. It looks almost like it was mailed a few weeks ago, white and shiny. Actually it was posted late in the afternoon on  Friday 23 July 1937. It was received at the Post Office Stockholm 16 at 3 Ore Square Street  (Malmtorgsgatan 3) and started its journey to far away Portland, Oregon, from there. This was an international letter    - 20 g and the rate was 30 öre. The stamp used is the 30 öre blue Gustaf V, left profile. The blue colour was the correct UPU-colour for international letters of the first weight class which was  - 20 g in metric Sweden.

International  - 20 g letter fee: 30 öre.
1923, 28 November, 30 öre blue Gustaf V left profile. Qty: 20,700,000 (white paper)

The 30 öre blue Gustaf V left profile was issued the first time in November 1923. The paper used then was not as white as the one above, instead the paper was tinted. In October 1925 the rate for international letter  - 20 g was lowered to 25 öre and since Swedish Post was compliant to the UPU-colour a new blue coloured stamp had to be issued with that denomination and the 30 öre blue was withdrawn, also the old red 25 öre Gustaf V left profile had to be withdrawn as well. The 30 öre brown Gustaf V left profile replaced the 30 öre blue for the time being. In July 1936 the rate for international letter  - 20g was again raised to 30 öre and the 30 öre blue Gustaf V left profile made a come back but now printed on white paper. Finally the 30 öre blue was replaced by the Gustaf V right profile type II in April 1940. You can read about the Gustaf V right profile type II - here.

The sender is the incorporated company Nilsson & Blide, they were in the fruit import business and they also imported coffee. It was only wholesale, no retail. In those days they called fruit and coffee colonial merchandise even if Sweden did not have any colonies. Mr. Wilhelm Nilsson and Mr. Ivan Blide founded the company in 1925 and it seemed to have been pretty prosperous.

The letter is addressed to Balfour, Guthrie & Co. That company was a shipping company based on the west coast of U.S. (offices in San Francisco, Tacoma and Portland). It also operated other kind of businesses like a cement plant in Bellingham, Washington.

The letter ended up here: 733 SW Oak Street, Portland, Oregon. In the corner of Park and Oak. (Google Street)

The address on the cover is "Park and Oak Street", what the Swedes meant was the corner of Oak and Park Street. Obviously they did not know the precise address to Balfour, Guthrie & Co. The address should have been 733 SW Oak Street. Maybe there was no need to be precise, the building is still called the Balfour-Guthrie building. It was built in 1913 and represents somewhat of a milestone in the concrete industry. It was the first office building on the American west coast to be constructed with reinforced concrete. Probably with cement from the Bellingham plant . . .   it is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The building looks well kept.

Read more about the building: www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/article/112500

Immigrant Documents

Flip side of a coin

Most letter covers tell a story, and if there are gaps, just fill in with your imagination. However this letter cover does not tell us much. It is definitely a registered mail and it went over the Atlantic. Furthermore the letter was handed over to the Post Office Stockholm 15 located at 1 - 5 Katarina Road (Katarinavägen 1 - 5) on Saturday 20 February 1939. There are two 35 öre violet-carmine Gustaf V, left profile, stamps and the total sum is 70 öre. In 1939 the fee for registered international  mail was 20 öre, 50 öre is hence the fee for international letter  - 40 g.

International letter  - 40 g fee: 50 öre + registred mail fee: 20 öre
1930, 14 March, 35 öre violet-carmine Gustaf V, left profile. Qty: 7,900,000 (white paper)

The letter is for the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Washington, D.C., the for bearer of today's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. There are not any more information on the front. Lets look at the back for a sender or something useful.

The back of the letter cover.

There is some kind of seal on the back, that looks promising.    . . .  a closer look tells us that an ordinary 1 krona coin was use as a stamp for the seal. That was disappointing. U.S. officials have stamped at the back when the letter arrived in New York on Wednesday 3 March and also when it reached its destination some times later (the stamp is blurry).

I wonder what kind of documents that were mailed and from whom?

Mixed stamps from Stockholm to Malmö

New and old stamps meet

Parcel address cards are of course more interesting than clips. A card gives you much more information. However there are much more clips around and why not study them as well. Sometimes they might give you some new insights or different perspectives. Lets have a look at two clips stamped Wednesday 6 December 1939.

Domestic Parcel 5 - 6 kg fee: 1.80 kr

Left: 60 öre red-lilac Crown and Posthorn. Issued 6 March 1925 and
1 kr 20 öre pink Three Crowns. Issued  22 November 1939

Domestic Parcel 3 - 5 kg fee: 1.20 kr
Right: 1 kr orange Crown and Posthorn. Issued 17 November 1921 and
20 öre red Gustaf V, right profile , type I. Issued 10 February 1939

The left clip is from a parcel address card covering the 1 kr 80 öre fee for a parcel 5 - 6 kg. The right one is from a parcel address card covering the 1 kr 20 öre fee for a parcel 3 - 5 kg. Pretty heavy parcels, but it was getting close to Christmas and the gifts have to be sent all over Sweden. These two clips from the parcel address cards were sent the same day from Stockholm and arrived the next day at the Post Office Malmö 1 Skeppsbron 1 (1 Ship's Bridge) in Malmö 514 km south west of Stockholm.

The left one was sent from Post Office Stockholm 9 Hornsgatan 160 - 168 (160 - 168 Horn's Street). At that office they apparently had to mixed the old series for parcel fees the Crown and Posthorn with the successor the Three Crown. Maybe they still had a big surplus of  the old 60 öre Crown and Posthorn? Considering that the new 60 öre red-carmine Three Crown that replaced it by that time had been around for almost 10 months it is a little bit puzzling that the old one is still used. It seems like the 120 öre Crown and Posthorn was already replaced by the brand new definitive stamp 120 öre Three Crown. The 120 öre had been in use just for two weeks that day.

The right clip was also sent from Stockholm but from the Post Office Stockholm 7 Norrlandsgatan 11 (11 Norrland Street). Here the 1 kr orange Crown and Posthorn was still in use but they had started to use the new definitive stamp of king Gustaf V, type I. The latter had been around since February so that made sense, but the type II was in progress with the first release on 11 December (the 10 öre violet) and the new 20 öre red type II would show up in April 1940. The new 1 kr orange Three Crowns was issued in September but not used yet at Stockholm 7, apparently.

It is interesting to see that the post offices first had to use the old stock of stamps before they could use the new ones. There were a lot of parcels sent in December so my guess is that pretty soon both Post Offices were using the new definitive series.

Read more about the Three Crowns series - here, and about the ill fated Gustav V, type I series - here. The Crown and Posthorn is briefly described - here.

Here is the beautiful building where the Post Office Malmö 1 used to be (Google)

Above is a street view from Google Street View showing the building were the Post Office Malmö 1 used to be. There are no Post Offices left in Sweden for the public anymore. All postal services can be found in corner stores, gas stations and other kind of convenience stores.