Addresses can be tricky

This letter was mailed on Friday 9 March 1945. It went via England and was examined by the censors there, the war was still going on. Another note on the cover gives away the weight, 8 g. The fee for international letters was 30 öre and the air mail fee was then 1.30 kr. This must have been and urgent letter.

The address on the cover is not completely accurate, it should be The Crosley Corporation, not Crossley Corporation. They resided on 1329 Arlington Street, Cincinnati, Ohio. This is the famous Crosley Corporation that among many things manufactured radios, appliances, car parts and even cars, the latter less successfully.

International letter air mail, fee: 30 öre + 1.30 kr = 1.60 kr, max 10 g.
1939, February 10. 60 öre red-carmine Three Crowns. Qty: 77,900,000.
1939, September 22. 1 kr orange Three Crowns. Qty: 141,000,000

The sender's address is even more tricky to understand. The organisation, most likely a company, called Lincoln J:r was the sender. There are no traces of a firm called Lincoln in Stockholm during the 40s on the Internet. Stockholm 10 below the name indicates that their address is a Post. Office Box at the Post Office Stockholm 10 situated at 34 Narva Road (Narvavägen 34).

The stamps are from the Three Crown series and the 60 öre was the first stamp issued in the series and the 1 kr was the one that was printed in the largest quantity and probably the one that was in use the longest. A beautiful combination.

Here is the old building were the Post Office Stockholm 10 was situated. The Post Office moved in to a new building at the same corner in the 70s and was open until October 2002. (Photo: Stockholmskällan.)

The old Crosley Corporation industrial facilities at 1329 Arlington Street are in a really bad state. The building has ten stories and is located in the Camp Washington neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio.

The letter ended eventually up here - 1329 Arlington Avenue, Cincinatti, Ohio, U.S.A.
(Photo: Google Maps).

A letter at Christmas time

The letter cover is really thin and grey, an old fashion ink pen was used and it looks like the sender maybe was a little bit uncomfortable using a pen. Hardly any capital letters were used. The sender was Mr. Emil Göransson living in the small hamlet of Fagerhult, about 10 km north of the Post Office Göteryd.

The letter was handled by the Göteryd Post Office on Thursday 6 December 1945. The postal fee was 95 öre and indicates that the weight was under 5 g.

International letter  air mail, fee: 0.30 kr  + 0.65 kr = 0.95 kr, max 5 g.
1941, 26 April. Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 18,600,000
1940, 8 April. 40 öre olive-green Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 84,100,000
Commemorative stamp:                                                                            
1945, 29 May. 5 öre green Tercentary of Swedish Press. Qty: 80,600,000

The clerk at the Post Office had good use of the Gustaf V, right profile, series in this case, but a commemorative stamp sneaked in at the right corner. They could have used the 5 öre green Gustaf V. Note that the commemorative stamp is also coloured in the correct UPU-colour - green for international printed matter. Göteryd Post Office closed its door for good in spring 1967.

The letter went by air to Mrs. Antosa U. Johnson living in Minneapolis, MN, in U.S.A.

The letter went from this Post Office to America. (Photo: Google Maps).

. . .  and ended up here in the household of Mrs. Johnson in Minneapolis. (Photo: Google Maps).

Where is the place:
Göteryd is situated 394 km SW of Stockholm, the distance by road is 472 km.

Relatives on 55th Street

It seems like Mrs. Bertha Ahl mailed  a letter to a relative in New York City on Wednesday 9 March 1949. Maybe Mr. Walter E. Ahl was her brother that immigrated to America some decades earlier? We do not know . . .   but it looks like an older person's handwriting and an old fashioned ink pen was used as well. According to the backside of the letter Mrs. Ahl lived in a village called Skruv just north of Klavreström, a small place between Växjö and Vetlanda in the province of Småland, (299 km south west of Stockholm, 380 km by road.)

It is an air mail letter and the fee paid by Mrs. Ahl was 95 öre which indicates that the letter was weighing 5 g or less.

Air mail  - 5 g, fee: 95 öre
1941, 23 January. 35 öre carmine-violet Gustaf V, right profile, type II. Qty: 20,000,000.
1939, 10 February. 60 öre red-carmine Three Crowns. Qty: 77,900,000

The clerk at the Post Office in Klavreström used two stamps; the 35 öre carmine-violet Gustaf V, right profile, type II and the 60 öre red-carmine Three Crown. The 60 öre Three Crowns was a pretty common stamps in the forties, its main purpose was to be used for domestic parcels weighing up to 1 kg. It was also the first stamp in the long running Three Crown series - read more about that series here. The 35 öre carmine violet is a little bit rarer, in 1949 there was no obvious single use, but earlier it could be used as a single stamp for registered domestic letter - 20 g until April 1942.

One kilo - single stamp

60 öre during 23 years

This is a typical single use of the 60 öre red-carmine Three Crowns. It covered the rate for domestic parcels up to 1 kg from when the stamp was issued in February 1939 until April 1948. Actually the rate 60 öre lasted for an impressive long time, it was in effect already from July 1925. That is nearly 23 years. The rates for the other weight classes 1 - 3 kg, 3 - 5 kg, 5 - 6 kg, 6 - 7 kg e.t.c.  was also untouched until 1948. The 60 öre was the first of a long row of Three Crown stamps. All in all there were 34 stamps. The last one was issued in February 1969.

Domestic parcel card up to 1 kg fee: 60 öre
1939, February 10, 60 öre red-carmine Three Crowns. Qty: 77,900,000

The Swedish Post was so self confident that the rates would last for a long time that the rates were even printed on the front of the card, look below the stamp. There were in fact 45 possibilities to use the 60 öre Three Crown as a single stamp during its life time according ton the excellent website of the Swedish Postal History Society (SSPD). Check out the link!

This parcel was sent from a person called L. Fast to Mrs Amanda Borgström. Fast must have lived in the town of  Jönköping and Mrs. Borgström in the small village of Ulvhestra close to Dalstorp. The parcel was handed over to the Post Office Jönköping 1 at 10 Main Street West (Västra Storgatan 10) on Tuesday 8 July and reached Dalstorp the next day and finally on Thursday 10 July the parcel containing textiles was picked up by Mrs Borgström herself.

In order to see when the parcel arrived at its destination you have to look on the other side.

The back side of the parcel card.

Where are the places:
Jönköping is situated 285 km SW of Stockholm, the distance by road is 324 km.
Dalstorp is situated 43 km SW of Jönköping.

Postal rates fo rdomestic parcels effective July 1925 until April 1948 [öre]:

- 1 kg	1 - 3 kg	3 - 5 kg	5 - 6 kg	6 - 7 kg	+ per  kg
[60]	90	120	180	240	60

From the first one

Six stamps on a letter cover and the sum is 85 öre. This letter was bound for U.S. via airmail in December 1948. After some research I can not confirm any 85 öre postal rates for airmail to North America in 1948. The nearest I got is 80 öre for the weight class 5 - 10 g which was the rate effective from 1 January 1947 to 30 November 1949. My guess is that the sender did not have the right denominations at hand for exactly 80 öre and had to over frank the letter. The letter cover is not marked "5 g" which also indicates the higher weight class 5 - 10 g.

International letter fee 30 öre + airmail 5 - 10 g fee 30 öre,
over franked with 5 öre.
1948, 1 April. 10 öre green Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 82,600,000, 3-sided perforation,
. . .  from the 84th booklet.
1945, 14 February. 15 öre brown Gustaf V, right profile, version I. Qty: 18,400,000 (pairs), 3-sided perforation,
. . . from the 71 th booklet.

According to the back side of the letter cover the sender was Professor Nanna Svartz, Stockholm. Mrs. Svartz was a pioneer in Swedish academics and she actually became the first female Professor in Sweden in 1938 at 48 years of age. She was a Professor in general medicine with a specialization in intestinal and rheumatic diseases.

To me it looks like it is a private letter to Dr. Amandus Johnson at Pennsylvania University. However that was apparently not the right address, some one has changed the address to 1300 Locus Street with a pencil. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is residing at that address which indicates that Dr. Johnson is not a medical doctor. He was not, Dr Johnson was an American historian, author and the founder of the American Swedish Historical Museum. He came with is parents to Minnesota in 1880 when he was three years old. He became a quite famous Swedish-American, at least in Sweden.

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.

Postage rates effective April 1942

Raises of the postage rates were still decided by the Swedish Parliament in the 40s and it was not always that they granted a raise. In spring 1942 the second world war was going on in Europe and sometimes the war was awfully close to the Swedish border. Both fiscal years 1940 and 1941 had meant drastically increased defense costs and a higher inflation. The Swedish government introduced in 1942 both a price and a wage freeze to get control of things. They also wanted to raise the postal rate for domestic letters in order to bring in more income to finance the defense. The Swedish parliament granted that request. This raise was therefore unique since it was not required to cover increasing costs for Swedish Post and also it only affected a few postage rates.

Domestic Postal Rates

From left to right:                                                                                             

1939, 12 November. 10 öre violet Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 367,000,000
1940, 13 April, 20 öre red Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 880,000,000
1940, 8 April. 40 öre olive-green Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 84,100,000
1939, 10 February 10. 60 öre red-carmine Three Crowns. Qty: 77,900,000
1941, 23 January. 5 öre green Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 415,000,000
1940, 13 April, 20 öre red Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 880,000,000
1940, 8 April. 30 öre blue Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 57,300,000

The Gustaf V right profile type II definitive series covered well almost all rates except one, the heaviest weight class that required 60 öre. There was no 60 öre in the series and there were not supposed to be one either. The reason was that one of the purposes of the Three Crowns definitive series was to cover the three lowest weight classes for parcels. 60 öre was the rate for a parcel  - 1 kg, as well as for domestic letter  - 500 g. Besides the raise of the  - 20 g letter from 15 öre to 20 öre the  - 250 g weight class vanished and the rate for  - 125 g was raised from 30 to 40 öre.

Local Postal Rates

From left to right:                                                                                          
1939, 12 November. 10 öre violet Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 367,000,000
1940, 13 April, 20 öre red Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 880,000,000
1940, 8 April. 30 öre blue Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 57,300,000
1940, 8 April. 40 öre olive-green Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 84,100,000

This is a beautiful suite of Gustaf V right profile type II, 10 - 20 - 30 - 40 öre in a row. The special postal rates for local letters still existed in 1942 and would do so for ten years more. There is an extra weight class compared with the domestic postal rates. The   - 125 g weight class was kept for local letters, to the benefit of the customers. There were no changes of these rates either.

International Postal Rates

From left to right:                                                                              
1940, 13 April, 20 öre red Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 880,000,000
1940, 8 April. 30 öre blue Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 57,300,000
1940, 8 April. 40 öre olive-green Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 84,100,000
1939, 10 February 10. 60 öre red-carmine Three Crowns. Qty: 77,900,000
1939, 12 November. 10 öre violet Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 367,000,000
1939, 22 September. 90 öre light blue Three Crowns. Qty: 29,700,000
1939, 22 September.1 kr orange Three Crowns. Qty: 141,000,000
1939, 12 November. 10 öre violet Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 367,000,000

So far single stamps have covered each rate. In 1942 there was not yet a 70 öre Three Crown nor a 1.10 kr stamp either so two stamps were required for  - 60 g and  - 100 g letters. As you can see the stamp for postcard and letter  - 20 g are UPU-coloured. Red for postcard and blue for letter. The rates were not changed.

From left to right                                                                                    
1941, 23 January. 5 öre green Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 415,000,000
1940, 13 April, 20 öre red Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 880,000,000
1939, 10 February 10. 60 öre red-carmine Three Crowns. Qty: 77,900,000

The stamp for printed matter has also the right UPU-colour which is green in this case.

Parcel Postal Rates

From left to right
1939, 10 February 10. 60 öre red-carmine Three Crowns. Qty: 77,900,000
1939, 22 September. 90 öre light blue Three Crowns. Qty: 29,700,000
1939, 22 September. 1 kr 20 öre rose-lilac Three Crowns. Qty: 9,200,000
1939, 20 November. 1 kr 45 öre yellow-green Three Crowns. Qty: 2,800,000
 1941, 23 January. 35 öre carmine-violet Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 20,000,000
2 x 1939, 22 September.1 kr orange Three Crowns. Qty: 141,000,000
1940, 8 April. 40 öre olive-green Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 84,100,000

The parcel rates were not raised and they had been the same since 1922. As mentioned above one of the purposes with the Three Crown definitive series was to cover the most common parcel weight classes and it did for many years.

Overview

Domestic [öre]

Postcard	- 20 g*	- 125 g*	- 500 g	Printed matter	Registred fee	Express fee
10	20	40	60	5	20	30

*) raised from 15 öre to 20 öre and from 30 öre to 40 öre

Local [öre]

- 20 g	- 125 g	- 250 g	- 500 g
10	20	30	40

International [öre]

Postcard	- 20 g	- 40 g	- 60 g	- 80 g	- 100 g	Printed  matter	Registred fee	Express fee
20	30	50	70	90	110	5	20	60

Parcels [öre]

- 1 kg	1 - 3 kg	3 - 5 kg	5 - 6 kg	6 - 7 kg
60	90	120	180	240

Read more:

You can read more about the Gustaf V right profile type II series - here and 

more about the Three Crowns series - here.

Right or wrong, or most correct?

Same, but different

Clips from parcel address cards are excellent examples of how stamps were used. I found three similar ones from around 1950. They were all on domestic parcels cards for parcels weighing up to 3 kg. From 1948 that rendered a cost of 1.10 kr.

The left parcel address card was sent on Thursday 9 February 1950 from Helsingborg to Hässleholm where it arrived three days later. The stamps used are the 50 öre grey  Gustaf V, left profile, originally from 1921 (the old definitive series) and the 10 öre green Gustaf V, right profile type II from 1948.

The parcel card in the middle was sent on Friday 15 December 1950 from Öjebyn to Boden where it arrived one day later, the distance was only 77 km by road. The stamp used are the 50 öre grey Gustaf V, right profile type II, from 1941 and 10 öre green Gustaf V, right profile type II.

The right parcel address card is the oldest one and it was sent on Wednesday 2 February 1949 from Åtvidaberg to Hälsingborg, where it arrived two days later. The stamps used are the 50 öre grey Gustaf V, right profile type II and 10 öre violet  Gustaf V, right profile type II from 1939.

The question is which parcel address card is most correct?

  Left from February 1950:

1921, 6 September, 50 öre grey Gustaf V, left profile. Qty: 10,700,000 (white paper)
1948, 1 April, 10 öre green Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 353,012,800

Center from December 1950:

1941, 26 April, 50 öre grey Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 18,600,000
1948, 1 April, 10 öre green Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 353,012,800. 3-sided perforation.

Right from February 1949:

1939, 12 November, 10 öre violet Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 367,000,000
1941, 26 April, 50 öre grey Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 18,600,000

No one is completely right by my orthodox opinion. So what is wrong with them?

Left:
Using a stamp that has been replaced by a new one still after nine years does not feel right,

Center:
This looks better, the latest 50 öre grey and the 10 öre green which by the time was the correct UPU-colour for international printed matter. Perfect. But the Post Office in Öjebyn used a parcel address card with the old rates from before 1948, according to that card 90 öre would be sufficient.

Right:
The use of the 10 öre violet is questionable because the UPU-colour rules are strict that all stamps for international printed matter have to be green. The 10 öre violet should not have been used anymore.

 . . . the most correct parcel address card is the one handled by the Post Office in Öjebyn.


Read more about Gustaf V, right profile type II - here.


Where are all these places situated?
Helsingborg - 485 km south west of Stockholm.
Hässleholm  - 436 km south west of Stockholm

Öjebyn         - 691 km north east of Stockholm
Boden          - 746 km north east of Stockholm

Åtvidaberg  - 173 km south west of Stockholm

Airmail letters to Hagerstown

Two letters - two orders - from two different decades

W. H. Reisner Manufacturing Company Inc. in Hagerstown, Maryland manufactured mechanical and optical instruments, stamped metal works, and did nickel plating, and in addition manufactured pipe organ hardware and accessories, the firm founded in 1902. They sold their products throughout the United States, and to many foreign countries, including England, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Cuba, Australia and even Sweden.

The letter cover at the top is from the firm Nygren's Fishing Equipment Shop at the Warehouse Street 12 (Magasinsgatan 12) in Göteborg (Gothenburg). Apparently they urgently needed new gear and sent an order by air mail to W.H. Reisner. I wonder what kind of products they ordered from far a away America? Nygren's was still in business in the seventies.

Top letter cover:

Air mail letter  - 10 g, letter fee: 30 öre + air mail fee: 20 öre

1921, September 6. 50 öre grey Gustaf V, left profile. Qty: 10,700,000 (white paper)

Bottom letter cover:
Air mail letter  - 10 g, letter fee 40 öre + air mail fee: 50 öre

1951, November 29.  5 öre red-violet New Numeral Type, type I. Qty: 140,000,000
1954, January 20. 40 öre olive-green Gustaf VI Adolf, type I. Qty: 24,300,000

Göteborg is the second largest city in Sweden and situated 397 km south west of Stockholm at the Atlantic coast of Sweden. The stamps were cancelled on Thursday 23 August 1945 at the Post Office Göteborg 2 at 3 Oak Groove St. (Ekelundsgatan 3) It is also stamped with the text "By air to the United Kingdom" which meant that the letter went by air to U.K, but by boat over the Atlantic.

The second letter cover is from 1954 and the sender is Hans Christian Schuster,  he was a pipe organ builder. Mr. Schuster was also a quite succesful long-distance runner. He won the Swedish championship 20,000 m in 1922 and participated in the marathon at the 1920 Summer Olympics, Antwerp, Belgium. The letter started its journey on Tuesday 6 April 1954 at the Post Office Stockholm 9 at 160 - 168 Horn's St. (Hornsgatan 160 - 168). This time the letter went by air all the way to North America.

15 öre brown Gustaf V, version I or is it version II?

15 öre brown Gustaf V, right profile, type II - varities

The 15 öre brown came in two varities because two different dies were used. Actually three dies were made but one of them was not used at all. The first die was used in late 1939 to print the special war stamps. These stamps were the 5 öre green, 10 öre violet and the 15 öre brown. They were transported away from Stockholm and the purpose was to use them in case the Swedish Post's printing-shop at the headquarter in Stockholm would be destroyed because of the war. Die number one was used for this special issue. The war stamps were printed in sheets of a 100 stamps and they had 4-sided perforation. The difference between the dies is that die one resulted in a more deeper brown colour were the base of the figure 1 is narrower and the oak leaves on the collar are more detailed (more lines).

Maybe the easiest way is to use a 4-sided perforated as a reference because we know for sure that were are looking at version II. Lets have a look at the war issue. It has a distinct brown colour.

15 öre brown, Gustaf V, right profile, version II. Qty: 48,300,000. 4-sided perforation.
The war issue was printed in 1939, but released in 1946

Enlarge the picture above by clicking at it and 1)  look at the base of the numeral at the figure "1" and 2) look at the oak leaves of the collar. 3) Note that the medal band on the king's left side is more detailed as well in version II.

Compare it with the stamp below which is of version I.


Remember that a four sided perforated stamp always is a version II.

15 öre brown Gustaf V, right profile, version I. Qty: 306,000,000 (both dies included) 2-sided perforation.27 January, 1942

Version I has definitely a lighter brown colour and the collar is less detailed, the base of the figure "1" is more distinct. The medal band is light and less detailed, right?

Version I came in a 2-sided perforation (coils) and in a 3-sided perforation. The 3-sided perforated stamps could be find in booklets. Below is the version II which 2-sided variant was released as late as 1950, version II came in a 3-sided perforation in booklets already in 1946.

15 öre brown Gustaf V, right profile, version II. Qty: see version I above. 2-sided perforation.25 April 1950

Read more about Gustaf V, right profile, type II series - here.


Test your self, which one is version I and II?