The launch of something new

First batch of the new Gustaf VI Adolf definitive series

The old king Gustaf V died on October 29, 1950 and his son Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf, a prince sure could have many names in those days, became Gustaf VI Adolf. The existing definitive series of the king from 1939 had of course to be replace immediately. When it comes to stamps immediately can be quite a long time since the new stamps was emitted in June 1951. Apparently the Swedish Post had not planned for a succession. Which is a little bit surprisingly since the old king was 92 years old.

The new series began to be designed in February 1951. The artist David Tägtström painted the new king’s head in a relief profile. The purpose was to make a more timeless portrait, almost coin like, that would last for more than a decade. Given the portrait a contest was arranged for the detailed design. Mark Sylwan won the contest and hemade the final design of the stamp and it was engraved by Sven Ewert.

The Swedish Post decided to emit the new series with the denominations 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 öre only. 5 öre was still needed but only as a compliment and therefore the new 5 öre stamp was issued in a new series of it owns, the New Numeral Type (read more - here). From now on the lowest denomination for the definitive stamps of the king would be the rate for printed matters, in June 1951 that was 10 öre.

First Day Cover Gustaf VI Adolf type I, issued 6 June 1951.
10 öre green Gustaf VI Adolf type I. Qty: 284,000,000 (2-sided perforation)
10 öre green Gustaf VI Adolf type I. Qty: 24,700,000 (3-sided perforation, pairs)
15 öre brown Gustaf VI Adolf type I. Qty: 66,300,000
20 öre red Gustaf VI Adolf, type I. Qty: 70,100,000
25 öre grey Gustaf VI Adolf type I. Qty: 161,000,000 (2-sided perforation)
25 öre grey Gustaf VI Adolf type I. Qty: 22,500,000 (3-sided perforation, pairs)
30 öre blue Gustaf VI Adolf type I. Qty: 21,800,000

The definitive stamp of the old king Gustaf V covered all lower denominations from 5 öre up to 50 öre in intervals of 5 öre. The new series had no 35 or 40 or 45 or 50 öre stamps were issued in 1951, as they had done with the old Gustaf V series. Probably those denominations were not in demand anymore. Eventually a 40 öre stamp came 1952 but that was due to changes of the postage rates. For this series a new policy came into effect which meant that the raises only of the postage rates for printed matters, post cards and letters would spawn new stamps, not  any longer could single stamps of the series cover the rates for registered mail, express fees, C.O.D, parcels, e.t.c. as before with the old Gustaf V series and the lower rates in the 40s. Those rates were now taken care of by the Three Crowns (read more - here) and later on also the Rock Carving series (read more - here).

1951 was regarded as a low water mark by the Swedish stamp collectors at the time. Besides the New Numeral Type and the new definitive stamp series of Gustaf VI Adolf there were only two more new stamps issued in one single commemorative series - Christopher Polhem. 1952 was not a great year either, only two commemorative series with five new stamps. The reason is that Swedish Post had only one engraver employed, Sven Ewert, and there were no more capacity. The critics from the stamp collectors was taken seriously since the collectors was good business for the Swedish Post. The Rock Carving Series was an answer to that and also the various combinations of the new slot machine booklets in the beginning of the 50s. Later in the decade it started to pick-up and more engravers were engaged by Swedish Post.

Five new stamps, how could you have used them in the summer of 1951?

10 öre green single use: international printed matter

15 öre brown single use: domestic postcard

20 öre grey single use: domestic letter  - 20 g

25 öre red single use: international post card

30 öre blue single use: international letter  - 20 g

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.

When the warship Wasa became a definitive stamp series

Man-of-war Wasa F.D.C.

The warship Wasa is a pride of Sweden. This magnificent warship sunk unexpectedly at the very beginning of her maiden voyage in August 1628. The reason she sunk was that in those days they had not yet figured out completely the mathematics to build stable ships. They just use some rule of thumb calculations that were well proven. In this case the Swedish King Gustaf II Adolf demanded in the last minute an additional deck with canons for his flagship and those canons affected the center of gravity in a less favourable way, one might say . . . Well, the ship sunk in the harbour of Stockholm and soon it was forgotten where. The ship wreck was eventually found in 1956, she was salvage in 1961 and renovated for decades. Now one can admire her beauty in a museum in Stockholm not far from where she sunk.

The 225th Swedish Post booklet was issued 1969, 10 August.
55 öre red Hercules head. Qty: 11,400,000
55 öre brown Lion head . Qty: 11,400,00
55 öre blue National coat of arms. Qty: 5,700,000
55 öre blue Wasa warship. Qty: 5,700,000
55 öre brown Lion mask. Qty: 11,400,000
55 öre red Male head. Qty: 5,700,000
Single use domestic letter  - 20 g.

If the old stamp issuing policy of the Swedish Post that was in effect for decades The Wasa booklet would have been a commemorative series and issued on 10 August 1968. That did not happen. The issuing policy changed pretty drastically in the mid 60's when the new Director General Nils Hörjel started to reform the Swedish Post. He was mostly focusing on how the Swedish Post would become more effective and profitable, but also the stamps were affected, especially from 1967 and onward.

The Wasa booklet was not even released the 10th of August, just an ordinary Wednesday in September. In the old times there was basically three kind of stamps issued, definitive stamps, commemorative stamps and special stamps for international purposes (like UPU, UN or CEPT stamps). One change in the mid 60s is that stamps were now also issued to promote Sweden and especially tourism. The idea behind the Wasa booklet was actually to promote tourism and the newly opened Wasa museum, not a jubilee. Five years earlier that would have been unthinkable. Wasa would for sure have been a commemorative stamp series.

Here is the English version of the text card that came along with the F.D.C., the information was also printed in Swedish, German and of course in  French, which still was the official language of postal administrations.

The stamps are beautiful. The designer and engraver was the master himself Czeslaw Slania. Clean design, a lot of details and he has really capture the feeling of wooden sculpture. This is a master piece. The two large stamps are one of the largest stamps issued in the 60's.

I have to admit that I am not a big fan of First Day Covers, especially if they have not been distributed in the mail as letter covers. The letter cover above has no address and was delivered to its first owner in an envelope. The only thing I like with F.D.C.s is if the text card is still there. The Swedish Post started to print cards with information about the stamps in the 40s (maybe in the 30s even?) and they might be interesting to read.

In the card above the Swedish Post announces that the stamps are ordinary stamps, which means definitive stamps. The Swedish Post sometimes uses the word definitive or ordinary. Another way of identifying a Swedish definitive stamps from the era is that definitive stamps do not have the year of issue printed below the motif.