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.

Bound for a box in Argentina

This letter cover has a some what puzzling address. I am not sure what Casilla means in Spanish, Casilla Correros seems to be mail boxes. Maybe it is a Post Office Box? That would mean mail box number 4327 in Buenos Aires. Must be a lot of Post Office boxes in that big city.

There are two 2 kr wine-red Three Crowns and a 20 öre green-black St Stephan, the Stable-Boy on the cover summing up to 4.20 kr. The letter was sent by air and it was also a registered letter. The postage rates for air mail have varied a lot over time and depending on which country. It is quite a research effort to sort that out, unlike surface mail that had a flat rate for every country since 1874.

Air mail to Argentina fee: 1.70 kr  + registered fee 2,50 kr
1971, 23 April. 20 öre green-black St Stephan, the Stable-Boy. Qty: 36,200,000
1969, January 20. 2 kr wine-red Three Crowns. Qty: 67,700,000

But there is one thing we know for sure - the fee for registered letter: 2.50 kr.  Then the air mail fee must have been 1,70 kr to Argentina in the fall of 1972. The registered fee was raised to 2.50 kr as of 1 October 1971.

The letter was dealt with at the Post Office Stockholm 1 the General Post Office at at Wasa Street on Thursday 30 November 1972. When Señor Juan Lukan received the letter is unknown.

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.

Movie box

1941 - 1948 - 1962

First we have the stamp 5 kr blue Royal Palace, Stockholm II, originally issued in July 1941 as a four sided perforated stamp, and the two sided variety on the card was issued in 1958. Then there is the 1.40 kr dark green Three Crowns issued in April 1948 and the 35 öre blue Gustaf VI Adolf type III from July 1962. That sums up to 6.75 kr. The weight of the parcel was 4 kg. In December 1968 such a parcel cost 4.50 kr to send anywhere in Sweden. However this particular parcel was also big and bulky and the fee for that was 50 % of the parcel fee; that is 2.25 + 4.50 = 6.75 kr. Check!

Domestic parcel  4 kg fee: 4.50 kr + bulky fee 50 % 2.25 kr, sum: 6.75 kr
1958, 17 September. 5 kr blue Royal Palace, Stockholm II. Qty: 16,500,000 (2-sided perforation)
1948, 1 April. 1 kr 40 öre dark green Three Crowns. Qty: 72,900,000
1962, 2 July. 35 öre blue Gustaf VI Adolf type III. Qty: 366,000,000 (2-sided perforation)

On Wednesday 4 December 1968 it was time to return a movie that have been shown in the small town of Karlshamn in the southern Sweden to the movie production company Swedish Culture Films Inc (AB Svensk Kulturfilm) in Stockholm. Mr. Jönsson carried the parcel to the Post Office in Karlshamn. The next day the parcel arrived in Stockholm and was picked up on Thursday 5 December. The card was printed with the address to the movie company. But it was not really completed since by this time the novelty of postal codes were used. The postal codes were introduced in May 1968 in Sweden. In this case the postal code 111 20 was stamped on the card. The parcel reach its destination the Post Office Stockholm 1 located at 28 - 32 Wasa Street, the funny thing is that the office of the movie company was just across the street. The company also assures that the film was fireproof.

The Swedish Culture Films was not the most productive production company. Actually they produced only nine movies between 1949 to 1957. Mostly documentaries and short films. They were also distributors of religious movies in the fifties. Not all of them were even sound film and of course they were shot in black and white only. The first movie got a sound track recorded in 1968 and maybe that was the movie that were shown in Karlshamn?

Where is the place?
Karlshamn is situated 400 km SW of Stockholm. the distance by road is 532 km.

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.

Urgent needs and fragile

Overflow of stamps

By some reason Lingbo Manufacturing Incorporated (Lingbo Verkstäder AB) at the absolute beginning of the new year 1968 needed some thermometer glass and quickly.  The weight was under 1 kg, but of course it was fragile. Labels with the text Colis Fragile, Exprès and Urgent in French were attached.

Domestic Parcel - 1 kg fee: 2,80 kr  + express fee 100 % +  fragile fee; all sums up to 8.40 kr
1967, 15 February, 3.70 kr violet the Lion Fortress. Qty: 16,000,000
1967, 12 January, 45 öre orange Gustaf VI Adolf type III. Qty: 13,700,000 (3-sided perforated pairs). 190th booklet.

The first stamp we notice is the upside-down 3.70 kr violet the Lion Fortress. It was issued in February 1967 and its main purpose was to cover the rate of domestic parcels, 1 - 3 kg.

Then there are four 45 öre orange Gustaf VI Adolf type III series. That is maybe more surprising in the beginning of 1968. It is the 3-sided perforated version and they came from the 190th booklet. Unfortunately they are vertical pairs and not the preferred horizontal ones and there by not really interesting for stamp collectors. The 45 öre orange Gustaf VI Adolf came in October 1964, but then only in the 2-sided perforated format. It was not until January 1967 until the booklet showed up. The reason was that the postal rate for domestic letter  - 20 g was raised from 40 öre to 45 öre effective 1 January 1967. Since 1957 the Swedish Post had followed a policy that the stamp for domestic letter - 20 g (first weight class) should have a blue colour. Quite like the by now abounded UPU-colouring policy, but for domestic letters. It had the same side effects which meant that existing stamps had to be cancelled and new blue ones printed. But orange is not blue, it was not until June 1967 when the 45 öre ultramarine Gustaf VI Adolf arrived and replaced the orange one. It is remarkable that it was almost six months after the raise of the postal rate.

However in January 1968 the 45 öre ultramarine should have been used. Maybe the Post Office Johanneshov 4 had a surplus of the old 45 öre booklets and they wanted to get rid of those stamps first. Johanneshov 4 was situated in Bagarmossen a suburb to Stockholm.

The sum of the stamps are 5,50 kr. The rate for domestic parcel  - 1 kg was 2,80 kr. The fee for express delivery was a 100% extra, which was 5,60 kr and the fee for fragile had to be added as well. Where are the rest of the stamps? - on the backside of course:

1961, 7 June. 10 öre ultramarine-blue New Numeral Type, type II. Qty: unknown
1967, 11 April, 35 öre red-violet World Table-tennis Championships. Qty: 3,300,000 (3-sided perforated pairs).
. . . from the 189th booklet. [commemorative stamp]

The stamps on the backside are the 10 öre ultramarine-blue New Numeral Type, type II from 1961 and the commemorative stamp 35 öre red-violet World Table-tennis Championship. The championship was played 11 - 21 April  1967 . . .  Also a quite obsolete booklet stamp in January 1968.

There are stamps for 8,40 kr on the parcel address card which indicates that the fee for fragile was in this case also a 100% of the ordinary rate. 2,80 kr parcel  - 1 kg + express fee 2,80 + fragile fee 2,80 kr = 8,40 kr. The Post Office Johanneshov 4 in Bagarmossen sure had good use for their surplus booklets that day.


The  domestic parcel rates 1 January 1967 until December 1969:
- 1 kg 1 - 3 kg 3 - 5 kg 5 - 7 kg 7 - 10 kg 10 - 15 kg 15 - 20 kg
[2.80 kr] 3.70 kr 4.50 kr 7.00 kr 10.50 kr 14.00 kr  17.00 kr


Where are the places:
Bagarmossen is a suburb of Stockholm situated 7 km SE of the city centre.
Lingbo is situated 205 km NW of Stockholm.
The distance by road is  233 km between the two places.

Plain and simple

2.30 kr brown fulfilling its purpose

The Three Crowns series was originally designed to have single stamps for the most common postal rates for domestic parcels and Cash On Delivery domestic parcels. The first stamps in the series released in 1939 covered parcels up to 1 kg, 1 - 2 kg and 2 - 3 kg for those postal rates. There was also a complementary denomination, the 1 kr orange Three Crowns, which could be used for heavier parcels.

The domestic parcel card below was sent on Friday March 25 1966, almost 26 years after the first issue of the Three Crown series and it was still doing its job. A single 2.30 kr dark brown Three Crowns was all that was required.

Domestic parcel address card  - 1 kg fee: 2.30 kr
1965, 24 September. 2.30 kr  dark brown Three Crowns. Qty: 9,600,000

However, things had already started to change. The new postal rates for parcels effective from July 1965 was like this: [all amounts are in öre, 100 öre = 1 krona]

- 1 kg	1 - 3 kg	3 - 5 kg	5 - 7 kg	10 kg	15 kg	20 kg
230	300	350	550	800	1100	1400

The Three Crown series was for the first time no longer covering the three most common parcels rates with a single stamp since the highest denomination in the series was the 3 kr blue Three Crown issued in 1964. Instead the rate for  parcels 3 - 5 kg now was covered by the new 3.50 kr Ale's Stones. It was a single definitive stamp, no more long definitive series issued over decades. That was a novelty in 1965.

The incorporated company Swedish Mullard (Svenska Mullard AB) sent some vacuum tubes to the Sahlgrenska Hospital, Oncology Department, in Gothenburg (Göteborg). Swedish Mullard was a subsidiary to Mullard Ltd. which originally was an English firm that pioneered in producing high quality vacuum tubes. They also pretty early teamed up with Dutch Philips. Mullard is not anymore, there last production facility closed down in the early eighties.

First the parcel arrived at the Post Office Göteborg 7 at 41 Linné Street (Linnégatan 41) and then it went to the Post Office at the hospital, Göteborg 33.

Some other single uses for the 2.30 kr Three Crowns at the time were domestic letter 500 - 1,000 g or domestic registered letter with advice of receipt 20 - 125 g.


Where are the places:
Gothenburg (Göteborg) is Sweden's second largest city and it is situated 397 km SW of Stockholm.
The distance by road is 470 km between Stockholm and Gothenburg.

Stamp on stamps

Receipt

Some postal matters do not give you hardly any additional information. Often there are more question marks than answers. This is one of them, it is a receipt from the Post Office Tyringe in the south of Sweden. This receipt form could be used for several purposes:
    - Stamps
    - Postage due
    - Christmas stamps
    - Stamp taxes, excise duties
    - Custom duties
    - Cash on delivery fee

There are five stamps on the receipt, four green 80 öre Rock Carvings type II issued in 1957. Type II means that the stamps belongs to the second or third issue of the Rock Carvings, the first one came 1954. Type II also meant that the initials of the designer (del. = latin  delineavit) and the engraver (sc. = latin sculpsit) were both added at the bottom of the stamps. A feature introduces by the Swedish Post in 1957. That feature is the easiest way to distinguish between the two types.

A fee of 3.60 kr was probably paid, but for what?
1957, 1 June. 80 öre green Rock Carvings type II. Qty: 57,000,000
1957, 15 October. 40 öre green Gustaf VI Adolf type II. Qty: 38,400,000

The Rock Carvings was an attempt to modernize the Swedish definitive stamps and it mostly complemented the long running Three Crown series that was issued from 1939. The design of the Rock Carvings felt fresh and modern at the time and it connected to Swedish ancient history instead of the usual theme for definitive series like the king or formal Swedish symbols. The motif was modern in a modest way.

The 40 öre green Gustaf VI Adolf type II was aimed to cover the rate for international letters  -20 g. The background of type II consisted of a cross pattern, which resulted in a tighter background pattern and the colours became more noticeable. Compared with type I that had a linear background engraved and that turned out to be to light and the colours were not distinct enough. The type II also got the initials of the designer and the engraver added at the bottom of the stamp.

A 40 öre green Gustaf VI Adolf type II was applied, this is an old stamp since the receipt is from September 3 1962. Why use an old stamp? The successor 40 öre green type II was issued already in October 23 1961 and should by September 1962 be already in use at the Post Office Tyringe. That is puzzling. It does not stop there.

The sum of the stamps are 3.60 kr but we do not know what was bought. Stamps? The receipt is not filled in correctly. There is no signature by the Post Office clerk, it is not specified what kind of purchase that have been done. Maybe they were a little careless that day in Tyringe and just hand over the receipt in a hurry?

Or maybe the purchase did not happen? Something went wrong . . .


Tyringe is situated 442 km SW of Stockholm. The distance by road is 532 km.

International letter for Christmas

1972 Christmas stamp

This letter has a yellow label where the sender informs that the letter has a philatelic franking and advises that the cancellation stamping should be done with a light hand. The philatelic arrangement of the stamps was not that well done and the cancellation stamp was done by a machine, not by hand. Well, sometimes the Swedish Post did not care about philatelists' demands.

This was an international letter  - 20 g and the fee was 1 kr. A 15 öre blue Mailplanes and a 75 öre multi-coloured 1972 Christmas stamp did not quite add up to the fee. The Mailplane stamp was taken from the 21st slot machine booklet issued in September 1972. The motif is the mighty Junkers Ju-52 with pontons. The plane was called Södermanland and own by ABA, the predecessor to  SAS. The 75 öre Christmas stamp had been issued just two weeks before the letter was sent. The motif is a S:t Lucia procession and was from a drawing competition for children. A 15 öre stamp had no single use in 1972, but the 75 öre was the postal rate for domestic letter   - 20 g.

1972, 8 September. 15 öre blue Mailplanes. Qty: 4,600,000 (21st slot machine booklet)
1972, 6 November. 75 öre multi-coloured Christmas stamp. Qty: 18,200,000

On Tuesday 21st November 1972 Mr. Alf Lilja in Luleå decided to cheer up his stamp collecting friend Mr. Stefan Münch in East Germany. The letter was handled by normal procedures by the Post Office Luleå 1 and no consideration was taken to Mr. Liljas request for a nice cancellation of the stamps. Maybe because only 90 öre was paid? The letter went to the small city of Meerane in Saxony. Hopefully Mr. Münch appreciated the letter anyway.

One went flying, the other went by ship

These two letters were sent the same day Thursday 3 August 1950 by the same sender. The peculiar thing is that one was sent as an air mail letter and the other one as an ordinary international letter to the same address. The airmail letter has three  20 öre red Gustaf V, right profile. They are all perforated on three sides, one pair and one single stamp and hence came from a booklet, actually from the 64th booklet by Swedish Post first issued in 1942. It contained 20 stamps and the cost was 4 kr. Three 20 öre stamps makes 60 öre and that was the fee for   - 5 g air mail to North America in 1950. The other letter, which is a  - 20 g international letter, has two 15 öre brown Gustaf V, right profile. They are also perforated on three sides and they are from the 71st booklet first issued in 1945. A closer look at the 15 öre stamps tells me that these are of version I. For example the band of medals on the king's chest are less detailed and light. (This post deals with the two versions.)

Top: airmail letter to North America fee: 60 öre
7 March, 1942, 20 öre red Gustaf V, right profile. Qty: 98,000,0000 (pairs), 3-sided perforation
Bottom:  - 20 g international letter fee: 30 öre
14 February, 1945, 15 öre brown Gustaf V, right profile, version I. Qty: 18,400,000 (pairs both versions), 3-sided perforation

The letters were taken care of the Post Office Stockholm 1, the Post Office was co-located with the head quarters of the Swedish Post at 28 - 34 Vasa Street (Vasagatan 28 - 34), where the Swedish Post filled up two blocks.

On the the other side of the letter covers the following is printed "Josef Kastengren, Buhlsjö, Österbymo". It turns out that Mr. Kastengren got the first formal driver license in Sweden in January 1907. Well, people were driving along without a license in those days, but this guy was the first one to get a permit the right way. He was a driving instructor and taught the Swedish royals to drive as well, actually he taught the king on the stamps, he was also a car salesman and a business man in the Swedish car industry. Quite a legend.

Eventually both letter reach their destination. 1100 E. Hector Street, Conshohocken, PA.
(Google street)

43 years after he got his license he still seemed to be in the business because the letters were sent to the well known Lee Tire and Rubber Company in maybe less known Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Famous for its car tires.The factory was built in 1910 by John Ellwood Lee, in 1965 it was bought by Goodyear and it closed down in 1980. But it did not end there. The old factory ground was turned into offices and called Lee Park and lately it has undergone some major renovations. It got a new name too, Spring Mill Corporate Center. In 1984 it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

The odd thing is that the letter that not was sent as an air mail letter has "5 gr" written by hand, indicating that some one bother to put in on a scale. It seems like it was supposed to be sent by air too, the way that the stamps are applied and that they are from booklets indicates to me that it was most likely not done by Swedish Post.
. . . ah well, the mystery will remain unsolved.

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.

Heavy forms

Epoch-making stamps on parcel address card

There is only one thing that could come from the village Tandsbyn in the northern Swedish province Jämtland - paper forms. The print shop in Tandsbyn was where almost all bank paper forms were printed in Sweden. At least in the old days. The sender is just "Tandsbyn", as printed on the parcel address card, no more information was needed and of course the content is "printed matter", as always.

This time it was the Bankgirocentralen that had ordered 12 kg of paper forms. The Bankgirocentralen is the money transfer system, clearing service, that is owned jointly by the banks in Sweden. The Swedish Post's Postgirot was the main competitor from 1959 and for many decades until the Swedish Post sold the Postgirot to one of the Swedish banks when it ceased acting as a bank. Bankgirocentralen or rather Bankgirot is still prosperous, but hardly any paper forms are used anymore.

Domestic parcel 10 - 15 kg fee: 14 kr.
1966, 18 April, 3.50 kr grey/olive-green Ale's Stones,. Qty: 24,500,000

The postal rate for a 12 kg parcel was 14 kr since January 1967 and it would remain so until January 1969. The stamp used are the beautiful 3.50 kr grey/olive Ale's stones, four was required in this case. The Ale's Stones was a new kind of definitive stamps when it came in April 1966. The Ale's stone was a single definitive stamp aimed for domestic parcels. One stamp only, no series. Until this stamp showed up covering the rates for the three most common parcels rates was the job of the the Three Crowns definitive series and before that its predecessor the Crown and Posthorn definitive series. Not anymore.

Domestic parcel rates from January 1967 until January 1969:
- 1 kg 1 - 3 kg 3 - 5 kg 5 - 7 kg 7 - 10 kg   10 - 15 kg 15 - 20 kg
2.80 kr 3.70 kr 4.50 kr 7.00 kr   10.50 kr   [14.00 kr] 17.00 kr

In 1966 the Ale's stones covered parcels of a weight between 3 and 5 kg, it did that until January 1967. After that there was no obvious single use for a 3.50 kr stamp. As  you can see above the Post Office in Tandsbyn had good use for the Ale's stones anyway, but from January1969  it became even better when the postal rate for parcels  - 1 kg required 3.50 kr. What happened to the three Crowns series? well it faded away slowly along with the raises of the rates.

This heavy parcel was sent from Tandsbyn on Friday 5 July 1968 and it arrived at the Post Office Stockholm 1 the next day. On Monday it was picked up by Bankgirocentralen at the special parcel office in the corner of Brewer Street and North Klara Church Street (Bryggargatan/Klara Norra Kyrkogata). The funny thing is that the parcel office was facing the building where the competitor Postgirot was located. Another funny thing is that they had to pick up the parcel at Stockholm 1. There were Post Offices much closer to S:t Paul Street where Bankgirocentralen had their office. One might wonder why?

Tandsbyn is situated 446 km NW of Stockholm.

Hardware for hardware store

Pair of Three Crowns

A parcel with spare parts and accessories, at least according to the printed text in the box where the sender declares the content. It seems reasonable, the receiver is the Bergman's Hardware Inc. in Hudiksvall. They had probably good use for spare parts. The parcel was picked up at the Post Office Hudiksvall 1 located at 1 Station Street (Stationsgatan 1) on Wednesday 24 July 1968 and it was sent two days earlier from Post Office Stockholm 23 at 16 Yngliga Saga Street (Ynglingagatan 16), the Ynglinga saga is an old Icelandic traditional folk saga. The weight of the parcel was under 1 kg so there might not have been much metal in that parcel.

Cash on delivery; domestic parcel   - 1 kg fee: 2.80 kr  +  C.O.D. fee: 70 öre
1939, 22 September. 1 kr orange Three Crowns. Qty: 141,000,000
1961, 21 August. 2 kr 50 öre green Three Crowns. Qty: 19,600,000

The weight was under 1 kg and that required 2,80 kr, since the amount of 51.50 kr was paid to the Swedish Post's money transfer system, the Postgiro, the C.O.D fee was then 70 öre and the the total sum of the postal rate became 3.50 kr. Often the customer paid for the postal rates as well and it is probably included in the sum 51.50 kr. The stamps of the Three Crown series was made for this type of postal services and the two denominations 1 kr and 2.50 kr came in very handy in this casew. Easy to sum up. The 1 kr orange had at the time been used for almost 29 years. Quite a long time even for a definitive stamp. However the denomination 1 kr was always easy to use.

This a beautiful pair of Three Crown stamps. Things were changing tough. In February 1968 the 1 kr Dancing Cranes was issued and that stamp would eventually replace the 1 kr orange Three Crowns. It looks like that the Dancing Cranes stamps had not yet reach the Post Office Stockholm 23 in the summer of 1968. The 2.50 kr green was a left over from previous parcel postal rates, in 1961 it covered 3 - 5 kg domestic parcels and after the raise in 1964 it covered 1 - 3 kg parcels. It could be used for other less common rates through out the 60s.

The Swedish Postal History Society (SSPD) has a really good website about single use of the Three Crowns series, among many other things. Check it out - here.


Where are the places:
Hudiksvall is a coastal town situated 272 km N of Stockholm.
The distance by road is 298 km between Stockholm and Hudiksvall.

A parcel that never was

Bank notes for the country side

This domestic parcel was not sent . . .
On Tuesday 9 October 1962 a parcel with bank notes was meant to be sent and for that purpose the parcel was handed over to the Post Office Uppsala 1 at 3 Railroad Yard Street (Bangårdsgatan 3). It was the Swedish Bank of Commerce (Svenska Handelsbanken) that wanted to distribute some bank notes from its head office in Uppsala located at the Big Square (Stora Torget) downtown Uppsala to Österbybruk, a distance of 40 km. The weight of the bank notes was not more than 2 kg. Two kilos of bank notes sounds like a lot of bank notes. May be not, in the sixties a Swedish bank note weighed about 9 to 11 grams depending on the size and denomination. That would be about 200 bank notes in this parcel, two bundles. The parcel is insured for a 1,000 kr and there might be 200 bank notes in there, may be it was 5 kr bank notes? Most likely.

Domestic parcel 1 - 3 kg fee: 2 kr + insurance 1,000 kr fee: 80 öre
1962, 2 July. 1.05 kr blue-green Three Crowns. Qty: 9,300,000
1957, 1 June. 70 öre orange Rock Carvings type II. Qty: 10,900,000

The parcel address card has a pink insurance label marked with the letter "V" as in V for Value. Two 1.05 kr blue-green Three Crowns and one 70 öre orange Rock Carvings were required for the postal rate that summed up to 2.80 kr. The insurance fee was since June 1962 70 öre + 10 öre for every 1,000 kr. This is a nice set of definitive stamps and shows well how the Rock Carving series with its lower denominations complimented the Three crown series. The 1.05 kr Three Crowns stamp was pretty new, issued as late as in July 1962. Its single use was domestic letter  - 500 g. The 70 öre Rock Carvings could be used as a single stamp for domestic letter  - 125 g. The stamps have cancellation stamps and it seems that the parcel is ready to go, but it did not.

Why was it not sent? We do not know. Maybe the bank just changed there mind, or maybe it was meant to be sent to Östhammar instead, Österbybruk and Östhammar tends to get mixed up sometimes. Östhammar is also close to Uppsala (60 km).

Here is were the head office for Svenska Handelsbanken used to be in Uppsala. (Google Street)

The parcel was meant to be sent to this bank office. Still in business. (Google Street)

Where are the places:
Uppsala is situated 63 km NW of Stockholm.
Österbybruk is situated 97 km N of Stockholm.
The distance by road is only 45 km between the two places.