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?

Wide hatbrims in a box

"Encombrant" means bulky

French was for long the international language of postal administrations and it might still be at some places. The Universal Post Unions website is even in English nowadays, but the second language offered on the website is French. After all French is the official language of the UPU. They say that English was added as a working language in 1994. Well, I think it just took over. Nevertheless the red vignette reads "Encombrant" on the domestic parcel card below and that is French. The Swedish Post used French in the 60s. The parcel card has three stamps, the 5 kr blue the Royal Palace, Stockholm II from 1941, 20 öre grey Gustav VI Adolf from 1961 and the 5 öre red New Numeral Type, type II from 1957. Three decades on one card.

Domestic Parcel Address Card 3 - 5 kg fee: 3.50 kr + fee for bulky parcel: 50% extra
1958, September 17. 5 kr blue Royal Palace, Stockholm II. Qty: 16,500,000 (2-sided perforation)
1961, March 20. 20 öre grey Gustav VI Adolf, type III. Qty: 224,000,000
1961, June 7. 5 öre red New Numeral Type, type II. Qty: 205,000,000

The parcel was handed over to the Post Office Malmö 4 at 31 A Greater New Street (Stora Nygatan 31 A) on Wednesday 23 November 1966. "Encombrant" or bulky meant an increase of the rate with 50 % and the rate paid was 5.25 kr which means it was a parcel weighing between 3 - 5 kg since 3.50 kr was the ordinary rate. That was pretty easy to figure out.

Some domestic parcel rates effective July 1965:

- 1 kg	1 - 3 kg	3 - 5 kg	5 - 7 kg
2.30 kr	3.00 kr	[3.50 kr]	5.50 kr

The bulky things were hats. The firm S. Bukenowski in Malmö sent a batch of hats to the incorporated company Modemagasinet, a fashion store in the town of Skellefteå. The parcel reached its destination Post Office Skellefteå 1 at 45 Canal Street (Kanalgatan 45) three days later.

Where are the places:
Malmö is situated 514 km south west of Stockholm.
Skellefteå is situated 622 km north east of Stockholm.
The distance by road is 1,380 km between the two places.

This is where the Post Office Skellefteå 1 used to be. (Google)
Note that the Swedish Post's old logo is still present - magnificent!

Printed matter - still green

A 10 öre stamp that went far

International Printed matter was always the one of the lowest postal rates, in 1952 it was 10 öre. 1952 was also the last time when new correctly UPU-coloured  stamps in the Gustaf VI Adolf series were issued, the 25 öre red  and the 40 öre blue Gustaf VI Adolf type I. The reason was that the fee for international postcard (red colour) and international  letter  - 20 g (blue colour) was raised, the rate for international printed matter remained however at 10 öre. The 10 öre had to be green in order to indicate international printed matter to foreign postal administrations.

The letter cover below is from 1952 and is an international printed matter which has a 10 öre stamp - it is of the right colour, the green colour.

International printed matter fee: 10 öre.
1951, 6 June. 10 öre green Gustaf VI Adolf type I. Qty: 7,900,000

This printed matter bound for U.S was posted Friday 23 May 1952 and was handled by the Post Office Uppsala 1 at 3 Railroad Yard Street (Bangårdsgatan 3). The sender was the Department of Bio Chemistry at Uppsala University. The department has ceased to exist or been merged into some new department, but Ely Lilly Company is yet in business. It is an American global pharmaceutical company with headquarters still located in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The only funny thing is that Uppsala is still spelled the old fashion way Upsala, one "p" only. That spelling was changed to Uppsala around 1905 or so.

Here is where the Post Office Uppsala 1 used to be in 1952. Google

In the beginning of the last century it was not uncommon that the Swedish Government co-located the main post office, the branch office of the Bank of Sweden and even the Swedish Telegraph Crown Agency in each county seat. (Uppsala is the county seat of Uppsala County.) In Uppsala the post office and the Bank of Sweden were in the same building and the Swedish Telegraph at the opposite corner. The post office was at the right part of the building.

Bouncing parcel

A parcel returned to sender

This domestic parcel address card is from the end of the era that this blog is covering. By now the new stamp issuing policy from the sixties was in full effect. No more stamps from the previous definitive series issued over decades and with many stamps as the Three Crowns. The main purpose of the Three Crown series was to cover the three most common parcel rates. That was of course still possible if one used several stamps, but by 1973 the Three Crown series was beginning to be phased out. The new policy meant that definitive stamps came in shorter series, often as single stamps. The motifs were of a broader variety too, not only the king or typical Swedish symbols.

This parcel address card shows from the top: one stamp targeted for parcels, the 5 kr blue-green National Seal 1439 and another stamp aimed for domestic letter  - 100 g, the 1.40 kr red/light blue Lapponia and at the bottom a complementary denomination stamp the 40 öre dark brown Nature Designs (which actually were a series of three stamps). A beautiful trio of 70s stamps indeed.

Domestic Parcel  1 - 3 kg, fee: 6.80 kr
1970, March 9. 5 kr blue-green National Seal 1439. Qty: 65,100,000
1972, September 8. 1.40 kr red/light blue Lapponia. Qty: 43,800,000
1973, April 26. 40 öre dark brown Nature Designs. Qty:33,900,000

On Tuesday 12 June 1973 Mrs. Gustafsson living in Karlskoga sent a book parcel to Mrs. Karner in Uppsala. The parcel was handed over to the Post Office Karlskoga 5 at 29 Örebro Road (Örebrovägen 29). The parcel never reached Mrs. Karner - she had moved. Mrs. Gustafson had apparently an old address and she did not even now the postal code since a helpful postal clerk seemed to have that filled in.Well, the correct postal code did not help, Mrs. Karner's new address was unknown to the Swedish Post and the parcel was eventually returned to Karlskoga. A waste of 6 kr and 80 öre and some efforts for Mrs. Gustafsson. The stamp "Åter avsändaren" means Return to Sender.

Some domestic parcel rates effective January 1973:

- 1 kg	1 - 3 kg	3 - 5 kg	5 - 7 kg
5 kr	[6.80 kr]	8.40 kr	11.00 kr

Where are the places:
Karlskoga is situated 200 km west of Stockholm.
Uppsala is situated 63 km north west of Stockholm.
The distance by road is 215 km between the two places.

This is where the Post Office Karlskoga 5 used to be. (Google)

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

A letter to Hamburg

"Use Postal Codes"

The first thing we note is that at the left corner of the letter cover the sender's address is changed, the letter was not sent from Kristianstad in the south of Sweden. Instead Mrs. Björlingsson stamped her own address on the front. Did she reuse the envelope? and what kind of company was ILCO? This is what I think. ILCO is not a company. IL stands for ileum and CO stands for colon and ILCO is the Swedish federation for people that have had Stoma surgery. The federation was founded in Kristianstad in 1965 and by 1973 several local chapters were established. I suspect hat Mrs. Björlingsson was volunteering for the ILCO organisation and needed to correspond with  Medimex a healthcare equipment supplier in Germany.

International letter  - 20 g fee: 1 kr
1968, February 21. 50 öre green Gustaf VI Adolf, type III. Qty: 65,200,000

The letter bound for West Germany got in the hands of the Swedish Post on Wednesday 2 May 1973 at the Post Office Stockholm Ban which was located at the Stockholm Central Station. Two 50 öre Gustaf VI Adolf, type III, stamps were required to cover the postal rate. The all new Gustaf VI Adolf definitive series (that replaced the Gustaf VI Adolf type III) which first stamps were issued in November 1972 had a black-blue 1 kr stamp, but was not used in this case. That series contained only two denominations since the king Gustaf VI Adolf passed away in September 1973 and the series had to be replaced.

Some of the International postal rates effective by July 1972:

Postcard	- 20 g	- 40 g	- 60 g
65 öre	[1 kr]	1.50 kr	1.90 kr

The cancellation stamp is marketing the use of postal codes (postnummer), by this time the postal code had been around for as long as five years, but obviously it was still necessary to remind the Swedish people. It is a little bit funny that Mrs. Björlingsson did not bother to use the postal code for the sender's address. It still says Stockholm Ö. The letter "Ö" meant the eastern part of Stockholm. The original printed sender's address uses both the new postal code, 291 02, and the old system at the same time. Maybe after all the postal code marketing campaign had to continue for a while?

The letter went from here . . . 

32 Commander's Street (Kommendörsgatan 32) in Stockholm. (Google)

. . .  to here.

27 - 29 Wandbek's Kings Street (27-29 Wandbeker Königsstrasse) in Hamburg. (Google)

Medimex is still in business: Medimex GmbH | In den Fritzenstücker 9–11 | D-65549 Limburg 

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.

International letters in the summer of 1964

Business letters to West-Germany

Govenius & Dahlgren was a company in the chemical industry with a focus on wood conservation and protection from insects - the ones that like to chew on wood. They even publish some books about this and the author was one of the partners, Mr. Bertil P. Govenius. The firm corresponded by this time with a company in Germany called Dedelux Chemie GmbH (GmbH is like Limited). The Dedelux Chemie is actually still registered as a company in Swabia which is a part of  Bavaria, but Govenius & Dalhgren seem to be long gone.

The first letter was posted Wednesday 20 May 1964 at the Post Office Stockholm Ban, the Post Office at the Stockholm Central Station. In May the postal rate for an international letter  - 20 g was still 50 öre and there was of course a suitable stamp in the Gustaf VI Adolf, type III definitive series that covered that, the 50 öre olive-green.

1962, July 2, 50 öre olive-green Gustaf VI Adolf, type III. Qty: 20,100,000.

The rates for international postcards and letter from July 1962 until June 1964:

postcard	- 20 g	- 40 g	- 60 g	- 80 g	- 100 g
30 öre	[50 öre]	80 öre	1.10 kr	1.40 kr	1.70 kr

The next letter was posted on Friday 31 July at the Post Office Stockholm 1, it was co-located with the head quarters of the Swedish Post at Vasa Street (Vasagatan), where the Swedish Post filled up two blocks of buildings. The 60 öre red was a new and fresh stamp in the Gustaf VI Adolf, type III series issued in June.  As it seems those new stamps were not around when the letter below was posted. If the stamps were applied by the firm themselves or by a service minded postal clerk I do not know, but someone used a 10 öre blue New Numeral Type, type II, the 15 öre red Gustaf VI Adolf, type III and the 35 öre blue Gustaf VI Adolf, type III . The last stamp, the 35 öre blue was the stamp that used to cover the most common postal rate; the one for domestic letter  - 20 g, but since 31 days it was obsolete in that role. Maybe the stock of that stamp had to be finished before the new ones could be used?

1961, May 8. 10 öre blue New Numeral Type, type II. Qty: 239,000,000 (both type I & II)
1961, March 20. 15 öre red Gustaf VI Adolf, type III. Qty: 105,000,000
1962, July 2. 35 öre blue Gustaf VI Adolf type III. Qty: 366,000,000 

The new rates for international postcards and letter from July 1964:

postcard	- 20 g	- 40 g	- 60 g	- 80 g	- 100 g
35 öre	[60 öre]	95 öre	1.30 kr	1.65 kr	2.00 kr

I have actually a third letter from the Govenius & Dahlgren firm. It was posted Wednesday 16 September and this time it was handed over to the care of the Swedish Post at Stockholm Ban again. The stamp is a commemorative stamp, the booklet version of the 60 öre brown 800th Anniversary of the Archbiscopric of Uppsala. That stamp really do not belong to this blog, but it is okay.

1964, June 12. 60 öre brown 800th Anniversary of the Archbiscopric of Uppsala. Qty: 2,700,000

You can read more about the New Numeral Type series  - here and about the Gustaf VI Adolf type III series - here.

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]

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.

Express letter from 1952

Göterstad in a hurry

 According to the back of the cover a person with the family name Göterstad sent an express letter to Mrs. Anna Wassberg in Stockholm in May 1952. The letter was handed over to the Post Office Falun 2 at Kyrkbacksvägen 23 ( 23 Church Hill Streeet) in the town Falun 196 km north west of Stockholm and delivered to Mrs. Wassberg living at Västmannagatan 24 (24 Västmanna Street) in Stockholm. The letter was mailed on Saturday 24 May and arrived at the Post Office Stockholm 1 the next day, also according to the back of the cover. Stockholm 1 was co-located with the head quarters of the Swedish Post at Vasagatan (Vasa Street), where the Swedish Post filled up two blocks. Falun is the capital (county seat) of Kopparberg County in the part of Sweden that is called Dalarna.

Domestic  - 20 g fee: 25 öre + express delivery fee: 65 öre
5 öre red New Numeral Type, type I. Issued 29 November 1951.
10 öre green Gustaf VI Adolf, type I. Issued 6 June 1951.
20 öre red Gustaf VI Adolf, type I. Issued 6 June 1951.

The domestic  - 20 letter fee was in 1952 25 öre and the express fee was 40 öre. The total sum was then 65 öre. To accomplish that five stamps were used. The stamps were applied from the right to the left. The two right most stamps, the 20 öre red Gustaf VI Adolf and the 5 öre New Numeral Type were used as the fee for the domestic letter rate and then a two strip of 10 öre green Gustaf VI Adolf followed by one 20 öre red Gustaf VI Adolf were used for the express fee. In May 1952 these stamps were the latest definitive stamps.

However they did not last for long, the first one to be discontinued was the 20 öre red, already in July the same year it was replaced by the 20 öre grey. The 10 öre green was replaced by the 10 öre brown in 1954. The 5 öre New Numeral Type, type I, was around for the longest time and replaced by the 5 öre red New Numeral Type, type II, in 1957. Read more about Gustaf V Adolf, type I - here, and about the the New Numeral Type - here.

Below is a picture of were the Post Office Falun 2 used to be. Well, Falun 2 seemed to have been a pretty small Post Office to me. I wonder when it closed down and how many that worked there. Did the Postmaster live in the attached house?

Where the Post Office Falun 2 used to be (Google)

Domestic C.O.D. parcel address card from 1960

Mrs. Swedmar bought a sweater for Christmas

This parcel containing a sweater was sent from the Post Office Stockholm 3 at Sveavägen 31 (31 Svea Road) to Mrs. Swedmar living at Ejdergatan 31 (31 Eider Street) in nearby Saltsjö-Duvnäs, a suburb south east of Stockholm city centre. The parcel was handover to the postal services the last day of November 1960 and it arrived the next day at the Post Office in Saltsjö-Duvnäs, two days later which was a Saturday Mrs. Swedmar came by and picked it up.

Parcel Address Card C.O.D. Parcel  - 1 kg fee: 1.40 kr + C.O.D. fee: 40 öre
90 öre blue Rock Carvings, issued 8 November 1954. Qty: 43,900,000

The postage rate consist of 1.40 kr for a parcel  - 1 kg and the C.O.D. (Cash On Delivery)  fee 40 öre when the amount is paid directly to the Postgiro, an account at the Swedish Post. The Postgiro was  the Swedish Post's money transaction system, you can read more about Giro transfers here. Two 90 öre blue Rock Carvings covered the totaling postage rate of 1.80 kr. The 90 öre blue was one of the five original stamps of the Rock Carvings issued in 1954. The easiest way of finding that out is that the names of the artist and the engraver is missing at the bottom of the stamp. Read more about the Rock Carving series - here.

We do not know who sent the parcel since that part is missing. Maybe a fancy fashion shop on Sveavägen? Below is a street view from Google showing the building were the Post Office Stockholm 3 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.

Where the Post Office Stockholm 3 used to be. (Google)

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?

Why a blog about stamps that are not classic stamps?

Welcome to the first post . . . 

The classic era in Swedish philately is regarded to be between the years 1855 and 1936. That period is full of interesting stamps with many varities. Some are of course very valuable, many of them can be quite costly and some cost less. They are all interesting to study. Many philatelist have during decades researched and published a lot about these stamps and there are still a lot to explore.

Read more about 20 öre Posthorn from 1965 - here

Why are Swedish stamps issued after the classic era interesting? Well, they are since in general stamps are a mirror of the time when they were issued. It is interesting to follow how series are issued and for long they were used. There are not as many special varities since the printing quality is much better, but there are some varieties tough. I think an interesting thing is to identify the policy used for the motifs of the stamps. The policies changed radically between the 30s and the 60s. The motifs become over time more artistic and the engravers are more skilled than before which turned many of the stamps into artistic masterpieces and they are still very beautiful. Also I'm interested in why they were issued, quantities and dates. Coils, booklets or sheets. I'm also puzzled about how colours are changed for the same denomination in the same series as well as why the same colour was used for different denominations.

Read more about this pair from the slot machine booklet the iron Age - here

Finally I think Swedish stamps issued after 1936 is a little bit neglected - it is time to bring some light on them as well as honor the skilled engravers of the time such as Sven Evert, Heinz Gutschmidt, Arne Wallhorn, Mayvor Franzén and the master engraver of them all Czesław Slania. This blog covers definitive stamps issued between 1937 - 1973. One good reason for that is that the Swedish Post put a lot of effort in the motifs and the printing quality during this time period, as many other postal administrations did at the time. The results are still worth admiration.

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

I like definitive stamps series more than commemorative stamps. There are more stamps in a definitive series and it is interesting to study when they are issued and how the denomination change over time due to changed postal rates.

 . . .  once again welcome