365 / September 2017

Sample pouch postmarked Sala february 29th 1880 and sent to Söderhamn. The pouch is marked "Prof utan värde" (sample without value) and contained seeds. From January 1st 1880 the minimum postage for samples was 8 öre, this sewn pouch is franked with 2x 4 öre Circle type perf. 13.

Railway Telegram sent May 11th 1881 at 9 o'clock from Matfors to Sundsvall. From Sundsvall it was sent by post to the receiver living in Svartvik outside Sundsvall. The sender had to pay the normal letter postage, 12 öre, for that service.

Free letter sent from Stockholm to Carlscrona with Stockholm F-postmark, type 2. The handstamp was ordered from the Locksmith Jürgen Müller and was delivered in December 1686. It was in use from 1687 to March 1689, later renovated and in use once again from March 1695 to March 1702.

Free letter sent from Stockholm to Malmö with semicircular Stockholm Free letter postmark, type 2. In use only late 1822.

Very small (ca 94x60 mm) Free letter sent July 26th 1853 from Stockholm via Stettin 28/7 and Minden 29/7 to La Hague (The Netherlands). The letter was written by the Swedish Queen, who had Free letter rights. Her letter, marked "Fribref" (Free letter), passed the Cabinet and was there also marked "cab". Opened up for display. 

P.S. letter postmarked Greifswald March 20th around 1835 from the Swedish and Norwegian Post offices in Greifswald (seal on reverse) and sent to the GPO in Stockholm. Letters from one post office to another were to be sent as Free letters but they had to be marked "Postsak" (Postal Matter) or similar, normally abbreviated as P.S.

Letter dated November 25th 1667 and sent from Dean Andreas Helg-Helgonius to the Vicar Nicolas Petrander in Stenstorp. Unusual item.

Crown mail letter dated October 20th 1755 and sent from Gabriel Hallberg at Skottek to Adolph Sandberg. The letter is stamped three times with a circular Crown mail cancel that depicts three crowns and the letters F B (Fri Brev = Free letter). The fact that the letter was stamped three times and has remnants of a feather in the seal, indicates a need for fast delivery.

Notification (Kungörelse), sent as a letter, dated April 27th 1798 and sent from Gladsax to the Vicar of Jerresta. Stamped with two open crown mail cancels of a crude design.

Relay letter (Budkavlebrev) sent August 12th 1819 from Kårsta to the villagers of Krånge, Åse and Högsjö. The letter was endorsed that it had to be sent from man to man without any delay. The feather is also an indication that it was an urgent letter. This is easy to understand as the message was that a forest fire had broken out and the villagers were called for help to estinguish it.

Attractive Crown mail letter with three feathers sent July 23rd 1831 from Gårdsby to the County Sheriff G.M. Bergman in Wret. The front endorsed that the letter had to be conveyed by the mail carrier without the slightest delay subject to a penalty of 32 skillings.

Free letter dated December 2nd 1826 and sent from Skara to Lidköping. Attractive combination letter first conveyed by the General mail as a free letter to Lidköping (with Skara straight-line postmark) and from there by Crown mail carrier to the Parish constable Liderz in Anundtorp, who in turn delivered to the final receiver, the chief forest officer Carl Gyllencreutz in Vänsjö.

Announcement sent July 30th 1836 from Grösäter to the Church in Ör. The letter was endorsed "Bakpost" which means that it had to be returned to sender after the contents had been read at the morning service in the church. Unusual notation.

"Borby Compag." Company stamp on letter dated February 2nd 1751 and sent from Borreby Gård to the Cavalry Captain Levenhaupt at Svabisholm. A very unusual marking.

Military mail letter with white feather under red wax seal from Carlstad to the Royal Commander Pilgren in Olsäter (Värmland) with notation "This most important letter to go via special estaffeta and armed messenger without any delay whatsoever - sent from Carlstad the 15th Juli 1814, 8 pm (signed) Jan Bomann" with instructions concerning requisition of horses and other preparations prior to the arrival the main body of the troops under Crown Prince Carl Johan on their advance against Norway; a very interesting and scarce letter

Letter sent June 22nd 1815 in the evening from Captain Lagerberg to Nyaxvall. On reverse there is a long notation that the letter have been carried by (soldiers) number 879, 788, 787, 752, 751, 757 and 765 who delivered the letter into the 1st major's Company. Unusual notation.

Letter sent October 9th (most likely 1834) at 5 pm from Ödeshög to Linköping. The letter was endorsed that it had to be conveyed by the Regiment's normal post route by Grenadiers from the companies at Wadstena, Skenninge, Wifolka, Westanstång and Linköping. Attractive with a fresh white feather in red seal on reverse.

Attractive letter with two brown feathers in red seal, sent August 26th 1852 at 9am to Kåkinds Company, Suntetorp. Endorsed on front that it had to be carried without the slightest delay by (soldiers) No. 56, 40 and 39 to Suntetorp.

Receipt for a 6 skålpund parcel sent by Stage coach from Götheborg October 12th 1839 to Örebro. The fee was 1 Riksdaler 8 Skilling Banco.

Unpaid letter dated Warberg March 10th 1851 and sent by Stage coach to Falkenberg. With Notation "2 S Bco" at front. If prepaid, the single rate was 2 Skilling Banco, and it was the same when charged to the addressee.

Letter dated 1750 in Lübeck, personally handed over to the ship's Captain, who conveyed it to Westerwik. In the lower left corner there is a blessing in German reading: "Mit Gudmund Lindholm dem Gott geleite".

Rectangular cancel Gefle May 6 th 1838 on attractive letter to Helsingor (Denmark) with notation "Medföljer Cofferdi Kapten B.A. Bracke, kommenderade skeppet Charlotta från Gefle".

Uddevalla postage due marking type 3 1A on unpaid ship letter dated Gothenburg June 11th 1853 and sent to Uddevalla. With notation "f. Thorsild ifrån Götheborg".

Stockholm postage due marking type 1 black "STCKHLM 4 SK, 27.8.1855" on unpaid letter containing a bill of lading, posted in a letter box on board the steamer Motala, as per notation on front "från Calmar med Motala".

Shipletter dated Karlsborg May 9th 1873 and sent along the Göta Canal to Borensberg. Sent with the steamboat Baltzar von Platen trafficking the waterways between Stockholm and Gothenburg. On board the ship it was cancelled "ÅNGBÅTS PXP Nr. 22, 10.5.1873. This cancel was in use between 1870-1875.

LETTERS POSTMARKED ON ARRIVAL: Unpaid shipletter sent from Lübeck to Stockholm. Upon arrival in Stockholm June 25th 1838 this letter was stamped with the handstamp in use to mark arriving letters. As the receiver had free letter rights, no postage had to be paid.

Unpaid shipletter dated Norrköping September 23rd 1844 and sent to Stockholm. According to Postal decree of June 11 1835, the sender of a shipletter had to mark on the letter from where it was sent, if not, the receiver had to pay postage as if the letter had been sent at the most distant place along the ship route. The postage from Norrköping to Stockholm was 5 skilling banco, which in this case was marked on the letter as postage due.

Unpaid ship lettersheet, sent from Helsingör (Denmark) to Helsingborg. The letter was posted on board a ship trafficking between towns and was on arrival stamped with Helsingborg's handstamp "ÅNGB. BREF FR. DANMARK". The postage rate was 36 öre, and half that, 18 öre as a nearby rate between Copenhagen and Helsingör on one side of the sound and Malmö, Landskrona and Helsingborg on the other.

Ship letter from Warberg January 27th 1864 sent to Falkenberg. Cancelled on arrival with Falkenberg's Bar handstamp. From documented letters, two bars were struck during 1862 and the first part of 1863, thereafter only 1 bar was struck, as on this letter. Certificate HOW (1990)

Letter dated Skog July 18th 1866 and sent to Söderhamn. A notation on the bottom of the letter reads "The letter should be sent by railway". The letter was conveyed by steamship to Bergvik and from there to Söderhamn by the private railway company, Söderhamns Järnvägs AB. The fee for sending a letter by this railway was 10 öre. The ships captain paid the amount to the railway guard, who confirmed the receipt by writing the notation "10 öre Betalt" on front.

Letter sent from Eslöf March 5th 187? to Svenstorp. The letter was marked to show that it had been sent by train no. 4, the last train that day.

Lot with two letters, both with notation "Snällpost". This fast mail conveyance was suggested in 1827 and soon after began running between Stockholm and Ystad during the sailing season. A similar fast mail service was introduced in 1830 between Stockholm and the Norwegian border. The first letter is sent from Stockholm 3.10.1839 to Norway, the second from Sundsvall 11.8.1848 to Hamburg (opened up for display).

Lot with two letters, both with notation "Snällpost". From November 29th 1831 it was possible to send also domestic letters by Snällpost. The first letter is sent from Christinehamn to Stockholm february 9th 1834, the second from Stockholm to Arboga december 7th 1837 and cancelled with a RED handstamp.

Letter dated Linde April 13th 1832. According to a note at the bottom of the letter it was sent April 18th from Fardhem to Wisby (post office) by the Rural mail system.

Lot with two requisitions for Extra Post. The first a Military order August 10th 1811 to the postmaster of Furusund to send an enclosed letter by Extra post. The second dated July 10th 1809 requesting the same at the Post office in Norrtelje.

Registered letter dated October 5th 1784 and sent from Westerås to Stockholm. According to the rate table of 1767 the postage was 3 öre silver coins and the despatching postmaster was entitled to 9 öre silver coins, then the addressee had to pay a further 4 öre to receive the letter.