364 / März 2017

Domestic first rate Express letter sent November 30th 1877 from Heby to Stockholm. Postage 12 öre + 18 öre Express fee. Combined franking with 6 öre circle type perforation 14 + 2x 12 öre perforation 13. Certificate HOW (1998). Early express letters are rare.

Official letter sent in 1798 from the Administrative Board of the Skaraborg County to the Police Superintendant Eric Otter in Skara. Endorsed with letter bill no 1 and "Afgår med Extra post" meaning that it had to be delivered with an extra mail carrier. A feather was affixed to the seal to emphasize the need of fast delivery. Letters with both letter bill number and feathers are rare.

Registered letter dated Malmö July 7th 1724 and sent to Lund. According to the rates of 1692 the postage between Malmö and Lund was 1 öre silver coins. At the lower part of the letter there is a notation "Recommenderas till säker framkomst och leverance (=Registered for safe arrival and delivery). Unusual early registered letter. 

A leather pouch containing 35 g (rams?) silver coins sent registered mail from Stockholm to Fahlun in 1850. The pouch was sent as a free letter and no extra fees had to be paid. Most unusual item.

Open registered letter, franked with 4 skilling blue and 2 copies 8 skilling orange = 20 Skilling Banco, postmarked Götheborg August 18th 1856 and sent to Åmål.  The postage was 4 skilling banco and the open registration fee was 16 skilling banco. On top of the postage the insurance fee for 300 Riksdaler (noted on bottom left side of the letter) was 3 skilling banco, this had to be paid separately and in cash as stamps were not allowed to be affixed as a receipt for that payment; a very fine and scarce cover; certificate Frans Obermüller (1983) and also signed Sjöman. 

Open registered, double rate letter sent November 12th 1870 from Köping to Örebro. In addition to the double rate, 24 öre, the registration fee, 50 öre, was accounted for by stamps. The special insurance fee for 358 Riksdaler (as noted on the letter) was 6 öre and had to be paid in cash. Certificate Frans Obermüller (1980)

Double rate insured 124 öre letter with listed contents sent August 29th 1878 from Stockholm to Enånger. The postage was 24 öre, the insurance fee (for 3.000 Riksdaler) 50 öre plus an additional 40 öre for the insured amount over 1.000 Riksdaler. The sender also had to pay 10 öre to get the contents listed and the letter signed. Certificate Erich Harbrecht (1993) and Hans Witschi (1989). Attractive and rare letter with a high insurance amount.

Double rate registered letter postmarked Westerås June 9th 1874 and sent to Copenhagen. Postage 24 öre + registration fee 18 öre =42 öre. The letter is also postmarked "WÄRDE" and "RECOMMENDERAS." Unusual rate and probably unique with this postage combination of 3 öre, 3x 5 öre, 2x 12 öre Circle type perforation 14. Certificate HOW (1992)

Postal money order (without contents) sent June 15th 1869 from Hvetlanda to Ekesjö. During the short span between March 24th and June 30th 1869 the postage as well as the postal money order fee should be paid by affixing adhesives to the envelope. The postage was 12 öre and the fee for sending 60 Riksdaler 50 öre was 20 öre, totalling 32 öre. Certificate HOW (1990). Very unusual item, only a few known.

Privately printed cash on delivery letter sent January 29th 1875 from Malmö to Ronneby. In addition to the postage, 12 öre circle type perf. 14, the sender had to pay the cash on delivery fee, 25 öre, accounted for in stamps that were to be affixed to a C.O.D. form. Certificate HOW (1990). Most unusual item.

Cash on delivery form sent Match 28th 1871 from Eslöf to Christianstad. The fee for the requested cash on delivery amount of 15 Riksdaler was 25 öre which was franked on the form with 5 öre Coat-of-arms and 20 öre Lying lion. As the addressee refused to pay for the letter, the postmaster at Christianstad signed and returned the letter as well as this form to Eslöf. Certificate HOW (1991) Despite the form having three folds and a few tears it is a very rare item in good condition.

Address letter dated August 6th 1836 and sent from Borås to Falkenberg. The letter is endorsed "medföljer en paquet" (=a parcel is enclosed).

Address letter for a parcel "Härmed ett paket" sent July 23rd 1876 from Sundsvall to Östersund. The postage for this parcel weighing 51 Skålpund and sent over 3 zones became 51x12=612 öre. Franked with 12 öre + 6x 1 Riksdaler circle type perforation 14. Certificate HOW (1990) Attractive and unusual item with a very high postage rate.

Transit letter partly prepaid double rate letter dated St Petersburg (Russia) April 2nd and March 21st 1821 and sent via Haparanda (Sweden) to London. The letter was prepaid to the Swedish border, then sent the winter route via Finland to Haparanda (transitmarked with straight line cancel HAPARANDA), further to Göteborg were is was marked with Postage due 1 Rdr 16 sk (2x 32 sk = 64 sk =1 Rdr 16 sk), from there it was conveyed via british packet transit Harwich to London. Transit letters from Russia via Haparanda are very rare.

Circular addressed to Preyboat no. 10, stationed between the islands of Fläskö and Koster outside Gothenburg, together with a letter sent in 1829 to the Royal Quarantine Commission in Stockholm. The circular dealt with the problem of ships arriving from infected places, such ships not destined to Sweden but that had to dock at a swedish port, were set under observation and had to pay a fee for that, before leaving port. On the lower part of the letter there is a manuscript notation that it was sent by Pilot express at 7 am on june 18th. Unusual quarantine items.

Disinfected, pierced and fumigated, letter dated June 22nd 1831 and sent from Horsens (Denmark) to Gothenburg. Manuscript notations "frco Helsingör" and postage due notation "9 sk 6 rst". In 1830 a cholera epidemic broke out in China and spread rapidly to Europe and sweden. Arriving mailbags should be submerged into the sea, the letters taken out with tongs, dipped in vinegar, died between linnen cloths, perforated with nails and then disinfected in fumes of sulphuric acid.

Disinfected, pierced and fumigated, unpaid letter sent September 14th 1831 from Pillau, via Greifswald to Stockholm. The Prussian postage from Pillau to Greifswald was 8 Sgr or 6 1/2 Ggr as marked on the letter. In the Swedish postoffice in Greifswald that amount was multiplied 2x 0,9 to convert it to 12 Pomeranian Schilling + 6 Pom.Sch. was then added for the conveyence to Ystad, in total 18 Pom.Sch. as marked.

Courier letter sent from Stockholm to Erich Harr at Ulaborg (Finland) where it arrived on July 20th 1610. The letter was forwarded from the addressee to five other readers who confirmed by signing that they had read it. The letter was then returned to Stockholm where it arrived on August 20th 1610. Early letter with Finland as part of Sweden.

Letter sent 1726 from Stockholm to Reval (Estonia). Stamped in Stockholm with ribbon postmark type 1 and endorsed "Franko Taskula" and listed as number 50 on the letter bill to the Swedish exchange post office Taskula in Finland. Certificate HOW (1995). The letters has several tears especially around the corners. Letters marked "Franko Taskula" are very rare, possibly only two known.

Letter dated December 9th 1763 and sent from Stockholm to Pernau (Estonia). The letter, postmarked in Stockholm with straight line cancel type 3, was endorsed to "fco Lilla Abborfors" and was listed as number 20 on the letter bill to the Swedish exchange post office in Finland.

ALAND: Very small Crown Mail letter sent February 25th 1727 from Jac Gadd in Carela with manuscript coil. The letter was sent to County Sheriff Jöran Caliin in Harin and further from there to Cappell in Teisko. The content is a military requisition of eight horses from each of the villages Jutilla and Teisko.

Letter dated 'Grebla April 6th 1701' and sent to Nyen, a small town in Ingermanland which today is the area around St. Petersburg. Nyen was included in the Swedish rate table of 1638. Letters to and from the former Swedish possession Ingermanland are very rare.

Lettersheet, beautifully addressed to the War departement in Stockholm. Notation of receipt on reverse dated January 4th 1641, very rare

Courier letter dated December 17th 1640 sent from Stockholm to Reval, marked with sven 'Cito Citissme' for extra fast "Express" delivery. The swedish rate table of 1638 specifies routes to Reval.

"Reval" ribbon postmark on lettersheet, sent to Carlskrona. This extremely rare postmark was in use between 1708-1710. The postage was 10 öre silver coins according to the rate table of 1692. Certificate HOW (1990). A most attractive and rare item

Courier letter with contents dated January 23rd 1639 and sent from the castle of Riga to Bengt Oxenstierna, the Governor General of Livonia and Ingermanland. Poland ceded Livonia to Sweden in 1629.

Paid, double rate letter with contents dated Stockholm May 21st 1687 and sent to Stettin, then Swedish Possession in Pomerania. The letter was conveyed by the General mail and was in Stockholm stamped with the B-stamp type 2, in used between 1686-1691. On the reverse the letter has a note that it was presented in Stettin June 4th 1687.

Free letter dated Stralsund (Swedish Pomerania) March 11th 1784 and sent to Tavstehus (Finland). The letter was conveyed by the General mail and was marked with the letter bill number "1". At the top of the letter is a "Nota bene" notation.

Letter dated Stralsund August 22nd 1812 and sent to Leipzig. The letter is marked with two different straight line handstamps "STRALSUND" and "POMERANIE SUEDOISE"  and was sent during the second occupation, used in combination only 1812.

Letter dated March 10th 1682 and sent to Bremen. The letter is written by Hendrik Horn, The Governor General of Bremen-Verden (Swedish Possession) from 1668-1693.

Letter sent in 1657 to Count Bengt Oxenstierna in Wismar (Swedish Possession). Attractive with blue strings in two small red seals.

Letter dated Stockholm July 17th 1840 and sent via St. Kitts to St. Barthélemy. Backstamped with a London postmark "K JY-29 1840". The letter was privately transported to London, where it was prepaid 1 shilling in accordance with the POD of January 1840 in order to be sent by a packet from Falmouth to St. Kitts. Notation on front "Care of G Wattley Esq. St. Kitts" indicates that this gentleman then forwarded the letter to St. Barthélemy.

Letter dated St. Barthélemy January 30th 1815 and sent to Gothenburg. A notation on front indicates the letter being conveyed by Captain Wallen of the Brig Guadeloupe to England. Another note on the reverse informs that B Wallin forwarded the letter from Dawns March 30th 1815, then postmarked "DEAL 30MA30 1815", Postage was paid and the letter sent via London to Gothenburg. Inland postage 8d, Packet 1/6 making a total of 2/2 as noted on letter. The letter arrived in Gothenburg April 7th 1815.

Letter dated Basse Terre, Guadeloupe March 21st 1814 and sent to Gothenburg without any postal markings. The letter is written in swedish by Carl D. Skogman, assistant to the Swedish Governor. The Governor never really took office, Skogman became the highest swedish official there. Letters from Guadeloupe, sent during the Swedish reign are very rare.

"Express" letter with cito cito notations sent to Axel Oxenstierna, Chancellor and Governor General. The lower part of the letter was on arrival endorsed (Presentatum) "PS. Mainz d 6 June 1632". The Swedish government decided in May 1631 that regular mail services should be established between Stockholm and Prussia/Pomerania. Attractive letter without contents.

Letter sent via Hamburg to the Queen of Sweden and Norway in Stockholm. On the reverse Postmaster König at the Swedish post office in Hamburg wrote, that the letter arrived in Hamburg December 20th 1735 and that it was forwarded as a matter of urgency. The letter was not prepaid to Hamburg and Mr König had to pay the postage due, 3 Schilling Hamburg Courant (marked in red crayon) which he then restated as 3 S. in the upper left corner.