Square issues 1851-63

Registered double rate letter sent from Copenhagen to Paris 23 July 1854. Total charge 77 sk. - 17 sk. Danish (9 sk. + 8 sk. registration fee) and 60 sk. foreign share = 14 Sgr. The letter has been sent only a week after the new postal rates as of 15.7.1854.

FIRE Rigsbankskiling Ferslew printing on foot-post letter from to Slagelse September 6, 1851 alongside oval foot-post mark in blue. Letters with 4 RBS stamps to the province of Denmark are rather unusual to find.

Letter from the small substation (MPX) of Stokkemarke to Nakskov 1 December 1852 franked with 4 RBS Thiele I. Stokkemarke opened 1 April 1851 and were a MPX to Maribo. Since MPX were not allocated c.d.s.'s it used ink to cancel stamps and manuscript ”Stk. 1/12 52.-” instead. The MPX of Stokkemarke were paid by Maribo to run the office. A fine proof to the postal historian to explain the activities of the small substations on the country side. Ex. J. Schmidt-Andersen. Unique.

2 Rigsbankskilling Thiele printing plate I, pos. 63, type 3 with even margins and a nicely placed cancel in the corner leaving most of the stamp design visisble and rare in this condition as the instruction was to cancel the stamp with the most of the cancel on the stamp itself.

4 Rigsbankskilling Ferslew plate I-41 with a superb mute-cancel strike.

"Single rate letter franked with 4 sk. 1854 issue from Faaborg to Copenhagen August 4, 1857 and cancelled with numeral 15 and alongside Faaborg cds. Manuscript "9" indicating that the letter has been handed over to the post office 1-2 hours after normal opening hours and therefore a fee of 9 sk. paid. Highly unusual on stamp covers."

Prepaid letter Fredericia 10 October 1856 to Holstebro. 4 sk. 1854 dotted spandrels III printing tied by Fredericia numeral “17”. Due to the absence of Fredericia date stamp, the office line mark “Fredericia” was stamped on reverse and date added “10/10”.

Two 4 sk. 1858 wavy-line spandrels II printing on piece from 'Inside franking'. Letters or applications handed in to the Local Customs office for the administration, had to be franked by the public for the letter appropriate weight scale, in order for the public not to enjoy free postage. This letter will therefore have weighed between 15 and 30 grams, 2x 4 sk. letter rate postage.

Colour proof of 4 sk. 1854 plate IV, pos. 1-2 / 11-12, block of four without gum and burelage IIb printed in blue colour and dotted spandrels. In the Postal Museum the printing plate has empty spandrels in the lower half sheet of 50 stamps. Plate IV has been used for the last 1854 printing IV delivered from 16 June 1859. It is not known why this plate has had the spandrels removed, but perhaps experiments were made for a new design without spandrels and trials for another burelage colour since the yellow one that were used were sometimes almost invisible.

Die in black of 4 sk. 1858 wavy-line, from the same as on the larger sheet with a print on the left side a die in negative with six different samples of a new wavy-line, both vertical and horizontal, although here cut away.

4 sk. 1858 V printing watermark II, with corner sheet margin. A very appealing stamp.

4 sk. 1858 wavy-line spandrels, V. printing, watermark II. Huge margins and with purple ink cancellation. Highly decorative stamp. This stamp has not been offered since 1977 !

ENVELOPE WITH ORNAMENTATION sent from Nakskov to Broholm near Svendborg 26 september 1854 bearing a 4 RBS Thiele III greyish brown plate III tied by numeral “43” alongside CDS “NAKSKOV 26.9.1854”. A most appealing and striking Lady's cover.

2 Rigsbankskilling Thiele printing, plate II-32, type 8. Huge margins, cancelled with a clear numeral ”1” Copenhagen.

"2 Rigsbankskilling Thiele printing, plate II-59, type 1 with numeral "1" Copenhagen cancel."

4 sk. 1858 V printing 1861, burelage IIa. The burelage was always ment to be on the same side as the stamp imprint itself. The printing process was first to print the watermarked paper sheet with the burelage, when ink was dry, the printing of the stamp design above the burelage was made. Only a very few times, the burelage printed sheet were mixed up and the stamp imprint actually was printed on the other empty side of the paper sheet, thus one side has the burelage, the other the stamp imprint. A true Danish gem of the squared issue in mint condition, extremely rare.

Entire sent from Copenhagen to Christiania on 22 September 1863 bearing a 16 sk. rouletted and 4 sk. 1863-issue, tied by numeral “1” alongside CDS “KIØBENHAVN O.P.E. 22.9.1863” in blue. 20 sk. is paying the letter rate to Norway by steamer, through Sweden it would have been 24 sk. at the time.

Entire from Gravenstein 3 September 1852 to Flensburg. Postage paid with a 4 RBS Ferslew printing plate I, cancelled with two strikes of mute 4-ring canceller and datestamped ANTIII-1 - GRAVENSTEIN. 3/9 1852 –, earliest date and one of only two recorded on letter with 4 RBS Ferslew.

Insufficiently paid domestic letter from Aalborg 14 October 1853 to Hobro 4 RBS Thiele I printing, tied by numeral ‘4’ AALBORG. Postal note ‘2’ indicating 2nd letter rate 15-30 gram, and charged in full ‘6’ skilling due by addressee.

Letter from Copenhagen 18 December 1862 to Barth, Mecklenburg. 2 sk. 1855 and 16 sk. 1857 dotted spandrels, both tied by duplex “181 - SJ.JB.P.SP.B. 2 TOG” alongside boxed “Aus Dänemark” with transit marks “KDOPA Hamburg”, 2-ring “HAMBURG” and two-ring “BAHNHOF-HAGENOW” on reverse. The combination with 2 sk. 55 and 16 sk. 1857 is possible the only recorded, rate 18 sk. 15.7.1854 – 31.7.1865.

Telegrafed message from Berlin 13 January 1854 to Flensburg. Message sent by letter from Flensburg to Nyborg 13 January Klk 11 F: 40 M, Aaret 1854 as Royal Service, postage 4 RBS Thiele II, cancelled with numeral 16 and datestamp FLENSBURG 13.1.1854. From Nyborg message telegraphed to Copenhagen 15 January, commenced 9 T 17 M, Endt 9 T 25 M, signed Pihl. Telegraph form ØRESUNDSLINIEN from Flensburg 19 January Klk 11 F: 40 M, Aaret 1854 to Nyborg. Two red waxseals TELEGRAFSTATIONEN FLENSBURG, and sealed another time with TELEGRAFSTATIONEN NYBORG. The telegraph service ØRESUNDSLINIEN is opened 2 February 1854.