First published in “Stanley Gibbons Monthly Journal” (October, 1926) and written by Stanley Phillips.
I have for some years felt that the stamps of the Scandinavian group of countries deserved more attention at the hands of English collectors, as a body, than they have yet received. Mr. B. Goodfellow has done splendid work in making known the philatelic charms of Norway, while Sweden has had a stalwart champion in Mr. G. A. Higlett. In taking up the defence of Denmark, I am not setting myself in competition with these two gentlemen, for I have no new results to bring forward. I merely wish to try to show collectors how interesting the stamps of Denmark are, and to explain one or two points in connection with the new catalogue list which will appear in the forthcoming “Gibbons.”
Until I addressed myself to the task of rewriting the catalogue list, my preference lay in the direction of the Norwegian stamps, and I had only the merest suspicion of the vast field of interest which lay open to the student of the stamps of Denmark. Now I am so torn by my two loves that I can only advise collectors to study the stamps of both countries. I hope soon to be re-writing the catalogue list of Sweden, and shall then, doubtless, be loud in praise of the Scandinavian group as a whole.
The re-writing of the Danish list would not have been possible but for the appearance of the magnificent handbook issued by the Copenhagen Philatelist Club in commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of the Danish Postal Service. Of course this work was written in Danish (and the language difficulty has not been the least of those which confront the student of this group), so that my task began with the acquisition of a smattering of this tongue. This would not probably have proved sufficient, had not my uncle, Mr. Charles J. Phillips, now of America, been moved to issue a priced catalogue of Danish stamps, based on a collection he had just purchased. His catalogue, in its main outline, a summary of the Copenhagen handbook, though it differs from it in trying to assess the values of all sorts of varieties, postmarks, etc. etc., the prices given in the Danish work being for the most part those of major varieties. I have thus been able to add materially to the catalogue list of Denmark, yet not, I think, to the extent of over-elaborating it. It is still intelligible to the general collector, while the number of varieties included in it can be doubled by the specialist, even if he pays no attention to cancellations, etc.
The First Issue
The revision of the list of the first issue introduces what is, perhaps, the most difficult point for the student – the distinction between the 2 and 4 R.B.S. printed by Ferslew with the burélage of the background printed from engraved copper plates, and the same stamps printed by Thiele with the burélage typographed. As we might expect in such a case, the difference is largely that of visibility, the clearer burélage being that of the copperplate printing. Mr. C. J. Phillips says “the wavy lines of colour appear to lie on the paper, so that the waves seem to stand out in relief,” while as to the typographed background he says “the lines appear to lie in the paper, much less distinct than in the copper-plate printing and often invisible.” As the values of the stamps of both printings are assessed at about the same figure, the collector will be doing no violence to his conscience if he accepts the clearly printed background as representing the engraved issue, and the faint background as the typographed.
The variety of the 2 R.B.S., “foot of ‘2’ nearly disjoined,” is No. 2 in the setting of 10 (2×5), which was repeated ten times to make up the sheet of 100. Catalogues seem to agree in pricing this variety at from a fraction over the price of the normal stamp to about double, whereas, in fact, it is mathematically ten times as rare, and should be well worth acquiring.
The variety, “POST” retouched, in the 4 R.B.S. shows all the letters differing from the normal, the “P” being narrower, the “O” shorter and with more colour in the centre, the “S” biidly formed and with a flat top, and the “T” with a longer top and rather shorter serifs.
Unlike many early imperf. issues, a comparatively high proportion of the Danish stamps come with regular margins, although the space between the stamps is not great. From this we might deduce that the people of the country are careful in small matters and have a sense of neatness and order, as indeed we know them to have. From the collector’s point of view it is an advantage to be able to secure well-centred specimens without too much difficulty.
It should be noted that the change of colour from the deep shades of the Ferslew printing and the early Thiele printings, to the lighter yellow-brown and chestnut of the later printings was intentional and, one would imagine, due to the difficulty of seeing the postmark on stamps of the darker tones. Against this we have the fact that the 1857 issue reverts, at one stage, to a deep brown.
The private perforations and roulettes of these early issues are, for the most part, fairly scarce, and collectors should be on their guard against forgeries. The tiny control numbers above the posthorns in the lower corners, in the issues of 1854 and 1857, are also of interest. Inverted watermarks occur in most of the Danish issues, and, judging by the pricing of the Phillips catalogue, they should be well worth looking for in the earlier issues.
In the 4 sk. of 1854-57 the berélage may be found running either from top left to bottom right, or from top right to bottom left. The Danish catalogue prices the former (which it lists only in the printings described as “chestnut-brown” and “light yellow-brown”) at about one shilling, used, while in unused condition it is presumably rare, as it is left unpriced.
In the 1864 issue, the two perforations are now properly described and separated. The 2, 3, 8 and 16 sk. come with line perforation 12½, instead of comb perforation 13¼x12¾-13, and are rather scarcer thus. The 4 sk. in the true carmine shade is well worth looking out for, and does not seem so plentiful as the price of 1s. 6d. for a used copy would imply. It is not at all easy to get really fine unused copies of most values of this series.
The 4 sk. of 1864 presents one interesting philatelic feature, as the plates of this value were made direct from the die, so that the corners containing the figures of value appear detached from the main design. In the other values this defect is remedied by the provision of a frame-line which links up the corners and makes a coherent whole of what has always appeared to me to be a very effective design, whose only handicap is the weakness of most of the colours in which it was printed.
The Figure Types
The familiar Figure types, with value in “skilling,” and later in “öre,” are found in almost every general collection; and now that they are listed – not in full, but more fully than before – it will be seen that, far from being the ugly ducklings of the Danish pond, they are philatelically, if not yet financially, in the swan class. And, for the benefit of the faint-hearted, who shy at anything in the nature of a complicated list, may I add that the new catalogue list of these issues is not complicated, and is easily understandable by anyone of average intelligence who may be possessed of common sense, a perforation gauge, and a knowledge of how to handle the latter in the light of the former.
Summarised we have:-
“Skilling” issue :
Perf. 14 X 13½. Five values.
Perf. 12½. Three values.
“Öre” issue :
Perf. 14 X 13½.
(a) Thin paper. Ten values.
(b) Thick paper. Eight values.
Perf. 12¾. Eight values.
It may be stated here that the mention of quarters in the description of the perfs. is necessary, accurately to distinguish between the work of the line machine which gave 12½ exactly, and the comb machine which gauged not quite 13. The ordinary perf. gauge does not show the quarters, but laying the stamp on the black 2cm. space on our Publishers’ “Ideal” gauge, the difference can be easily seen. In any case the two machines do not clash in any of the issues under review, so the matter is not of first-rate importance to the collector.
Nor should the thick and thin paper present any difficulty in the “öre” issue, for once the thin paper is seen, no one can have any trouble in which is more than can be said for many catalogued variations of paper thickness.
A word about the shades of these issues. I suppose the new list includes just about half of the possibles. The frames in grey are found varying from pearly grey through grey, drab, greyish slate, slate, to bluish slate. Combining these with a fine range of colours for the central design, we get a field which the shade fiend may well take pride in cultivating. A study of the shades in conjunction with postmark types will provide much interest. To avoid confusion the shades of the frame should be grouped first, and then subgrouped according to the shades of the centres.
The “skilling” issue is a promising one from the investment point of view, if fine copies can be found, and blocks, pairs and strips in all the early issues of Denmark are, of course, well worth having. A stamp worth watching is the 5 öre, blue and carmine, of the “öre” issue. It is not plentiful.
The Inverted Frames
Perhaps the chief interest of the new list lies in the inclusion of the inverted frames of the two issues of which we have just been speaking. At first sight, the frame design seems symmetrical, and if this were the case an inverted frame would be indistinguishable. From the printers’ point of view it evidently was, as it was for the general body of collectors until quite recently. But there is a distinction, and quite a clear one, between the frame when printed the right way up, and when reversed. Not that anyone knows which was the right way up, except that one way is commoner than the other, and may therefore be supposed to be the normal.
If the inverted frames had been confined to complete sheets, i.e. if they had been merely the result of the printer disregarding the fact that there was a right way up for the frame when feeding sheets through the machine for the second time, they would have had comparatively little interest for the collector. But in addition to complete sheets of stamps with inverted frame, we get settings in which inverted frames are found in conjunction with normal frames, and in some values there is evidence of the existence of two or more different settings, with the inverted frames occupying different positions on the sheet.
For the ordinary collector, the search for single specimens with inverted frame will perhaps suffice, though he should also be on the look out for pairs and blocks in which the inverted frame occurs se-tenant with the normal. The distinction between the normal and inverted frame is very clear, once it has been grasped. Look at our illustration, and in the small circle at top left you will see the key. In the normal the pendent line with scrolls branching right and left from its base, comes down from junction near a short downward projection. In the inverted, the pendent line drops vertically from the line above (looking rather like an old fashioned double gas-bracket or chandelier). which it leaves just below the short upward projection. If the postmark covers the upper left corner of the stamp, turn the stamp round and look at the bottom right corner, in which case the vertical pendent line will indicate the normal frame.
In the “skilling” issue the inverted frames are scarce. In the new catalogue list these varieties are listed without reference to the particular shade in which they occur, and in the “öre” issue especially they are quite plentiful in perhaps one shade of a particular value while found to be scarce or perhaps non-existent in other shades. The price must therefore be taken as being for the cheapest shade. In most cases I think the present pricing of these varieties is very moderate and likely to be revised in an upward direction, but until existing stocks are closely examined it will be hard to decide definitely which are the rarest. The Phillips catalogue is rather inclined to overprice in some cases, in my opinion. The Danish handbook does not price them at all, which is perhaps the wisest course in a standard work of reference of this nature. I refer readers to the new Gibbons list for prices based on a careful examination of a very large quantity of these issues.
The 1882 Types
Not without interest is the next issue, with the Arms in the centre, bold figures of value at the sides, and small figures in the corners. The 5 and 20 öre first appeared with very small figures in the corners and with the letters of the inscriptions thick. Except for variations in the paper used there is not any very great interest attaching to these stamps. The next issue with thin inscriptions and larger corner figures is, however, very attractive.
In the 5 öre there is a variety with thin curved top to the big “5” at the right-hand side of the design. This is not priced very high, but as I only found one specimen in some thousands examined, it should be worth looking for. The 10 öre presents a variety which reminds us of the similar one in the stamps of the Australian Commonwealth, a postcard die having been used to replace the normal type, once in the sheet. There being no 10 öre postage stamp with the small figures of the postcard die (i.e. in the 1882 issue) this stamp is recognisable as a single specimen, though naturally more sought after in pair with the normal type, though very rare thus. In the 20 öre a similar variety with small figures, due to a substituted cliché of the previous type, must be shown in pair with normal, as otherwise it is indistinguishable from the ordinary 20 öre with small figures.
Another variety in the 20 öre shows a break in the outermost circle round the right-hand figure of value, just above the “0” of “20.” This is fairly common, both in stamps perf. 14×13½ and in the later issue, perf. 12¾ , though the Danish handbook, for some reason, has omitted to include the variety in the later set.
In 1896-99 the old Figure type again came into use, and inverted frames in some values are fairly plentiful. Here also a new watermark occurs, though it is not listed separately in the new Gibbons list. The Crown watermark is wider and the Cross on the Crown larger. This is the watermark of the Portrait and Figure types of 1904-12, so that a good idea of its characteristics can be gained by a study of these stamps. Those who wish to separate the watermarks should note that the only stamps which come with both types of watermark are :-
Figure type. Perf. 12¾. (1896-99.) 3, 4, 8, 25, 50 and 100 öre.
Arms type. Perf. 12¾. (1896-1902.) 5, 10 and 20 öre.
Provisional. 4 on 8 öre. (1904.)
The 8 öre, Figure type, is indicated as existing with the second type of watermark, in the Danish handbook, but is there unpriced. In the Phillips catalogue it is not mentioned. With this exception, the two types of watermark seem to be equally common.
In the Provisionals, the 4 on 8 öre of 1904 exists with a projection from the top of the “4” in the surcharge. It is only valued at about 4s. in the Danish handbook, and as Mr. C. J. Phillips is not on bowing terms with any stamp issued after 1900, it is not included in his list. For my part, I have waded through several thousand of this Provisional without finding the variety, but I may, of course, have been forestalled. The flat top to “5” in the 15 on 24 öre, Provisional, is of course well known.
The “missing hearts” variety in the 2 and 3 öre values of the Figure type of 1905 also seems to be elusive. I have not come across it, although I have examined a large stock of stamps. There are other varieties in the lettering of this type – a damaged “T” in “POSTFRIMÆRKE ” in the 3 öre, and a damaged “E” in the same word on the 4 öre. Also the “M” and “A” of “DANMARK” joined in the 3 öre. This latter variant appears also on stamps with watermark Crosses.
The 12 öre, olive-slate, Portrait, of 1920, was printed in two ways, once from stereos and then from galvanos. The printings may, be distinguished by a slight difference in the size of the design. In the 20 öre. Sonderborg Castle type, another minor variety is found. In the normal stamp, the solid colour in the centre of the “0” of “1920” is relieved at the foot by a speck of white. The variety shows solid colour over the whole of the centre of the “0.” This may of course also be found in the same stamp with Red Cross surcharge.
In the 8 on 12 öre. Provisional, of 1921. we have the stamp in both sizes, as already mentioned, and also variations in the spacing between the figures “8” of the surcharge. The normal distance is 7½ mm., but variations may be found to extremes of 9 mm. in one direction and 7 mm. in the other.
The new lists of Newspaper, Official, Parcels, and Postage Due stamps should be carefully studied, particuiarly those of the Oflicials. In these latter, there are two types of each value in the “skilling” issue, indicated by the shape and spacing of the “s” and “k” of “skilling.”
As I have said, there are plenty of shades to be distinguished, especially in the Figure type, but in order to treat these in a fully philatelic manner the collector should also pay attention to postmarks, which can be well studied in conjunction with the colour variations.
As in the Posthorn types of Norway, the student will note a tendency for earlier printings to come in softer shades, particularly the reds and blues, while harsher tones are usually found to belong to later, more modern printings.
The early postmarks consisted of concentric rings, either with or without a number in the centre, the number varying with the post office concerned. The Phillips catalogue lists the various numbers separately for each value on which they have been found and, according to the pricing therein given, some numbers are very rare, as is only to be expected in the case of smaller offices.
These ring cancellations gave way to place-and-date postmarks of various types, which furnish an interesting field for study. An outstanding item in the early imperf. issues is a “clock” cancellation, consisting of a dial divided into 24 sections, of which 1, 8, 16 and 24 are numbered. An arrow indicates the hour of posting and the name of the office appears in the centre.
If space permitted I could elaborate these notes still further, but I trust that I have said enough to prove to M.J. readers that, in trying to form a collection of Danish stamps, they will be undertaking a task full of philatelic interest and of sufficient variety to ensure that it will not be in any way monotonous.
Very good article! These archival articles contain a lot of useful stuff.