The golden era of Swedish stamps

Paper types

Agry	Delivery start in October 1919. Yellowish grey. Weak vira marking. 70 gms/m2 paper.
Agrg	Delivery start in January 1920. Greenish grey. Strong vira marking. 70 gms/m2 paper.
A1	Delivery start in September 1921. Weakly pink toned. Weak vira marking. 70 gms/m2 paper.
A2	Delivery start in October 1922. Weakly pink toned. Sharp vira marking. 60 gms/m2 paper.
Av	Part of Agry in 1921. Almost white.
B	Thin and porous paper. Sharply translucent. No watermark.
Bz	Thin and porous paper. Sharply translucent. Watermark letters.
Cx	Paper with watermark lines /.
Cxz	Paper with watermark lines / and letters.
Cc	As Cx but reversed lines
Cz	As Cxz but reversed lines and letters
D-prov	Sample delivery in December 1933. Bluish white. Thin, translucent paper. Strong vira.
D or A3	Delivery start in December 1933. White paper. Very strong vira.

Vira marking: Dots in the paper, visible when you hold the stamp against the light. You can not miss it on D paper stamps.
D Prov, D: Also called A3 prov or A3.

Listed below, you will find all the stamps issued before 1924, sorted after the Swedish Facit catalogue and information about all paper types. There also exist several shades of each stamp, and different deliveries of the papers.

Small National Coat of Arms

This stamp was issued in coils on May 10, 1920 and standard fee for local blind (Braille) texts and local printed matter. Paper Agrg is rare. 98,4% of the edition of 5'200'000 is printed on Agry paper.

Note also the famous Higlett's retouch (one of many varieties) in right frame of stamp.

139

Agry

Agrg

Standing Lion type

This set was issued 1920 - 1936 on all available paper types used during the Golden Era. There also exist a lot of plate varieties: Cracks, flaws, double transfers, plate numbers etc. The reason for the explosion in plate varieties was that the printing tool was totally new, and un experienced for the staff at Postens Tryckeri (Post Office Printing Works). The machines was bought from the USA from Benjamin R. Stickney, and rose the speed in printing stamps from 85'000/hour to 250'000/hour. For operating the old printing tool 21 persons had to be used. For the new Stickney press only four persons were needed.

On the 10 öre green, Facit no. 144A, the very famous tête-bêche appeared as the printing staff mixed together two half plates wrongly in 1921 during the printing on B paper. The lions should have been printed nose to tail, but due to this mistake some stamps were printed tail to tail or nose to nose. Only one of the lions were standing, the other lying on back. This variety is very rare, especially on letter. Do never part a tête-bêche pair.

139 Agry Agrg

140A Agry Agrg Cx Cxz

140C Agrg Cx Cxz

141 Av B Bz

142A Agry A1 A2 B Bz Cx Cxz Cc Cz

142E A1 Cx Cxz Cc Cz

143A A1 A2 A3 B Bz Cx Cxz Cc Cz

143C A1 A2 A3 B Bz Cx Cxz Cc Cz

143E A2 A3 Cx Cxz

144A Agry A1 A2 Av B Bz Cx Cxz Cc Cz

144C Agry A1 Av B Bz Cx Cxz

144E Cx Cxz

145A A1 A2

145C A1

145E A2 Cx Cxz

146A Prov D A3

146C A1 A3

146E A3

147 Agrg A1 A2

148A Agry Agrg A1 Cx Cxz

148C Agrg

Gustaf V - Full Face

Probably the ugliest King stamp ever issued in Sweden. The blue 20 öre stamp is sometimes terrible to see, as the colour was very difficult to wash off from the plates. Often is the paper very bluish, and the stamp very blurred. The stamps were issued on May 10, 1920 in the values of 10, 15 and 20 öre. 15 öre on domestic post card (single stamp) cancelled before June 30, 1920 is rather good.

20 öre with 4 sided perforation on paper Agrg or with water mark Cx or Cxz is an extremely rare stamp. These papers were used as trials for the 4 side perfed Stickney stamps (at least some Agrg were sold and used). Please do not mix with the more common B and Bz paper.

149A	Agry	Agrg	B	Bz
149C		Agrg
150A	Agry	Agrg
151A	Agry	Agrg	B	Bz
151C		Agrg	B	Bz	Cx	Cxz

Gustaf II Adolf

In 1620 the Post started to deliver private mail. This stamp was the first commemorative Stickney press stamp and issued in July 1920.

152A	Agrg	B	Bz	Cx	Cxz
152C		B	Bz

Gustaf Vasa

In Sweden called Landsfadern. Gustaf Vasa conquered the Danish King Christian II (called Christian the Tyrant) in 1521 and was elected Swedish King in 1523. The set of three stamps in the values 20, 100 and 140 öre were issued to the 400th anniversary of his Liberation War.

153	Agry		B	Bz
154	Agry		B	Bz
155		Agrg	B	Bz

Crown and Post horn

This is one of the nicest sets ever issued in Sweden. A crown with a Post horn below, engraved by G.N. Burland, Sven Ewert and Paul Wilcke. Four of the stamps exist in at least two types. The 60 öre stamp (162 and 163) exist in at least two different engravings, but as two of them are very hard and complicated to separate you have to use very specialized hand books to see the difference.

156			A1					Cx	Cxz
157			A1	A2
158		Agrg
159			A1			B	Bz
160			A1
161			A1	A2
162		Agrg	A1	A2				Cx	Cxz
163			A1	A2
164			A1
165		Agrg	A1	A2		B	Bz	Cx	Cxz	Cc	Cz
166			A1	A2	A3
167			A1	A2	A3
168	Agry		A1	A2	A3	B	Bz
169		Agrg	A1	A2				Cx	Cxz
170			A1	A2	A3
171			A1	A2
172			A1	A2	A3
173		Agrg	A1	A2		B	Bz
174			A1	A2	A3

Gustaf V, Left Profile

The 15 öre exist in three different engravings by Max Mirowsky, Paul Wilcke and Sven Ewert, but as two of them are identical only two different types exist. Two engravings, but identical exist also of the 25 and 30 öre stamps. This information in grey is according to the stamp catalogue Facit Special and Sverigekatalogen. The hand book Sveriges Frankotecken 1855 - 1963 says that just the two types in 15 öre and 40 öre (below) has different engravers.

The 40 öre stamps exist in two different types, of which the one called type I in green colour is rather expensive also in cancelled condition. On the 40 öre stamp you will see the difference in the frame between the background the King is on and the text frame: It is very sharp on type I (and no 188) and indistinct on type II.

Several of the stamp are issued on both A1 + A2 and then A3 paper. Reason for this is constantly changed postage rates the fifteen years after WW 1. The stamps have had two issuing dates: First on A1 or A2 paper then the postage was decreased and in the middle of the 30'ies it was increased and the stamps re-issued, but on A3 paper.

175A			A1	A2						Cx	Cxz
175C			A1	A2
176A			A1	A2
176C			A1
177A			A1	A2	Prov D	A3
177C			A1			A3
178A						A3
178C						A3
179A	Agry	Agrg	A1				Av	B	Bz	Cx	Cxz
179C			A1
180			A1	A2		A3
181			A1	A2		A3
182			A1
183			A1	A2		A3
184						A3
185			A1	A2		A3
186			A1	A2		A3
187			A1	A2		A3
188	Agry		A1
189			A1	A2
190			A1	A2		A3
191			A1	A2		A3
192	Agry		A1	A2		A3
193			A1	A2
194			A1	A2
195			A1	A2

Later sets

All the later sets exists only on A1 or A2 paper and all sets issued after 1934 only on A3. These stamps are very easy to separate also for the beginner. If you want a challenge you should start collecting all the plate varieties.

Recommended literature

Sverigekatalogen: The very best catalogue ever issued in Sweden. This catalogue is a "must" for the collector of Swedish coil stamps. All varieties are listed (but not pictured), all shades and paper types are listed in an easy way.

Facit Special: Acceptable catalogue, but far from Sverigekatalogen. Recommendable for the beginner collector of Swedish coil stamps.

Sveriges Frankotecken 1855 - 1946 & 1855 - 1963 part I: Extraordinary, but needs to be dated up. Exists with and without new prints of the Coat of Arms set from 1858. Explains clearly the difference between the different papers and lists all papers and almost all shades for each stamp. It lists interesting information about what the stamps were supposed for. Hopefully a new hand book will be issued before year 2000. Let us hope that the Swedish Philatelic Society will priority the work of this book, ahead producing literature for the modern stamps.

Svenska Avarter 1920 - 1936: Issued in two binders. Lists all plate cracks, flaws and double transfers with clear large pictures. Each variety is a stamp enlarged nine times. The text is entirely in Swedish, but as the books are so easy to use, and the pictures so clear anyone can use it.

Om at samle svenske båndmaerker: A brief, but for the beginner sufficient hand book in Danish.

Some of these books can be bought from Göteborgs Filatelist-Förening.

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