Denmark: Test Stamps: 1968 Grundtvig Cathedral Slania-Engraved
Test Stamps (also called Dummy Stamps in the U.S.) are created by stamp printers and post offices to test printing and production processes and other machines. While a few have had extensive philatelic distribution, most were never intended to be known to collectors and are very scarce. New discoveries continue to be made. Denmark has made use of several types and designs of test stamps; some of these are shown in the AFA Specialized Catalog at the start of the 1933 steel-engraved period.
All items are available for viewing on approval. I have a constantly changing stock of Danish and all Scandinavian essays, proofs, reprints, specimens, and test stamps. Most such items sell before they get to the website or price lists. What are you seeking?
In June 1968, the Danish post office purchased a new Goebel printing press that could print steel-engraved stamps in one, two, or three colors. To test the press, this complex-design stamp was engraved by Slania. This is a classic Slania engraving and at least one printing belongs in every Slania collection. The stamp exists on different papers and in several color combinations and single colors, including printings of partial designs. The basic 3-color stamp that was widely distributed is inexpensive, however, some of othe other printings are very to extremely scarce. Blocks of four are scarce; larger blocks are rare.
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US$
232276
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. "Normal" color combination: Light Green Tree, Brown Cathedral, Blue Sky. Non-Fluorescent Paper. NH VF.
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
26.00
236596
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. "Normal" color combination: Light Green Tree, Brown Cathedral, Blue Sky. Non-Fluorescent Paper. NH Fine centered (actually quite unusual not VF). The VF normally sells for $26!
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
14.00
232277
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. "Normal" color combination: Light Green Tree, Brown Cathedral, Blue Sky. Non-Fluorescent Paper. NH VF 4-block. Blocks are scarce!
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
100.00
248064
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. "Normal" color combination: Light Green Tree, Brown Cathedral, Blue Sky. Non-Fluorescent Paper. NH VF / F-VF FULL SHEET with plate number "F 312" at top and "H 224" at bottom. The centering always varies in these stamps; it can be seen from this sheet that the positioning of the perforation rows and columns does not quite correspond to the spacing of the stamp designs on the printing plate. [I do not know the reason for the two different plate numbers on the same sheet unless the reason is that the "F" number was intentionally included and that the "H" number was simply left in place from a previous printing plate set-up. "H" numbers were traditionally used for printing special-format booklet-making sheets and were not normally seen by the public. "F" could be the abbreviation for "Forsøg" (verb: test; noun: try, trial, attempt, experiment).] Full sheets of Danish test stamps are rarely seen and to my knowledge they were not normally released or sold in sheets. An important item for a Slania-engraved collection or a Danish test stamp collection. Individual examples of this stamp sell for $26 EACH (thus $1300 for 50 stamps!). This is priced very low due to its esoteric nature, but it is much more rare than my price suggests. This is only the second example of such a sheet that I have been able to offer in 50 years!
ACTUAL item.
490.00
232278
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. "Normal" color combination: Light Green Tree, Brown Cathedral, Blue Sky. YELLOWISH FLUORESCENT paper that otherwise has similar thickness and gumming of the non-fluorescent stamps. NH VF. Very scarce.
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
130.00
232280
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. Color combination: Dark Green Tree, Brown Cathedral, Blue Sky. Non-Fluorescent Paper. NH VF. Scarce.
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
46.00
232282
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. Color combination: Brown Tree, Green Cathedral, Blue Sky. Non-Fluorescent Paper. NH VF. Scarce.
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
WANTED
Needed. Please make offer.
232283
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. Color combination: Ultramarine Tree, Brown Cathedral, Ultramarine Sky. Non-Fluorescent Paper. NH VF. Extremely scarce.
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
WANTED
Needed. Please make offer. If you are seeking this item, please let me know as I should soon have it.
232284
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. Color combination "Brown Cathedral Only": Albino Tree, Brown Cathedral, Albino Sky. Non-Fluorescent Paper. The tree and sky print impressions are present, but are uninked. NH VF. Extremely scarce.
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
WANTED
Needed. Please make offer. If you are seeking this item, please let me know as I should soon have it.
232285
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. Single Color: Carmine (red). Non-Fluorescent Paper. NH VF. Extremely scarce.
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
WANTED
Needed. Please make offer. If you are seeking this item, please let me know as I should soon have it.
1968 Grundtvig Cathedral Slania-Engraved continued ...
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to determine if ACTUAL image of item OR a REPRESENTATIVE sample image of item.
Click for more information
US$
232286
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. Single Color: Ultramarine. Non-Fluorescent Paper. NH VF. Extremely scarce.
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
WANTED
Needed. Please make offer. If you are seeking this item, please let me know as I should soon have it.
232287
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. Single Color: Brown. White-Fluorescent Paper. NH VF. Extremely scarce.
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
250.00
232288
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. Single Color: Brown. White-Fluorescent Paper. NH Superb upper right corner margin example showing plate #1555. Extremely scarce!
ACTUAL item.
Reference
For reference only. NOT for sale.
236597
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. Single Color: Dark Grayish Green. White-Fluorescent Paper. NH VF. Extremely scarce; this color was unknown to collectors until it was found in the Goebel archives in 2009.
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
WANTED
Needed. Please make offer. If you are seeking this item, please let me know as I should soon have it.
238240
1968 Slania-engraved Grundtvig Cathedral test stamp. Color combination "Green Tree and Brown Cathedral Only": Green Tree, Brown Cathedral, Albino Sky. Non-Fluorescent Paper. The sky print impression is present, but is uninked. NH VF. Extremely scarce.
REPRESENTATIVE image of stamp design.
175.00
SALE
Normally $275.00! I was offered a few at a great price, so I can pass on the savings. Only $175, but only a few are available.