Norwegian 4-Ring Numeral Cancellations were assigned, starting in 1890, to "Letter Offices" small rural places between full rural-serving post offices, where mail could be picked up from and dropped off by rural mail carriers. [These are sometimes called "letter collection offices" in some other countries; these are generally equivalent to the "straight-line" cancellations of Finland and the "star" and "starless" ("uds") cancellations of Denmark.] Such offices were typically at larger farms, country stores, rural hotels, coastal ship landing points, and even on board some coastal ships. The Letter Offices were primarily for the convenience of the local population who could apply for such status. For the most part, the operators of the Letter Offices did not receive any compensation (but there was surely potential value and prestige in being a central gathering point in a rural area). Numbers 1-950 were issued. Some numbers exist in multiple versions due to loss, damage, and repairs. Numbers not currently in use were reassigned to new locations, thus more than 950 locations had such postmark devices over time. [For cancellations on stamps, instead of on whole covers or cards, the specific location of use often cannot be determined.] The locations stated in the handbook of these cancellations is typically that of the supervising post office, not the actual location (farm, rural store, etc.) where the postmark was used. In the case of ship routes, sometimes a specific ship name is known, but otherwise the cancellation device may have been aboard multiple ships on the route, or perhaps at some point along the route. In the case of a railway line, the cancellation device may have been used at one or more locations along the line and/or on the train. Use of the 4-Ring Numeral Cancellations lessened in the 1920s, ending in the mid-1930s. Complete and well-struck cancellations -- with all digits present -- on single stamps (or multiples) are the exception. Examples struck on covers and cards are generally scarce, with some numbers being extremely scarce. I am not aware of any reference book that provides values or rarity factors for these postmarks, but some rarity information may be inferred from the location and span of use. The catalog / handbook of the 4-Ring Numeral Cancellations is in stock and
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