| Postage Due Covers |  Top |
| Item # |
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US$ | ||
401703 "View EXACT ACTUAL Image"){kind=small} |
Scott #50a, Facit #67 PAIR [1896 5 øre Posthorn, Knudsen Printing, Perforation 13.5 x 12.5] (VF) 10 øre franking on an UNDERPAID (overweight; the envelope shows wear lines from thicker contents) POSTAGE DUE 25 December 1897 CHRISTMAS DAY cover from "KRISTIANIA". The upper left corner of the envelope was torn off during opening, but it still looks quite nice. The cover was recognized as being underpaid (overweight for the 10 øre affixed postage); somewhere along the line this fact was recognized and documented with a large blue crayon "20 ab" (ab = at betale = to pay, as stated on first-issue postage due stamps of the era). Addressed to "Ulverud nedre Eker" ["nedre" is under or inside, defining in which area Ulverud was located]; Ulverud was a historic farm estate, located within the large regional municipality of Eker. (Eker was an area, not a town, and did not have a post office by that name.) The post office actually serving Ulverud was across the river valley at MJØNDALEN. It was there that the postage due was collected from the recipient: A total of 20 øre was collected: At this time, the postage due amount was the shortage of 10 øre plus the shortage amount again as a penalty, an additional 10 øre). By regulation, the postage due amount was to be affixed to the reverse of the envelope. Though postage due stamps had been in use in Norway since 1889, the MJØNDALEN post office either did not have the necessary postage due stamps or chose not to use them, thus a SUPERB PAIR of Scott #51a, Facit #68 [1896 10 øre Posthorn, Knudsen Printing, Perforation 13.5 x 12.5] was affixed to the reverse of the cover TO PAY THE POSTAGE DUE and canceled at MJØNDALEN on 30 December 1897. In this era, though postage due covers bearing proper postage due stamps are "scarce", in my experience, covers bearing ordinary postage stamps are "even scarcer". In my experience, this cover is remarkably unusual. Furthermore "interesting" (non-standard) covers bearing the Perforation 13.5 x 12.5 Posthorn stamps are quite unusual and sought after. In addition to showing the post office operating on Christmas Day (!!), this cover demonstrates interesting aspects of Norwegian postal history. This is also one of the earliest domestic postage due covers that I have had (in 53 years) with ordinary stamps paying the postage due. ACTUAL item. |
55.00 |
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401709 "View EXACT ACTUAL Image"){kind=small} |
Scott #J3, J5 Knudsen Printings [1899 (1905 Printings) 10 and 20 øre "at betale" Postage Dues, Knudsen Printings, Perforation 14.5 x 13.5] (VF, Fine) on reverse of an August 1920 cover from KRISTIANIA (with machine cancellation) to SANDEFJORD. The original mailing date is unclear, but likely either 13 or 14 August. The cover was originally mailed with only 5 and 10 øre Posthorn stamps affixed, which would pay the domestic 15 øre letter rate to 20 grams. However, as can be seen by the faint wear lines at the edges of the envelope, the cover was heavier than that. Somewhere along the line, a blue crayon "30" was written on the front, which indicates postage due of 30 øre for a 15 øre underpayment (which would have paid the postage up to 125 grams) plus a 15 øre penalty fee (at this time postage due penalties were also the amount of the underpayment). Somebody, probably the original sender, probably the next day, added a 15 øre stamp to the postage and the cover was AGAIN machine-canceled, this time clearly on 14 August 1920. My theory is that the sender was in the post office every day and a friendly postal clerk held back the initially-canceled underpaid letter as a courtesy to the sender, so that the sender could add the required 15 øre postage BEFORE postal service was rendered, thus BEFORE the penalty became effective and charged to the recipient. It is not immediately obvious, but the 15 øre stamp is ON TOP OF THE FIRST MACHINE CANCELLATION. Based on the faint edge-wear lines, I believe that the cover was over 20 grams, but under 125 grams, thus the total now-30 øre franking became correct. However, either a) the blue "30" was not crossed out as it should have been after the 15 øre stamp was added; or b) the weight was actually over 125 grams and thus was STILL 15 øre underpaid [45 øre for a letter up to 500 grams] (which would have still resulted in a postage due charge of 30 øre). Upon arrival in Sandefjord (the postmark on the reverse is clearly August 1920 and believe it is 17 August 1920), 30 øre was charged to the recipient and the two postage due stamps on the reverse were affixed and canceled. The original combination of postage was paid by Scott #77, 80, and 83 [1910 5 øre green, 1909 10 øre carmine, and 1910 15 øre brown Posthorn stamps] (Fine, F-VF, VF). Any use of the printed-for-purpose Norwegian postage due stamps on cover is much scarcer than the absurdly low values in the catalogs. However, this cover is even scarcer, presenting a complicated situation that I have never before (in 53 years) seen on a Norwegian cover. This would be an outstanding addition to a collection of Norwegian postage due postal history. ACTUAL item. |
85.00 |
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229679 "View EXACT ACTUAL Image"){kind=small} |
195 (VF) on 1947 underfranked 31 May cover from NESTTUN with 15 ore postage to BERGEN. Marked "+20" due. On reverse a 20 ore stamp (#196) has been affixed and canceled with ordinary (it is so plain it is unusual) BERGEN 2 June postmark. Roughly opened but still unusual. ACTUAL item. |
14.00 |
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229637 "View EXACT ACTUAL Image"){kind=small} |
195, 310 (VF) on 25 June 1951 picture post card (Vigeland) from OSLO, to the U.S. with airmail label affixed. However, the 35 øre postage did not pay the airmail rate, thus Norwegian postage due handstamp applied: single-ring, violet "T / 5 / cts.". There is also a violet single-line marking between two lines "Not paid for air mail"; I think this is a Norwegian marking, but am unsure -- note that it is in English. I cannot recall previously seeing that marking. No indication that postage due was collected upon delivery. ACTUAL item. |
15.00 |