Denmark Christmas Seals
Bud's Big BlueBud's Observations
Denmark’s early stamps tend to be small and monochromatic.
Numerals in ovals and solemn, if not somber, kings predominate. Perhaps as a
remedy to this bleakness, the Danes invented the Christmas seals. They’re often
found in feeder albums brightening Denmark pages.
Star postmarks added a bit of sparkle between 1866 and 1929 (page
1, row 5- Scan 1c). But in 1929 the Danish post office ordered that the stars should be
chiseled out, leaving empty circles (page 3, row 3 -Scan 3b). Too much twinkle, I
suppose. The star cancels (aka, mill wheels) make an interesting
specialization, but forgeries abound.
Census: 206 in BB spaces, six tipped-in, 42 on supplement
pages, 29 Christmas seals (17 showing above).
Jim's Observations
There are eleven spaces in BB for the 1870-79 Numeral stamps (Scan 1b). For each of these stamp spaces, one can find a normal or inverted frame candidate. Then there are a number of color variations for these stamps, adding to the possibilities. But we have seen this before, as BB often telescopes several choices into one space: fair enough. What is disconcerting is by setting the "date" parameters to 1870-79, BB excludes the 1895-1901 and the 1902-04 Numeral re-issues. A number of these stamps are less expensive than the choices in BB. Many BB albums will have a healthy dose of 1895-1901, and 1902-04 stamps in these spaces for the good reason that they are more common and less expensive.
So a choice for BB collectors: Adhere strictly to the date requirements, fill the spaces with the (generally) more expensive 1870-79 issue, and put any "orphan" 1895-1901 and 1902-04 issues on supplemental pages, OR change BB's dates to "1870-1901" or "1870-1904", and welcome the later issues into Big Blue.
If you do decide to keep the 1895-1901 and 1902-1904 out of BB's pages, there is a simple way to identify them. They all are perforation 13, while the 1870-79 issue is 14 X 13 1/2. Now, if you elect to keep them in, then one will need to look at watermarks to separate the 1895-1901 issue (wmk 112- rounder Crown) from the 1902-04 issue (wmk 113-more narrow Crown).
Denmark Blog Post and Checklist
Page 1 (Click and enlarge for examination)
1a
1b
1c
1d
Page 2
2a
2b
2c
2d
Page 3
3a
3b
3c
3d
Page 4
4a
4b
4c
4d
Page 5
5a
5b
5c
Supplements
Page 1
Page 2
Comments appreciated!
In the 3 row on the first page you have sk(skilling) mixed with the later(after 1872) øre. In 1872,skandinavia went from skilling(1/96)to øre and krone (1/100)
ReplyDeleteYou are right of course about the denomination sequence. But the "Big Blue" album places these stamps as they are showing. See the Denmark checklist.
DeleteThanks anyway for the sharp-eye review of Bud's pages.
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