Tag: Denmark stamp

The Vikings traveled far and wide both for war and for trade. To do this they invented new techniques in shipbuilding that managed light weight and ocean seaworthyness, often goals in conflict. In this stamp issue, Denmark went beyond the long ago by including a modern tanker to imply the tradition continues. That was so in 1970. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable  chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

The light colors, perhaps faded over the last 52 years, do not make the modern supertanker image jump out. The image does make the ship seem quite large. Sort of strange as traditional Viking shipbuilding emphasized compact size and low weight/water displacement. Perhaps to imply that shipbuilding is bigger and better than ever. You can’t fault the Danes for optimism.

Todays stamp is issue A134, a 90 Ore stamp issued by Denmark on September 24th, 1970. It was a four stamp issue on Viking shipbuilding with this new ship getting the highest denomination. According to the Scott Catalog, the stamp is worth $1.25 mint or used.

Scadinavian shipbuilding began all the way back in the Bronze Age, as also shown as part of this stamp issue. It is thought that the geography of Scandiavia with long coastlines with many natural ports compared to interiors of high mountains, was condusive more to sea travel than by land.

The Vikings designed ships with wood that overlapped the adjoining piece of wood that allowed a higher bow. The  wood peices were riveted together by wrought iron that added much stiffness. The resulting ships proved capable of crossing the north Atlantic ocean while other Bronze Age shipbuilders we building for the peaceful Mediterranian Sea.

Scaninavia eventually broke up into modern nation states. So where did that leave the shipbuilding industry. At the time of this stamp in 1970 not bad. Ships, now almost all comercial, were being made for the worldwide market. Japan and South Korea were also coming on strong. However knowing Danish workers earned higher salaries than Asian competitors, the Danish government subsidized the shipbuilders so the product could still compete.

In 1996, the government subsities to Danish shipbuilders came to an end. Within four years the three largest shipbuilders in Denmark had closed at the loss of over 10,000 direct jobs.

There was an old Viking tradition that upon the death of an important person. a votive offering to the Gods would be made were the dead person would be sent to sea alone on a ship except with household goods and perhaps his also sacrficed dogs, horses, and maybe even a serf. A supertanker like on the stamp to some is an image of ecological sin. Thus that the shipyard that built it has been sacraficed and repurposed as a windfarm for clean energy is perhaps pleasing to the Gods in keeping with Viking tradition. It is just too bad the old workers had to play the part in the passion play of the old dogs, horses, and serfs.

Well my drink is empty. Come again next Monday for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting. Also have a Happy Easter!

The story today is of a man fascinated by the stars while those around him stared at his nose. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, conduct a bladder check, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

The stamp today is Danish. Aesthetically it is a disappointment. The man on the stamp wore a prosthetic nose made of brass. Given the purpose of the stamp is to remember Mr. Brahe, it might have been nice to include his most memorable feature. No such luck. Perhaps something to do with his career in astronomy. No. This stamp is a poor effort on the part of the Danish Postal Authorities.

Todays issue is A56, a 20 ore stamp issued by Denmark on December 14 1946. The stamp remembers the 400 anniversary of the birth of Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. It was a single stamp issue and is worth 30 cents in its mint condition.

Tycho Brahe was born to a noble family in Scandia in what was then Denmark. Scandia lies at the southern tip of Sweden. The people at the time were ethnically and linguistically Danish. Brahe was well educated at schools throughout Europe and developed an interest in astronomy. His family wanted him to take on more noble duties but he found a benefactor in the Danish King Fredrick II, who named him royal astrologer.

Tycho got in a dispute that ended in a duel. In a swordfight in the dark he lost most of his nose and had a bad scar on his forehead. He was fitted with a prosthetic nose that was glued to his face. He told people it was made of gold but it later proved to be made of brass.

Five years later he met a girl named Kristen and fell in love. She was a commoner so legally they were not allowed to marry. Denmark did have a rule though that if such a couple lived together as man and wife for three years that the marriage was legal. However the man stays noble, the wife and any children remain common and cannot inherit titles. The royal court ignored Kristen and the eight children.

Mr. Brahe’s contribution to astronomy were realizing the other planets orbited the sun rather than the Earth. He also realized that a supernova was the creation of a new star and therefore the celestial bodies are not fixed forever as was then believed. What he was wrong about was that the sun did not revolve around an unmoving earth. He was the last of the astronomers to make many of his observations with his bare eyes.

When King Fredrick died, the regency of his son chose not to continue supporting Mr. Brahe. He had many detractors in the court including many in the Lutheran Church. Tycho eventually found another benefactor in the Holy Roman Emperor and moved to Prague. There Kristen was accepted as noble.

During a noble ball in 1601 tragedy struck. The festivities went on for quite a period and Tycho felt it would violate rules of etiquette to excuse himself to urinate. By the time he arrived home he was in terrible pain and could no longer relieve himself as his bladder had burst. He was 55. It was rumored he was poisoned by the Danish Royals but his remains were exhumed  in Prague in 2010 and they discovered that his bladder indeed burst and that his nose was made of brass.

Well my drink is empty and if you will excuse me I will take a rest break before pouring another. Come again  for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

A small crowded country might have to bring in a lot of food. Same thing with industrial and consumer goods. Sounds like a formula for staying poor.  Yet somehow Denmark is prosperous. Maybe they considered carefully how to make the best of what they had. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

In the title, I hinted that the stamp is misleading with regard to agriculture. I don’t think the stamp designers meant it to be. They were told to put together a set of stamps showing off modern agriculture and did so. It is hard to make out what is going on with this stamp thanks to typically poor period Scandinavian printing, but it is showing a harvester combine as was used in wheat cultivation. They have the potential to look impressive and modern on a stamp, see https://the-philatelist.com/2019/06/19/nicaragua-1976-somoza-will-bleed-the-peasants-dry-and-then-automate-their-function/  , but have nothing to do with what was getting Denmark ahead. It is a better stamp that tells the real story.

Todays stamp is issue A79, a 30 Ore stamp issued by Denmark on April 28th, 1960. It was a three stamp issue in various denominations. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents used.

Agriculture up to the nineteenth century was not particularly successful. There was wheat and cereals to go with some raising of pigs. As the farms were smaller, costs were higher. Denmark was not very fertile as land to the west tended to be quite sandy and that in the east had a great deal of clay. Much money was expended in government programs adding topsoil that would allow for more fertility.

This was not enough as there was not enough land for the large, productive wheat farms that exist in the American midsection, Canada, Australia, and perhaps in old Soviet fantasies, the Ukraine. Those are where the combine harvesters shine.

What if though you could use what land you have to do a few things agriculturally mainly for export and that revenue could then be enough to import the more land intensive basic foodstuffs. There was an excess demand for dairy in the UK that could be satisfied by dairy farms on Jutland. Zealand is low lying and gets a healthy dose of rainfall. This is condusive to fast growing cereals. The pig raising is still a big part of things. This small crowded country manages not to have an agricultural trade deficit. Not what one might expect.

Well my drink is empty and I have a sudden desire to have some crackers with ham and cheese with the next round. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

By the 20th Century, if left alone, Scandinavia will tend toward neutrality. Denmark sat out World War I and benefited greatly, if not enough to satisfy King Christian X. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

Todays stamp shows a newly acquired castle in the area of Northern Schleswig that was retaken from a defeated Germany. The Danes have since sensibly renamed the area South Jutland. It being hard to argue Jutland isn’t naturally Danish. Sonderborg Castle was actually built by Danish 12th century King Valdemar I, so does a great job of signifying Danish claims to the area are long term and have legitimacy. Sonderborg Castle wasn’t the prize  that it may appear on the stamp. The previous owner, a Schleswig Duke, had been renting the castle out as a warehouse.

Todays stamp is issue A21, a 20 Ore stamp issued by the Kingdom of Denmark on October 5th, 1920. It was a three stamp issue in various denominations celebrating the return after 50 years of Northern Schleswig to Denmark. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 50 cents used.

Denmark got many benefits from staying out of World War I. Wartime Germany was short of everything Denmark had to export and paid dearly for it. Denmark was able to sell money pit colonies in the Virgin Islands to the USA for still more money. See https://the-philatelist.com/2019/05/01/danish-west-indies-1900-triangular-trade-becomes-triangular-bidding/  . After the War, there was even a vote in Schleswig as to whether the area wanted to be Danish or German. The Northern area voted 3 to 1 to return to Denmark. The southern part, despite relative German poverty, voted to stay German. This outraged King Christian X, who thought the whole of Schleswig should be Danish whatever the voting. If you are guessing that the Danish Royal family probably  could trace it’s heritage to areas still part of Germany, you would be correct. In any case, the elected government did not appreciate the interference of the King, and there was a constitutional crisis over Easter in 1920. The King eventually backed down and stayed on the Throne in return for staying out of politics. See https://the-philatelist.com/2018/09/05/iceland-honors-king-christian-one-last-time-before-the-union-with-denmark-ends/ .

Sonderborg Castle was built first as a fortified tower in the 12th Century by Danish King Valdemar I. It was built on a then separate(now connected) small island off the bigger island of Als on the Baltic Sea side of Jutland. The fort was built to defend Germanic settlements from attacks of the Wends people. The Wends people were Slavic people who had ended up on what Middle Age Germans would consider the wrong side (western) of the Oder River. Over the long term the Wend Slavs integrated with the Germans and lost their separate identity. While there are really no more Wend people, the term has survived in some Baltic languages as a sneer aimed at Russia. The castle over many years gradually was rebuilt into a castle. It’s most interesting claim to fame was when deposed Danish King Christian III was held there against his will for 17 years starting in 1532. A legend grew up that he paced around a round table so much that his thumb wore a groove in it. The castle passed through many hands and the last Duke who owned it was happy to sell out to the government of Denmark in 1920. The Duke was not living in it but renting it out to serve as a warehouse. The castle currently contains a museum which is the main place for the artefacts of the former  Dutchy of Schleswig. Hmmm….

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast all those who remember to stay on the right side of the Oder. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

Denmark had just come through a rough period. Having lost territory to Germany and Sweden, conservative forces tried hard to settle things down while radical socialists tried to improve the lot of the little man. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

On todays stamp the denomination is front and center. This is on purpose as this was one of the great achievements of the conservative prime minister and King. New in 1875 was a monetary union of all of Scandinavia that pegged all the currencies equally to a  fixed value of gold. This made trade easier and lasted till World War I. It was hoped that this was a first step to a fuller Scandinavian  political union but this was as far as it got.

Todays stamp is issue A6, a 16 Ore stamp issued by the Kingdom of Denmark in 1875. This was a 10 stamp issue in various denominations. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $6.50 used. There is a version where some of the arabesques in the corner are inverted. Surprisingly this lowers the value slightly. I can’t quite make out if mine is like that as the cancellation and my less than stellar eyesight hide it.

Denmark was somewhat demoralized in the late 19th Century. The King, Christian IX, was from an area just lost to Germany when the previous King died without issue. Choosing Christian, passed over several closer female prospects. He worked in close concert with conservative Prime Ministers such as Jacob Estrup. This was true even after Estrup lost an election and yet refused to leave power. The Parliament refused to work with him so he legislated himself “provisionally” with his laws being signed off by the King.

The opposition to all this was socialist and routed in the labor movement. One of it’s leaders was Louis Pio, a struggling postman and member of the First Socialist International. He organized a series of strikes that were effective in raising wages. He would only strike one industry at a time, only when over half the workers had joined the  Socialist International, and only when he had enough funds to pay the strikers during the strike. This proved effective and attracted the attention of the conservative government.

Pio was arrested and spent three years in jail for organizing an illegal meeting. Upon release he again began organizing for the Socialists. This time the government took a different tact. They hit upon Pio’s precarious personal finances and bribed him to emigrate to America. Pio had visions of establishing a Socialist utopian commune in Kansas. However the project failed. Socialism  being urban and bourgeois, there was no ability to farm among his followers. He died later in Chicago after many years of struggling doing odd jobs. He still has a legacy in Denmark in that many of the red postboxes that he designed as a postman are still in use today. Below are pictures of Pio and Estrup. I won’t label them but see if you can tell the right winger from the left winger.

Well, my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast Scandinavians getting along and the gold standard. I am afraid none of the people in this story were particularly impressive and it is Friday and I have a thirst. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

A new bridge opens in 1985, that speeds travel from place to place. It is an early example of a modern style bridge but represents the last gasp of western infrastructure. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

I very much like the visuals of this stamp. A new bridge naturally makes one thing of a better future with more possibilities. Something there is less and less of in Western countries where so many stamps have us either looking back or at something that is really only aimed at a few of us. To add to the visuals, the bridge design was of the new variety, with diamond shaped concrete supports and different arrangements of steel cables. The bridge allowed a quick transit between the islands of Falster and Zealand while remaining on the modern highway. This allows quicker trips to and from Copenhagen on the island of Zealand.

Todays stamp is issue A25, a 2.8 Krones stamp issued by the Kingdom of Denmark on May 21st, 1985. It is a single stamp issue celebrating the opening of the  Faro-Falster bridge. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 35 cents used.

The bridge on the stamp today was meant to reduce congestion on a much smaller bridge that dated from 1937. The older bridge was kept around for rail traffic. This bridge is now in a poor state and is unsuited for an electrified railway. So there are plans to replace it by another bridge that will incorporate two railway tracks, automobiles and a bike path. I say plans because the process for getting anything new built means that plans take decades to materialize. Funding has to go through a political process that not only includes Denmark but also the European Union. It would be crazy not to apply to them for funding but doing so adds so many years to the project that one wonders if the whole point is to make sure nothing happens.  Even in the best of circumstances coordinating the dictates of two separate bureaucracies must be daunting. The infrequency of actually completing one makes one wonder about the quality of the bridge builders, now that a whole career can be spent on just one project. It does not make for well experienced bridge builders that face new and different challenges every few years.

An example of forever delays is the Fehmarn Belt project that is to take traffic off the bridge on todays stamp by creating a tunnel to connect Zealand to Germany. The project has sat on the shelf so long that the proposed route avoids the old East Germany. Remember Germany was reunited in 1990 and there are no longer travel complications from passing through its Eastern areas. Indeed it is preferable to do so from a distance point of view and also to open up more road and rail travel to Poland. The current in service date of the Fehmarn Belt tunnel is 2028 if everything stays on schedule. To scrap it and start with something more fitting to todays world would add decades to the project. I won’t hold my breath waiting for the stamp celebrating the opening of the Fehmarn Belt Tunnel.

Well my drink is empty and so I will pour another to commiserate with the modern builder. Ideas they still have but the pride that comes from making the dream a reality must have completely faded. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.