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.