Local Rate Mail during
the
1919 Provisional Period
Provisional 1919 Miniature
Sheet, Issued 2019
| Stamp reference numbers
are as follows; |
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| DK (Danish Postal
Administration Period) - DAKA GF 10 · 2017 Edition FO (Faroese Postal Administration Period) - DAKA GF 10 · 2017 Edition |
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SG - Stanley Gibbons
Denmark and Norway · 2018
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Between 1st October 1916 and 30th
June 1920 all of the Faroes constituted a single local
postal area and therefore mail within the Islands
could be sent at the Local rate. The Inland rate
applied only to mail to Denmark.
Threrfore, up to the end of 1918, local letters could be sent at the 5 øre rate (and postcards at the 3 øre rate). |
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| THORSHAVN dated -4.4.1917 Used on a 3 øre (grey) stationery postcard. Datestamp No. 01.05 Type Bro IIIb Local postcard rate of 3 øre applied for post within the Islands from 01.10.1888 until 31.12.1918 |
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| THORSHAVN dated 18-11-1918 Franked with a 5 øre Christian X, green (SG135). Datestamp No. 01.05 Type Bro IIIb Relatively late usage of the Local letter rate of 5 øre applied for post within the Islands from 01.10.1902 until 31.12.1918 |
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New postal rates came into effect on 1st January 1919, the most significant change was the raising of the local letter rate from 5 øre Due to shipping delays the newly issued 7 øre stamps were not available locally and as a result existing stocks of 1 øre and 2 øre stamps that were used to supplement the 5 øre stamps were soon exhausted. In response to these shortages the postal headquarters in Copenhagen instructed Torshavn postal officials to start bisecting existing 4 øre stamps on 3rd January and to use them as 2 øre. Although commercial use of stamp bisects are know later, most were used before 14th January.  (60th anniversary of use of bisected 4 øre stamps). |
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THORSHAVN dated 11.1.1919 Franked with a 5 øre King Christian X, green (SG135) together with a Bisected 4 øre Wavy-line, blue (DK1A) Datestamp No. 01.05 Type Bro IIIb Local letter rate of 7 øre applied for post within the Islands from 01.01.1919 until 14.10.1919. |
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From 6th January 1919 newspaper wrappers were then cut up, removing their 4 øre frankings and bisecting them. Since wrappers were not gummed, these bisects were affixed with improvised glue or tucked under an accompanying stamp. These bisects are known to have been used commercially until at least February 1919. |
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THORSHAVN dated 12.1.1919 Franked with a 5 øre King Christian X, green (SG135) together with a Bisected 4 øre newspaper wrapper, blue (DK2A) Datestamp No. 01.05 Type Bro IIIb Local letter rate of 7 øre applied for post within the Islands from 01.01.1919 until 14.10.1919. |
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With copies of the 4 øre stamp running short further permission was granted to produce a local 2 øre overprint on 5 øre. Each overprint was applied by hand using printer's type, set into the base of a chair leg. Some very uneven (and even inverted) overprints were produced as a result, including double and partly double overprints. The new overprinted stamps first went on sale on 13th January 1919. |
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| Provisional 2 øre overprint on 5 øre King Christian X,
green (DK3). Unused with original gum. With Møller certificate. |
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THORSHAVN dated 20.1.1919 3 øre Wavy Line Stationery card, grey (SG111), together with a local (provisional) 2 øre overprint on a 5 øre Christian X green (DK3), to make up the new 5 øre rate Datestamp No. 01.05 Type Bro IIIb Local Postcard rate of 5 øre applied for post within the Islands from 01.01.1919 until 14.10.1919. A very rare combination |
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| THORSHAVN dated 21.1.1919 Franked with a 5 øre Christian X, green (SG135), together with a local (provisional) 2 øre overprint on a 5 øre Christian X green (DK3), to make up the new 7 øre rate Datestamp No. 01.05 Type Bro IIIb Local letter rate of 7 øre applied for post within the Islands from 01.01.1919 until 14.10.1919. |
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THORSHAVN dated 18.1.1919 Franked with a 5 øre Christian X, green (SG135), together with a local (provisional) 2 øre overprint on a 5 øre Christian X green (DK3), to make up the new 7 øre rate Datestamp No. 01.05 Type Bro IIIb Local letter rate of 7 øre applied for post within the Islands from 01.01.1919 until 14.10.1919. |
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THORSHAVN dated 18.1.1919 Franked with a 5 øre Christian X, green (SG135), together with a local (provisional) 2 øre overprint on a 5 øre Christian X green (DK3), to make up the new 7 øre rate Datestamp No. 01.05 Type Bro IIIb Local letter rate of 7 øre applied for post within the Islands from 01.01.1919 until 14.10.1919. |
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Provisional stamps affixed in transit Usually stamps are supplied to post offices and then sold to customers to frank their letters. However, in January 1919 not all villages with collecting offices (or receiving stations i.e. those with cancellers) received supplies of the 2 øre on 5 øre provisional stamp prior to supplies of the 1 and 2 øre stamps being exhausted (to make up the new 7 øre local letter rate). One solution pressed into use, at such village post offices, was to partially frank their covers with a 5 øre stamp (which was then cancelled) and the remaining 2 øre paid in cash. The mail would then be dispatched to the post office in charge of the collecting office where it was was upfranked with the 2 øre on 5 øre provisional stamp. This additional stamp would then be cancelled with the main post office dated transit/receipt postmark. |
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SAND undated Datestamp No. 09.02 Type Uds also THORSHAVN dated 20.1.1919 Franked with a 5 øre Christian X, green (SG135), together with a local (provisional) 2 øre overprint on a 5 øre Christian X green (DK3), to make up the new 7 øre rate Datestamp No. 01.05 Type Bro IIIb The 2 øre on a 5 øre provisional has been applied at Thorshavn. Local letter rate of 7 øre applied for post within the Islands from 01.01.1919 until 14.10.1919. |
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New issues of the 7 øre, orange, King Christian X stamp for the revised postal rates did not arrive until 23rd January 1919. |
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THORSHAVN dated 19.8.1919 Franked with a 7 øre King Christian X, orange (SG136). Datestamp No. 01.05 Type Bro IIIb Local letter rate of 7 øre applied for post within the Islands from 01.01.1919 until 14.10.1919. |
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MIDVAAG undated Franked with a 7 øre King Christian X, orange (SG136). Datestamp No. 08.02 Type Uds This is a local letter sent from Midvaag to Bo, and is part of a well-known correspondence. However, both villages are on Vagar island, so when travelling this route the postman would have delivered this letter directly and not returned it to Thorshavn for processing. The cover does not therefore have a dated Thorshavn postmark showing it is sent in 1919. However the Local letter rate of 7 øre only applied for post within the Islands from 01.01.1919 until 14.10.1919 so there is little doubt it is from the 1919 period. |
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Further increases in postal rates on 15th October 1919 meant the new 7 øre stamp was no longer used for local letters, this rate having increased to 10 øre. However, the new 7 øre stamp remained in use as it now fulfilled the new local postcard rate which remained until 30th June 1920. |
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THORSHAVN dated 22.12.1919 Franked with a 7 øre King Christian X, orange (SG136). Datestamp No. 01.05 Type Bro IIIb Postcard sending season’s greetings, addressed within the islands, sent at the local postcard rate of 7 øre which applied for postcards within the Islands from 15.10.1919 until 30.06.1920. |
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THORSHAVN dated 10.5.1920 Franked with a 10 øre King Christian X, scarlet, SG138. Datestamp No. 01.05 Type Bro IIIb Local letter rate of 10 øre (250g) applied for post within the Islands from 15.10.1919 until 28.02.1921. However the rate for this letter from Thorshavn to Kvivig would increase on 01.07.1920 due to changes in the rules governing Local rate mail (see below) |
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On 1st July 1920 the rules for Local rate mail changed. Local rates were now only applicable for mail sent within the juristriction of a post office, sub-office or minor sub-office, falling within a radius centered on that office of one Danish mil (about 7.5km) whether overland or by sea. Examples of future Local Rate items can be found on the General Postal History page |
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