This page is
presenting some of my more "special" things from Norway.
No system - only pure philatelistic joy :-)
A letter delayed over 8 years!
The letter is sent from Oslo on
20th April 1967 - cancelled Oslo - Kornsjø, to Karachi,
Pakistan. It arrived in Karachi 29th April 1967,
but was not picked up. Postal authorities have
noted on the back that the letter "Left 22/4", and it is
again cancelled for arrival 6th May 1967. On the
left of the back it is then stamped that it left Karachi
on 8th May 1967 to be returned to Oslo. So far so
good. The letter left with S/S Northwind from
Pakistan, but the Suez crisis broke out, and on 5th June
1967, Egypt closed the Suez canal. They also sank
blockships at many spots in the canal, trapping a lot of
transit traffic in the Bitter Lakes. S/S Northwind
was one of them. The canal opened again on 10th
June 1975. On the front page of the letter is
attached an explanation of the delay: "This letter was
sent with S/S "Northwind" from Pakistan in 1967.
Due to the war i the Middle East that year, the ship was
trapped in the Suez canal, and the letter did not arrive
in Oslo until today, 2nd July 1975. Oslo Postal
District, Letter Department". Quite an interesting
story! :-)
Letters from America
Letters from America were very
plentyful, as quite a number of Norwegians settled there
in th 1800's and 1900's. But this cover is a bit
special. This is not the letter, but the envelope
it was placed it together with another by the Postal
Authorities in Norway. On the front it says
Amerikapost, which should be easy to understand in
English also ;-) Stangvik, written with a blue
pencil, is the place where the letters were to be
delivered. The letters are put into the envelope
in Kristiansund 4th August 1930, as we can see on the
front page, and sealed on the back. The letter 2
in blue pencil means two letters. It is then
cancelled on the back Nordmøre Posteksp, and Stangvik on
arrival, both 4th August 1930. The receivers of
the letters had to sign on the envelope that they had
gotten them, and Dora Heimdal signs for Mrs Maria
Heimdal while Anne Sand signs for Mrs Brit Sand on 5th
August 1930. Interesting item :-)
London 17th May 1943
A series of 6 stamps (NK 333-338) was
issued by the Norwegian Government in London 1st January
1943 for use at Norwegian ships, later also Jan Mayen.
On 30th April this series, together with two additional
lower value stamps (NK 331-332), was released for sale
in the liberated parts of Finnmark, and from 8th May in
the whole of Norway. On 5th July 1945, the whole series
was distributed through the Postal Authorities to all
post offices. Part of the series (NK 333-338) was
overprinted "London 17/5/43" and a serial number by
Purbrook & Eyres Ltd. in London. Only 4.000 sets were
overprinted, and distributed or sold through the
Norwegian Legation in Stockholm, Sweden. During the
occupation, some of these sets came to Norway and were
sold for the benefit of the resistance movement. These
stamps are known to be cancelled to order, but the
Postal Authorities have never acknowledged them as valid
for use. They are anyway now scarce and valuable - and
a colourful addition to a collection :-)
A letter to Alger from Norway
This is a special letter! The letter is sent from
Kristiania (which later was renamed Oslo), capital of
Norway 22nd July 1916 to Algiers. Since it's war,
the letter is censored, and added a peculiar round
control stamp. It arrived in Algiers 3rd August
1916 and has two different arrival stamps.
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