Catalogue Greenland

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the catalogue;
contact me if you want to purchase the catalogue.

1905 Parcel Post stamps showing an icebear, inscription "PAKKE-PORTO", no country name

Cancels: About 25 different cancels were used, most in black or purple (but also red, source: the below mentioned website).

From 1927 to 1938 these stamps were also used as savings stamps (some of them with the above shown 'avane' cancel).

Reprints (forgeries?) exist of these stamps. From the below mentioned website I quote:

"In the 1970s, reprints of the Pakke-Porto stamps were produced, using the original printing blocks that were found in the Ministry for Greenland, the new supervising office of KGH. The reprints are made in such a way that the collector can distinguish between the different printings, the special re-perforations of sheets with imperf sheet margins, and identify some of the major varieties. The ministry, to collect funds for cultural activities in Greenland, sold them."
N.B: 'KGH' stand for Royal Greenland Trade Company (Kongelige Grønlandske Handel)

Interesting website about the history and stamps of Greenland: http://www.scc-online.org/ph00may-greenland%20philately.pdf

A stamp with inscription 'GRØNLANDSKE LUFTPOST' (airmail of Greenland) was issued in 1933. It has dove with a letter flying above icebergs as its design. I have never seen a picture of this stamp.

1938 King Christian X (small sized stamps) and polar bear (larger sized stamps)

King (small sized stamps): 1 o black, 5 o brown, 7 o green, 10 o violet, 15 o red, 20 o red.

Polar bear (larger sized stamps): 30 o blue, 40 o blue, 1 K brown. Surcharged (1956): '60 øre' on 40 o blue, '60 øre' on 1 K brown.

1945 Various designs

Seal: 1 o green and blue, 5 o brown and olive, 7 o green and black.
King on a horse: 10 o blue and green, 15 o red and blue.
Sledge with dogs: 30 o grey and brown.
Polar bear: 1 K brown and grey.
Canoe: 2 K black and green.
Bird: 5 K violet and black.

1950 King Frederic IX (small sized stamps) and ship with iceberg

King (small sized stamps, 'FIX' in upper left corner): 1 o olive, 5 o brown, 10 o green, 15 o violet, 25 o red, 30 o blue, 30 o red.

Ship (Gustav Holm) with iceberg: 50 o blue, 1 K brown, 1 K grey, 2 K red, 5 K grey. Overprinted with cross and surcharged (1958): 30+10 on 50 o blue.

Thule District

(Area in North West Greenland, issued only stamps in 1935)

1935 Inscription '1910 -1935', various designs

  10 o green (Knud Rasmussen)
  15 o red (Flag, ship and mountains)
  25 o violet (rob)
  30 o blue (Thule observation post)
  45 o grey (Cape York)

I have seen reprints in a souvenir sheet with accompagnying text, issued by the Danish Filatelic Society (in collaboration with the Red Cross?) using the original stones. Apparently this sheet was issued to commemorate Knud Rasmussen. The perforation seems to be different from the stamps above.

Spitsbergen (Spidsbergen)

1896 Polar bear attacking man

1896 Man shooting at Polar bear

1911 Inscription 'SPITSBERGEN' polar bear looking at ship

  20 o brown
Other values might exist.

Other issue (date of issue unknown, 1911?):

  5 o brown
  10 o violet
  20 o grey
  30 o brown
  50 o olive
Other values might exist.

1905 Other design, inscription 'SPITSBERGEN', polar bear in a shield:

The following information was passed on to me by Magne Josefsen (Norway):
"This label was used by tourists on cruise ships travelling in the arctic sea visiting Spitsbergen. They were used in addition to normal stamps on letters/postcards. It was issued in 1905. The design shows a shield with a walking polar beer and two stars. Probably issued by what was later called "Troms Fylkes Dampskipsselskap". Troms is a county (fylke) in northern Norway, Dampskipsselskap = steam ship company."
(thanks Magne for this information).

NORDKAP

1920(?)

I've seen some stamps with inscription 'NORDKAP', see with a ship and rocks. The values that are known to me are: 5 øre green, 5 øre brown, blue without value and black on green paper without value (information thanks to Magne Josefsen; other values might exist). These stamps were used on ships like the Spitsbergen stamps.

Label Polar Post

1903 Inscription 'POLAR POST', label

According to Magne Josefsen (Norway) this is actually a label used by tourists on cruise ships travelling in the arctic sea visiting Spitsbergen. They were used in addition to normal stamps on letters/postcards. This label was issued in 1897. It pictures a walrus on flake of ice in the midnight sun. Issued by W. Bade, a German captain. (Thanks Magne for this information). Note the German cancel on this label (Wurzen 18 7 03)! I have also seen this label with cancel 'SPITZBERGEN NORDK???' (I couldn't read the last letters).

SVALBARD

Recently (2003), some local stamps were issued for Svalbard, they have the inscription 'LOKALPOST' I have seen the values 400 (polar bear) and 800 (bird).

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 o	*	*
2 o	**	**
5 o	*	*
10 o	*	*
15 o	*	*
20 o	*	*
70 o	**	**
1 K	**	**
3 K	***	***

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
All values	*	*

GREENLAND