Preview of Stamps Catalogue CD : VOLUME 2

NORWAY (Norge) 1855-1877

Return To Catalogue - Norway 1878-1920 - Spitsbergen - Local issues overview (bypost)

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

Stamps with inscription 'OFFENTLIG SAK', 'OFF. SAK' or 'TJENESTEFRIMERKE' are official stamps (not listed by me, because issued after 1920).

Stamp with inscription 'OFF. SAK'

Bypost (local issues) existed in the towns of Aalesund, Arendal, Bergen, Christiansund, Drammen, Grimstad, Hammerfest, Holmestrand, Horten, Kragero, Levanger, Mandal, Namsos, Stenkjaer, Tromso, Trondheim, Tonsberg, Vadso and Vardo. Click here for more information about these local issues.

1855 Arms of Norway with Lion, inscription 'FRIMAERKE'

  4 Skilling blue

This stamp has a watermark 'Lion with axe' (but is hard to distinghuish in most cases).
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
4 s RRR ***

Cancels:

(11 bars and 12 bars cancel)

(pen cancel and town cancel)

Aalesund '2' ringcancel

Special cancel
(Bars cancel and numeral cancel, reduced sizes)

Cancels: from 1st of January 1855 (date of issue) to the beginning of 1856 (26t of January) bar cancels were used (usually 11 to 12 bars) in black (sometimes in blue). They are known as 'gridirons' (or 'riststempel'), 10 bar cancels also also known, but are rare. They were then replaced by numeral cancels consisting of three rings with a number varying from 1 to 383 in the center. For a list of towns see below. Usually the colour of these numeral cancels in black, but some blue cancels exist and number 123 is known to exist in red colour. Some of these numeral cancels are very rare (or even not known to exist). It seems that these stamps were also sometimes pencancelled or cancelled with circular town cancels. Forged numeral cancels with numbers higher than 383 seem to exist (reference: http://www.firstissues.org/ficc/details/norway_1.shtml).

Some towns corresponding to the three-ring number cancels (trering), numbers ranging from 1 to 383:
2 Aalesund
7 Aasgaardstrand
14 Arendal
25 Bergen
35 Brevig
41 Børsen
42 Christiana
48 Drammen
100 Hammerfest
123 Holmestrand
127 Horten
159 Kongsvinger
169 Langesund
172 Laurvig
264 Skien
282 Stavanger
329 Vadso

Forgeries exist. There should be 39 horizontal lines in the circle and 24 vertical lines in the shield in the genuine stamps. Example of a forgery:

(Forgery)

(Forgery, image obtained from Bill Claghorn's forgery site, note the tail of the lion)

A modern forgery exists made by Peter Winter in the 1980's. I have only seen it cancelled with 4-ring cancel with a dot in the center. Uncancelled and tete-beche forgeries were also made by him:

Some modern (1914 onwards) reprints seem to exist, see: http://www.firstissues.org/ficc/details/norway_1.shtml.

Literature:
'Norway Number One, The 4 Sk Lion of 1855' by V.Tuffs European Philately 13; also includes information concerning forgeries.
'Norway Number One, The New Handbook' by Tore Gjelsvik (1994).

1856 King Oscar I

  2 s yellow
  3 s violet
  4 s blue
  8 s red

These stamps have perforation 13.
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
2 s R ***
3 s *** ***
4 s *** *
8 s R **

Cancels: numeral cancels or town cancels.

(Very clear 'BERGEN' cancel)

1863 Arms of Norway, lion

1863 Value written once on the stamp

3 s lilac

  2 Skill yellow
  3 Skill lilac
  4 Skill blue
  8 Skill red
  24 Skill brown

1867 Value written twice on the stamp

  1 Skill 1 black
  2 Skill 2 orange
  3 Skill 3 lilac
  4 Skill 4 blue
  8 Skill 8 red

Surcharged

  '14 ORE' on 2 Sk orange (1929)
  'Kr. 1.00' (green) on 2 Sk orange (1905)
  'Kr. 1.50' (blue) on 2 Sk orange (1905)
  'Kr. 2.00' (red) on 2 Sk orange (1905)

These stamps have perforation 14 1/2 x 13 1/2.
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
Value written once on the stamp
2 s R ***
3 s R R
4 s *** *
8 s *** **
24 s *** ***
Value written twice on the stamp
1 s ** **
2 s * *
3 s R ***
4 s *** *
8 s R **
Surcharged
14 o on 2 s c c
1 K on 2 s * **
1.50 K on 2 s *** ***
2 k on 2 s *** ***

Forgery:

(Image obtained from Kristian Wang)

(I've been told that this is a forged 'Kr.2.00' overprint)

1872 Posthorn, small letters in 'NORGE

Value in 'SKILLING'

  1 Skilling green
  2 Skilling blue
  3 Skilling red
  4 Skilling lilac
  6 Skilling brown
  7 Skilling brown

Surcharged

  '15 Ore' on 4 Skilling lilac (1908)
  '30 Ore' on 7 Skilling brown (1906)

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 s	*	*	Several shades of green
2 s	*	*
3 s	**	c
4 s	*	*	Several shades of colour
6 s	R	***
7 s	**	**
Surcharged
15 o on 4 s	*	c
30 o on 7 s	*	*

1877 Posthorn, value in 'ORE', thin letters in 'NORGE'

  1 Ore grey
  2 Ore brown
  3 Ore orange
  5 Ore blue
  5 Ore green
  10 Ore red
  12 Ore green
  12 Ore brown
  20 Ore brown
  20 Ore blue
  25 Ore lilac
  35 Ore green
  50 Ore red
  60 Ore blue

Surcharged

  '2 Ore' on 12 o brown (1888)

Specialists further distinguish in this thin letter print, stamps printed by P. Petersen, Chr. Johnsen or the State printer (Centraltrykeriet). They differ in size and in small details (such as the shading on the posthorn).
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 * * Shades of grey
2 o c c
3 o ** *
5 o blue ** *
5 o green ** c
10 o ** c
12 o green *** *
12 o brown *** ***
20 o brown *** *
20 o blue ** c
25 o ** * Shades of colour
35 o ** *
50 o ** *
60 o ** *
Surcharged
2 o on 12 o c c

1894 Posthorn value in 'ORE', thick letters in 'NORGE'

  1 Ore grey
  2 Ore brown
  3 Ore orange
  5 Ore green
  5 Ore lilac (1922)
  7 Ore green (1929)
  10 Ore red
  10 Ore green (1922)
  12 Ore violet (1918)
  15 Ore brown
  15 Ore blue (1920)
  20 Ore blue
  20 Ore green (1921)
  25 Ore lilac
  25 Ore red (1922)
  30 Ore grey
  30 Ore blue (1927)
  35 Ore green
  35 Ore olive (1919)
  40 Ore green (1917)
  40 Ore blue (1922)
  50 Ore brown
  60 Ore blue

Surcharged

  '5 ore' on 25 ore lilac (1922)

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	vc	vc
2 o	c	vc
3 o	c	vc
5 o green	c	vc
5 o lilac	c	vc
7 o	c	vc
10 o red	c	vc
10 o green	*	vc
12 o	c	c
15 o brown	*	vc
15 o blue	c	vc
20 o blue	c	vc
20 o green	c	vc
25 o lilac	*	vc
25 o red	*	c
30 o grey	*	vc
30 o blue	c	c
35 o green	*	c
35 o olive	*	vc
40 o green	*	c
40 o blue	*	vc
50 o brown	*	vc
60 o blue	*	c	Shades of blue
Surcharged
5 o on 25 o	c	c

The various types of these stamps can be identified at: http://www.frimerkehuset.no/fh/posthorn/posthorn.htm

Postcards in the same desing exist, I have seen: 2 sk blue, 3 sk red, 5 o blue, 6 o green and 10 o red.

For stamps of Norway issued from 1878 to 1920 click here.

Small Norvegian dictionary

Auksjon = auction
Brev = letter
Frimerker = stamps
Norge = Norway
Postfrisk = uncancelled
Postkort = postcard
Riststempel (or Ristestempel?) = bar cancel
Samling = collection
Stempel = cancel
Stemplet = cancelled

Stamps - Timbres-Poste - Briefmarken - Frimerker

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer

Preview of Stamps Catalogue CD : VOLUME 2