Not What They Seem VI

This is the sixth in a series of posts that explore postal history items that are not entirely what they should be.  This post last edited Dec 16, 2020 

The first five installments of this series focused on postal history items featuring the 24 cent 1861 US stamp.  The good news for all of those, except for the first, was that I was able to identify the problem either prior to a purchase OR I was allowed to return the item for a refund.  Here is a case where I paid for the learning privilege (the item is still in my possession).  The good news is that I did not pay much for this piece of postal history, so the price of learning was not too steep.

Mail from London to Stockholm - 1 shilling paid
Over the last few years, I have been attempting to learn more about mail between Western European nations just prior to the UPU (1850-1875).  Part of my ground rules for this endeavor is that I look for nice looking items that properly pay rates and cost an average of $25 each (I have allowed myself to extend this limit a bit more as I learn).  This gives me the chance to study actual items and learn how to make sense of them with less risk of... well, this.

Was 1 shilling enough to get to Stockholm?

The obvious potential short-coming of this approach is that I am typically only exposed to the most common items.  However, I find this to be a strength because I am learning rapidly what standard mails for this period look like.  As a result, I am now much better at recognizing two things:

1. When something might be illustrating a different aspect of mail handling for the time that could be very interesting.
2. When something is "not right" with an item.

The problem?  I am not always certain which of these two things I am observing!

Verso of the cover above.

What is this item supposed to be?
The piece of letter mail shown above was mailed in London on June 16, 1862 and arrived in Stockholm, Sweden on June 22 of the same year.  The postmarks document a stop in Hamburg on June 18 and a weak postmark on the front seems to read June 20.

The route for this mail, starting in London, shows the letter crossing the channel to Ostende, Belgium.  Belgian railways would carry the item across the country so it could enter Prussia at Aachen.  Prussian railways would then carry this item to Hamburg.

The Hamburg mail service would receive the item and then transfer it to the Danish mail office in Hamburg who would then give it to the Royal Swedish post office in Hamburg.  The Royal Danish postal service would then transit the letter through their territory to Helsingborg.  From there, crossing the Oresund from Helsingfors (Denmark) to Helsingborg (Sweden).  At that point, the letter likely followed the coast East and North to Stockholm using overland conveyance.

The front of the cover shows markings for London (June 16) and a very faint marking just under the stamps that is likely the Helsingborg marking (June 20).  The back shows markings for Hamburg's mail office (the oval) and the Swedish mail office (rectangle).  It is possible some of the blurred markings are the Royal Danish mail service markings.  And, finally, there is a receiving mark in Stockholm (circular marking over the rectangular marking).

The "P" in an oval is a British marking indicating the item was prepaid to the destination.  The red "10" looks a bit like a "W" over the spot where the "P" in the oval resides.  This is the amount in pence being passed on to the Hamburg Office from the British post (the British kept 4 pence handing over a halfpenny to the Belgians for their work).  Of the ten pence passed to the Hamburg office, another halfpenny was given to the Belgians and Hamburg kept 3 1/2 pence for their own mail services.  The remainder (6 pence) was passed on to the Scandinavians in the form of 5 silbergroschen (the "5" on the front).

I have no idea how Sweden and Denmark accounted for their services with that remaining amount and Moubray's book doesn't seem to say.  

While it is great to have all of this knowledge AND it is even better that the markings on this cover so nicely fit with the expected processes and payments for mail going via this route - it has one major flaw.  Maybe you caught it already.

Total postage due was 1 shilling 2 pence (14 pence).

There are only enough stamps for 1 shilling on this cover.  Uh oh.

In short, this is a genuine example of the 1 shilling 2 pence rate to Sweden.  But, there appear to be two one penny stamps missing that were once located at the top right.

Alas.

What is wrong with this item?

1. The postage is underpaid, but it appears to have markings for a paid item.

The British rate for prepaid mail via the Belgium to Hamburg route was 1 shilling 2 pence for every half ounce of weight.  This was the normal route for mail to Stockholm UNLESS the sender indicated a different mail route.  The rate started on August 1 of 1852 and lasted until Dec 31, 1862.  

When you find an item that clearly has too little postage to cover the postage rate and it was still treated as unpaid, you have a few options:

• the postal clerk made an error
• the sender paid for the remaining amount in cash and the clerk opted to not put stamps on it (maybe they were in a rush to get it into the mail stream)
• at one time, there was enough stamps to pay the postage, but they have fallen off.
  

2. There are shadows at the upper right that are the right size and shape for 2 additional stamps.

Over time, I have learned that I should assume that THIS is the case first.  Water activated adhesives on these stamps could release if exposed to moisture over time (it is over 150 years old, you know).  It is also possible that the stamps were never very well attached, coming off at some point over the years.

The other two options are certainly possible and many experts have pointed to examples of each case.  However, I like to see corroborating evidence that supports the claim.  This cover can make no such claim.  It is clear that there were two stamps at the top right of the envelope at one point in time.  Likely two one penny stamps.

Conclusion:
This is a genuine cover with no modifications made.  However, two stamps have fallen off at some point after it was processed as a paid item.

My mistake was not being certain of the rate for a prepaid item via this route to Sweden.  I was much more familiar with the rate structure from 1865 to 1875.  I took a shot with a guess and I was wrong.

Live and learn!