Danish mystery
Denmark’s handsome chocolate brown stamp of 1851 – its first, was inscribed “KOGELIGT POST FRIMAERKE (FIRE) RBS”, the 1854 successor “KGL POST FRM (4) S”.
The why uncovers a historical surprise. Have a Danish and let’s explore.
That first 4 Skilling stamp paid internal postage for a ‘drop letter’ to be picked up at the Post Office. Later an extra 3 Skilling stamp covered home delivery but only in Copenhagen (home of the Little Mermaid statue – (Denmark 1989)). These square stamps were sophisticated being finely engraved on watermarked paper preprinted with a ‘burelage’ of very fine engraving.
Imperforate, these received numeral cancellations - #1 for Copenhagen, #2 for Hamburg etc. Soluble ink was soon replaced as folks washed and reused the stamps.
So there is the clue. Hamburg is in, well Germany – but it was not always! Southern Danes in Schleswig, Holstein (the cow on New Zealand 1995) and Lauenborg spoke German, at least in the cities.
Although the ancient Viking capital Hedeby (Denmark 1980) founded in 4-500 AD was there, ethnic and economic forces pulled these Duchies toward Prussia – Germany yet to form in 1871 under Otto von Bismark’s doctrine of ‘Blood and Iron” (Germany 2015).
The altered stamp script was ‘bilingual’ and meant to appease German speakers. It did not.
The First Schleswig War of 1848-51 went to the Danish crown with allied help from Britain and Russia, but the Second Schleswig War in 1864 went to Prussia (North German Federation) with allied help from Austria. Denmark’s former allies demurred and Sweden/ Norway declined help.
Mostly an army battle, there was a naval engagement off Helgoland – not as famous as the WW I Dreadnought Battle of Jutland (St Kitts 2006).
Fully 40% of Denmark was lost including the ports of Keil, from which the famous Canal was completed in 1895 – (Germany 1995), and Hamburg, now Germany’s busiest (Germany 1989).
Sadly too, the remnant male Danish population was conscripted to the German Western Front in WW I with devastating results.
These Danish lands were home to the Angles that populated ancient Britain (GB 2003). We know, of course, of the ‘Danish Pastry” but it was actually Austrian; imported by replacement bakers during a strike in 1850. Lego took the world by storm in 1958 (Denmark 2015). Denmark is a powerhouse of wind turbine technology (Canada 2015) producing 40% of the world’s units and generating almost half its electricity with them.
“Dad’s” hearing aids are made by Oticon, founded by Hans Demant in 1904 when seeking help for his deaf wife.
For modern culture – do watch the Drama “Borgen” (perhaps named for author Johann Borgen (Denmark 2002)) as it explores politics and personal issues for a female Prime Minister and ends by examining ‘colonial’ issues in Greenland. Even better, watch Paul Hollywood in “City Bakes” on YouTube as he explores local treats in Copenhagen.
So the bilingual stamps failed to save “Denmark” but open up a fascinating historical chapter and bring us full circle to modern border “realignments”.
Thanks to Lars Jorgensen for his Gibbons Stamp Monthly inspiration and as always to Wikipedia as a great information source.
Chris Stabler is a member of the Penticton and District Stamp Club. For information on the club or to donate stamps contact Harv Baessler at 250-492-4301.