DSB STAMPS

What is exactly DSB stamps?

Mr. Hans Andersen, treasurer of Danish Freight and Railway Stamp Club has provided me the following information:

Dear mr. Lopez:

Thank you very much for your mail. I will try to answer briefly to your question, but DSB-stamps is in fact a large subject.

DSB stamps are railway stamps issued and used by the Danish state Railways (Danske Statsbaner, DSB) Other railway companies in Denmark (minor railways were/are private, i.e. not owned and operated by the state) also issued their own railway stamps. The first danish railway stamps were issued in 1865 by the Jutland-Funen Railway Company (Jydsk-Fyenske Jernbaner, JFJ), and the last danish railway stamps were in use by DSB till 2004. There were more than 50 private railway companies in Denmark, and they all issued their own railway stamps.

So danish railway stamps is quite a large area of collection. In total, more than 3000 different railway stamps were issued over the years. The railway stamps were mainly used for parcels. The stamps were placed directly on the parcels and were cancelled with a cancellation stamp in the departing station. Speciel railway stamps were issued for various purposes, e.g. express parcels, luggage, seat reservations, reservation for automobiles in DSB ferries, parcels with ‘cash on delivery’ etc. The railway stamps were printed by local printers.

But in 1959 DSB for reasons of rationalization decided to have their railway stamps printed by the danish post office (Post- & Telegrafvæsenet), who had a modern and very capable printing plant – and mr. Slania engraving for them. The only stamps printed for DSB by the danish post office were the socalled ‘Parcel over tracks’-series catalogue numbers *) 123-183 and 188-194, the first beiong issued in 1959, the latter in the period 1973-76. I was not aware thet mr. Slania was involved in the DSB stamps. The catalogue numbers refer to ‘Katalog over Danmarks Jernbanefrimærker 2011*, issued by Dansk Fragt- & Banemærkeklub.

I hope this brief text gave you an answer, or at least an idea of the DSB-stamps. Please feel free to contact me if you need more information on the subject. I can see in your home page that you have been in contact with mr. Erik Jensen at Post & Tele Museum. In fact mr. Jensen has supplied Dansk Fragt- & Banemærkeklub with informations about the stamps in question, and he is certainly the man who knows about danish stamps and the printing of them by the danish post office. By the way, one of our members, mr. Mogens Holsted Larsen, is preparing a paper about the ‘Parcel over tracks’-stamps.

Sincerely yours

Hans Andersen

And here is the info provided by Mr. Jensen to my friend and Slania researcher Pierre M. Andersen, from Denmark:

Godt nytår, 

Jeg fik lidt tid til faglighed og kiggede i gemmerne, som der – internt – nu er adgang til igen. Her er mine opdagelser: 

Museet ligger inde med et Kardex-system fra årene 1942-1986 med bestillingskort for frigørelsesmidler af enhver art samt herunder DSB-mærker og feriemærker. Det er registreret som sag nr. ”PTM805A1-22”. På alle kartotekskort er fortrykt pladser til anførsel af tegner og gravør, men disse rubrikker er desværre ikke altid behørigt udfyldt.  

For DSB-mærkernes vedkommende mangler begge navn konsekvent på ALLE kort. Måske kan du opdrive oplysninger her: http://www.fragtmaerker.dk/index.html.

For feriemærkernes vedkommende kan man udlede, at Viggo Bang har tegnet alle de fire forskellige udgaver, landskabsbillede, kornneg, sommerfugl og rejsebagage. Landskabsbillede er graveret af Johs. Britze og kornneg af Bent Jacobsen. Intet er oplyst om sommerfugl, men på kortene til rejsebagage i værdien 50 kr. oplyses Slania at være gravør.

I en bevaret arkivmappe ”E.r.11 Trykning af frimærker – de enkelte udgaver” er bevaret et omslag vedrørende ”Statsbanemærker”. Heri kan i en sag fra 1. maj 1967, journal nr. ”3.T.1200 B.” ses, at der bestilles nye tegninger til værdierne 110, 330, 440, og 660 øre samt til 110 øre EXPRES. Der bestilles specifikt moletter og trykcylindre til alle de lave værdier, men tegningen til 660 øre skal benyttes til fremstilling af bogtrykte statsbanemærker i ruller. Endvidere bestilles 15.000 ark 110 øre olivengrøn, 15.000 ark 330  øre blå samt 30.000 ark 440 øre violet, hvorimod 110 øre EXPRES vil blive bestilt senere. Og her kommer så skrivelsens sidste tekst på side 1: ”Som aftalt fremstilles (tal)tegninger og gravurer af frimærkegravør Slania.” 

I samme arkivmappe er der notater på to sager om, at Bent Jacobsen i oktober 1962 afleverede tre dattermoletter til værdierne 25, 175 og 250 øre. I et notat af Ricardo Sundgaard dateret 3.11.1959 nævnes, at Frimærketrykkeriet fra blanketforvalter Bjørn har fået oplyst, at der under mærkebillederne skal stå henholdsvis ”F.G.H. del” og ”B.J. sc.”, FGH formodes at være statsbanernes chefarkitekt Franz Holm, som også tegnede DSB-frimærkerne i 1947. BJ er frimærkegravør Bent Jacobsen 

Du havde et par konkrete spørgsmål til listen fra Blanketdepotet, nemlig vedrørende:

1 ) 95 øre FR. IX  ny type  rødviolet 10-10-63  (AfA 419 ) og

2) 50 øre Balletfrimærke  rød  23.9.65    ( AfA 438 438 F ).

Til begge kan jeg svare JA – Slania har graveret værditallene jf. anførsler på kardexkortene fra bestillingsregnskabet. 

Og ja – en modermolette (også kaldet urmolette  eller primær gravure) kan være såvel med som uden værdital. I sidstnævnte tilfælde fremstilles dattermoletter (eller sekundære gravurer), hvori værdital indgraveres. 

Jeg nulstiller din sag hermed.

Med venlig hilsen, Erik Jensen
OverinspektørPost & Tele Museum
Øster Allé 1
2100 København Ø

Hello Pierre,

Happy New Year,

I got some time to professionalism and looked in the attic, which – internally – now accessed again. Here are my findings:

The museum holds a Kardex system from the years 1942-1986 with the requisition for release agents of any kind and including DSB brands and holiday brands. It is registered as case no. “PTM805A1-22”. All index cards are preprinted spaces for Led by illustrator and engraver, but these boxes are not always properly completed.

For DSB marking in the case lacks both name consistently on ALL cards. Maybe you can get hold of information here: http://www.fragtmaerker.dk/index.html.

For holiday noticeable in the case can deduce that Viggo Bang has taken all the four different versions landscape image sheaf of corn, butterfly and travel luggage. Landscape picture is engraved by John. Britze and sheaf of corn by Bent Jacobsen. Nothing is stated about the butterfly, but on the cards for travel luggage in value of 50 kr. Slania disclosed to be an engraver.

In a preserved archive folder “E.r.11 Printing of stamps – the individual editions” are preserved a cover on “State Track Marks”. Herein, in a case from May 1, 1967, file no. “3.T.1200 B.” seen that ordered new drawings to the values ​​110, 330, 440, and 660 pennies and 110 ear EXPRES. Are ordered specifically moletter or cylinders for all of the low values, but the drawing to the ear 660 is to be used for the preparation of bogtrykte state lane marks of rolls. Furthermore ordered 15,000 sheets 110 ear olive green, 15,000 sheets 330 ear blue and 30,000 sheets 440 ear violet, whereas 110 ear EXPRES will be commissioned later. And here comes the letter last text on page 1: “As agreed produced (number) drawings and engravings of a stamp Slania.”

In the same file folder, there are notes on two cases that Bent Jacobsen in October 1962 delivered three dattermoletter to the values ​​of 25, 175 and 250 pennies. In a memorandum of Ricardo Sundgaard dated 11/03/1959 mentioned that Stamp Printing from the form manager Bjørn has been informed that under brand images will be respectively “F.G.H. Part “and” B.J. sc. “FGH supposed to be the State Railways chief architect Franz Holm, who also designed the DSB stamps in 1947. BJ is a stamp Bent Jacobsen

You had a few specific questions to the list of Blanket depot, namely concerning:

1) 95 FR ear. IX new type of red violet 10-10-63 (AfA 419) and

2) 50 ear Ballet Stamp red 23/09/65 (AfA 438 438 F).

For both, I can answer YES – Slania has engraved value figures referred to. Anførsler on kardexkortene from ordering accounts.

And yes – one modermolette (also called urmolette or primary gravure) may be with or without værdital. In the latter case, is produced dattermoletter (engravings or secondary) in which værdital engraved.

I reset your case accordingly.

Yours sincerely,

Erik Jensen
Chief Curator

Post & Tele Museum
Østerallé 1
2100 Copenhagen

And here are the stamps: