Post On The Move

1958:  Sea and Helicopter Mail

The mail is journeying across the planet and Sweden commemorated "the many hundreds of years of Sea Mail Services over the North Atlantic and the 10th anniversary of Helicopter Mail Service in the Stockholm Archipelago"  with the set of stamps seen on the FDC.

The featured ship was the Gripsholm II,(1957-2001) a cruise liner which today lies on the sea bed off Cape of Good Hope having avoiding the final indignity of being broken up by ship breakers.  I am not sure if the helicopter is arriving or departing but glad to see the postmaster is wearing his winter gloves.

1996: Mail Carriages 1862-1996

More Swedish mail transport, this time a sorting mail carriage.  The service ceased in March 1996 and carriages were taken out of use from 1st April 1996 as all the mail was then being sorted at terminals and post offices. The cover cancellation is from the Stockholm-Malmo line.

The stamp shows work in a modern mail carriage but the tradition was a long one as the first mail carriage was established in 1862 travelling between Stockholm and Gothenburg. The service grew and at its peak in the 1930s there were 258 of them.

An entry to Sunday Stamps theme - Commemorative - See It On A Postcard