Sweden 1979 - Sundsvall Strike

Our story begins on 14 November 1152 BC in ancient Egypt, under the reign of Pharaoh Ramses III. This date fell within a period we now define as the 20th dynasty. It is a  warm autumn day, probably around 28º Celsius. A group of artisans have gathered around the entrance to a rock-cut tomb at the Royal Necropolis in Deir el-Medina.  An intense discussion is taking place. Arguments arise. Shouts are numerous. Intense situation notwithstanding, they are all in agreement over one thing: they are fed up with not being paid. They have wives and children to care for. This lack of respect for their talents cannot continue. Enough is enough. As one the group drops their tools of the trade and walk off site. The Egyptian authorities have no choice but pay their workers, and give them a pay rise at the same time. Thus is entered into history the first ever successful strike action. The dramatised account surrounding this event is, of course, fictional, but something similar may have occurred on that autumn day.

The strike action, sometimes called a labour strike or simply strike, is a work stoppage when employees, due to some grievance or another, refuse to work en masse. The actual word 'strike' in this context was first used in 1768 when sailors 'struck' or removed the topgallant sails of a bunch of merchant ships docked in London in support of demonstrations taking place. Strike actions became rampant during the industrial revolution when mass labour was required to run the ever growing number of factories and mines. The increasing number of strikes frightened governing bodies and many countries quickly cracked down and made them illegal. But this didn't deter disgruntled workers. Striking continued. By the end of the 19th century most countries, realising the strike action was simply not going to go away, compromised somewhat by making them partially legal, depending on circumstances. 

In 1879 the first major strike in Sweden among workers took place in a town called Sundsvall. Workers in the town refused to accept a decrease in wages. History now records this event as the Sundsvall strike. Indeed, a monument was erected by workers in 1947, some 3 km south of town at the Oljehamnen (Oil harbour).

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In September 1979 Sweden issued a stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of this historic event. The stamp was engraved by Martin Mörck. It depicts a group of workers marching away from their place of work, fists clenched, expressions grimly determined. Not unlike those resolute Egyptian artisans over 3000 years prior. This stamp is appropriately gritty and stoic, and the choice of a sepia tone lends the scene an oily industrial feel. A great stamp and a fitting tribute to the brave workers at Sundsvall.

Below is a photo of the Sundsvall strike memorial. Located right next to the oil harbour near the E4 road. 

Until next time...

Sweden 1978 - Europa

For over 700 years Örebro Castle has stood sentinel over the bridge on the river Svartån, the gateway to the interior of Sweden. But the castle was not always the impressively imposing structure we see today. It all began in the latter part of the 13th century when it was decided, based on the strategic importance of the bridge on the river Svartån, to erect a defence tower overlooking it. The tower proved very useful and further building works in the 14th and 16th centuries were conducted, resulting in the current castle. These days the castle has the more benign role of tourist attraction. And some of its numerous rooms are used as classrooms for students from Karolinska Skolan.

According to Wikipedia the name Örebro... "comes from the small stones, called "ör" in Swedish, that a river transports. The second part of the word comes from the bridge ("bro") that was built over this ford."

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On 11 April 1978 Sweden released a set of two stamps for its yearly Europa issue. The set features Örebro Castle. Both stamps were engraved by Martin Mörck. 

The 1,30kr stamp presents a stunning view of the castle as seen from the river. Mörck's attention to detail is incredible, from the elegant towers to the graceful lines of the river below.

The 1,70kr stamp showcases one of Örebro Castle's gorgeous features, the so-called King and Queen door. I love the beckoning nature of this stamp. It seems to draw you in, welcome you up the steps, and through the doors for a glimpse of the mysteries beyond.

Below is a Photo of the King and Queen door, taken from a similar angle to that chosen for the design of the stamp.

Until next time...

Sweden 1978 - North Arrow

For over 2,000 years humankind has been using the compass for navigation. The compass was invented in China during the Han Dynasty (20BC-20AD). This first compass utilised lodestone, a naturally magnetic stone containing iron. Later compasses used iron needles magnetised by rubbing it against lodestone.

A compass rose, also called a wind rose or rose of the winds, is a figure that adorns compasses, maps, nautical charts, and even occasionally monuments. This is used to display  the orientation of the cardinal directions (north, South, East, and west) and their intermediate points. These days we are used to seeing the cardinal directions represented by the letters N, NE, E, SE etc... But older compasses use the traditional Italianate wind names of Medieval origin (Tramontana, Greco, Levante, etc...).

There are several different variants of the compass rose. There is the 4-point compass rose, which uses the four basic 'winds' or cardinal directions, N, S, E, W. These markings are 90° apart. Then there is the 8-point compass rose, which adds four further 'winds' or cardinal direction, NE, SE, NW, SW, at 45° apart. More complex are the 12-point rose with markings at 30° apart, the 16-point rose with markings at 22.5° apart, and the 32-point rose with markings at the awkward 11.25° apart. 

The depiction of compass roses on nautical charts has evolved over time from very basic lines to incredibly intricate illustrations, found for instance, on 15th century Portuguese maps. Frequently, the points on a compass rose were labeled by the initial letters of the mariner's principal winds (T, G, L, S, O, L, P, M) as mentioned above. Over time it became a custom to distinguish north from the other points on the rose by making it more ornate. According to Wikipedia:

"Medieval Italian cartographers typically used a simple arrowhead or circumflex-hatted T (an allusion to the compass needle) to designate the north, while the Majorcan cartographic school typically used a stylized Pole Star for its north mark. The use of the fleur-de-lis as north mark was introduced by Pedro Reinel, and quickly became customary in compass roses (and is still often used today).

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On 5 September 1978 Sweden issued a stunning stamp featuring a compass rose from a 1769 map. It was engraved by Martin Mörck. The entire rose is very ornate, but check out that incredible north point!

Until next time...

Sweden 1979 - Bandy

First played in 1813 in Cambridgeshire, England, the game of bandy is a form of hockey, which shares traits with ice hockey, field hockey, and soccer. The game is played on ice, and skates and protective gear are essential equipment, similar to ice hockey. But a bowed stick and a small ball is used, similar to field hockey. Each bandy team comprises 11 players. However, a variant of the game, called rink bandy, comprises 6 players a side, or 5 a side in US competition. 

There is some debate as to the origins of bandy. The Russians believe the game originated in their homeland. And England and Holland both played games now considered forerunners to bandy.

The English version of bandy was initially played in winter on the iced-over fens of East Anglia. The Bury Fen Bandy Club rulebook was first published in 1882, and in 1891 the first international match was played under these rules. 

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On 25 January 1979 Sweden issued a stamp  set featuring the game of bandy. The set consists of one design printed in two different values: 1,05kr; and 2,50kr. The design was engraved by Martin Mörck and depicts two bandy players battling it out on the ice. In the background we can see a beautifully engraved bandy ball.

As for the history of bandy in Sweden, the first national bandy league was started in 1902. And according to Wikipedia: 

"Bandy was played at the Nordic Games in Stockholm and Kristiania (present day Oslo) in 1901, 1903, and 1905 and between Swedish, Finnish and Russian teams at similar games in Helsinki in 1907. A European championship was held in 1913 with eight countries participating."

These days the sport is dominated by the Russians, who regularly field a dominating team in world championship competitions. Indeed, it was the Russians who founded the International Federation in 1955.

Until next time...

Sweden 1978 - Christmas

There is some debate among stamp collectors as to when the first Christmas themed stamp was issued. Some believe it to be the 1898 Canadian map issue overprinted Xmas 1898. But technically this stamp had no real connection to Christmas. It was issued to inaugurate the beginning of Imperial Penny Postage. Others feel the 1935 British Forces in Egypt stamp overprinted Xmas 1935 was the first stamp actually issued for Christmas.  Both of the above issues are candidates, but the first stamps bearing a Christmas theme were issued in Austria in 1937. Many countries went on to issue one-off Christmas stamps, but it was Australia that started the yearly Christmas stamp issue in 1957.

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On 14 November 1978, Sweden issued a set of four Christmas stamps. Two stamps in this set were engraved by Martin Mörck.

The 90ö stamp depicts a Ferris Wheel Meccano set. Meccano brings back a lot of  fond memories for me. I had a basic set back in the 70's, absorbing me for many an imaginative hour. Meccano was created by Frank Hornby in Liverpool, United Kingdom way back in 1898 (bizarrely the same year as the first "Christmas" stamp). Meccano has been popular with kids ever since, and until the dawn of computer games, made a great Christmas gift. 

The Meccano Ferris Wheel depicted in the below stamp is based on a 1957 shop display piece, which revolved. The model measured 66cm high by 50cm wide by 57cm deep. I love that Mörck has engraved a bunch of spare bits into the composition, seen bottom right.

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The 1,30kr value depicts a timeless favourite, the teddy bear. The teddy bear gets its name from US President, Theodore Roosevelt, who was nicknamed, Teddy, a name he loathed. Apparently, the story goes that while on a hunting trip in Mississippi in 1902, the group Roosevelt was hunting with cornered a black bear and tied it to a tree. When asked to shoot the bear Roosevelt refused, deeming the act 'unsportsmanlike'. A political cartoonist, Clifford Berryman, got wind of the story and drew a satirical cartoon for Washington Post. Toymaker, Morris Michtom, inspired by the cartoon, made a soft bear toy and placed it in a shop window with the name 'Teddy's Bear'. Amazingly, at the same time across the pond in Germany, a guy by the name of Richard Steiff, designed and produced his own version of a stuffed toy bear, which was exhibited at the Leipzig Toy Fair in March 1903. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Until next time...

Sweden 1978 - Space Without Affiliation

Sculpture enables the artist to render the complex abstractions of the mind into tangible form using whatever physical medium is desired.

Arne Julius Jones, born Borgsjö, Sweden, October 20 1914, was a prolific artist, known primarily for his amazing sculptures. Jones got his big break when he and a group of fellow artists displayed work at the Galerie Blanche exhibition in 1949. The combined works gave rise to a new artistic form called Concrete Art. Wikipedia describes this as:

"...works of art that have been developed from their own natural resources and laws and thus are autonomous, that is, not dependent on an abstraction process. The artwork becomes its own concrete reality and not an abstraction. The concrete art is free from all representational and symbolic elements."

In 1951 Arne Jones created a mesmerizing sculpture entitled, Room without a branch. The title is loosely based on a novel written by Jones's friend, Lars Ahlin, entitled,  The House has no Branch. The aim of this sculpture, as far as I can ascertain from poor Google translations of the original Swedish, is to create a spacial form which has no tangible link to reality. It simply exists independently. Indeed, an alternate translation of the sculpture's title is, Space without affiliation. This sculpture can be viewed from any angle, creating a constant circular viewing 'loop that guides the eye on an endless walk.' 

In 1978 Martin Mörck was commissioned to engrave a new definitive stamp for Sweden. According to Wikipedia, 'a definitive stamp is a postage stamp that is part of the regular issue of a country's stamps, available for sale by the post office for an extended period of time'. Arne Jones's eye-catching sculpture was chosen as the subject for the stamp. Mörck based his charming engraving on a photograph by Jan Helge Jansson, who documented a large portion of Jones's art through photography and film.

The new definitive stamp was issued on January 25 1978. The sculpture's almost nonsensical whimsy and simplicity make it the perfect subject for a stamp. Mörck has done a fabulous job translating this three dimensional form into a two dimensional concept. Stunning. 

Until next time...

Sweden 1977 - Tawny Owl

I have always found the decision making journey one takes when embarking on a new quest in life truly fascinating. Whether it be a total life overhaul or the simple act of choosing a hobby focus. Sometimes it can be a snap decision...BOOM...I want that! Decision made! Done (Whether a catalyst for a good or bad outcome). I'm a pretty impulsive guy, so a lot of my choices are made in this way. An attempt to live in the moment, I guess. But ironically, for me, when it comes to choosing areas of philately in which to focus it is usually a slow 'stepping-stone' type of process. This was definitely the case when it came to my decision to begin collecting the stamps of Martin Mörck.

I first came across the name Martin Mörck on a stamp while hunting through a stack of Sweden stamps, looking for any engraved by Czeslaw Slania. Being a lovely engraving of a ship (ships on stamps is one of my passions) I was immediately drawn to it. But at that time I really only had eyes for Slania's work, so it was relegated back to the pile. Then a few months ago I was given an article from the August 2018 issue of Stamp magazine written by Adrian Keppel, focusing on the engraved work of Martin Morck. I was spellbound! Such an awesome talent. I was amazed at Mörck's ability to capture the soul of his subject and giving the inanimate the essence of life. Yet as amazed as I was, I wasn't, at that point, ready to take on a new field of collecting. I had my hands well and truly full with my Slania collection and my French engravers collection. Enough for five lifetimes! But try as I might, I couldn't get Mörck out of my mind. Then it just so happened, for unrelated reasons, that a short time later I abandoned my Slania collection and sold it off. I now had room in my collecting life for something new. Enter Martin Mörck!

The first thing I do when beginning my journey of collecting a new engraver is look up his first stamp. Martin Mörck's first ever stamp was issued by Sweden on 8 September 1977. And boy, what a ripper!

This gorgeous stamp depicts a Tawny Owl (my thanks to Adrian at Stamp Engravers for identifying the owl).

The tawny owl, also known as the brown owl, makes its home in woodland areas throughout the Palearctic Region (an area stretching across Eurasia north of the Himalayas and north Africa). This charming, medium-sized owl, is, of course, nocturnal, and he usually chows down on staples such as rodents, which he can devour whole, insects, and on occasion when he feels like something different, a frog. Being nocturnal this guy hunts at night. And he can do this, not because of excellent night vision, as one might assume, but by his keen directional hearing, achieved by asymmetrical ears. His nighttime hunting habits combined with his eerie call have over time created a rather unfortunate association with bad luck and death. 

Until next time...