Scandinavian Collectors Club

Reviews

Postal Rates in Greenland 1851-1999, Kim Widén and Bendy Knudsen, 5-3/4 by 8-1/4 inches, 50 pages, soft covers, saddle stitched, in English and Danish, Viking Frimærker, Søndersø, Denmark, ISBN 87-988177-0-1, approx. $15.


Until now Greenland postal history collectors relied pretty much on Poul Frølund's 1984 booklet. However the rates covered in that booklet were only since 1938. Now we have a much broader time span. Although there is very little text, since the book is made up mostly of rate tables, any descriptions are given in both English and Danish.

This book expands on the earlier one by including additional services such as postage due, money orders, COD, and the "Gebyr" or special fees. Most of the tables cover 1938 to 1999. However, there are a couple of tables that list the rates for letters and parcels to and from Greenland, using Danish stamps, prior to 1938.

One feature that is found in Frølund's earlier work is a listing of the Greenland stamps from 1938 to 1984 indicating the different values, colors, and intended services they were issued to pay. However, the much broader rate information in the new book makes it the one of choice. The new booklet is handy and can be carried easily to a show bourse to check rate information on the spot.

Alan Warren