… and Secret Stamp Position Codes …
Linked to Sepia Saturday 183
Parti af Motala ström och Järnbron, Norrköping
Esping & Lundell, Import 559
To: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Storegd, Fristad
From: Gerda
Date: (probably 6 June 1902)
I suppose I’m expected home soon, I think I’ll probably come on Monday a week from now.
The card was sent from Gerda to her brother Gustaf as a Name Day greeting (see Celebrations). This helps establish the date, as the name Gustaf was (and still is) celebrated on 6 June. The year was most likely 1902, i.e the summer before they both emigrated. 6 June that year was a Friday.
The view is from Norrköping, situated by the mouth of the river Motala ström at an inlet of the Baltic Sea (East Coast of Sweden). This does not necessarily mean that was where the card was sent from, as the family seems to have had a stock of postcards with views from all over the country.
Although the stamp on this card was removed, it can be seen that it was tilted sideways. In 1902 it was popular to send secret messages by way of the position of the stamp. Gerda’s stamp does not exactly match any of the positions in the code key below, but most likely (placed in the upper right hand corner) it was supposed to mean “write immediately” (even if tilted the wrong way compared to the key). The alternative “burn my letters” seems a bit drastic. But of course the sister and brother could also have agreed on some secret code of their own – who knows!
(click on the image above to go to the website I copied it from)
(and click on the one below to go to Sepia Saturday)
På svenska
Hjärtliga gratulationer sändes Gustaf från Gerda.
Jag väntas väl hem nu snart, tänker jag kommer nog på måndag 8 dar. Kära hälsningar
Att vykortet sändes som namnsdagshälsning hjälper till att datera det. 6 juni 1902 var en fredag. Uttrycket “åttadar” tror jag allmänt användes förr i betydelsen “om en vecka”.
Frimärket har uppenbarligen suttit på snedden på detta kort. År 1902 var det populärt att sända kodade meddelanden genom hur man satte frimärket på kortet. Gerdas placering stämmer inte exakt med någon av bilderna i “frimärksspråksnyckeln” ovan men troligen menade hon “Skrif genast!” (Alternativet “bränn mina brev” verkar lite väl drastiskt.)
