1940's Air Mail from Finland to Sweden

An air mail cover to Stockholm addressed to a sailor aboard the ship "S/S Rosa". Cancellation date 28.3.1949. Letter rate from Finland to Nordic countries was 15 marks between 1.12.1948 and 31.10.1949. Air mail surcharge was two marks for each 20 grams between 1.10.1942 - 30.9.1957. The stamps on this cover form a rate consistent with the lowest weight class (0-20 grams) air mail letter (15 + 2 = 17). The cancellation was done on a Sunday afternoon but since air mail between Helsinki and Stockholm was delivered only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, this letter would have waited an entire day before being loaded to a plane. 

The 12 marks M1930 definitive stamp was issued in February 1947 and the 5 marks stamp respectively in January of 1946. Their intended uses were letters to abroad (12 marks blue) and domestic postcard (5 marks yellow). The rates kept swinging yearly so it's very common to see these definitive stamps used creatively to make up all sorts of rate combination.

A beautiful air mail cover to Ljungaverk. Cancellation date 22.8.1949. The destination is a small community of a few hundred inhabitants located in Ånge municipality in Västernorrland County. World War II history enthusiasts know the name from he fact that heavy water was manufactured there in secrecy and provided to both Nazi Germany and United States's Manhattan Project.

The cover has no visible arrival postmarks but it would be safe to say that it would have taken it's time to reach the recipient. The letter would have travelled by train from Vuoksenniska to Helsinki, by plane from Helsinki to Stockholm and most probably by train from therein. Vuoksenniska was a small village located near the Imatra city (nowadays it's a city quarter of Imatra) some distance east from Helsinki.

The letter rate from Finland to Nordic countries was 15 marks between 1.12.1948 and 31.10.1949. Air mail surcharge was two marks for each 20 grams between 1.10.1942 - 30.9.1957. The stamps used combine to 18 marks which would be one mark more than the letter rate and air mail surcharge of two marks (15 + 2 = 17). The stamp in question was issued in 13.9.1948 and it's original intended use was for postcards to abroad.

An air mail cover to Malmö. Cancellation date 30.10.1947. Letter rate from Finland to other Nordic countries was 10 marks between 1.1.1947 - 31.12.1947. Air mail surcharge was two marks for each 20 grams between 1.10.1942 - 30.9.1957. The below letter has a correct rate for an air mail letter of the lowest weigh class (0-20 grams) denoted by a single M1930 definitive stamp. The stamp was issued in February 1947 and it's intended use for letters abroad. However, since Nordic countries mostly shared a lower domestic rate, this stamp was singly used to combine the air mail surcharge and the letter rate. This is an uncommon use case for this stamp.

The cover has no visible arrival postmarks. Air mail route from Helsinki to Stockholm operated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The weekday of the cancellation was Thursday so the letter would have waited a day in Helsinki before being transferred to a plane. However, since there were no air mail route connecting Stockholm and Malmö (mail was transferred with trains), there would have been an even longer delay before the recipient got their letter. Someone has written 1.11.1947 on the cover but there is no way of telling who and what for.

An air mail cover to Stockholm. Cancellation date: 24.12.1947. Letter rate from Finland to other Nordic countries was 10 marks between 1.1.1947 - 31.12.1947. Air mail surcharge was two marks for each 20 grams between 1.10.1942 - 30.9.1957. The below letter has correct rate for a letter weighing 80-100 grams. Quite probably a little Christmas present tucked inside an envelope. The cover does not have a visible arrival cancellation. There was no air mail route from Hämeenlinna (the city this cover was mailed from) to Stockholm so it would have travelled via rail to either Helsinki or Turku from which there were air mail routes to Stockholm.

To celebrate Christmas the sender has also attached a Christmas Seal stamp issued that year. The one in question was designed by Martta Wendelin. There were two editions of it and this one is from the first edition (can be distinguished by the different paper used in these editions). Usually Christmas Seals were not cancelled and therefore it is usually impossible to tell whether it was there initially or attached at a later date but this one is clearly cancelled.