Finland Stationery Post Cards 1871-1872

First Issue: Type IV

Type IV cards have the following distinctive attributes: the text in the footnote of the front side has the words "adressen" and "förpligtad" typed as given and the rows of the back side are consistent lines. Type IV is usually divided further into three subtypes based on the colour of the stamp imprint, the colour of the cardboard as well the strength of the address lines. A total of 67750 cards of this type were produced in several batches spanning from late 1871 to April of 1872. This type is the most numerous of the first issue making over half of the entire issue.

First Issue, type IVc

From Helsinki to Laitila (Letala in Swedish) 15.10.1872. The card was sent by chamberlain Pehr Alfred Rönnbäck who worked for Grand Duchy of FInland's senate. He was later awarded the title of "hovineuvos" which was a title originally derived from Germany and used in Sweden, Imperial Russia and Grand Duchy of Finland to denote the highest civil servants. The receiver is C.W.Rosendal who was a civil servant in charge of assessing hypothec loans. The cancellation is a small single ring cancellation of bluish tinted colour. The regular ink colour would have been black but bluish tinted ink was sometimes used as well.

First Issue, type IVc

From Helsinki to Raahe (Brahestad in Swedish) 16.7.1872. The recipient was a former sea captain and wealthy merchant Conrad Brander who had a not-small share in a brewery. The brewery was situated in the Raahe city and was named Raahen Höyrypanimo ja Vesitehdas. The brewery encountered severe difficulties in the early 1870's and was completely re-structured. The sender of the card was Frederik Wilhelm Langhoff, a former apothecary who worked as a distillery inspector in Helsinki. 

First Issue, type IVb

From Oulu (Uleåborg in Swedish) to Säräisniemi 16.8.1874. The card is addressed to Säräisniemi church from a private person. The card requests and specifies a proclamation to be given twice by the church officials during their Sunday sermon. The proclamation is about auctioning an inherited estate to a highest bidder and details the estate in question with some accuracy. The single small ring cancellation of Uleåborg is rather faint but the ink has a distinct bluish tint.

First Issue, type IVb

From Teuva (Östermark in Swedish) to Evijärvi (both municipalities in the larger Pohjanmaa region) 13.3.1875. The cancellation is "13-3-1875 Kaskö" which was the nearest post office to Teuva. Kaskö is Swedish for Kaskinen. The single small ring cancellation is readable but unfortunately located way outside the stamp where it should have been put. The card was sent by professor Anders (Antero) Wilhelm Ingman and the recipient was pastor Gustaf Wilhelm Wigelius who worked as a chaplain in Evijärvi from 1.5.1872 to 15.3.1875. His work as a chaplain in a different church started only three days after the card was sent but maybe he had time to read it before moving. The sender was a highly visible theology professor (exegesis), writer (having an impressive arsenal of over 200 published texts) and a notable follower of both The Awakening movement (a Finnish Lutheran religious movement) and Fennoman movement (a nationalist movement in Finland aiming to fight against the aggressive Russian suppression of Finnish language, culture, customs and traditions).