Denmark wavy lines stamp value: sort the design and paper

Recognize the numeral, waves and two different crowns

The ordinary Danish wavy-line design has DANMARK above a central denomination, a visible crown, two lions and three wavy lines. The visible crown belongs to the printed artwork. A crown watermark is a separate feature inside the paper. Calling a stamp "crown type" without saying which crown you mean can put it in the wrong catalog group. W. J. Banks described the design and early paper groups in the Scandinavian Collectors Club journal.[10]

Copy the denomination with its unit, øre, rather than keeping only the large numeral. Record whether the stamp has any added printing across the design. PORTO and Postfærge versions need separate classification; they are not ordinary postage singles just because their underlying artwork matches.[10] This guide prices a few ordinary stock grades and clearly identified comparison items, not every service or overprint.

A portrait, a ship or an oval numeral without this surrounding arrangement is not enough to identify the family. Nor does the presence of wavy lines make an earlier Danish issue part of this series. Start with the whole design. If a cancellation hides the crown or numeral frame, photograph what remains and leave the design group provisional.

Separate the original hearts from the engraved redesign

The early letterpress stamps have small hearts in the ornament. The later engraved design removes those hearts, redraws the lions and adds a second outline around the central numeral. My Balcony Jungle dates the first engraved issue to 1 July 1933.[3] Those are broad sorting clues, not a complete identification of every denomination, paper or printing.

The hearts returned with a redesigned engraved version in 2005.[3] Therefore "hearts present" does not mean "printed in 1905", and "old-looking paper" is not a date. Compare the numeral frame and the background drawing as well. A modern return of the ornament is not the missing-hearts variety of an early letterpress stamp.

Keep a separate photograph of the lion and the lower part of DANMARK. The scan below visibly shows a used gray 3 øre with hearts and the early numeral arrangement. Commons identifies the file as a 1905 Danish numeral design, Michel 44.[8] Its front image does not establish watermark direction, exact printing shade, soundness or a sale price.

Use watermark and perforation together for early groups

Banks distinguishes the early crown-watermark paper from the later multiple-cross paper, introduced for the low values in late 1913. His account describes a change to perforation 14 x 14½ for that later group.[10] Current specialist listings describe the early 2, 3 and 4 øre crown-watermark examples as perforation 12.75.[1] Use the combination, rather than treating any single clue as conclusive.

Measure both horizontal and vertical edges. Perforation is a gauge measurement, not the total number of visible teeth. A slightly tilted photograph cannot replace a physical gauge. Follow the perforation measurement method before comparing a 12.75 entry with a 14 x 14.5 entry. Record a doubtful reading instead of rounding to the catalog number you hoped to find.

The watermark inspection guide explains a careful next step. Do not soak or apply a household chemical simply to reveal the pattern. If the stamp is attached to a cover or a fragile album page, preserve the whole object. A back photograph may help, but an ordinary front scan cannot prove whether the paper has a crown, multiple crosses or an inverted crown.

Read the exact dealer asks, not a universal value range

The table contains displayed dealer asking prices retrieved on 13 October 2026. Jay Smith explicitly prices in US dollars.[2] The ordinary 2, 3 and 4 øre used VF stock grades were USD 0.50, USD 0.60 and USD 0.60 respectively.[13] These are selected comparisons. They do not establish the resale value of an album or a price for every later wavy-line issue.

The five-digit 70229, 70231 and 70232 identifiers are stock listing references with representative images, not photographed individual specimens. The seller says stock changes daily and grades were available when the list was prepared.[13] The six-digit examples describe actual items. None was purchased or checkout-tested during this research. Shipping and applicable tax are outside the displayed item asks.

The 3 øre never-hinged stock grade, inverted-watermark 2 øre and engraved type I 10 øre answer different comparison questions. Do not combine them into an ordinary used range. The final row prices one intact block of four, not one loose 25 øre stamp. All condition and type descriptions remain the seller's, rather than an independent grading or authentication result.

An inverted watermark is not an upside-down design

The 2 øre comparison at USD 8.50 is stock 247994, Scott 58, Facit 77vm, described as an inverted crown watermark, mint and extremely lightly hinged with VF centering.[1] The printed crown may be upright while the paper watermark is inverted. Rotating the front photograph does not verify this paper variety.

The ordinary used Scott 58 stock grade at USD 0.50 and this hinged-mint example differ in both paper attribution and condition.[1][13] Their price difference cannot isolate a universal watermark premium. For your own stamp, describe the visible paper pattern first, then establish its orientation using the convention of the catalog you are using.

Keep the catalog publisher beside every number. Scott, Facit and AFA references are not interchangeable labels. Use the catalog-number workflow if an album note says only "77" or "type I". An incomplete reference can lead to a good-looking but irrelevant price match. Preserve the suffix and the denomination when asking a specialist to check an uncertain watermark.

Check the engraved lion-paw types without mixing catalogs

For the 1933 to 1938 engraved numeral group, World Stamps Project shows the left lion's paw as a useful type clue: a vertical line for type I, two dots for type Ia and one dot for type II.[4] A cancellation, heavy ink or blurred photograph may obscure the mark. Absence in your photograph is not proof that the mark is absent on the stamp.

Type names depend on the reference. The specialist dealer, for example, describes another 10 øre orange entry as Facit type II but AFA type IA.[7] Do not transfer a roman numeral from one catalog to another without checking its definition. The table's USD 39 item is explicitly Scott 228, AFA 202a, type I, used VF with a partial Copenhagen 1936 cancellation.[7]

Photograph the whole stamp first and then the paw at higher resolution. Compare the mark with the exact denomination's reference illustration. Do not use an unrelated lion, the crown on a ship stamp or a generated scene as a substitute. If the paw remains unreadable, save "type unresolved" and avoid selecting a specialized price as though the identification had been settled.

Keep shades, missing hearts and paper claims provisional

A gray 3 øre can look brownish under warm light and blue-gray under cool light. Screen color alone should not decide an expensive printing attribution. Banks documents several gray shades in the early issue.[10] Keep the original photograph and compare physical material under consistent lighting before adding a specialized suffix.

The early 2 øre partially missing-hearts listing and the heart-free engraved redesign are different questions. The dealer labels its specific early variety as partly missing rather than completely missing.[1] Do not promote a smudged, heavily cancelled or lightly printed stamp to either variety merely because a few hearts are hard to see. The relevant design must be identified before studying a possible plate flaw.

For later engraved stamps, a paper description may include fluorescence. The 25 øre block in the table is explicitly non-fluorescent.[7] A daylight front image does not prove that property. No price for a fluorescent counterpart is established here. Record the untested paper question separately rather than treating "modern", "bright" or "white" as a substitute for a proper paper examination.

Keep booklet panes, blocks and postal items intact

The numeral design appears in booklets and combinations with other stamps. Banks also describes advertising labels and machine-vended combinations.[10] Attached material can explain why a stamp's dimensions or surroundings differ from an ordinary sheet single. Photograph the entire pane, strip or envelope before making a comparison.

The USD 4 stock 249011 is a used four-stamp 25 øre yellow-green block with VF centering and 1966 Fredericia cancellations.[7] The joined block is the comparison object. Dividing its ask by four does not establish the asking price of an equivalent loose single, and breaking it apart would discard the joined format documented in the listing.

An apparent straight edge also needs inspection. Record whether the edge appears cut, damaged or naturally produced, but do not declare an imperforate error from one photograph. Likewise, PORTO, Postfærge, exhibition overprints and Faroe provisional material require their own references. They are outside this small ordinary-postage price table. Leave such material together while its function and format are checked.

Describe condition before choosing a matching stock grade

For a used wavy-line single, examine the teeth, corners, folds, stains and cancellation. For an unused one, inspect the back safely and describe any hinge trace or gum disturbance. A clean front is not evidence of never-hinged gum. Use the condition assessment guide to name what you see rather than automatically copying VF from a retail advertisement.

The three ordinary used VF examples in the table are relevant only after the catalog group and a comparable condition are established. A damaged 3 øre should not borrow the never-hinged price, and a neatly cancelled later engraved stamp should not borrow an early crown-watermark price. Centering, gum and paper identity are separate observations in your record.

If preparing an album for sale, make a count of confirmed ordinary singles and keep unresolved types apart. Retail asking prices are not a dealer's buying offer. Ask for a quotation on the actual group and its condition, including any intact blocks or covers, rather than multiplying one specialist listing by the number of stamps in the album.

Scan after sorting the Denmark design groups

Use a square-on photograph with all edges visible. Add notes for denomination, hearts or no hearts, single or block, known watermark and the measured perforation. Mark unchecked paper and gum details as unknown. Keep a paw close-up beside the full image when an engraved type remains doubtful, rather than uploading a crop that hides the issuing country.

The existing checker can help organize a likely identification and value context. It cannot settle an invisible crown watermark, an untested fluorescent paper or a disputed plate flaw from an ordinary photograph. Compare the proposed result with your physical observations and the exact source entry before using a specialized price.

Stamp Value Identifier & Scan supports photo-based identification, follow-up questions and saved discoveries, with a free tier on iOS and Android. Save Danish wavy-line records by design group and retain unresolved types for later checks. Its output is research assistance, not authentication, certified grading or an official appraisal. A collection record should preserve the evidence and the uncertainty together.

Frequently asked questions