Bluejay Collection: 1983 U S - Sweden Treaty Of Amity & Commerce Joint Issue Covers

On March 24, 1983, Sweden and the US released a joint issue of stamps to mark the bicentennial of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce. Each of the stamps depicts Benjamin Franklin. A facsimilie of Franklin's signature is seen above his right shoulder; to Franklin's left (viewer's right) is a facsimilie of the signature of Gustav Philip Cruetz - the two represented the US and Sweden, respectively. The signatures are symbolic of the two men who negotiated and signed the Treaty on his country's behalf. Also shown on the stamp is a depiction of Sweden's Coat-of-Arms/Royal Seal.

The stamp's design is the work of Swedish artist Dan Jonsson; it was engraved by Swedish engraver engraver Czeslaw Slania.

Following is a MNH plate block of the US 20-cent stamp (Scott #2040) and a pair of USPS-issued souvenir cards for the issue - one Mint, one Cancelled. The Mint card was issued at $2.00, the Cancelled card at $2.20 (to cover the cost of the affixed US stamp):






The First Day of Issue ceremony in the US was held at the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PA).

Sweden was the first neutral European country to formally recognize the sovereignty of the fledgling United States (US), doing so on April 3, 1783, via the Treaty of Amity and Commerce (in Swedish: Svensk-amerikanska vänskaps - och handelstraktaten). France was the first country to formally recognize the US, via treaties signed on February 6, 1778 - France, of course, supported the American colonies during the American Revolution.

The US-Sweden treaty was signed five months before the September 3, 1783 Treaty of Paris between the US and Great Britain. (The 1783 Treaty of Paris formally ended the American Revolution and officially recognized American independence.)

The treaty between the US and Sweden was negotiated in Paris, France by the US' Benjamin Franklin, Minister Plenipotentiary to Sweden, and Sweden's Anbassador in Paris, Baron Gustaf Philip Creutz. In addition to Sweden recognizing the sovereignty of the United States, the Treaty granted "favored nation" status for trade between the countries and outlined other areas of cooperation.

You can read the full Treaty (in Swedish and English!) here:

- Founders Online: Swedish-American Treaty

The Treaty was signed on March 5, 1783 in Paris by each country's representative but post-dated April 3, 1783 to ensure adequate time for the peace negotiations between the US and Great Britain to develop further. Sweden's King Gustav III ratified the Treaty on May 23, 1783, and the US Congress did likewise on July 29, 1783. The two countries exchanged final, ratified documents in Paris on February 6, 1784.

In follow-up posts I'll present several standalone and joint-issue covers plus the booklet for Sweden's stamp.


You can check out my covers regarding the friendly history of the US and Morocco and their early treaty of friendship:

- Morocco

I've also posted about the 1783 Treaty of Paris:

- Treaty of Paris Bicentennial

The first cover presented is a standalone cover created by Fleetwood. It features the US stamp with a cancellation dated March 24, 1983 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PA).

The cover features a cachet based on a painting by American artist Howard Bertram Koslow (b. 1924; d. 2016). Koslow, noted for the historical accuracy of his paintings, designed 60 stamps for the US Postal Service over his long career and dozens of his paintings were used on Fleetwood covers and other philatelic-related collectibles.

On the present cover, Benjamin Franklin is the main subject of the cachet; he is flanked by US and Sweden flags with a port scene in the lower foreground that prominently features a US-flagged sailing ship.

Next up are the three covers that comprised/comprise Fleetwood's Joint Issue Set.

The US First Day city was Philadelphia, PA; the First Day city in Sweden was Stockholm. The First Day of Issue was March 24, 1983 in each country.

The cachet found on each of the covers was created by Don Jonsson, the same artist that created the stamp design used by both countries.

All of the cachets incorporporate a quill pen element - a nod to how the original treaty was signed. The US stamp cover presents a portrait of Benjamin Franklin; the Sweden stamp cover features a portrait of Gustaf Philip Creutz. (See discussion above for more information on each.) The US-Sweden Joint cover features six cubes with mirror-image blue gradients - a symbolic modern art image evoking thoughts of the building blocks of the continuing friendship between the US and Sweden.

Here's a House of Farnum - "American Postal Arts Society" cover. It features the stamps of the US and Sweden cancelled on March 24, 1983.

I consider it a nice supplement to my Fleetwood covers.

Rounding out my brief presentation of the US-Sweden joint issue...

Here's the commemorative booklet issued by the Swedish Post Office for the Swedish 2.70 Kronor stamp; it holds a five-stamp pane. In 1983, 2.70 Kronor was equivalent to approximately $0.37 USD.

The Swedish booklet was sold in the US for $2.00 by mail order; on the first day of issue, the booklet was also available over-the-counter at the American-Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia and at the USPS Philatelic Center at L'Enfant Plaza in Washington, DC.

Swedish Stamp Booklet - Front Cover


Swedish Stamp Booklet - Stamp Pane


Swedish Stamp Booklet - Back Cover



To supplement my Fleetwood covers, I added one from the Swedish Post Office, Stamp and Philatelic Service, Stockholm (PFA) .

The FDC includes the US and Sweden stamps, with first day of issue cancellations - March 24, 1983 - from their respective countries.

Note: The USPS was authorized to use Sweden's cancellation on Sweden's stamp on joint covers and, in parallel, the Swedish Post Office was authorized to apply the US cancellation to the US stamp on joint covers.

Sweden Sweden-US Treaty of Amity FDC - Front


Sweden Sweden-US Treaty of Amity FDC - Back



A nice bonus was inserted into the cover, a two-sided card with a brief, multilingual notice about the US-Sweden Treaty of Amity and Commerce. On the front of the card, the notice is printed in Swedish and French, and on the back in English and German.

Sweden Sweden-US Treaty of Amity FDC - Insert, Front


Sweden Sweden-US Treaty of Amity FDC - Insert, Back