The Cholera epidemic of 1831/32
At this time different post offices operated in Hamburg. The Swedish and Norwegian post office is one of them. Letters that were disinfected there had been pierced by a rastel.
The rastel leaves behind a specific pattern of holes:
– three rows, each with 3 / 4 / 3 holes
– the distance between the outer holes is 72 mm in the first and third row
– the distance between the outer holes is 100 mm in the second row
GotaFrimarken_2018_Los185_rs.jpg
Letter from Stettin December 30th 1831 via Hamburg January 3rd 1832 to the Quarantain Commission in Stockholm, Sweden. The letter was disinfected by the Swedish and Norwegian post office (refer to characteristic pattern of holes).