Greenland

Greenland, or Kalaallit Nunaat is a large island off the eastern coast of Canada. It has been part of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1814.

Pakke-Porto (1905-37)
The Danish state-owned Kongelige Grønlandske Handel provided mail service beginning in 1905. The limited amount of regular mail was carried free until the government issued its first stamps in 1938. Meanwhile, a parcel service was started with stamps with a polar bear design only inscribed with '''PAKKE-PORTO" at top and the denomination.  File:Greenland pakkeporto.jpg 
 * In 1905, 1, 5 and 10 øre letterpress values were issued line perf 12¼x12¼. This is known as the Thiele I printing. The 5 and 10 øre values exist with natural straight edges, although straightedges on panes/sheets were later officially reperfed 11½. The reperfs have been forged.
 * In 1915, 9 values were released, again letterpress but now perf 11¼x11¼. This is Thiele II printing. The 1, 2, 15, 20 øre values exist with natural straight edges though again, the straightedges on panes/sheets were later officially reperfed 11½. The reperfs have been forged.
 * In 1937, J.H. Schulz issued 4 letterpress values: 10, 20, 70 øre and 1 kronor. These are perf 10¼x10¼.
 * Also in 1937 Andreason & Lachmon released 70ø and 1kr in offset, in the same perf as the above.

There were various cancels used over the years that help confirm a range of dates of use for used copies. Stamps typically never had dated cancels. We will get to them someday (promise).
 * Just be aware that a dated bridge cancel reading '''GRØNLANDS / KJØBENHAVN K. is a CTO cancel, used for Pakke-Porto and later stamps.
 * Cancels in the format Nr. xx / avane were cancels for postal savings use in Northern Greenland.

1938-present
(more to come) 
 * Greenland's first regular postage stamps were issued beginning in January 1938 in Copenhagen/Kjøbenhavn but did not reach Greenland until February and far later. The stamps are inscribed GRØNLAND and show either King Christian X in uniform or a polar bear. New values were added in 1946.
 * In 1945, a set of bicolor pictorials was released.
 * In May of that year, the previous issue was overprinted DANMARK / BEFRIET / 5 MAJ 1945 for the liberation of the home country. Some values were overprinted in red, some in blue, with mixups. However, the astute (or old) collector will note that many overprint errors have been delisted since it was revealed that errors were deliberated created and held back for sale for high prices by a cabal of stamp dealers.
 * In 1950, new definitives with King Frederick in admiral's uniform or the sailing ship Gustav Holm against an iceberg as designs. More values were added up to 1960.

