Sweden Treaty

In 1782, Benjamin Franklin was in Paris, in the position of Plenipotentiary or Envoy to France. He was seeking recognition and the support of the French king and government for the Revolutionary Confederation Republic (i.e., the U.S. before the Constitution). The Continental Congress was desperate for the countries of Europe to accept them as an independent nation. Unexpectedly, the poet and Ambassador, Count Gustaf Philip Creutz from Sweden approached Franklin saying the Kingdom of Sweden was interested in making a treaty of friendship and commerce with the Republic.

Together in Paris, Creutz and Franklin negotiated the terms of the relationship, which was later ratified by King Gustav III and the Continental Congress. The treaty allowed for free trade, protection and passage of each other’s ships in their ports. They agreed to provide assistance to each other in time of war. And in general they agreed to conduct themselves towards each other in peace and friendship. The middle stamp on the top row commemorates two hundred anniversary of the treaty.

What’s particularly interesting and significant about this treaty was that the new Republic did not think to seek an alliance with Sweden, but that Sweden sought it – even though they weren’t a republic. It was an indication of changing times and that other countries were starting to respect what the Americans were trying to do.

Note

The stamp of the Brooklyn Bridge in the middle of the third row is nice looking. I like that style of stamps. Similar to it is the one at the end of the second row, the one of the Dutch ship, the Concord, which carried Menonites from Germany in 1683. I probably should write something about that one.

Contains 10 spots: own 10 – 10 unused, 0 used.
Page is finished.
Album or Web Page Last changed May 10, 2025

Stamp Details

The table below lists information about the stamps shown on this page of Lighthouse’s stamp album. For more details about a particular stamp, click on its description. That will take you to the related web page of Colnect.

spot	own	catalog	subject	description	comment
1.1	✓	2031	Science & Industry	20c (jan 1983) comm., multicolor

United Nations & Other Nations

1.2	✓	2036	Sweden & US Relations Bicentennial	20c (mar 1983) comm., multicolor
1.3	✓	2038	Joseph Priestley	20c (apr 1983) definitive, multicolor
2.1	✓	2039	Volunteer	20c (apr 1983) definitive, red & black
2.2	✓	2037	Civilian Conservation Corps	20c (apr 1983) definitive, multicolor
2.3	✓	2040	German Immigration Concord 1683	20c (apr 1983) definitive, brown
3.1	✓	2043	Physical Fitness	20c (may 1983) comm., multicolor
3.2	✓	2041	Brooklyn Bridge	20c (may 1983) comm., blue
3.3	✓	2042	Tennessee Valley Authority Norris Hydroelectric Dam	20c (may 1983) comm., multicolor

Express Mail

4.1

✓

1909

Express Mail

9.35$ (aug 1983)
definitive, multicolor

Footnotes

Spot refers to the postion of the stamp on the album page (e.g., 3.2 indicates row 3, position 2).
Amt. is an abbreviation for the face amount of the stamp.
Own indicates the stamp status: ✓ for unused; ✗ for used or canceled; ⭑ signifies I ordered one; ; ✨ indicates it was bought recently; ✠ means an auction bid is pending; and ◎ is used, and it costs too much for unused.
To search by catalog number, go to the search box and enter it in the catalog number box. However, it’s a bit broken; I need to fix it.