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Finland issues Holiday Stamps

This year’s Christmas stamps depict happy animals illustrated by Minna Lehväslaiho. On the domestic no-value indicator stamp for Christmas greetings, cheerful owls are perched in a winter apple tree. The domestic no-value indicator stamp shows energetic squirrels in a Christmas wreath. On the international no-value indicator stamp, the owls have gone skiing and ice skating. The Christmas stamps will become available on Wednesday, November 8.

“This year, we wanted Christmas stamps that will cheer people up and make them smile. The colorful illustration style of Minna Lehväslaiho, who specializes in postcard illustrations, creates exactly the kind of atmosphere we were looking for,” says Tommi Kantola, Design Manager at Posti, who is responsible for selecting the artists and providing guidance on the artistic work for the stamps.

Owls have been part of the artist’s life since childhood

Since childhood, Minna has been interested in animals, especially owls. “My grandmother had a stuffed owl, and I drew friends for it as a child. I still draw owls, and they have already made it to quite a few places. I’m happy that they can also show themselves on winter stamps.”

There is also a story behind the apple tree on the Christmas stamp. “In front of our cottage’s porch, we have a winter apple tree with apples that are firmly attached to the branches. I look forward to the first snowfall in the fall and the beautiful accumulation of snow on the apples. Red apples are also associated with Christmas, so I decided to include winter apples on the stamp,” Minna says.

Minna has drawn a lot of animal characters, so there were plenty of animals to choose from for the Christmas stamps. “We have six cats at home and I also sketched them for the stamps, but in the end we went with squirrels and a Christmas wreath for the domestic no-value indicator stamps. International no-value indicator stamps are also used for other winter greetings after Christmas, so we made the owls ski and skate on those stamps.”

A Christmas greeting is like a small present

Minna has illustrated hundreds of postcards for various clients, including UNICEF and the Finnish Red Cross. Postcard illustrations are mostly commissioned works, but still give the artist some freedom within the chosen subject. “Illustrations related to postcard seasons can also be done in many different ways, whether they are for Christmas, Easter or even Halloween.”

What does Minna think is a good Christmas greeting? “A Christmas card is like a small Christmas present, and I receive all cards with joy and love. The best Christmas greetings are those that show that the sender has thought about the recipient when choosing the Christmas card and writing the greeting. The loveliest Christmas messages are simple but personal.”

Spending Christmas with loved ones

Minna appreciates being able to spend Christmas in Finland. “I lived abroad with my children for 20 years. Now, I make the most of being able to spend Christmas with my parents, sisters and all the children of my close relatives. Christmas is made up of family, Christmas food and all the scents, flavors and colors of Christmas. And, of course, Christmas carols.”

Minna also does postcrossing, in which people from around the world send each other postcards. “The postcrosser’s Christmas season begins already in November so that the cards can reach the other side of the world by Christmas. Christmas cards and stamps may seem rather exotic to the recipient, so it is especially nice to receive feedback about them.”

Christmas Cheer, the no-value indicator stamp for Christmas greetings, will be issued as a 20-stamp sheet. The Christmas domestic and international no-value indicator stamps Christmas Wreath and Winter Joy will be issued as 10-stamp sheets. The Christmas stamps include a 2D code that makes it easier to sort postal items mechanically.

The Christmas stamp celebrates its 50th anniversary

Finnish Christmas stamps have been issued for 50 years. Finland’s first Christmas stamp from 1973 featured Santa Claus in a sleigh pulled by reindeer. The stamp was designed by Pirkko Vahtero. Posti has issued Christmas stamps every year since 1973.

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First day event at Helsinki Main Post Office on November 8, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The first day event for the November stamps will be held on Wednesday, November 8, at the Helsinki Main Post Office (Elielinaukio 2 F, 00100 Helsinki) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

New stamps, first day covers and other stamp products will be sold at the event, and visitors can get first day postmarks on their items. Minna Lehväslaiho will be present to sign her works from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Welcome!

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Image material for the media: https://digilibrary.emmi.fi/l/mXL9SdL67BTH

All stamps for sale are featured in Posti’s online shop at shop.posti.fi/en

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Further information

Posti MediaDesk, tel. +358 (0)20 452 3366 (Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–4 p.m.)

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New European Issues

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New Stamps from Finland

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Finland, New European Issues

Beautiful New Danish Stamps

On September 21st, the Danish postal service issued a wonderful new set of stamps, and this set is wonderful for many reasons. The four stamps in the souvenir sheet each depict a plate from the world famous Flora Danica porcelain collection, and as you can see, the items are truly beautiful.

The Flora Danica porcelain collection dates back to the 1700s, and the first time the collection was used in an official capacity was at the birthday celebration of King Christian VII of Denmark in 1803. The collection has close ties to the Danish royal family, and through the ages, Flora Danica has been given as royal wedding gifts on numerous occasions.

The porcelain itself is unique, and that is not just an empty claim – each piece of porcelain is handmade and hand-painted by artists. The artwork is based on the original Flora Danica Encyclopedia, which depicts the native flora of Denmark. The artist is allowed a certain degree of artistic freedom in their depictions, making each piece of porcelain truly unique.

The level of detail in each of the plates depicted on the stamps is impressive, and the porcelain is truly fit for a king to use.

You can find the souvenir sheet directly at Nordfrim.

In addition to the mint souvenir sheet, you can also find an FDC with the four stamps, and an FDC with the souvenir sheet.

Category:

New European Issues

ATA Offers Free Check List

News for Immediate Release

Here’s a Spook-tacular Halloween treat from the American Topical Association: a free topical checklist to download from the ATA website. Again this year the ATA is offering the gift of a checklist to members and nonmembers alike. The 2017 topic is Ghosts.

This has become a popular tradition, according to the ATA executive director. Past years’ lists have included the characters of Charles Schulz, candy, gingerbread, turkeys and Halloween. Like all ATA checklists, this one includes country, date of issue, denomination and description of stamps and other philatelic items picturing or related to ghosts—everything needed to find them for a mini-topical collection.

The ATA dATAbase of 1200+ checklist topics was orignally developed by Karen Cartier, and is maintained by Beth Scully.

It’s easy to get the free checklist: Go to the ATA website at http://americantopicalassn.org.

Click on the “enter” tab, and you will see the link to the checklist with images of spooks on stamps. Or mail an addressed, stamped envelope to ATA Office, PO Box 8, Carterville, IL 62918-0008 for a printed copy. Have a frightfully good time!

Jennifer L. Miller, Executive Director

American Topical Association

PO Box 2143

Greer, SC 29652, USA

618-985-5100

ata@americantopical.org

http://www.americantopical.org

Category:

New European Issues

New EUROPA Theme Announced

The EUROPA 2019 theme is…

PostEurop would like to announce that in 2019 the most beautiful EUROPA stamp competition will be based on the theme: “National Birds”.

During the last Stamps & Philately Steering Committee Meeting that took place in Dubrovnik, Croatia, our Members had the chance to review the votes received for the 2019 theme of the EUROPA stamp competition.

Among the many different themes that were submitted, “National Birds” was the theme that obtained the highest number of votes from our Members for 2019. The 2018 EUROPA theme, “Bridges”. The Theme for the
current year 2017 is “Castles”.

A first for the 2017 competition is the launch of their first ever EUROPA Stamps Instagram Competition, from 1 August to 9 September 2017. Having in mind the theme for 2017 of “Castles” we would like to invite you all to participate in this special competition. See the entries here

Anita Häggblom Chair of PostEurop’s Stamps & Philately WG said: “It is with great pleasure that I welcome National Birds as the EUROPA 2019 theme. In a time marked by climate change, the World is facing many ecological challenges when it comes to protecting and preserving wildlife, for a sustainable future. Birds are not only amazing creatures that grazes the sky, they also play an important role in monitoring our planet’s ecosystem. Therefore, I am very happy to see that EUROPA will have such a fascinating theme, which will also help to promote the European Ornithology which reflects the magnificent biodiversity that we have throughout Europe.”

An announcement on the EUROPA 2020 theme, will be made during the autumn period. So stay tuned for more EUROPA stamps news, and don’t forget to vote for your favorite “castle”: For more information about the current POSTEUROP competiton please go to this address for more info and to enter the 2017 competition.

More about EUROPA Stamps

Since 1956, EUROPA stamps have been a symbol of Europe’s desire for closer integration and co-operation. These special stamps are issued by the European postal administrations/enterprises and bears the EUROPA logo, a PostEurop registered trademark. Since 1993, PostEurop has been the responsible organisation for issuing EUROPA stamps and each year, philately experts within the Philately working group organise the competition amongst other philately initiatives. See more information on www.posteurop.org/europa

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For more information, please contact:

Cynthia Wee-Neumann
Communications Manager
T: +2 2 773 11 92
E: cynthia.wee@posteurop.org

POSTEUROP is the association which represents European public postal operators. It is committed to supporting and developing a sustainable European postal communication market accessible to all customers and ensuring a modern and affordable universal service. Our Members represent 2 million employees across Europe and deliver to 800 million customers daily through over 175,000 counters.

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EUROPA Themes, New European Issues

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New Finish stamp for World Heritage Site

A stamp for the “measuring tape” of the globe

On May 6, the Finnish Post Office will supplement the Finnish stamp collection for 2011 by issuing a souvenir sheet in its world heritage series honoring the Struve Geodetic Arc site. The Struve Geodetic Arc used to determine the size and shape of the globe. The Struve Geodetic Arc was used for determining the size and shape of the globe. The arc, which is approximately 2,820 kilometers long, extends from the Black Sea in Ukraine all the way to the Arctic Ocean in Norway. The arc was named after F.G.W. Struve who managed the measurement in 1816—1855. The arc measurement stations are located in ten countries: Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden and Norway. The 34 most representative measurement points of the Struve Arc were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a joint site of ten countries in 2005. The miniature sheet designed by Susanna Rumpu and An Lakaniemi indicates the six points located in Finland. There two stamps on the sheet whereupon on stamp is inside the other. The outer stamp is round, and the inner has the shape of the map of Finland. Both stamps are for 2^nd class mail. The die cut stamps are on self-adhesive stamp paper and were printed by the firm of Joh. Enschede Stamps of the Netherlands by the Web Offset method in a quantity of 300,000 sheets. The round outer stamp has a 42mm diameter while the inner irregular Finnish map stamp has a size of 20 X 38mm. The back of the sheet gives a brief history of the site in Finnish and Swedish. I have included some websites so that you can learn more about this world heritage site.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1187

http://www.fig.net/hsm/struve/struve_arc_smith_2005.pdf

http://googlesightseeing.com/2010/09/struve-geodetic-arc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu32xZqI5_I

On The same date another souvenir sheet will also be issued. The Happiness Tree souvenir sheet is ment to be used for Spring and Summer celebrations like births, graduations and other happy events.. The sheet contains 5 die cut stamps “hanging” off various branches of the tree. The sheet was designed by graphic artist Paivi Unenge whose work has previously appeared in may Children’s books and on picture postcards. This sheet was also printed in a quantity of 300,000 sheets by the Netherland’s security printer Joh. Enschede and Sons.

Category:

Finland, New European Issues

The history of steam navigation is shown on New Swiss Set

This set of 4 charity stamps is the country’s annual Pro Patria Foundation set. http://www.propatria.ch Its first day of issue will be May 5, 2011. The Purpose of the Pro Patria Foundation is to preserve Swiss scenery, Swiss monuments, and historic Swiss buildings and cultural items. The set was designed by Sandra Di Salvo of Winterthur, Switzerland. The individual stamps have a size of 33 X 28 mm. The sheets are composed of 20 subjects in a 5 X 4 format. They are printed by the 5 color offset method by the Cartor Security Printing firm of LaLoupe, France.

The two low values of the set have a denomination of .85 Swiss Francs with a

surcharge of .40SFR. The first one shows a picture of the Steamer Piemonte. The ship was refurbished in 1965 and then again in 1972 when its boiler was replaced. It is used in the Italian speaking section of Switzerland.

The second of this pair shows a picture of the Steamer Gallia. It was originally constructed in 1913 by the firm of Escher-Wyss & Cie if Zurich, Switzerland. It is known as the fastest lake steamer because of it flat, keel-less hull and shallow draft.

The second pair of stamps has a face value of 1.00 Sfr plus a surcharge of .50 SFR. One stamp pictures the Steamship Blumlisalp. The ship was commissioned in 1905 and made is first voyage in 1906 on lakes Thun and Brienz. The two deck stamp can hold a total of 750 passengers. The final stamp in the series illustrates the Steamship La Suisse. Built in 1908 by the firm of Sulzer Brothers of Winterthur, Switzerland, it is the flagship of The General Navigation Company of Lac Leman. It was put into service in 1910. It was converted from coal fired ship to oil in 1960. Its second renovation was finished in 2009.

The following story is by Mario Gavazzi and is provided the Swiss Post Office as a way of introduction to Swiss lake steamers.

PS “Guillaume Tell” (William Tell), Switzerland’s first paddle steamer, began operating on Lake Geneva in 1823 on the initiative of Edward Church, the American consul in France, heralding in the gradual replacement of conventional sailing boats and rowing boats by engine-powered vessels. The first steamers were simply equipped single-deckers with canopies to provide protection from the elements. The only roofed-over rooms were the cabins, and the ships provided freight rather than passenger services. It was not until later that they began to play a key role in leisure travel. For many years, mail was also carried by ship.
The “Belle Epoque”
The advent of railways in the mid-nineteenth century greatly boosted navigation. On the one band, they brought more passengers and goods to lake shores, where ships were used for onward transportation. However, in locations where railways ran alongside lakes — such as Lake Zurich
— the economic boom experienced by navigation was short-lived and the impact of the railways disastrous.
The early years of the ‘Belle Epoque’ during the final third of the 195b century, brought more foreign tourists to Switzerland, and Lakes Geneva, Brienz and Lucerne benefited most from this boom. Fleets were expanded accordingly, and the first

saloon paddle-steamers were built. The first one to operate in Switzerland was the “Oberland’ on Lake Brienz. Back then, ships with roomy superstructures were found only in other countries, but understandably enough, hoteliers in the Interlaken region lobbied for their introduction in Switzerland. The 55 “Mont Blanc”, the first saloon paddle-steamer to sail on Lake Geneva, came into service in 1875. The ships of the “Compagnie Générale de Navigation sure Lac Leman” (CON) were known for their excellent cuisine which could hold its own with restaurants on land. On Lake Lucerne, ship names like “Victoria”, “Germania” or “Italia” testified to the importance of foreign tourists for navigation. The saloons of the PS “Un” and “unterwalden”, which are still in service to this day, bear witness to those glorious days.
Looking back on the past century
until 1928, many saloon paddle-steamers were built — some of them very luxurious
— and remained the backbone of fleets on larger lakes for decades. Boat trips experienced their heyday between 1900 and 1915, when they were perceived as betokening luxury.
The early 20Th century brought a shift towards building first small, and later biggerand bigger, motor vessels which were easier to maintain and operate than steamers. The gradual transition to such ships began in 1918 and was virtually complete throughout Switzerland after
1950.
Major commitment to preserving unique witnesses to the past The “Friends of Steamers” movements that sprang up around 1970 prevented the last witnesses to this era from being broken up. Thanks to them and the technical know-how of the navigation companies, 15 saloon steamers, one half-saloon steamer and one propeller-driven steamer have survived. A half-saloon steamer—the PS “Neuchâtel — is currently being rebuilt and will be cruising on Lakes Neuchtel, Morat and Bienne in a few years time, and restoration work is also in progress on another ship for service on Lake Lucerne.

Piemonte video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsQBLACvqqc&feature=related

Gallia Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEjEUJs2n88&feature=related

Blumlisap Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwytHFcnwMo&feature=related

La Suisse Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD2yOc_KO1E&feature=related

Category:

New European Issues, Switzerland

Sweden Issues Charity Stamp

Sweden Post is now offering the opportunity to support a good cause when sending a letter. When you buy one of these stamps, SEK 1 per stamp (approx 16 cents US) will be donated to Save the Children’s efforts to help children in countries affected by emergencies and armed conflicts to learn to read and write. Save the Children promotes a child’s right to an education, which is the best way to help a country develop and empower its citizens out of poverty. The following story has been supplied by Sweden Post.

Adama Traore is nine years old and in second grade in Bouake, Ivory Coast. She describes how her classes improved after Save the Children began working with her school. “Save the Children came to tell us that the teachers aren’t allowed to hit us anymore, on the same day they taught us about our rights. The teacher also told us the same thing. He said that whoever wants anything can approach him and ask without being afraid. Because of this, now everyone comes to school every day.” Education is so much more than just learning to read and write. It is the foundation upon which our democratic society is built and plays a crucial role in the stability and development of a country.

Across the world, 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty if all children left school with basic reading skills. Save the Children not only teaches children about their rights so they can demand them, but educates teachers and parents about not using violence or physical and humiliating punishments since these methods have a negative effect on a child’s development, Instead, Save the Children provides adults with other tools for raising children. Every child has the right to go to school, which is why Save the Children works to change attitudes towards children who are being discriminated due to gender, handicap or ethnicity to also be allowed to attend school. Save the Children also exerts influence on governments to set aside the resources needed to ensure that all children will receive quality basic education. Save the Children builds and renovates schools; distributes teaching materials to teachers and school packets to children containing pencils and paper, to ensure that the proper conditions are in place to enable children to learn.
Since 1999 Save the Children has helped 40 million children receive a better education, but it is estimated that there are still 69 million children that do not have access to proper education. you can help by supporting Save the Children, to read more go to www.raddabarnen.se which is the Swedish office for Save the children. Others may go to www.savethechildren.org for more information.

The First Day Cover for this issue

The stamps pay the basic letter rate in Sweden. One stamp show children reading while the other stamp show students doing math problems. The stamp illustrations are by Paivi Unenge. Oscar Liedgren was the graphic designer for the set. The offset printed stamps were produced by the Sweden Post Stamps. At the bottom of each stamp their is an indication that 1KR is being donated to Save the Children.

Category:

New European Issues

Sweden issues Bicycle Set of 5 on Jan 27

Crescent Folding Bicycle
As cars grew in popularity during the 1950s, people began to look for a bicycle that could be taken apart or collapsed in order to easily fit into the trunk. Many odd designs appeared on the market, but the quality of Crescent’s collapsible frame that was introduced in the 1960s was very high and many of them are still in use today. Crescent’s folding bicycle was designed in Uppsala and manufactured in Varberg.

Carolus
Carl Svensson in Angelsberg sold this classic women’s bicycle in the 1930s. There have been around 2,500 bicycle brands sold in Sweden throughout the years, and many local bike stores created their own brand using parts bought from large manufacturers such as Nymans (in Uppsala), Wiklunds (in Stockholm) or Monark (in Varberg). Riders took special care of their bikes keeping them well-oiled and replacing parts as they wore out — and many of these bikes can still be seen on the streets today.

Skeppshult 100 years
Skeppshult is a Swedish bicycle brand founded in 1911. This lightweight, sporty men’s bike is partly manufactured in Sweden, although many of the components are imported, for example well- tested foreign gearshifts, hubs and wheels. Today’s bikes are lightweight, and they must be durable. Buyers also often want to be able to customize some of the components on the bike to give it a personal style. For more information of Skeppshult see: http://www.skeppshultbikes.com/models.htm

A Child’s first bike
Many Swedish bicycle manufacturers made tricycles between the years 1930—1950. This typical Swedish model from Skeppshult was available in the 1940s in raspberry red or sky blue. The front wheel is slightly larger than the other wheels, which increased the speed.For more information on Swedish Bicycles see: http://www.cykelhistoriska.se/historyeng.htm

Category:

New European Issues

Royal Wedding set issued by Jersey Post

Jersey Post is delighted to commemorate the wedding of His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton on Friday, 29th April 2011 at Westminster Abbey by issuing a £3.50 stamp which shows the happy couple at the announcement of their engagement. The miniature sheet contains four of the stamp in a 2 X 2 format.

Technical Details
The Stamp, First Day Cover envelope and Presentation Pack were created by Andrew Robinson. The Stamp imageis from a photograph © by Mark Stewart, of Camera Press London. The Presentation Pack photograph was by Rhona Rutherford © University of St Andrews. The Stamps were printed by Cartor Security Printing, of France in four color process offset Lithography in sheetlets of four (2 across x 2 down). The Stamp has a size of 51.00mm x 37.50mm. All Stamp product designs are © Jersey Post Limited 2011.
In addition to mint and CTO stamps, official First Day Cover envelopes and Presentation Packs will be available from the Jersey Philatetic Bureau, Postal Headquarters, JERSEY JE1 lAB, at the shop in Broad Street Post Office, stamp dealers and other interested person should go to Jersey Post Office website at: www.jerseystamps.com . The Jersey Post email address is stamps@jerseypost.com

Category:

New European Issues

The Philatelic Blogger

Philatelic News for the Masses

Archive for the ‘New European Issues’ Category

Finland issues Holiday Stamps

New Stamps from Finland

Beautiful New Danish Stamps

ATA Offers Free Check List

New EUROPA Theme Announced

New Finish stamp for World Heritage Site

The history of steam navigation is shown on New Swiss Set

Sweden Issues Charity Stamp

Sweden issues Bicycle Set of 5 on Jan 27

Royal Wedding set issued by Jersey Post

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