Bikes from past and present

Hold onto your hat! On 28 May, this year’s stamp booklet takes you for a ride through the history of motorcycles, documented by Åland photographer Daniel Eriksson.

AN ULTIMATE sense of freedom, that’s the magic of bikes, says Martin CromwellMorgan, owner of the Indian Chief adorning a stamp. He confirms that the interest in motorcycles among Ålanders has increased greatly: “In the mid-1980s, we were only a few but, now, we can be any number of bikers.”

MARTIN CAME ACROSS his Indian Chief in Galong, Australia, when he was travelling around the world in 1991-92. First sold to the Australian Army in 1944, it was utilized as a police motorcycle after the war. Martin goes on motorcycle tours in Europe every year.

THE OLDEST motorcycle portrayed is a 1919 Harley-Davidson 1000cc. Knut Kronström purchased it in Sweden in 2008. Stored in a basement in dismantled condition since the early 1970s, Knut has now restored the mechanical parts, aiming at preserving its original overall appearance. He won second prize in the Classics class at the Norrtälje 2016 Custom Bike Show.

THE THIRD stamp features a HD Chopper bought in Sweden by Micko Koskinen from Mariehamn in 1989. This classic chopper is a hotchpotch of parts from various vintages. A modern 2011 Victory Cross Country finishes our time travel. Krister Ljungdahl, who runs a motor repair shop in Mariehamn, covers hundreds of kilometres with his bike across Europe every year.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, we have featured the Swedish Svalan MC 75 on the booklet cover. Purchased by postman Algot Mattsson in 1957, he used it in the winter for carrying the mail across the ice to the islands of northern Vårdö.

MOTORCYCLES

DATE OF ISSUE: 28 May 2018 PHOTOGRAPHER: Daniel Eriksson

EDITION: 50 000

DENOMINATION: 8 x Världen (€12.00) PRICE FDC: €6.75

STAMP SIZE: 35 x 25.8 mm

BOOKLET SIZE: 181 x 162 mm

PAPER: 110 g/m² PERFORATION: 13 per 2 cm PRINTING METHOD: 4-colour offset

PRINTING HOUSE: Cartor Security Printing

The first day cover shows the Swedish model Svalan in its entirety. Algot’s grandson Christer has, as close as possible, restored it to its original appearance. New are only the exhaust pipes and the saddle. Four maximum cards complement the booklet. The first day and special cancellations both toy with the biker style.