Åland Post Stamps 1-2024

Åland joins PostEurop Working Group

The PostEurop Stamps and Philately Working Group welcomed Johanna Finne, Marketing Design Manager at Åland Post Stamps, and Xavier Clabots from bpost as new Vice-Chairs on 24 November 2023.

The working group provides the opportunity to network, promote stamp collecting and contribute to the development of philately in Europe. It is responsible for the themes of the EUROPA stamp series.

The term of office is three years, and the working group is chaired by Agnieszka Trząskowska from Poczta Polska.

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Every stamp holds a world

Working with stamps is a privilege.

Prior to this issue, I went on a boattrip with Anette Gustafs son to Rödhamn, talking about the archipelago and what it means to her art. I’ve watched Maria Karlström with nimble hands bend the Blomman TM jewellery in silver wire that you will find in this year’s stamp booklet, and I’ve driven through the Finström forests to Katja Syrjä’s studio and workshop to understand how she created this year’s Europa stamp featuring eelgrass.

Join us on a journey of discovery and let yourself be inspired by the stories that are part of each stamp issue.

Gunilla Häggblom PR & Communication Åland Post Stamps

View 2024 stamp program

This year’s stamp booklet offers magnificent jewellery art by jewellery artists Maria Karlström and Annika Åkerfelt. Photographer is Tiina Tahvanainen and the release date is 7 June.

Jewellery magic from Åland

Two Åland artisans, who have chosen jewellery as their means of expression, are Maria Karlström and Annika Åkerfelt. With their design they have found an audience beyond the borders of Åland.

Maria Karlström has worked as a goldsmith on Åland for over 30 years. In the 1990s, in her 20s, she opened her first jewellery shop in Mariehamn. The Blomman TM pendant was also born then and is probably the piece of jewellery most strongly associated with Maria and her company Guldviva.

“The Blomman TM was born in 1992 and we sell it in some form every day. Each flower piece is 100% unique, made from silver wire, pliers, and a hand. In the end, of course, the wearers and the Ålanders are the ones who have attributed a special meaning and sense of belonging to this piece of jewellery,” Maria says.

In the Maritime quarter of Mariehamn, Maria brings out all the new jewellery in the Guldviva workshop and shop.

“Jewellery is in my DNA. When I see something in nature, I see jewellery, and I like to transform an idea into a series. To create visibility, we launch a new series or relaunch a new model in an existing series every year. We recently launched a collection for an idea that I’ve had for almost 15 years which I was now able to realize. It’s fun to have created jewellery for the story of Stormskerry-Maja,” Maria says.

For her second stamp, Maria chose the Eva ring.

“I created it for a competition to design the most beautiful Finnish ring in 2022. I happened to read about Swedish chemist Eva Ekeblad-De la Gardie, and, when you read about her, potatoes are brought to mind, so, I started thinking about how

I could make a beautiful potato ring. Winning the competition ahead of so many of Finland’s most talented goldsmiths was a fantastic experience,” Maria tells us.

Goldsmith Annika Åkerfelt presents a brooch and a pair of silver earrings on her stamps. Her jewellery often develops as she is working with the material.

“I enjoy building worlds, sculptures and shapes in miniature format, sketching in the material. I experiment a lot and like the combination of “man-made” design language and forms inspired by nature. I don’t go out into nature to study it directly, but nature’s vegetation is filtered through my thoughts and feelings and created from the inside out,” Annika explains.

Annika has tried various kinds of arts and crafts, having trained as a decorator and studied goldsmithing at Lahti vocational university. Following her master’s degree in jewellery from the Academy of Art and Design at Gothenburg University, she

worked extensively with porcelain. You can find one of her porcelain pieces at the National Museum in Stockholm.

Today, Annika lives on Åland with her family, devoting herself to jewellery making full-time while also being a coowner of the arts and crafts shop Viktor Crafts & Design in Mariehamn. Annika’s silver jewellery attracts attention; Swedish Queen Silvia, among others, has been honoured with a butterfly piece of jewellery designed and manufactured by her.

“The global jewellery industry is filled with mass produced jewellery. Competing in such a market is challenging as I do everything by hand, uniquely, and on a small scale. I often get ideas while I’m working that lead to new shapes. The desire to experiment is my driving force. I believe in artisanal quality, genuine materials and refined design that stands the test of time and eye,” Annika says.

FDC Jewellery art

Price: €12.20 Code: 416-000455

From left: Annika Åkerfelt and Maria Karlström. Photo: Tiina Tahvanainen.

455

Jewellery art

Date of issue: 7 June 2024

Photographer: Tiina Tahvanainen

Design: Johanna Finne

Edition: 20 000

Denomination: 8 × Lokalpost

Stamp size: 26.25 × 35 mm

Booklet size (unfolded): 62 × 180 mm

Paper: 110 g/m²

Perforation: 13 per 2 cm

Process: 4-colour offset + embossing & silver foiling

Printer: Royal Joh. Enschedé

Tiina Tahvanainen is a photographer based in Åland. This year’s booklet is her fifth stamp assignment for Åland Post. Samples of her own photo art were included in the 2022 stamp booklet Åland Contemporary photographertiina

Photographer: Martin Nyberg

The booklet cover is decorated with images of the four items of jewellery. On the inside of the cover, you see Annika and Maria in their workshops.

The first day cover features tools and silver wire that Annika and Maria use in their jewellery making. The first day cancel shows a pair of split ring pliers and a goldsmith’s hammer.

The small European postal services chose top attractions as this year’s theme for the Sepac stamp series. Swedish watercolour artist Anette Gustafsson has captured what attracts thousands of tourists to Åland every year – the archipelago nature. The release date is 8 May.

All of Åland is a sight to see

With its mosaic of many islands, shallow bays, and bay systems, the Åland archipelago forms a unique island world in the Baltic Sea. Few areas in the world compare with archipelagos, which are formed in hard rock such as granite, have been hidden under ice sheets, and are experiencing land uplift. Åland consists of an estimated 6,700 islands with an area of over 2,500 m² and around 20,000 islets smaller than 0.25 ha. The main group of islands – called Fasta Åland – has an area of around 1000 km².

Offering opportunities for tranquility, outdoor life, and nature experiences, the sea and the archipelago attract over a million tourists annually. A large number of them are boat tourists who are attracted by the pristine archipelago nature and the challenge of navigating between the red granite rock islands at sea depths between 30 and 290 m.

A popular guest harbour run by artist Anette Gustafsson, just off Mariehamn, is Rödhamn, an island which has inspired many of her paintings.

“Rödhamn is precious to me. The location and encounters with all the happy

boat people during the summer season is a fantastic complement to the rest of the year when I paint full time in my studio. I’ve always gravitated to places by the sea. That’s where I find peace and the desire to paint. I stock up on inspiration and ideas in the summer, walking the rocks every day with my camera. The sky and the sea have a strong effect on me,” Anette explains.

For the stamp, Anette has painted a summer panorama in watercolour, capturing the character of the Åland archipelago with bare rocks, leafy skerries, bridges, sailboats, and sparse settlements.

“The sea and the archipelago are my main sources of inspiration, so, it was fun to be considered for this assignment. The bird’s eye view was new to me. I had to redo a few times before I was satisfied. The Rödhamn rocks are, of course, included. The stones on the stamp sheet are located at one of my favourite spots, where I like to sit and sketch with a view of the sea and the radio lighthouse,” Anette says. Sources: regeringen.ax, asub.ax, wikipedia.com

FDC Sepac 2024, archipelago

Price: €4.20 Code: 416-000453

453

Sepac –

main tourist attraction

Date of issue: 8 May 2024

Artist: Anette Gustafsson

Design: Johanna Finne

Edition: 40 000

Denomination: Europa

Stamp size: 50 × 25.2 mm

Sheet size: 2 × 12 stamps

Paper: 110 g/m²

Perforation: 13 per 2 cm

Process: 4-colour offset

Printer: Cartor Security Printers

The first day cover features the old fishing village on the island of Sältingskär in the Föglö archipelago, about 24 km south of Mariehamn. The first day cancel shows a sailboat.

Anette Gustafsson is a Swedish watercolour artist. In the summer, she runs the guest harbour at Rödhamn on Åland. She has created four stamps for Åland Post, the first of which was issued in 2009 on the theme of diving.

@anette_gustafsson_art

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Finnish stamps

The bright green leaves of the eelgrass are teeming with life on this year’s Europa stamp, which has an underwater flora and fauna theme. Katja Syrjä is familiar with this key species in the Baltic Sea both as motif and material, thus the perfect choice for the assignment. The release date is 8 May.

Bustling coral reefs of Baltic Sea

Åland underwater nature shows many different types of landscapes, which in places are both unique and well-preserved. It includes rare species such as stoneworts Chara horrida and C. connivens, red algae, bladderwrack, blue mussels, and eelgrass.

Eelgrass ( Zostera marina), also seawrack, is a flowering plant that lives entirely underwater. It is the only one of its kind in the Baltic Sea. You will find the plant from eastern Kökar to Vårdö in the west, in Lumparn bay and along the coasts of Eckerö and Hammarland.

Eelgrass needs salt to flourish and prefers sandy seabeds in shallow waters. It forms dense underwater meadows and often occurs together with other plants such as horned pondweed, widgeon grass, and stoneworts. The ribbon-shaped leaves can reach over one meter long. At the top of the stem is an inflorescence that blooms during the height of summer.

Eelgrass mainly undergoes vegetative reproduction; all plants are genetic copies of each other. The oldest Finnish bed of

cloned eelgrass, said to be over 1000 years old, is believed to be in Eckerö.

Eelgrass is one of the most valued ecosystems on earth, acting like a tropical forest in the ocean. It contributes to great biodiversity as thousands of small fish and crustaceans and millions of invertebrates find food and shelter in the dense underwater beds. The eelgrass roots help stabilize the seabed, slowing down the advance of the waves, thus contributing to reducing erosion and improving water quality. It binds carbon and nutrients in its leaves. Researchers calculate that 1 hectare of eelgrass binds 35 times more carbon dioxide than 1 hectare of rainforest. Today, the population of eelgrass is threatened, having drastically declined due to turbidity of the water, overfishing, and an increased amount of filamentous algae, causing a reduced amount of sunlight, thus stifling its growth.

Sources: Ålands unika miljöer (regeringen.ax), Ålgräset, en saltvattensart (ostersjon.fi), Ålands flora, Eeva & Carl-Adam Häggström 2010

FDC Europa 2024

Price: €4.20 Code: 416-000454

454

Europa –underwater flora & fauna

Date of issue: 8 May 2024

Artist: Katja Syrjä

Design: Rebecka Lundén & Johanna Finne

Edition: 40 000

Denomination: Europa

Stamp size: 35 × 35 mm

Sheet size: 2 × 15 stamps

Paper: 110 g/m²

Perforation: 13 per 2 cm

Process: 4-colour offset + foiling

Printer: Cartor Security Printers

On the stamp and sheet, you will find some of the many marine species that live in the eelgrass. On the first day and special cancels you see ink drawings of a perch and a Baltic sea mussel. The first day cover imitates the handmade paper that Katja makes from eel grass. Find a complete list of all species featured in the stamp issue in the online shop.

Visual artist Katja Syrjä’s stamp partially overlaps her current art project, which has the Åland underwater world as theme. Meet the artist who combine archipelago nature, cultural history, and scientific research in her artistry.

A tribute to archipelago nature

Katja Syrjä’s artistic process follows the cycles of nature. Her working method is reminiscent of research and includes the production of her own dyes from natural materials such as soil and minerals and her own paper from e.g. bladderwrack and shortspike watermilfoil.

“Growing up in Uusikaupunki, I’ve loved the archipelago since I was a child, cruising around the island world in dad’s boat. The unique archipelago nature is the biggest source of inspiration for my art, which also involves a natural science and cultural history perspective,” Katja says.

She immerses herself in an archipelago plant or phenomenon for a long time. Reed was a theme for five years. Currently, the underwater world attracts, and she has collaborated with researchers at the Husö

biological station, among others.

“I discovered eelgrass around 2015 via a lecture by marine biologist Christoffer Boström and was completely captivated by this plant, which is so important to the Baltic Sea. I wanted to explore it more, which led to the 30 m² glass mosaic Sea meadows in the Mariehamn bath house. It’s nice to now also be able to show and spread knowledge about eelgrass through the stamp,” Katja smiles.

Katja creates her artworks with stone lithography. The image is drawn on an old limestone and, through the chemical process, it is printed on the paper.

“Stone lithography offers so many possibilities and variations, giving an entirely different feeling than drawing on paper. I created the stamp by

Katja Syrjä is a Finnish visual artist living in Finström on Åland. She works with stone lithography, self-made paper and colour pigments. Climate art – alternative perspectives including her artwork on an underwater theme was the opening exhibition at the Chappe art house in Finland in 2023.

@syrjajohansson

planographic printing. I drew and etched the small animals of the stamp issue on six copper plates, printed, and sewed them into the original stamp,” Katja describes the process.

She drew close to 15 different species for the issue, including bristle worm, Baltic isopod, molluscs, gastropods and shrimp.

“A fascinating number of different species live in the eelgrass beds. I found many nice shapes and patterns among them.”

She currently explores the colour palette of Åland nature, working on extracting an Åland indigo dye from the woad plant.

“The work process is an important part of my art. The material conveys an essential message. Therefore, I often integrate it into my exhibitions in the form of photos or videos,” Katja says.

The maximum card shows a photo of a bed of eelgrass, standing on a shallow sandy bottom in Eckerö where Katja usually collects eelgrass that has washed ashore.

Maximum card no. 146, underwater flora & fauna

Price: €3.70 Code: 445-202431

“Yearning is a nice feeling that enriches life”

Are you longing for something or perhaps you yearn for someone?

Illustrator Lasse Harkkala describes various forms of yearning on the 2024 postal stationery cards. The date of issue is 7 June.

Longing to get away vs. longing for home: yearning for love or peace; longing is a multifaceted feeling that can be both pleasant and difficult. Longing is associated with a feeling of missing and existential musings. With this year’s postal stationery cards, Lasse Harkkala tries to capture various forms of yearning.

In fact, Lasse initiated the theme, which he was also commissioned to interpret on four cards.

“The theme came to me one day when I was longing for my friends and came to think of people with whom, by the whim

of fate, I’d lost contact and wished to meet again,” Lasse says.

He began gathering ideas for how he could visualize the theme:

“The theme brought a lot of images to mind. One of my first illustrations was the woman and child, eager to meet someone they miss and long to see again. I enjoy writing letters and consider it a good way to deal with longing, so, the card with a girl writing to a dear friend was a given motif. As a happy motorcycle enthusiast, I look forward to spring - especially during the last weeks of winter. Longing for the roads

The first day cancel shows a bird holding a stamp.

to be ice-free so that I can drive my motorcycle. And a longing for the sea and to go on adventures, I think many people can relate to that. Longing is a nice feeling that makes life richer,” Lasse believes.

You can buy the charming cards with many details to discover from 7 June. More of Lasse’s ingenious motifs appear in the postage-paid symbols on the address side of the cards. This means that you can send the cards from Åland to any destination in the world without additional postage.

Lasse Harkkala is a Finnish illustrator living in Geta on Åland. He has so far illustrated three stamps for Åland Post. @lasseharkkala

Yearning, postal stationery, 4 cards

Size: 105 × 148 mm

Edition: 4 × 2500

Price: €14.80 Code: 315-202413

Exhibition & cancel celebrate stamp anniversary

In collaboration with Åland Post, the Åland Cultural History Museum presents an exhibition about Åland stamps this summer.

Stamps are more than just payment for sending letters. Each stamp bears a story about Åland. Join us on a journey of discovery at the Åland Cultural History Museum in Mariehamn, whose summer exhibition has Åland stamps as its theme.

The exhibition Portrait of Åland – a fantasy tour through stamps takes you through the 40-year history of Åland stamps, showing how the image of Åland has developed over the years. Read more about the exhibition at www.kulturhistoriska.ax.

For the exhibition, Åland Post is producing a unique motif cancel that may be stamped

on letters and cards posted in the mailbox to be located adjacent to the exhibition premises. The cancel will be in use for the duration of the exhibition, i.e., from 18 May to 15 September. The motif of the cancel had not been determined at the time of this edition going to press. Look out for more information about the motif cancel on our website during the spring.

If you cannot visit Åland, you can order this motif cancel from Åland Post Stamps exactly as you can order our other motif cancels. Read more about our cancellation service at https://alandstamps.com/en/ pages/vara-stamplar.

Postal Boat Race turns 50

The starting pistol for the 2024 Postal Boat Race arranged in memory of the postal conveyance across the Sea of Åland is fired on 15 June.

Since 1974, the Postal Boat Race has been an annual summer event arranged to commemorate the obligation of the farmers in Swedish Väddö and Åland Eckerö to carry mail and passengers across the Sea of Åland in all weathers for almost 400 years.

This year, the boats set off in Grisslehamn to sail and row as quickly as possible to Storby, Eckerö on Åland, a distance of 44 km. Around 30 boats usually participate, and the four-person crews wear contemporary clothes. The boats must also be true to the period. The team that accumulates the most points combined for outfit, boat, and speed wins.

Every mail boat carries a mail bag, so, you can be part of the competition by ordering the commemorative Postal Boat Race card, cancelled with the 2024 special and “over-the-sea” cancels. You can also send your pre-franked and self-addressed cards and letters to us requesting both cancels on your items. The price for the “over-thesea” cancellation is €2, while the special cancellation is free. The last day to order and submit letters and cards is 6 June.

The Postal Boat Race is organized by Roslagen Marine History Society and Eckerö Local History Society in cooperation with Swedish PostNord and Åland Post.

Calendar

Next subscription delivery

(Note! Preliminary times of delivery)

CHANGES CONTENTS

June 17 May

October 23 September

Sepac - main tourist attraction (1), Europa - underwater flora & fauna (1), Jewellery art (booklet), 4 postal stationery cards, 1 maximum card

The Tall Ships Races (1), Olympian Frej Liewendahl (1), On the islet (1), Snake (miniature sheet), Christmas 2024 (2), Christmas seals, 1 maximum card, Sepac folder no. 15

Find all delivery times at alandstamps.com/en/pages/stopptider-och-leveranstider.

Discontinued products: as of 2024, signed FDCs and the pack of Red Cross cards will be removed from our range of subscription products. As a subscriber, you do not need to take action. For more information about our subscription products, please contact customer service.

Special cancellations 2024

Current information can be found at www.alandstamps.com/en, where updated images of the cancels will be posted. If you wish to have a special cancel on your own pre-franked and self-addressed covers, please send them to us well in advance of the relevant date. Changes are possible.

Exhibitions in spring 2024

In the spring, Åland Post participates in the following exhibitions (subject to change):

Joex24, 13–14.4, Joensuu, Finland

Nordia 2024, 31.5–2.6, Langesund, Norway (in cooperation with Norway Post)

At the exhibitions, we offer an exhibition cancel and sell an exclusive exhibition card and stamp. The theme of the 2024 exhibition products is nature experiences. Read more about this year’s exhibitions and exhibition products at alandstamps.com/en.

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Åland Post Stamps

Visiting address Flygfältsvägen 10, Sviby, Jomala

Editors

Gunilla Häggblom

Johanna Finne

Outi Bergman

Rebecka Lundén

Text

Gunilla Häggblom

Translation

Kristine Lybeck Sund

Layout

Outi Bergman

Production April Kommunikation Grano

Find currently available Åland stamps and collectibles at www.alandstamps. com/en