No.
Stamp year 2021 sets off on 2 February with a new series of franking labels arousing the joys of spring. A new acquaintance is Swedish illustrator Anna Handell, who designed the four musically gifted birds. You will be seeing more of her illustrations in the coming year.
ANNA HANDELL has not yet visited Åland, but she has designed stamps –fictional and for fun, she admits. The Åland franking labels will be her first postal labels. “I’ve always been fascinated by stamps. I find that they carry so much romance and history. So, I was very honoured and pleased to receive the commission by Åland Post to create actual labels.”
AS A BIRD LOVER , the theme suited her perfectly, the robin being her favourite: “I loved giving the four bird species each their own life and personality. I wanted to create explicit and easily accessible motifs,
tailored to the habitat of each bird species, but also offer the attentive viewer tiny and entertaining details. The robin is a seem ingly amiable bird with a teeny-tiny beak and stick-like legs. It has such a vigorous personality, I think. But it is surprisingly territorial and quick to drive away intruders, so, with a robin in your garden – rest assured that you see the same bird again and again.”
THE EUROPEAN ROBIN (Erithacus rubecula) may be recognized by its orangered face and breast. Its crystal-clear chirping with unpredictable changes of pace is often
ISSUE DATE: 2 February 2021
ARTIST: Anna Handell
DESIGN: Julia Perander/Strax
DENOMINATIONS: 4 x e1.90
SIZE: 56 x 25 mm, 1500 labels/roll
PAPER: 40 gms thermal paper
PROCESS: 4-colour offset
PRINTER: Walsall Security Printers
The abundant flowering on the tree branches straddles on both sides of the first day cover and gives you a scent of spring. The musical notes in the first day cancel complete the series. heard from the treetops. On the label, it sits on the ground surrounded by common fern.
THE WILLOW WARBLER (Phyl loscopus trochilus) is our most common bird species with the common chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) as a close second. The willow warbler is more heard than seen, seeing that it prefers low bramble where it can stay hidden. It is a small, quick and greenish-grey bird with a soft, melancholy sounding song, unlike the powerful song of the chaffinch, which is rhythmic with a trill at the end. The chaffinch is recognized by its two contrasting white wing bars. In the
motif, it has landed in a sea of wood sorrel.
THE EURASIAN BLACKCAP (Sylvia atricapilla) also hides in the brambles and shrubs. The male has the black cap and his song starts low-key to end in a loud high-pitched crescendo. Sometimes, it is heard mocking other birds.
Source: www.luontoportti.com
FDC SONGBIRDS PRICE: € 8.60 CODE: 416-202109
Motor power replaces wind power in our new 3-year stamp series featuring veteran tractors. First out on 2 February are two treasures from the early 1900s, shot by Åland photographer David Lundberg.
THE TRACTOR was invented in the late 1800s and, over time, its arrival signifi cantly changed farming.
AN AMERICAN Cletrac crawler tractor, preserved at the Åland Agricultural and Forestry Museum in Ringsböle, Jomala, is believed to be the first tractor in Åland. According to a local newspaper article (Tidningen Åland), brothers Karl and Johan Söderlund of Ödkarby, Saltvik, acquired it from Sweden in 1919 to use on their farm. Karl Söderlund describes the tractor in the article: “It was a Cletrac tractor, with tracks, and it had a mighty forty horsepower Cleve land engine. It failed us only once, when a brake band broke.”
A FORDSON IRON WHEEL tractor, model F from 1924, is portrayed on the other stamp. The Fordson tractor was the
first mass-produced tractor, and many farmers could therefore afford to buy one. This tractor has been on the same farm in Näfsby, Hammarland, since it was pur chased by farm owner Viktor Hamström in the 1920s, but Gunnar Fagerholm, married to Hamström’s adopted daughter Almida, sat behind the wheel. It was widely used in the entire district for ploughing, harrowing and threshing, we learn from grandson Ralf Fagerholm, who has restored the tractor and keeps it on the family farm. The tractor rolled until 1955, after which it operated as a stationary engine well into the 1960s, running both chippers and grinder. Follow ing a 20-year Sleeping Beauty slumber it is today in running order. Having been both green and blue it has now regained its original colour. As illustrated, the tractor was delivered with wheel arches, which were highly unusual in the early 1900s.
MAXIMUM CARDS, NOS. 130 & 131
PRICE: € 3.00 CODE: 445-202110
On 25 March, you can test your navigational skills with this year’s Sepac theme of historical maps. The Åland stamp shows a nautical chart from the 1700s of Rödhamn, a group of islets that has served as a sheltered harbour for seafarers throughout the centuries.
RÖDHAMN , approx. 10 nautical miles off Mariehamn, is located by the Åland Sea in the southern Lemland archipelago. Protected from all types of weather and with a muddy sea bottom for good anchor ing, this harbour has been a safe haven for galleases, sloops, yachts, Swedish warships and Russian galleys for centuries, before crossing the open sea - a “mother’s womb”, as we say in Åland. Today, pleasure crafts jostle in the popular harbour.
RÖDHAMN IS, in fact, the name of the harbour itself but, today, defines the entire group of islets consisting of Långö, Ljungskär, Gloskär and Rödö. On Rödö we find remains of a medieval seafarer’s chapel and cliff carvings dating back to the 1600s. On Gloskär stood a sailor’s inn from the 1750s until the early 1900s, and one of the first radio beacons in Finland was active on Långö 1937–1970. A pilot station located on the highest point of Långö bears witness of pilots stationed on the islet from
the 1820s until 1928. The maritime traffic could be fully controlled from Rödhamn. One of the worst catastrophes off Rödhamn took place in 1916 when passenger steamer Skiftet hit a mine. Only five of 91 passen gers survived. As recently as the winter of 2019, a German naval mine from the war was discovered at a depth of some 20 metres in the Rödhamn inlet and detonated by the Finnish Navy.
THE NAUTICAL CHART on the stamp was drawn up in 1747 by Jonas Hahn (1703-59), a Stockholm-based pilot officer who carried out maritime measure ments around Åland and southern Finland. Measurements were then made first and foremost to chart the archipelago for navy requirements, and depths were measured by sounding line and compass.
Sources: Jan Andersson: Rödhamns värld (2003), Dictionary of Swedish National Biography
FDC SEPAC - HISTORICAL MAPS
PRICE: €5.00 CODE: 416-000412
Åland Post is one of only a few postal administrations offering gutter pairs. The space separating the two half-sheets is usually white, but the centre part of Åland stamp sheets is decorated with illustrations and details, creating a unique entirety. Two decorated sheets featuring lichen appeared as early as 1999, but not until 2004 did decorations on the centre field of the sheets become standard fea tures. All gutter pairs also have either the Åland Post logo or the issue number and year of the stamp.
Did you know that you can collect first day covers with gutter pairs? A standing order subscription is always the best way to collect FDCs, as they are automatically delivered to you in the course of the year. Start a subscrip tion using the form on the website or send us a letter or e-mail or give us a call.
For the first time, you can now also order FDCs with gutter pairs or 4-blocks of coming issues using the order coupon on page 10. Note that our web shop does not yet offer the possibility to order this type of FDCs.
311-202001/ 352-202001
301-000398 / 000399
ISSUED e
Franking labels, Wildflowers, series of 4/ Postcard (1 motif, brown knapweed) 3.2. 2020 6.80
q Sailing ships, Mozart
q Sailing ships, Viking 3.2. 2020 1.30 1.80
301-000400 Sepac - Artwork in national collection 5.3. 2020 1.40
301-000401 My Stamps - DunderDans, mini-sheet (8 x Europa) 8.5. 2020 16.00
301-000402 Europa - Ancient postal routes (Världen) 8.5. 2020 2.20
301-000403 Medical and industrial tubing (Inrikes) 5.6. 2020 1.80
301-000404 Nordic - Mammals (bat) 5.6. 2020 1.00
301-000405 Four seasons, booklet (8 x Lokalpost) 4.9. 2020 13.60
301-000406 Åland police 4.9. 2020 1.50
301-000407 Oxen, miniature sheet (2 x €1) 23.10. 2020 2.00
301-000408 Christmas 2020 (Julpost) 23.10. 2020 1.00
301-00409 Christmas 2020 (Världen) 23.10. 2020 2.20
311-202109 Franking labels, Songbirds, series of 4 2.2. 2021 7.60
301-000410 Veteran tractors, Fordson 2.2. 2021 1.60
301-000411 Veteran tractors, Cletrac 2.2. 2021 3.00
301-000412 Sepac - Historical maps 25.3. 2021 4.00
301-000413 meteorology (Världen) 25.3. 2021 2.20
416-202109 2.2. 2021 8.60 2.2. 2021 5.60
418/419-000 410 /411 Fordson (410) Cletrac (411) 2.2. 2021 4.20 7.00 416000412 - Historical maps 25.3. 2021 5.00 25.3. 2021 3.20
CODE PHILATELIC PRODUCTS
ISSUED e NUMBER AMOUNT
445-202110
Maximum cards, tractors q no. 130 q no. 131
2.2. 2021 3.00/card 445-202113 Maximum card no. 132, Satellite meteorology 25.3. 2020 3.00 908-201928
Stamp book ”A story through Åland stamps 2018-2019” special price 84.00 390-202039 Åland United 2020 Cup Winners, mini-sheet (8 x Europa) 9.10. 2020 18.00
CODE STAMPS
ISSUED e AMOUNT
610-112707 Enchanted Forest, 2 motifs 6.5.2020 3.50 610-112706 Blue Reflection 6.5.2020 1.75
610-112709 Europa - Ancient postal routes 6.5.2020 1.85 610-112715 2020 Nordic - Yard visitors, 2 motifs 3.6.2020 3.50 610-112722 Wild flowers, 8 motifs/roll 3.6.2020 14.00 610-112725 Made in Finland, booklet 3.6.2020 10.50 610-112744 Posti’s Art Award 2020: Janne Laine, 2 motifs 2.9.2020 3.50 610-112746 Literacy and Reading, miniature sheet 2.9.2020 7.00 610-112747 Tatu and Patu, booklet 2.9.2020 10.50 610-112748 A Little dreamer 2.9.2020 1.75 Village Elf 4.11.2020 1.20 Christmas Cottage 4.11.2020 1.75 Welcome to the Village 4.11.2020 1.85 Sled Ride 4.11.2020 1.75
CODE PRODUCTS ISSUED e NUMBER AMOUNT 627-112531 Year pack 2019 109.00 TOTAL
SYMBOLS USED
Stamps Mint Cancelled Gutter pairs Postcard
On 25 March, you can join us on an exciting journey into space and take a look at Åland from above through weather satellite Suomi NPP, named after an Åland descendant; Verner E. Suomi contributed to laying the foundations for today’s weather satellites, essential for providing weather forecasts.
VERNER E. SUOMI (1915-95) was among the earliest to understand the importance of satellites for weather observa tions. His parents, Johan E Suominen from Kustavi, Finland, and Anna M Sundqvist from Pettböle, Finström, emigrated to the USA in 1902. Verner and his six siblings grew up in Eveleth, Minnesota.
LAUNCHED IN 1959, the Explorer VII Satellite signalled the start of spacebased weather research. It carried Suomi’s first instrument, a flat plate radiometer that measured the Earth’s heat balance from space for the first time. It was discovered that clouds play an important role in the Earth’s energy budget and that the Earth absorbs more radiated solar energy than was previously recognized.
SUOMI’S MOST IMPORTANT in vention is probably a camera that, at the last moment, was added to the ATS-1 Satellite
launched in 1966. Its geosynchronous orbit enabled scientists to observe the formation of weather systems without interruptions. Until then, all we had seen were interest ing snapshots from space but, with Suomi’s ”Spin-Scan Cloud Camera”, scientists could now monitor air motion, cloud height and rainfall among other phenomena.
THE AMERICAN SUOMI NPP weather satellite on the stamp monitors the Earth’s cloud cover, oceans, ice sheets, vegetation and the heat radiation from the Earth’s atmosphere. Since 2011, this polar orbiting satellite passes above both poles on each revolution, several times each day. The Suomi NPP is one of several satellites pro viding data for weather forecasts in Finland.
Essential sources: www.nasa.gov, www.noaa.gov, library.ssec.wisc.edu/SuomiWebsite/index.html, The Åland Islands Emigrant Institute
MAXIMUM CARD NO. 132
PRICE: € 3.00 CODE: 445-202113
The series has reached the 21st century, and this last article focuses on mail delivery and postal transports in Åland today. Director of Postal Services Eivor Granberg takes you behind the scenes.
Mail is delivered by car or bicycle. Åland Post also distributes the local morning newspapers in Mariehamn and Jomala. Newspapers to other parts of Åland are distributed in the daily mail.
ÅLAND POST distributes mail to some 15000 addresses Monday through Friday. As the storm Alfrida battered Åland in January 2019, all mail distribution in Åland was cancelled for the first time in modern age.
MAIL ARRIVES IN Åland by ferry or airplane 6 days a week. Mail from Sweden is collected by ferry, whereas mail from Finland and all international items are transported also by airplane from Posti to the post terminal in Sviby where the mail is sorted and cleared through customs. This is where the mail carriers set out on their mail routes, using private cars if their delivery rounds end in their home municipality. For distribution within Mariehamn and nearby areas, the Post has several hybrid cars, and
distribution in central Mariehamn is made by bicycle - ordinary or electric. The Post has recently procured several bicycle trailers so that the carriers can take their entire load of mail as they leave the terminal. It is a step in Åland Post’s endeavours to minimise environmental impact by reducing car use.
OF THE CURRENT 39 delivery rounds, that of the rural postman in Brändö is the longest and includes a round-trip by ferry of over 5 hours. The rural postman not only delivers papers, mail and parcels to the islanders, but also sells stamps, packaging and performs services for external partners, such as picking up laboratory tests. Mail to the archipelago islands Kökar, Kumlinge and Sottunga arrives by regional ferries and is distributed by local postmen.
ON THEIR MAIL routes, postal carriers collect outgoing mail from 19 post offices, postal agents and mailboxes. Priority mail to destinations outside of Europe and to Sweden is usually sent by ferry to Sweden, while other mail catches the eastward ferry for transport by Posti Finland. The ongoing Corona-pandemic has, however, currently cancelled out transport routes to many parts of the world because of reduced air traffic.
AS FOR THE FUTURE, digitalisation is an obvious challenge that also affects transports. Smaller volumes of mail causes more and more postal services to abandon 5-day delivery. As national regulations change and mail handling in destination countries varies, lead times for transport and distribution to recipients are prolonged.
Issued in 2006 was a stamp featuring the new letter boxes of Åland Post, reminding of Åland’s maritime heritage. The 125 letter boxes dispersed around Åland are emptied on workdays.
The post terminal in Sviby is located near the Mariehamn Airport and, today, comprises approx. 26 000 m² of office and production space.
Want to find the best present to anyone with a passion for stamps and Åland? Here’s an inspired idea – at special price.
Motorcycle enthusiast, beekeepers, hovel romantics or winter lovers; the stamp book “A Story through Åland Stamps 2018-2019” has something for everyone. Treat yourself or buy this treasured book with lovely images and fascinating stories for your collecting buddy. All stamps and franking labels from both years are, of course, included, and all articles have a comprehensive summary in English as well as in German and Finnish.
Use the coupon on page 11 to acquire the book at special price. The ordinary price is €95.00. This offer is in force until 31 December 2020, stocks providing.
STAMP BOOK ”A STORY THROUGH ÅLAND STAMPS 2018-2019” PRICE: € 84.00 CODE: 908-201928
On 4 October, football team Åland United won the Finnish Women’s Cup final for the first time. Åland Post celebrated this historic achievement with the issue of a special stamp on 9 October.
Juha Tamminen, long-time football pho tographer, explains his choice of motif: “I shot the photo in the midst of the triumph of victory. I decided to go up close when the players huddled together for a group photo with a mobile, spontaneous, relaxed and happy, having thanked their sup porters and shot the team photo. This is one of my best celebration photos ever; it shows their strong team spirit. Taking individual selfies with the cup may be the new normal but, in this shot, the players
teamed up, presenting their medals, biting their medals and rejoicing together.”
The limited edition is 1000 sheets of 8 stamps. A minimum order is one minisheet. Produced using our online service My Stamps, customized stamps from Åland, this special issue is not included in Åland Post’s official stamp issuing pro gram. Similar issues are exhibition stamps and the special issues in 2015 and 2016 celebrating team IFK Mariehamn.
Place your order on page 11 today.
ÅLAND UNITED 2020 CUP WINNER, MINI-SHEET PRICE: € 18.00 CODE: 390-202039
Are Åland stamps with a Finnish mark denomination valid as postage?
No. Stamps without a currency sign, i.e. with a Finnish mark denomination, are no longer valid as postage. For mail posted in Åland, you may use the following stamps:
• stamps with double currency signs mk/€
• stamps with currency sign €
• NVI-stamps 1 klass (1 cl), 2 klass (2 cl) and Julpost
• NVI-stamps Lokalpost, Inrikes, Europa and Världen
What do the terms Lokalpost, Inrikes, Europa, Världen and Julpost mean?
These denominations are used on no-valueindicator stamps (NVI) and equal a certain
franking value at any given time. They translate into: Lokalpost = postage for Priority letters within Åland up to 50 grams. Inrikes = postage for letters to Finland up to 50 grams.
Europa = postage for Priority letters to the Nordic countries and Europe up to 20 grams.
Världen = postage for Priority letters to any destination in the world up to 20 grams. Julpost = postage for Christmas greetings to Åland, Finland and Sweden up to 20 grams.
The postage value of NVI-stamps changes when the postal tariffs change and may thus increase. All stamps can be combined and used for other weight classes and postal zones. www.alandstamps.com.
Orders are delivered together with an invoice. You can receive ordered products, even if your account shows a debit balance; however, we reserve the right to demand pre-payment. If the balance does not cover your order, you will receive an invoice for the outstanding amount. Make payments to your account at any time and keep a balance to pay for future deliveries. Stating your Åland account number, please direct your payment to one of the bank accounts mentioned. Recent payments may not be reflected on your latest invoice.
All prices listed are exclusive of VAT. Reminders are posted regularly. A € 5.00 delay charge is imposed on reminders.
Finland IBAN: FI08 5578 0420 0572 27
BIC/SWIFT: OKOYFIHH
Germany IBAN: DE89 2001 0020 0698 2922 07
BIC/SWIFT: PBNKDEFF
Our international account in Finland may be used for direct transfers in euro from any country. Perform your payment as a SEPA transfer from most European accounts. Ask your own bank.
The name and address of the bank is OP Corporate Bank PLC P. O. Box 308 00101 HELSINKI, FINLAND
We accept VISA, MasterCard and Maestro. Perform pay ment online at www.alandstamps.com or authorize the Post to charge your card. State card type, number, date of expiry and 3-digit Card Verification Code. We do not file your card details.
Cash payments must be made in euro. Not accepted: cheques and foreign currencies.
You have the right to exchange or return products within 8 days upon receipt. Please state your reason for returning the products.
Club Åland is organized in three levels. BRONZE LEVEL: Purchases in 2020 up to € 55*. SILVER LEVEL: Purchases in 2020 for € 55 - €120*. GOLD LEVEL: Purchases in 2020 for more than € 120*. *Excl. of handling fees
All personal data stated by you when plac ing an order for products or services is registered and saved electronically. More information on Åland Post’s processing and use of personal data and how you exercise your rights is included in Åland Post Privacy Policy and General Terms of Delivery at https://www.alandpost.ax/en/ about-aland-post/terms-and-conditionspolicys.
Choose MY PAGE on www.aland stamps.com to log into your customer account. Here, you can check your account details such as your balance, deliveries and standing order as well as update your address. For changes to your standing order, please contact cus tomer service. You will find MY PAGE in the menu at the top of the page.
Åland Post Stamps reserves the right to change the terms mentioned above.
HANDLING FEES WEB
SUBSCRIPTION €1.00 €1.50
CASUAL ORDERS ABOVE €20 €2.00 €2.00 €2.00 €2.00
CASUAL ORDERS BELOW €20 €4.00 €4.00 €4.00 €4.00
Handling fees as of 1 January 2019. Your order may be subject to taxes. We do not charge postage.
2 February Songbirds
2 February Veteran tractors
Franking labels, series of 4 motifs
2 stamps, 2 maximum cards with special cancellation
25 March Sepac - Historical maps 1 stamp
25 March Satellite meteorology
1 stamp, 1 maximum card with special cancellation
7 May Great Northern War 300 years 1 stamp
7 May Europa - Endangered wildlife 1 stamp
7 May Spring verdure 4 postal stationery cards
9 June Premiers of Åland
Booklet of 8 stamps, 4 motifs
9 June Åland 100 years 1 stamp
23 July The Tall Ships Races 2021
1 stamp, 1 miniature sheet, 1 maximum card with special cancellation, 1 postcard
20 October Christmas 2021 2 stamps
20 October Tiger cat
20 October Christmas seals
Miniature sheet, 1 motif, 1 maximum card with special cancellation
Sheets of 20 self-adhesive seals
April 1 March Songbirds (franking labels), Veteran tractors (2), Sepac-Historical maps (1), Satellite meteorology (1), 3 maximum cards
June 10 May Great Northern War (1), Europa-Endangered wildlife (1), Åland 100 years (1), Åland Premiers (booklet), 4 postal stationery cards
The times of delivery are also listed at www.alandstamps.com.
Exhibitions and special cancellation events in 2021 will be published at www.alandstamps.com.
NOTE! Åland Post will no longer be issuing euro coin sets. The latest coin set was issued in 2018.
ÅLAND POST Ltd
STAMPS PO Box 1100 AX-22111 MARIEHAMN ÅLAND, Finland
TELEPHONE Domestic: 018 636 641 International: +358 18 636 641 Telephone hours (GMT +2 h): Mon–Fri 9 am – 3 pm E-MAIL stamps@alandpost.com
INTERNET www.alandstamps.com www.facebook.com/ AlandPostStamps www.instagram.com/ aland_stamps/ www.sepacstamps.eu FAX
Domestic: 018 636 608 International: +358 18 636 608
VISITING ADDRESS
Flygfältsvägen 10, Sviby, Jomala
EDITORS
Heidemarie Eriksson
Gunilla Häggblom Outi Bergman
TEXT Gunilla Häggblom
TRANSLATION
Kristine Lybeck Sund
LAYOUT
Outi Bergman
PRODUCTION
April Kommunikation Grano
Prices and information in this publication are subject to change.