When the first Åland stamps were issued on 1 March 1984, it was the result of a long-term process that started already in the 1950s. The turning point came in 1979 when the Ålanders turned to the Ministry of Justice, justifying the request for their own stamps by saying they would be an important symbol of the autonomy. In 1982, President Mauno Koivisto approved the Åland Stamp Ordinance, and the first Åland stamps were issued in 1984.
From 1984 to 1992, the Post and Telecommunications of Finland was responsible for the stamp production, while the motifs were produced in collaboration with the Åland provincial government and its stamp delegation. On 1 January 1993, a new Autonomy Act came into force, giving Åland the right to establish its own postal administration. The Åland Post now took over the production and sale of Åland stamps, which have now been issued for 40 years.
A debutante in the context of stamps, Swedish-Bulgarian illustrator Tzenko Stoyanov took on the challenge of capturing the essence of Åland stamps and stamp collecting. He describes his work with the anniversary edition: “I wanted to give the miniature sheet a timeless, fairy-tale feel through a slightly surreal story where the sea becomes space, the boats spaceships, and the birds letters. With the motif, I want to show that there are no limits to communication and that Åland, through the Post, extends a hand to send love and peace to the world and the universe. I drew everything by hand before processing it digitally, all in a more or less traditional style with a contemporary flavour.”
The first day cover and cancel show the carrier pigeon from the miniature sheet with festive anniversary balloons and a stamp in its beak. Picture: Åland Post.
Source, text and pictures:
Åland Post’s press release 24 January 2024
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