NEW STAMP ISSUE ON 09 OCTOBER 2007

Santa Comes from Åland!

This year's Christmas stamp is something out of the ordinary. The Post presents the real Santa Claus – created by an Ålander!

Haddon Sundblom was born in 1899 in Michigan and grew up in Chicago. His father Karl Wilhelm emigrated to the USA in 1882 from Föglö in Åland. Haddon's mother Karin came from Sweden. Haddon first planned to follow in his father's footsteps within the building trade but soon decided to pursue art. In the 1920's, he started an advertising agency in Chicago and was in great demand for various commercial assignments.

In 1931, Haddon was asked to design an unbeatable Christmas commercial for Coca-Cola. He chose to change the so far rather uninteresting, greyish looking Santa, creating a merry and cheerful man with red cheeks and a large white beard. In doing so, he not only created a lasting symbol associated with a particular trade mark but also changed the general perception of Santa Claus. Every Christmas, Haddon created a new version of Santa Claus. He drew his last Santa Claus for Coca-Cola in 1966, but the Coca-Cola Santa tradition lives on. The illustrations are still used every year in Coca-Cola commercials.

This year's Åland Christmas stamp shows a Haddon Sundblom Santa, mind you, without a Coca-Cola bottle. The denomination Julpost 07 implies that the stamp may be used for sending Christmas greetings to Åland, Finland and Sweden for €0.50 during a limited period from November to December.

Date of issue:  9 October 2007
Artist:  Haddon Sundblom
Design:  Cecilia Mattsson
Edition:  450 000
Denomination:  Julpost 07
Value:  €0.50
Price FDC:  €1.00
Size of stamp:  26 x 36 mm
Size of sheet:  2 x 20 stamps
Perforation:  14 per 2 cm
Paper:  102 g/m²
Printing method:  4-colour offset
Printing house:  Österreichische Staatsdruckerei

NEW STAMP ISSUE ON 01 OCTOBER 2007

Åland Scenery: Kjusan, Hammarland

This year's second stamp of the Åland scenery series features the municipality of Hammarland, situated in the western parts of main Åland.

The municipality of Hammarland is the third largest municipality in Åland. Andy Horner took the stamp photo, which shows the area Kjusan, spreading out close to the church of Hammarland.

Andy Horner describes the stamp motif:
"To me, the groves next to the church, blooming with wood anemones, and their enourmous juniper berry bushes and traditional grey fences, offer the most powerful and characteristic image of Hammarland. The combination of natural and cultural landscape is very tangible here. A piece of nature, formed by human hands since the Middle Ages, now being nursed to be preserved for posterity. Since the carpets of wood anemones have previously been featured on Åland stamps, I chose to focus on the equally beautiful lesser celandine. It is equally as abundant in this biotope, but usually attracts much less attention. I simply switched white for yellow."

This stamp is the Åland Post's contribution to the joint SEPAC issue.

Date of issue:  1 October 2007
Photographer:  Andy Horner
Design:  Cecilia Mattsson
Edition:  300 000
Denomination:  1^st class
Price FDC:  €1.20
Size of stamp:  36.51 x 31.75 mm
Size of sheet:  2 x 15 stamps
Perforation:  13 per 2 cm
Paper:  110 g/m²
Printing method:  4-colour offset
Printing house:  Cartor SecurityPrinting

NEW STAMP ISSUE ON 07 JUNE 2007

Action-Packed Stamp Featuring Girls' Football

In June, the Post's second frame for My Stamps will be issued and consequently, so will a new motif. With this issue, we focus on girls' football in Åland.

This is the Post's own motif for the My Stamps issue. The artist Jonas Wilén has created this action-packed stamp showing two girls fighting for the ball.

This is also the Post's second frame for the My Stamps issue. Consequently, customers ordering their own stamps now have two different frames from which to choose.

Women's and girls' football are popular sports in Åland. In the beginning of 2007, the total number of licensed women and girl football players registered was 241. In addition, a great many play for recreation. One of the many girls' football teams in Åland is 'Åland United', a team playing in the highest Finnish league, the FM-league.

Date of issue:  7 June 2007
Artist:  Jonas Wilén
Design, frame:  Cecilia Mattsson
Denomination:  1^st class
Price FDC:  €1.20
Stamp size:  30.30 x 45.99 mm
Booklet size:  286 x 66 mm, 8 x 1 stamps
Perforation:  Security perforation


NEW STAMP ISSUE ON 09 MAY 2007

Booklet of High-Class Contemporary Crafts
A shimmering bridal silver crown, flowery red textile and a series of colourful ceramics can be enjoyed with this year's booklet featuring Åland art ware.

The arts and crafts tradition is very much alive in Åland. Artists work in all parts of Åland, creating all sorts of art ware inspired by Åland traditions and the magnificent nature. The handicraft shops offer art ware made from natural materials such as wood, textile, wool, skin, metal and clay.

This year’s booklet presents a selection of Åland contemporary art, photographed by Lasse Kärkkäinen. The goldsmith Titti Sundblom created the shimmering bridal crown made from silver. Titti makes unique jewellery, in most cases from silver.

The internationally known designer couple Korpi & Gordon consists of Maria Korpi-Gordon from Åland and her husband Adam Gordon. They mainly design household textiles.

Judy Kuitunen runs the well-visited pottery and shop 'Judy's' in central Mariehamn. She here sells her own contemporary ceramics.

The three craftsmen also display their contemporary art on this year's maximum cards.

Date of issue: 18 May 2007
Photographer: Lasse Kärkkäinen
Design: Cecilia Mattsson
Denomination: 9 x 1^st class
Price FDC: €2.60
Size of stamps: 53.57 x 24 mm
Size of booklet: 53.57 x 176 mm, 3 x 3 stamps
Perforation: 13 per 2 cm
Paper: 98 g/m²
Printing method: 4-colour offset
Printing house: Posten Sverige

NEW STAMP ISSUE ON 09 MAY 2007

Scout Movement 100 Years
The theme of the 2007 Europa stamp is the 'scout movement 100 years'. Scouts have existed in Åland since 1910, the oldest existing corps having been founded in the thirties.

The scout movement was established by the Englishman Robert Baden Powell, who wrote the book 'Scouting for boys'. In Sweden, Ebbe Lieberath read the book and later founded the first Swedish scout corps. Around the same time, an Åland clergyman in Jomala came into contact with the Swedish scout movement and founded Finland's first scout corps in Åland 1910. More scout corps were founded in Finland later the same year.

In 1911, the Russians put down a ban on scouting in Åland; during the twenties, however, the movement regained momentum and in 1930, the boys' scout corps 'Spejarna' was founded. It still exists as one of five different scout corps in Åland. In Åland, the scout movement currently involves approximately 210 members.

The stamp shows a window opening towards the sea. The dark lines symbolize the scouts' art of knot-making as well as the threads of the web of life. The classic scout lily also appears on the stamp, which has been issued with a special effect called 'Metal FX', a new method of printing which implies that a silver colour is printed on the stamp prior to the 4-colour print.

Date of issue:  9 May 2007
Artist:  Kjell Ekström
Issue:  300 000
Denomination:  €0.70
Price FDC:  €1.20
Size of stamp:  32 x 36.5 mm
Size of sheet:  2 x 15 stamps
Perforation:  13 per 2 cm
Paper:  102 g/m²
Printing method:  4-colour offset (+ Metal FX)
Printing house:  The Lowe Martin Group

NEW STAMP ISSUE ON 18 APRIL 2007

Little Known Tove Jansson Painting on Stamp
Källskär, a tiny island on the outskirts of the Åland archipelago, is today one of the best known tourist attractions of Kökar. In the large house on the island, above the mantelpiece, hangs a relatively unknown painting by the ‘Moomin-mamma’ Tove Jansson. The painting will now be featured on a stamp to be issued 18 April 2007.

In the summer of 1958, the Swede Göran Åkerhielm went ashore on Källskär. With the help of the locals, he there created quite a different world with several special buildings and a peculiar garden. Tove Jansson became acquainted with Göran Åkerhielm when he asked her to do a painting to hang above his mantelpiece on Källskär. “Paint something with wild cliffs, and why not a hysterical fillyjonk, a sea monster or, for that matter, whatever you please”, Åkerhielm wrote in his initial letter to Tove Jansson.

Tove Jansson described their friendship in a letter to the Ålander Kjell Andersén, who has been the supervisor on Källskär for many years. The opening lines of her letter can be found on the first day cover. On the stamp sheet, the closing lines can be enjoyed.

In 1984, Göran Åkerhielm donated his part of Källskär to the province of Åland. During the summer months, guided tours to Källskär are arranged daily.

Date of issue:  18 April 2007
Artist:  Tove Jansson
Photographer:  Kjell Söderlund
Issue:  300 000
Denomination:  €0.85
Price FDC:  €1.35
Size of stamp:  31.75 x 36.51 mm
Size of sheet:  2 x 16 stamps
Perforation:  13 per 2 cm
Paper:  110 g/m²
Printing method:  4 + 1-colour offset
Printing house:  Cartor Security Printing


NEW STAMP ISSUE ON 13 MARCH 2007