The stamps will also celebrate the Union of Journalists in Finland, postcards, Lottas and Junior Lottas
In early 2021, Posti will issue eight stamp publications containing a total of 23 different stamps designs. The stamps will be issued in two batches on January 20 and April 28.
The January stamps to depict friendship, caring, flowers and journalism
The Stamp Year will begin with stamps for Valentine’s Day that will feature fairytale-like animals and colorful patterns formed by flowers. The illustrations done by Riku Ounaslehto in his rich style portray a fluffy squirrel perched on a branch, a butterfly sipping nectar from a flower, a bird building a nest, a rabbit watering plants, a deer with a handsome pair of antlers and three bumblebees pollinating flowers. The Let’s Take Care stamp booklet contains six different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
The stamps illustrated by Oona Himanen feature traditional Finnish perennial ornamental plants. The perennials depicted in the stamps – violet columbines and orange lilies – are known to many already from their grandmother’s garden. Congratulate with Flowers will be issued as a 10-stamp sheet containing two different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs. In addition to this, there will also be a two-stamp sheet that includes both stamp designs.
For her stamp designs, Paula Salviander has illustrated an abundant flower garden that can be used to decorate spring messages sent during Easter, for example. The stamps feature daffodils, tulips, carnations, lilies, hydrangeas, Chinese hibiscuses, sunflowers, peonies and gerberas. Flower Garden will be issued as a 10-stamp sheet containing two different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
Posti is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Union of Journalists in Finland with a poster-style stamp designed by Ilkka Kärkkäinen. The stamp is about the freedom of expressing one’s opinion and the right to take part in discussions. The simplified stamp design has the letter J and two speech bubbles that represent different opinions. Union of Journalists in Finland promotes its members’ professional standing, safeguards journalism and ethical standards and champions the freedom of speech. The Union of Journalists in Finland 100 Years stamp sheet has 10 domestic no-value indicator stamps.
The April stamps to feature Lottas, endangered animals, postcards and the atmosphere of celebration
The voluntary Finnish women’s national defense organization Lotta Svärd was established in 1921. Posti will celebrate the organization’s 100-year history with its own stamps. During the war, Lottas helped defend the country by providing a wide range of maintenance and support services. At its peak, the organization had about 240,000 Lotta and Junior Lotta members. Today, the Lotta Svärd Foundation does charity work, helps Finnish citizens who have suffered due to war or another crisis, supports the training of women for crisis situations and maintains the Lotta Museum. The Lotta Svärd 100 Years stamp sheet, designed by Klaus Welp, contains 10 stamps and two different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
In April, Posti will issue the third set of stamps belonging to the Endangered Animals stamp series designed by Petteri Mattila. This time, the stamps will feature flying or gliding endangered animal and insect species found in Finland. Insects are represented by the Apollo butterfly and birds are represented by the common kingfisher. The flying squirrel, which is featured in the third stamp, is a species known from many news articles that is threatened by logging. Posti will issue the stamps, which are part of the EUROPA series, in collaboration with WWF Finland. The Europa: Endangered Animals III stamp sheet has 15 domestic no-value indicator stamps.
Postcards have relayed the messages and feelings of Finns for 150 years. Susanna Rumpu and Ari Lakaniemi have summarized the history of postcards in a stamp booklet that presents six postcards from different times. The stamps feature one of Finland’s first official postcards from 1871 as well as a postcard featuring the Finnish flag and a farmer, a military postcard from the war years, a fairytale-themed postcard illustrated by Rudolf Koivu, a landscape postcard showing Porvoo and, as the most recent postcard, a postcard exemplifying the popular postcrossing hobby. The Postcard 150 Years stamp booklet contains six different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
In April, Posti will also issue the Day of Celebration stamp that is suitable for many kinds of congratulatory messages. The stamp will also celebrate Klaus Welp’s long career as a stamp designer, as it is the 100th stamp designed by Welp. The stamps designed by Klaus Welp, who is known as a versatile graphic designer and photographer, have featured subjects such as well-known Finnish musicians, Mikael Granlund’s famous airhook goal, saunas and Tove Jansson. Welp also designed the Wilderness Bridge stamp, which was voted the most beautiful stamp in Finland and took second place in the EUROPA stamps competition in 2018.
Posti reserves the right to make changes. Image material for the media