POST Greenland's May 15th Issue It is that time again - POST Greenland issues postage stamps three times a year, and May 15th was one of those times. For this issue, eight new stamps have been created, and they are split into four different themes. All the stamps can be seen below, where the story behind the stamp will also be shared. EUROPA Stamps 2017 - Castles This year, the common theme for EUROPA stamps is castles, and this might have been a challenging theme for POST Greenland. Greenland has many great things to offer, but there is not a single castle in the entire country. This didn't stop POST Greenland, though, and in cooperation with the artist Buuti Pedersen, they came up with an alternative solution. Buuti Pedersen based her work on the idea of ice castles as portrayed in fairytales, and decided to focus on one of the most majestic structures of nature the iceberg. She developed two stamps for the EUROPA 2017 series, and they depict an iceberg in the early hours of dawn, and in the very last evening light, respectively. In the artist's own words, "Icebergs are fascinating. Even though we know that they are white, their colours are incredibly varied depending on whether you look at them in the early hours or in the last evening light. The same iceberg can be the whitest white and change into the deepest blue colour." The two stamps are denominated at DKK 15 and 16 respectively, and are printed in sheets of 40. They are also sold in mini-sheets of nine stamps and in a self-adhesive booklet containing six of each of the two EUROPA stamps. The complete issue along with specialty items can be found here. Abandoned Stations first part of a new series With this issue, POST Greenland introduces a new stamp series. The series focuses on abandoned stations in Greenland, and it will feature a total of six different stamps, with the first two being issued on May 15th. One of the stamps feature the naval base "Grønnedal", which was opened by the American military during World War II, and which was run by the Danish Naval Service until 2014, when the naval base was closed. The base was originally opened in order to protect a nearby cryolite mine in South-west Greenland, and during the Cold War, the base was an important strategic position in the Arctic. The stamp is denominated at DKK 5.00, and shows the view from one of the ships. The second stamp features the "Ikateq Air Base", which was an American air base in East Greenland, also opened during World War II. The airfield was operational between 1942 and 1947, but it never attained the importance that it was intended to. In 1947 the base was evacuated, and all material was left behind. The material left includes thousands of oil barrels and several vehicles. The second stamp in this series actually focuses on the barrels, which were left behind, and now have become part of the surrounding nature. The stamp is denominated at DKK 14.00. Both stamps in the set are issued in sheets of 40, and they can be found here. Sepac 2017 Stamps Local Handcraft This year, the Small European Postal Administration Cooperation, also known as Sepac, will focus on local handcraft as their common theme. POST Greenland has focused on an important local resource, the seal, for their stamp. The stamp depicts a sealskin coat made by Isaksen Design for Great Greenland. Seals have always played a large role in the lives of Greenlandic people, and seals have been a great source of both food and material for many years. Because of the massive importance of seals in the community, this is a logical motive to depict. The Sepac stamp is denominated at DKK 15.00, and can be found here. Old Greenlandic Bank Notes New Series This series depicting Greenlandic bank notes is also new, and will be continued in 2018 with the addition of two stamps. The stamps issued as souvenir sheets and in sheets of 20 each show an old Greenlandic bank note. The first stamp depicts the center of a bank note denominated at 25 Øre. The center of the bank note depicts two Arctic seabirds in a red circle. This stamp is denominated at DKK 20.00. The second stamp shows the center of another bank note, which was denominated at 50 Øre. The center of this bank note shows a seal on an ice floe, and the stamp is designed in yellow and brown colours. The stamp is denominated at DKK 39.00. The stamps in this series are designed by artist and engraver Bertil Skov Jørgensen. The stamps and specialty items can be found here. Royal Golden Wedding Anniversary 1967-2017 Joint Issue On June 10th 2017, the royal couple of Denmark will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. In celebration of this occasion, the three postal services of the Danish Realm POST Greenland, Posta Faroe Island, and PostNord Danmark are collaborating on a joint issue. All three postal services have issued a souvenir sheet featuring the same portrait of the royal couple. Although both Greenland and the Faroe Islands are self-governing territories, the ties to Denmark are still strong in many instances, and this especially holds true regarding the Danish royal family. The royal family often visits Greenland, and there is a special bond between the royal family and the Greenlandic people. Each of the three postal services issue an almost identical souvenir sheet featuring the same photographic portrait depicting the regent couple. In addition to this joint souvenir sheet, POST Greenland also issues the stamp in sheets of 20 stamps, and a special souvenir folder containing one mint copy of the souvenir sheet from the three postal services. The stamp is denominated at DKK 50.00, and can be found here. |