Posti will issue ten new stamp publications in January–May 2019, with a total of 34 different stamps. The stamps will depict subjects such as the baby box, manga illustrations, Helsinki Central Station, the Finnish national bird and flowers. The selection of themes will be complemented by unique stamps for Valentine’s Day and Easter.
Valentine’s Day, freezing cold winter days and the baby box will all be celebrated on January 23
The Stamp Year kicks off with Valentine’s Day stamps, which have been illustrated by the Matti Pikkujämsä in his own distinctive style. The Shared Joy stamp booklet depicts friendship between adults in various situations. Pikkujämsä has painted the colorful original illustrations on paper with acrylic paint. The texts are handwritten, and the perforation was also done freehand. The Shared Joy stamp booklet contains 6 domestic no-value indicator stamps.
January’s winter-themed stamps feature photos showing ice fishing and ice swimming, the traditional pastimes of freezing cold Finnish winter days. The Freezing Winter Day stamps, designed by AD Paula Salviander, show a father and daughter spending a sunny day ice fishing and an ice swimmer taking a dip in a hole in the ice. Freezing Winter Day will be issued as a 10-stamp stamp sheet containing 2 different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
The baby box is a unique Finnish innovation that has also received recognition and praise internationally. January will also see the issue of the Baby Box miniature sheet, designed by Dog Design, which will present the contents of the box and the bed box itself. Every year, Kela distributes around 40,000 new baby boxes to expectant mothers. The contents of the box change every year. In recent years, the box and its contents have been developed based on customer feedback. The Baby Box miniature sheet contains 6 domestic no-value indicator stamps.
Stamps issued on March 13 to feature Easter, Japan, Helsinki Central Station and floral artistry
Next year’s Easter stamps will have a classic look, as they have been designed by Virpi Pekkala, an artist known for her postcard illustrations, which number in the thousands. Pekkala has created the illustrations for the Easter Games stamps in her own distinctive style using watercolors, gouache and marker pens. The stamp illustrations depict a tiny witch on a willow branch and a bunny transporting Easter eggs and a chick on a cart. Easter Games will be issued as a 10-stamp sheet containing 2 different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
The stamps issued in March also feature Japanese cultural influences, which have become a part of everyday life in Finland. The manga-style stamps, reminiscent of Japanese comics, depict a girl singing karaoke and a boy eating sushi. Reima Mäkinen, a graphic designer specialized in comics, sought to make the Japanese Influences stamps look bold and cheerful through both the use of color and the body language of the characters. Japanese Influences will be issued as a 10-stamp sheet containing 2 different foreign no-value indicator stamp designs.
Helsinki Central Station will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year. In March, Posti will celebrate the station, which is one of Helsinki’s finest and best-known buildings, by dedicating a miniature sheet to it. The sheet has been designed by Klaus Welp, who is a graphic designer known for his many stamp designs. For the stamps, Welp photographed the monumental railway station building, designed by Eliel Saarinen, from multiple angles. The Helsinki Central Station 100th Anniversary miniature sheet contains 6 domestic no-value indicator stamps.
March will also see the issue of the Floral Artistry stamps, which get their subject matter from entries to the floral design competition for florists. The stamps feature the winning works by Master Florist Pirjo Koppi and Master Florist-Horticulturist Tiina Koskinen, which show how flowers can be turned into magnificent works of art. Floral Artistry will be issued as a 15-stamp sheet containing 3 different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
Stamps issued on May 8 to feature the whooper swan and flowers for joy and grief.
Next year, the annually issued EUROPA stamps will feature national birds.
The graphic designer legend Erik Bruun took up the challenge and designed two stamps featuring the Finnish national bird, the whooper swan. EUROPA: The Whooper Swan will be issued as a 10-stamp sheet containing 2 different domestic no-value indicator stamp designs.
The spring’s congratulation stamps have been designed by photographer and postcard artist Anna-Mari West. She staged beautiful arrangements for the pictures of the Say It with Flowers stamp booklet in her studio by using various props. The stamp booklet contains 6 domestic no-value indicator stamps.
May will also see the debut of a new stamp artist, the illustrator Oona Himanen, who has designed a harmonious and dignified stamp featuring a calla lily that is suitable for condolence cards. In addition to grief, Himanen wants the stamp to convey caring, empathy and remembrance. The Euro-value Calla will be issued as a 10-stamp sheet.
Posti reserves the right to make changes.
