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Golden Age of Aland Music

September 26, 2014, 7:20 pm
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The Aland Postal Service has issued three new booklet stamps that has a postage value of Lokalpost named "Golden Age of Aland Music" on the 25th of August 2014. These new stamps featured three of the most popular Aland bands during the 1960s. They were the Anacondas, the Hitch Hikers and the Stockdoves. The stamp booklet features 9 stamps in a 3 x 3 format.

During some groovy years in the middle of the 1960s,dances were arranged in the Åland
community centres on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and, sometimes, even on Sundays.
The bands Anacondas, Hitch Hikers and Stockdoves took pop music of the world to Åland and Finland. The three orchestras are now featured on the three stamps on the First Day Cover.
You can also listen to the bands by scanning the stamps with the free app “Sepac stamps” on your smart phones.

The 1960s was the decade when pop music took Åland by storm. The range of music in the early 1960s had more or less consisted of music performed on accordion, upright bass and guitar for the traditional dances hambo, schottische and foxtrot. But the winds changed and, inspired by bands such as The Shadows, The Spotnicks and The Violents, the Åland barbed-wire band The Anacondas was formed in 1962.


Håkan Rikberg remembers the Hitch Hikers’ tour bus, a rickety minibus, which the police did not like, and which is now featured on the cover of the stamp booklet.  “It had messages and expressions of affections from loyal fans from around the country scribbled all over it.”

Thank you DearElla.
 
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The Dudesons' anti-bullying campaign

September 27, 2014, 7:00 pm
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The Dudesons stamps were issued on 1.9.2014 to fight school bullying and they also feature practical jokes
The cartoon-like stamps are part of the Dudesons' anti-bullying campaign. Since it's the Dudesons, the stamps also feature practical jokes.
The look of the Dudesons stamps has been created by graphic designer Janne Korsumäki in collaboration with Rabbit Merchandising Oy. In line with the theme of the stamps, the Dudesons are depicted as schoolchildren in full swing at school. Typical humor of South Ostrobothnia, the Dudesons' home province, is also showcased in the Priority labels, for instance.
Four golden rules for practical jokes. On the basis of their personal experiences, the Dudesons have concentrated their energy on fighting school bullying. Jukka was a bully himself, a fact that he now says he is deeply ashamed of. "I was a lively boy and did not understand that I was bullying others. Luckily, I was given a talking-to and I understood enough myself to stop bullying," Jukka says. For his part, Jarno has been bullied and knows what kind of wounds bullying leaves in one's soul for a long time. 
To brighten schooldays, the Dudesons recommend practical jokes instead of bullying. Daily practical jokes are all very well for keeping up good spirits as long as one remembers not to take the jokes too far. In fact, on the reverse side of the miniature sheet, there are four golden rules for practical jokes as a reminder for everyone:
Never play a joke on a kid weaker than you.
It's not a joke if you're not all laughing when it's done.
Don't play jokes on the same people all the time.
Never turn a blind eye to bullying.
The Dudesons have noticed that they clearly have enough credibility to talk about school bullying to young people. "It surely seems that they all, even the toughest cases, are listening to us," Jukka says. 
Jarppi points out that bullying also occurs in other places than just school. "Bullying generates negative energy and torpedoes good things at workplaces, for instance. People need to identify cases of bullying in their own life in order to be able to intervene." 
Thank you Ellafor this lovely FDC.

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First Aerial Postal Flight

September 28, 2014, 8:01 pm
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Barcelona Olympic Games 1992

September 29, 2014, 7:09 pm
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These three nice stamps were issued by Liechtenstein to commemorate the Barcelona Summer Olympic Games.

The stamps depict a relay race, a cycling event and a judo match.

Thank you Merja.
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Signs of the sky

September 30, 2014, 7:12 pm
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Stamps do not necessarily need to be boring and official. Nina Rintala's Signs of the sky stamp booklet is proof of this with its eight 1st class stamps each with a different form. Rintala's designs portray, for instance, planets, a shooting star, the sun, clouds and a rainbow.
In addition to the stamps, the booklet includes small stickers. "Everyone can modify the familiar signs of sky and space to their liking with eyes, mouths and other additional parts. You can add a bow on the planet Earth, a beard on a cloud or make a rainbow wink at Saturn wearing cat's ears. You can forget about the laws of astrophysics when modifying these stamps," says Nina Rintala. 
Thank you Dear Ella for this lovely FDC.
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Four nostalgic yard and garden scenes from Finland

October 1, 2014, 6:59 pm
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This year, the traditional fall stamps will depict nostalgic Finnish yards and gardens. The stamps are the work of Urpo Martikainen, who many know as an anchorman and whose watercolors are the basis of the stamps. The handy self-adhesive booklet called Autumnal yards and gardens, only the size of a credit card, contains four 1st class stamps.

Urpo Martikainen painted ten drafts, of which two scenes from Mikkeli, one from Helsinki and one from Kristiinankaupunki were selected for the booklet.Martikainen took into account the small size of the stamps by eliminating small details from the paintings and by sharpening the colors.

Urpo Martikainen has painted watercolors since the 1960s. When he retired in May 2010 from his 28-year-long post as an anchorman, there was suddenly more time left for painting. He has had various exhibitions and organized watercolor courses in Finland and Italy, among other places.

On the cover of the stamp booklet, Martikainen painted a small tractor, a traditional milk platform and mailboxes."The image contains all the distinctive characteristics of countryside life in the 1950s. Many have nostalgic memories about fetching the mail in the countryside."

Thank you Ella for this FDC with the lovely stamps.
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150th Anniversary of Western Australia

October 2, 2014, 6:51 pm
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This stamp commemorates the 150th year since Captain James Sterling arrived at mouth of the Swan River aboard the "Parmelia" with a party of settlers, the design on the stamp shows the states "Official" anniversary symbol, the symbol was designed by Norman Wilson of Perth, Western Australia.

The cover depicts The Old Mill (Shenton’s Mill) which is a restored tower mill located on Mill Point in South Perth, Western Australia. Today, restored to its original 1830s condition, it is one of Perth's best known historic landmarks and serves as a sightseeing attraction.

Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east. Western Australia is Australia's largest state with a total land area of 2,529,875 square kilometres (976,790 sq mi), and the second-largest country subdivision in the world – however, a significant part of it is sparsely populated. The state has about 2.5 million inhabitants (around 11% of the national total), and 92% of the state's population lives in the south-west corner of the state.

The first European visitor to Western Australia was the Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog, who visited the Western Australian coast in 1616. The first European inhabitants were the crew of the British East Indiaman Tryall, who were wrecked on Tryal Rocks in May 1622. They spent a week camped on the Montebello Islands before sailing on to Batavia. The New South Wales colonial government established a convict-supported military garrison at King George III Sound, at present-day Albany, in 1826, which was followed by the establishment of the Swan River Colony in 1829, including the site of the present-day capital, Perth. York was the first inland settlement in Western Australia. Situated 97 kilometres east of Perth, it was settled on 16 September 1831.

Western Australia achieved responsible government in 1890, and later federated with the other British colonies in Australia in 1901. Today Western Australia's economy mainly relies on mining, agriculture and tourism. The state produces 46% of Australia's exports. Western Australia is the second-largest iron ore producer in the world.

Thank you Dear Maria for this nice FDC.

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Tom of Finland gets global stamp of approval, with success of Finnish stamp set.

October 3, 2014, 6:53 pm
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A set of homoerotic Finnish stamps featuring images by gay icon and artist Tom of Finland have become a worldwide success, Finland's postal service company said.

During the six months that preceded the launch, buyers placed pre-orders from 178 countries, Posti said in a statement.

Tom of Finland, whose real name was Touko Laaksonen (1920-1991), is venerated internationally in gay circles for his explicit sexual drawings, created at a time when homosexuality was still taboo in the West.

The stamps feature partial nudity and muscular moustachioed men in uniforms.

"It's great that these images, which in the past had to be sold under the table, can now be openly stuck on an envelope or a postcard," Timo Berry, the graphic artist who designed the stamps, told Finnish public broadcaster YLE.

Posti said the stamp set got "the largest global media attention" ever.

"Our aim is to keep printing stamps which are in line with our time," Posti spokesman Markku Penttinen said in a statement. After Finland, the highest number of orders came from Sweden, Britain, the United States and France.

Ever been tempted to lick a Tom of Finland artwork? A new stamp series may present just that opportunity.

Itella Posti Oy, a subset of the Itella Corp. and the Finnish equivalent of the U.S. Postal Service, releasedstamps this September that feature the homoerotic artwork by the gay artist, whose illustrations of hyper-masculine figures have become celebrated in gay culture around the world.

Susanna Luoto, the European liaison for the Tom of Finland, and graphic artist Timo Berry selected two drawings from the oeuvre of Tom of Finland, who produced more than 3,500 works in his career, to be included on the three-stamp sheet.

The first-class stamps showcase images typical of Tom of Finland art: a mustachioed, wide-framed, and uniformed man with a seductive stare and a cigarette dangling from his mouth, as well as the curves of the male derriere.

"The sheet portrays a sensual life force and being proud of oneself. There is never too much of that in this northern country," Berry said.

To coincide with the stamp sheet’s release, Finland’s Postal Museum will also debut an exhibition on Touko Laaksonen, more popularly known by his pseudonym Tom of Finland, titled “Sealed with a Secret: Correspondence of Tom of Finland.” The show, which runs from September 6 through March 29 at the Museum Centre Vapriikki, will feature letters and exchanges from the late Finnish artist throughout the course of his career.

The Itella Corp. describes Tom of Finland as one of the “most well-known Finnish artists around the world. His emphatically masculine homoerotic drawings have attained iconic status in their genre and had an influence on, for instance, pop culture and fashion. In his works, Tom of Finland utilized the self-irony and humour typical of subcultures.”
Thank you very much Ella for this FDC which puts a new dimension in philately.
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Cyprus - Intellectual Pioneers 30.6.2014

November 7, 2014, 7:10 pm
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"Intellectual Pioneers" - 150 years since the birth of the French artist Toulouse Lautrec, 450 years since the artist's death Michael Angelo, 450 years since the birth of scientist Galileo and 400 years since the death of the painter El Greco (born Dominikos Theotokopoulos).

El Greco - Dominikos Theotokopoulos famously known as "El Greco" was born in 1541 in Candia, Crete. As a young icon painter he left his native land circa 1567 and traveled to Venice. There he adopted Catholicism and probably became a pupil of Titan. He moved to Rome when his critical attitude to Michelangelo’s works did not endear him to the local art world. A friendly Cardinal invited him to travel to Spain where he settled in the city of Toledo until his death in 1614. One of his famous paintings the "Burial of Count Orgaz" as in the Church of St. Tome in Toledo.


Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti was born in 1475 in Capressa, Italy. He was renowned as a sculptor, painter and poet. He enjoyed the patronage of Lorenzo di Medici and in 1496 he was summoned to Rome by Cardinal San Giorgio who bought his "Cupid". He is well known for his sculpture of the "Pieta" (1498-1499) for a French Cardinal's tomb in Rome, for the painting of the "Sistine Chapel" (1508-1512) and the "Last Judgement" (1537). In 1538 he was appointed architect of St. Peter's where he devoted the rest of his life until his death in 1564.

Galileo Galilei was born in 1564 in Pisa, Italy. He entered Pisa University but left without degree in 1585. In 1592 he entered Padua University where as professor of mathematics he taught until 1610. In 1609 having heard of the invention of the telescope in the Netherlands, he set about to build his own improved version. Fundemental discoveries about the movements of the planets are attributed to him, but his unorthodox views were condemned by the Catholic Church who had him imprisoned. Even then he continued his research. In 1993 the Catholic Church recognized the validity of his scientific work.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born in 1864 in Albi, France. At the age of 14 he broke both his legs resulting in permanent abnormality as they ceased to grow. In 1884 he settled in Montmartre where he became a regular visitor at the "Moulin Rouge", painting and drawing barmaids, dancers, actors, clowns and society at large. He was a gifted painter but his alcoholism forced him into a sanatorium in 1899. He recovered and resumed his life until he died in 1901.

Thank you Dear Merja.
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Aland EUROPA 2014 - Alie Lindberg

November 9, 2014, 5:44 pm
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Aland honoured Alie Lindberg in this EUROPA stamp issue on 8th May 2014.

The stamp depicts Alie Lindberg and her piano. Alie made an extraordinary journey - from her life as the daughter of a Kastelholm jailer to the great stages of Europe as a concert pianist.

Thank you Ella.
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Bellflower

November 10, 2014, 5:21 pm
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It took him several weeks to find the perfect nettle-leaved bellflower to photograph for this year’s SEPAC stamps. 
Photographer Andy Horner spent quite some time in a ditch before he could catch it in ultimate lighting.
 
Finding the perfect nettle-leaved bellflower was not so easy. This type of bellflower is not very common in Åland and it grows in shady deciduous forests, not exactly the ideal environment to shoot this towering flower without any shadows and against a clean background. Nature photographer Andy Horner was on the lookout for weeks. 

Nettle-leaved bellflower belongs to the family Campanulaceae. In Åland, we find some 15 species. Its square stem and serrated leaves resemble those of the nettle, hence the name. The Latin name Campanula trachelium derives from campa meaning bell and trachelium meaning throat. The herb was formerly used to treat sore throat. 

Thank you Dear Ella for this lovely FDC with the bellflower stamp.
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Finland Christmas stamps 2014

November 11, 2014, 5:42 pm
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This year, the Christmas stamps feature the artwork of Kristina Segercrantz, famous for several award-winning book illustrations. With these stamps executed with watercolor technique, Segercrantz wants to create a true Christmas fairy-tale atmosphere. In the blue-hued Christmas Eve Christmas-tariff stamp (0.75 Euro), an elf girl enjoys the enchanting atmosphere with a Christmas reindeer in candlelight. In the other Christmas stamp, the orange-hued Christmas Morning 1st-class stamp, an elf rings a large Christmas bell, feet off the ground. The graphic design of the Christmas stamps comes from Olavi Hankimo. 

Thank you Ella for this nice FDC.
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Bridges in Finland

November 12, 2014, 5:40 pm
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The October releases also include a 100-piece roll of stamps, and that to by popular demand, features more motifs than before: no fewer than 10 different 1st-class stamps. The stamps depict Finnish bridges and waterways in different times of the year and day, photographed by Jaakko Tähti.
The spectrum of bridges ranges from small arch bridges in parks to major traffic bridges. The bridges in the stamps have been photographed in the following locations: Jyväskylä, Punkalaidun, Pihtipudas, Tampere, Vaajakoski, Viitasaari, Porvoo, Säkylä, Raippaluoto and Kärnänkoski. The graphic design of the Bridges and Waters stamps comes from a duo of experienced designers, Ari Lakaniemiand Susanna Rumpu.
Thank you Ella for this very lovely FDC.
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Changes in everyday life in Finland

November 13, 2014, 5:52 pm
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In November 2013, Itella Posti Oy started its series of stamps to mark the centennial year of Finnish independence to be celebrated in 2017. This year, the theme of the stamps is changes in everyday life in Finland, influenced by, for instance, developing technology and globalization. Graphic artist Sami Saramäki has designed the Changes in Everyday Finland stamp booklet containing 1st-class stamps that depict six megatrends that have changed everyday life: information technology, culinary culture, domestic appliances, migration, pop culture and vehicles. 
Thank you Ella for this nice cover with the lovely stamps.
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Aland Christmas Issue 2014

November 20, 2014, 5:49 pm
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The 2014 Christmas stamp issued on 9.10.2014 is almost a fairy tale image of Little Christmas. The Christmas atmosphere comes to life with white snow, welcoming and warming lights and rosy cheeks.

A parent holding a child’s hand visits the Jan Karlsgården Christmas fair.Emelie Hage’s image of Little Christmas has the shimmer of nostalgia.

“I imagined a parent introducing a child to the Christmas spirit. Quite often, the Little Christmas fair is a rather slushy affair with everyone skidding around in the mud and it is always damp. I remember how my parents stopped to talk to every single person they met and it took forever to get to the toffee …But this is how it looks in my dream,” says Emelie, the artist behind the Christmas stamp as well as the Christmas seals and Christmas decorations in gold plated brass.
Emelie first drew the image and then applied watercolours. On the Christmas seals, the marketers are the central figures, whereas the decorations focus on the merchandise – a toffee, a tin of herrings, a bauble.
“I sketched all the motifs at the same time to obtain a certain amount of coherence. Even if I have previously designed stamps for Åland Post, the small format does demand a special approach; for everything to work well you must consider the smallness, a stamp motif is so tiny.”
Finding inspiration was not so easy seeing that Emelie made her research at Jan Karlsgården during high summer. ”I shot photos and gathered details, colours and patterns that might prove good to have”.
On her home turf in Stockholm, her friends know little about the Little Christmas phenomenon in Åland and Emelie acts as eager ambassador. That is what happens for someone celebrating Little Christmas abroad.
“Traditions like these become somewhat special and I like to tell my friends about our Åland Little Christmas celebrations. I particularly like the ‘little’ part. A small gift, a small tree and a little food. Unpretentious and enjoyable,” she says.
Thank you Ella for this lovely FDC.
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Åland - Miniature sheet featuring Åland sheep.

November 21, 2014, 5:52 pm
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Following an interesting co-operation between Åland Post and Postage Stamp Printing Bureau of China Post Group it is now time for the issue of the miniature sheet featuring Åland sheep. 

For several years, well-known stamp engraver Martin Mörck has instructed Chinese youth in the time-consuming craft of producing an engraved stamp. Initiated by Åland Post, the final exam for the trainees was the participation in a design competition designated to produce two hand-engraved, steel-printed stamp motifs for a miniature sheet featuring the species Åland sheep.  

The miniature sheet was issued on 5th November 2014 in both Åland and China. In addition to the miniature sheet, a first day cover and two maximum cards featuring the Åland sheep were available. In connection with the printing, a numbered edition of 5000 exquisite black prints of the engraving has also been produced. A limited 2000 black prints are sold as signed by the engravers. Since 2015 is the Year of the Sheep according to the Chinese zodiac, our choice of motif for the miniature sheet was sheep.

Ella thank you very much indeed for this wonderful FDC.
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30th Anniversary of Aland Postage stamps

November 26, 2014, 4:47 am
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The first Åland stamps were issued 1 March 1984 (please see those first issues under the Label Åland in this blog).
Approximately 15 stamps describing Åland nature, culture, history, society and autonomy are issued every year.
The Åland post office doesn’t issue large stamp editions. An edition of about 300.000-500.000 of each stamp is normal.
The themes are always chosen with great care and artistic sense.  
The Åland postal services have also attracted attention at exhibitions and contests around the world. The greatest merit so far is the first prize in the contest “The most beautiful stamp of Europe 1997.” The theme of the winning stamp was  “Ålands independence 75 years”.
The stamps on this cover have been cancelled with a special postmark marking 30 years of Åland stamps.
Thank you Ella.
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Seasons Greetings

December 25, 2014, 9:23 pm
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Willem of Oranje (1533-84)

January 14, 2015, 8:50 pm
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My friend Gerda from Holland sent me this very interesting First Day Cover featuring the famous William of Orange.

William I, Prince of Orange (24 April 1533 – 10 July 1584), also widely known as William the Silent or William the Taciturn (translated from Dutch:Willem de Zwijger),  or more commonly known as William of Orange, was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of Nassau as Count of Nassau-Dillenburg. He became Prince of Orange in 1544 and is thereby the founder of the branch House of Orange-Nassau and the ancestor of the monarchy of the Netherlands.

A wealthy nobleman, William originally served the Habsburgs as a member of the court of Margaret of Parma, governor of the Spanish Netherlands. Unhappy with the centralisation of political power away from the local estates and with the Spanish persecution of Dutch Protestants, William joined the Dutch uprising and turned against his former masters. The most influential and politically capable of the rebels, he led the Dutch to several successes in the fight against the Spanish. Declared an outlaw by the Spanish king in 1580, he was assassinated by Balthasar Gérard (also written as "Gerardts") in Delft in 1584.

In the 19th century the Netherlands became a constitutional monarchy, currently with King Willem-Alexander as head of state: he has cognatic descent from William of Orange. All stadtholders after William of Orange where drawn from his descendants or the descendants of his brother.



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Synchronized skating - Radiant stamp for four-times world champions

February 7, 2015, 8:59 pm
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The presented discipline in January's sports-related stamp does not need any justification. The subject for the stamp is synchronized skating, in which Finland represents the world's brightest light. The stamp depicts Helsingin Luistelijat ry's Marigold IceUnity synchronized skating team, which won its fourth world championship in April 2014.

The Synchronized skating stamps were designed by Ari Lakaniemi andSusanna Rumpu, who are well known for their other award-winning stamp designs. The stamp is based on Olli-Pekka Juhola's picture which was taken in competition, and which features a group of four skaters from a 16-person team. The stamp features the skaters Anni Holopainen, Ida Hellström, Tiia Aromäki and Salla Laukkanen.

The elegant sheet is printed on a glossy foil paper with a silvery ice crystal pattern added in gloss paint.

This year in Finland synchronized skating will be celebrating its 30th anniversary. The sport was brought to Finland from the United States by Mrs Jane Erkko. Currently in Finland there are 153 synchronized skating teams, with close to 2,800 skaters. This spring, Finland's synchronized skaters will be particularly excited to find out if the International Olympic Committee will include the sport in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in South Korea.

Thank you Ella for this lovely First Day Cover.


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