posten - Åland Stamps | · 2017. 1. 11. · Mon–Fri 9 am – 4 pm In July Mon–Fri 9 am – 3 pm Orders from Finland: 020 340 020 FAX +358 18 636 608 INTERNET Nordic stamps:

7 • 2012 sees the start of a new 3-year frama series featuring old wooden duck decoys used for seafowl hunting.

16 • In 2012, 100 years have passed since the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. Three Ålanders went down with the ship. We commemorate the catastrophe with a stamp issue.

14 • S/S Birger Jarl and M/S Sally Albatross are the passenger ferries next in turn to be presented on stamps.

1414 • S• S/S/S BirBirgerger

7 •7 2012 sees

posten.ax

NO. 2-2011 E N G L I S H

PASTRY,

BUSSES AND ANIMATIONS

STAFF

P IA ISAKSSON

Production

”I work with several different tasks in the production unit. Among other things, I handle orders that have been prepaid by credit card. I also stand in for our head stock-room attendant and the person responsible for our customer database. This gives variation to my work.”

Åland �ost on �acebook

Are you on Facebook? If so, visit our page to read our latest updates and acquaint your-self with stamp issues, events, special offers and much more. Still not a member of Facebook? Joining is easy and free. It is worthwhile to “like” Åland Post Stamps on Facebook!

� substitute for colleagues

Cross-border cooperationFor a small postal administration with customers in over one hundred countries, it is important to know what is up in the fi eld of collecting. Consequently, Åland Post actively participates in various postal cooperative forums. In addition to the Nordic cooperation, Åland stands as chairman of SEPAC, the small European postal ad-ministrations’ cooperation. Åland is also part of the steering group within PostEurop’s “Stamps and Philately” group, the main focus of which is on the themes and future of the Europa stamps and on collecting in general. Internationally, Åland is an active member of World Association for Development of Philately, a UPU section.

�nita �äggblomDIRECTORÅLAND POST STAMPS

www.facebook.com

2•2011

STOCKHOLMFRIMÄRKETS DAG2011

STTTOCKHOFRRIMÄRKR200011

TURUN KEVÄT

ÅBO 2011

ÅLAND POST LTDSTAMPS P.O. Box 1100AX-22111 MARIEHAMN ÅLAND, Finland

PHONE

+358 18 636 641 Telephone hours (GMT+2): Mon–Fri 9 am – 4 pmIn July Mon–Fri 9 am – 3 pmOrders from Finland:020 340 020

FAX

+358 18 636 608

INTERNET

www.posten.axNordic stamps:www.topoftheworld.nu

E-MAIL

[email protected]

VISITING ADDRESS

Post TerminalFlygfältsvägen 10, Sviby

EDITORS

Anita Häggblom Katja Rikberg Heidemarie Eriksson Björn WennströmCecilia Mattsson

TEXT

Katja Rikberg

TRANSLATION

Kristine Lybeck SundViola Eriksson

LAYOUT

Cecilia Mattsson

PRODUCTION

Åland Post LtdWaasa Graphics

COVER PHOTO

John Häggblom

The publishers reserve the right to make changes to the information contained in this publication.

7 • 2012 sees the start of a new 3-year frama series featuring old wooden duck decoys used for seafowl hunting.

16 • In 2012, 100 years have passed since the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. Three Ålanders went down with the ship. We commemorate the catastrophe with a stamp issue.

14 • S/S Birger Jarl and M/S Sally Albatross are the passenger ferries next in turn to be presented on stamps.

ContentsEditorial 2

Staff 2

Åland Post on Facebook 2

Postal Boat Race close-up 4

Christmas cancel 4

Competition on superhero theme 5

Chronicle by Mårten Sundberg 5

From animated games to stamps 6

Old wooden decoys on new series 14

S/S Birger Jarl & M/S Sally Albatross 16

Life at sea 19

”I paint by camera” 22

Titanic 100 years 28

Cissi created stamps already in ‘81 30

2011 First Day Covers 32

2011 Exhibition Cards 33

2011 Exhibition Cancellations 34

Calendar 35

1414 • S• S/S/S BirBirgerger

7 •7 2012 sees

4 • Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N

NEWS

Postal Boat Race close-up�n connection with the annual �ostal �oat �ace, the

Åland �ost’s tamp ommittee invited stamp collectors

from Åland to a get-together in �ckerö.

Christmas cancelEven this year, a special Christmas cancel will be available for your Christmas greetings and letters sent from Åland. In use from 15 November to 31 December 2011, the Christmas cancel is just like any ordinary date cancel, however, with a Christmas motif. Send your self-addressed covers for cancellation in a cover marked “Christmas cancellation” to: Åland Post Stamps, P.O. Box 1100, AX-22111 MARIEHAMN, Åland, Finland. Remember to frank your covers with Åland stamps.

The day began on the homestead museum Labbas where the group had pea soup and Åland pancake, a meal identical to the one the mail farmers tradition-ally enjoyed after crossing the sea. Then the group went by boat to meet the struggling participants

who had crossed the Åland Sea on this calm and sunny day. This year, a total of 36 boats took part in the Postal Boat Race. The fastest one was Doris af Gräsö from Sweden, which crossed the sea from Grisslehamn to Eckerö in 4 hours and 41 minutes.

Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N • 5 Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N • 5 Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N • 5

I T WAS IN MAY 2003 . I was in Helsinki to attend the auction of Ingvar Pettersson’s fan-tastic Finland collection with some of the fi nest rarities. The most prominent Finnish philatelists were there, some of them to bid, I to observe. Many items had been part of the big collec-tor Agathon Fabergé’s collection. I knew little about him, less however, about the Fabergé family as jewellers. I went to the Academic bookstore to fi nd out more. I discovered the magnifi cent work “Fabergé in the Royal Collec-tion.” I was hooked. Now I collect books on the Fabergés as jewellers and gather information about Agathon Fabergé as a philatelist.

A COLLECT ING FR IEND IN ENGLAND

informed me that Dr. Jeffrey Stone had written a comprehensive article on Fabergé in The London Philatelist in 2006. I got in touch with Dr. Stone and we met later at an exhibition in Helsinki. On eBay, I bought the catalogues from the auctions in fi erce competition with another bidder. Somewhat later, I was outbid by the same bidder at another auction. Through eBay, I sent a message to the bidder who turned out to be Tsunayuki Watanabe from Japan. On one occasion, Dr. Stone needed information from an auction catalogue from the 1920s and won-dered if I had it in my possession. I did not, but Tsunayuki did. He sent me copies and I passed them on to Jeff in Scotland.

THIS WAS JUST AN EXAMPLE , but I could go on and on telling you about new friends that I have made basically through my interest in stamps. At the time of writing, there is one month to go before I go to London and Buck-ingham Palace to see the exhibition “Fabergé in the Royal Collection.” That’s right, the one the book was about. Who knows, maybe I will make friends with the Queen as well?

MÅRTEN SUNDBERGJournalist, philatelist and editor of the Åland

Stamp Collector’s Society’s paper Luppen.

CHRONICLE

Competition on superhero themeÅland �ost arranged a drawing

competition when the booklet with

superheroes was issued.

Anna Bäck from Strandnäs School, class 5A, was the winner among 40 fi nalists!

An invitation to take part in the drawing competition had been sent out to all 5th grade pupils in Åland and a total of 126 submitted their entries to the competition. The criteria were simple: draw a superhero that does not yet exist! A committee at the post selected 40 drawings that showed all sorts of superheroes.

During one week in May, the 40 drawings were displayed at the Mariehamn Library and people could vote for their favourite hero. Anna Bäck came out the winner and her prize was a set of her very own stamps featuring her superhero and €200 for her class.

One thing leads to another


FROM ANIMA

Alexander Lindén spends part of his summers in Vårdö in the Åland archipelago, where he grew up.

Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N • 7 Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N • 7

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EXHIBITION CARDS

�ne year ago, �lexander

indén had not yet cooperated

with the Åland �ost. �e is now

of great immediate interest with

quite a few and very different

projects for the �ost. �xhibition

cards, hristmas decorations,

stamps and an animated fi lm.

TED GAMES

Alexander was fi rst contacted as potential artist for this year’s exhibi-tion cards on a pastry theme. He was commissioned with the task of designing 14 cards featuring pastry local to the cities where exhibitions in which the Post participates in 2011 are arranged.

“It was quite a lot of work to fi gure out which type of pastry should represent each city”, Alexander describes his fi rst commission.

Certain types of pastry had been predetermined by the Post’s Stamp Committee while others were de-veloped on the proposal of Alexander.

TO STA

MP

S


“�he pyramid cake was most

diffi cult, I made fi ve attempts”

PONDERED BEFORE FINAL TOUCH

“This job was quite different; I now got the chance to dwell on a design. I had time to ponder before putting that fi nishing touch to my designs, a fact that I was quite comfortable with”, says Alexander, alternating his work on the exhibition cards with other jobs.

“The pastry designs were like dessert; a dessert that I could work on in peace and quiet.”

Producing graphic art for computer games also included design-ing icons depicting fruits, but that was as close as he got to food and pastry designs prior to his exhibition card task.

PYRAMID CAKE MOST DIFFICULT

“I realized that there was a risk of creating something unappetiz-ing. Designing whipped cream was particularly diffi cult. At fi rst, it simply looked as if it were cast in cement and, when I attempted

“I googled for pictures, studied Wikipedia and read various bakery pages on the Internet. I even con-tacted a local bakery in Helsingborg, Sweden, that made a special piece of pastry.”

Alexander has not previously designed motifs for postcards; he has primarily been working with graphic art for computer games.

Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N • 9

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Alexander has been freelancing since 2008.

Previously, Alexander has created Internet games for an Åland gaming company. He has now designed the Post’s 2011 Christmas decorations.

to obtain a more creamy look, it turned out more blurred”, reveals Alexander, who edited the images in Photoshop.

Even so, he found the pyramid cake illustrated on the exhibition card for Svedala most diffi cult.

“I believe I made fi ve attempts before I was satisfi ed with that particular image. I fi rst shaded every thread of pastry, but it didn’t turn out well so I had to rethink. Instead, I painted a cylinder sculpture in which I punched small holes.”

MIND-TWISTING DOUGHNUTS

The motif for the Nordia 2011 card, the “grismunk”, a Finnish type of doughnut, was another mind-twisting motif.

“I was quite pleased with my doughnuts until my uncle saw them and found that the sugary surface looked odd. As a result of the extra time I spent on them, I discovered a new way of painting sugar


between all the gaps was tricky”, remembers Alexander, who had made pencil sketches of the motifs before starting.

“But it all became easier when I simplifi ed the design. I realized that the thin lines would not appear anyway, when the decorations were fi nally punched in brass.”

BUSES TRUE TO REAL LIFE

Alexander is also the artist behind two stamps featuring buses to be issued in 2012.

“I made my fi rst sketches when I had just become a father and I was a bit stressed. My basic idea was to create the buses in an isometric perspective with a touch of console game. But the Post’s Stamp Committee asked me to rethink the design.”

Instead, Alexander made the buses more authentic.

USED TO SMALL FORMAT

Many new stamp artists are unaccustomed to create paintings in a very small format; however, Alexander is not.

Alexander has designed the 2011 exhibition cards on the theme Pastry.

“I discovered a new way of painting sugar”

that also came in helpful when I edited the other images.”

TRICKY BALANCE

Another project of immediate interest is this year’s Christmas decorations.

“I had my hands full with other jobs at the same time, so I worked with that commission on weekends. It proved diffi cult to create all the frills that I wanted on my Christmas decorations. Finding a balance


TURUN KEVÄTÅBO 2011


JYVÄSKYLÄ

NORDIA

2011

ALEXANDER L INDÉN

Born in 1980, Alexander was raised in Vårdö but he now lives in Sollefteå, Sweden. He has studied Creative Programming at the University in Gävle where he also completed the Visual Narra-tive programme. He also studied at the Basis School of Art. He has worked for video game devel-oper Grin in Stockholm and for Paf in Åland, where he designed game graphics. Since 2008, he freelances for various employers. For Åland Post Stamps he has now created the 2011 Christmas decorations and exhibition cards. He is also the artist behind two stamps to be issued in 2012 featuring busses as well as three postal stationery cards on a Christmas theme.

The pyramid cake on the Svedala exhibition card posed some problems for Alexander. The Finnish doughnuts on the Nordia 2011 cards also involved extra efforts.

Even the exhibition stamps are the work of Alexander.

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“Having designed Internet games that must work on both large and small screens, I’m used to working in a small scale,” reveals Alexander, who has also been commissioned by Åland gaming company Paf.

LARGEST PROJECT

A current project, which is more in line with his previous experi-ences, is a commission to develop an animated cartoon for the i-commerce segment of the Åland Post. The cartoon illustrates how i-commerce dealers can cooperate with Åland Post, sending all deliveries from Åland.

“That was an amusing project and the largest project I have shouldered as a freelancer so far. A manuscript was developed in cooperation with the Post, and I then created the storyboard, developed the characters, animated the fi lm and composed the music,” Alexander says.

ANIMATED FILM BECOMES A BOOK?

Having sandwiched study and various practical jobs for many years, Alexander now lives in Sollefteå in northern Sweden, working as a freelancer.

“This autumn, I have opened my own studio and currently have commissions on behalf of various types of companies.”

An earlier idea to which he willingly reverts is his idea of an animated children’s fi lm that takes place in Åland.

“A cultural grant fi nanced part of the fi lm and I am well on my way. I now feel like continuing this project, but I may change it and make a children’s book instead,” ponders Alexander, who has got many irons in the fi re.

CREATES ELECTRONIC MUSIC

Music is a subject dear to Alexander’s heart and this summer, he even lead a workshop in African drums on the Åland island of Vårdö, where he grew up and also spends part of his summers.

“I would love to do stuff like that much more. Creating music makes me feel good, it inspires me. I create electronic music; I was previously into techno, but now I make a more quiet and relaxed type of music. I’m getting older, I presume,” Alexander laughs. �

“I would love to create more music”

Alexander has designed an animated fi lm illustrating how i-commerce dealers can cooperate with Åland Post. Watch the fi lm on YouTube (search for “Posten Åland”).

Alexander has a great many ideas on stock and works with anything from music to animated fi lms and, soon perhaps, even books. Alexander has plans to make a children’s book that takes place in Åland.


Old wooden decoys on new series2012 sees the start of a new theme for Åland franking labels.

�eputable stamp artist �uha �ykäläinen was commissioned to

illustrate old wooden duck decoys; fi rst out is the eider duck.

Wildfowl decoys are lifelike dummies used by hunt-ers to encourage birds to land nearby. The oldest decoys were made from plants such as bulrush, and the fi rst decoys carved from wood were unpainted. Decoys are now mostly made from plastic. The new series of postal labels show painted wooden decoys.

A CURVED STONE WALL

A decoy hunter sits in his hide-out, a so-called duck blind, at the beach or on an islet rock with his decoys placed and anchored in the water 15–20 meters from the blind, hoping to lure the birds within shooting range of the hunter. The blind is often made of stones and formed as a curved wall to resemble the surroundings as much as possible.

FEMALE DECOYS ATTRACT MALE BIRDS

A hunter positions himself close to a body of water in the lee since most of the birds he is decoying prefer to land and fl y against the wind. The decoys are placed in separate groups according to species, preferably in pairs with the odd female bird to attract male suitors.

USED NEAR COAST

Decoys are usually applied when hunting for eider, goldeneye and long-tailed duck and sometimes for velvet scoter, common scoter, tufted duck and greater scaup. They are principally used near coasts.

MALE EIDER CALLED DRAKE

One of the largest sea ducks is the eider with a body length of 60 to 70 cm. It has a large bulky shape with a short neck, a large head and a long wedge-shaped bill without knob. The bill is feathered on the sides from the base of the bill to the nostrils. The eider can be readily distinguished by its characteristic triangular head shape with the bill and forehead forming a straight line. The wings are broad, short and relatively small with a wingspan of 95 to 105 cm. The male eider is also called eider drake. �

Sources: http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ejder, http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vette and ”Vettar och sjöfågeljakt” by Lars Englund.


WOODEN DUCK DECOYS, EIDER

DATE OF ISSUE1 February 2012

ARTIST Juha Pykäläinen

DENOMINATIONS OF SER IES €0.65, 0.85, 0.90 and 0.95(Postage subject to change. New information in the next magazine)

PR ICE FDC €3.95

SIZE40.00 x 30.34 mm

PAPER Fluorescens, 100 g/m²

PRINT ING METHOD 5-colour offset

PR INT ING HOUSE The Lowe Martin Group

JUHA PYKÄLÄINEN

Artist Juha Pykäläinen was born 1953 in Tampere, Finland, but now lives in Sund, Åland. He is a versatile artist, who enjoys work-ing in many different techniques such as watercolour, gouache and oil. He has also created sculptures, etchings and graphic art. So far, Juha has designed 15 stamps for the Åland Post as well as many other philatelic products, some of which are the 1994 and 2007 exhibition cards and the 2006 Christmas seals.

Juha Pykäläinen’s illustration on the fi rst day cover is a duck hunting blind made of stones. There, in the duck blind, we see a hunter waiting for seabirds to be lured by his waterfowl decoys.

The fi rst day cancel is designed like an eider decoy seen from above.


The gutter pair strips of the sheets are decorated with the same ships as featured on the stamps.

291 AND 292 • PASSENGER FERRIES, S/S BIRGER JARL AND M/S SALLY ALBATROSS

DATE OF ISSUE1 February 2012

ARTIST Håkan Sjöström

EDIT ION 2 x 200 000

DENOMINATIONS€0.55 and Lokalpost (€0.65)

PR ICE FDC €1.80

S IZE OF STAMPS35.4 x 26 mm

SIZE OF SHEETS2 x 20 stamps

PAPER 110 g/m²

PERFORATION 13 per 2 cm

PRINTING METHOD 4-colour offset

PR INT ING HOUSE Cartor Security Printing

HÅKAN SJÖSTRÖM

Håkan Sjöström (born in 1933) is considered to be one of the foremost marine painters in Scan-dinavia today. Painting was an important part of Håkan’s youth. Upon completing his Bachelor of Science degree (Econ.), he started working at a shipyard in Turku, where he remained until retire-ment. Alongside his work, he also painted the shipyard’s newbuild-ings. Håkan has had commissions for several shipping companies, including Viking Line, as well as a few seascape commissions. In addition, he has illustrated maga-zines and books. Certain seascape commissions still remain for Håkan. These are Håkan’s seventh and eighth stamps for Åland Post.

The fi rst day cancel shows S/S Birger Jarl.

The FDC features M/S Kapella, built in 1967 in Kraljevica in former Yugoslavia. The ship serviced for Viking Line on various routes between Sweden, Åland and Finland from1967 to1979.

Th tt i t i f th h t d t d ith th hi

Th C f /S ll b il i 9 i lj i i f l i


S/S �irger �arl and M/S ally �lbatross�he following two passenger ferries in turn to be presented on Åland

stamps are S/S �irger �arl and M/S ally �lbatross. �hese are

ferries number seven and eight in a series of twelve ferry stamps.

S/S Birger Jarl was delivered to Swedish ship-ping company Stockholms Rederi AB Svea as S/S Birger Jarl by Finnboda shipyard in 1953. After her maiden voyage on 6 June 1953, that went to Helsinki with invited guests, she was put in traffi c for the collaborating shipping companies Bore, FÅA and Svea between Stockholm and Helsinki and Stockholm and Turku, calling at Mariehamn.

AFTERDECK RECONSTRUCTED

In 1973, the ship was sold to Finnish shipping company Jakob Lines to operate between Skellefteå, Sweden, and Pietarsaari, Finland. During this period, the afterdeck was reconstructed so that cars could be loaded from a ramp onto the deck. Three years later, the ship was bought by Steamship Co. Bore in Turku but resold to Godby Shipping the

same year and renamed Minisea; however, the new name was never painted on the ship.

HOTEL SHIP IN NORWAY

From 1976 to 1977, the ship berthed in Stavanger as a supply and receiving ship. In the autumn of 1978, she was bought by Caribbean Shipping Co. in Panama and changed name to S/S Baltic Star. At the same time, the ship was reconstructed in Turku and was now fi tted with new aftercabins and a skybar. In 1979, the ship arrived in Stockholm and now operated as cruise ship on the Baltic Sea.

BECAME BIRGER JARL ONCE AGAIN

In 1982, the steam engine was replaced by a diesel engine and, fi ve years later, a new section was added on the foredeck. With Ånedin-linjen as new owner


in 2002, she was once again under Swedish fl ag and under her old name Birger Jarl, operating as cruising ship between Mariehamn and Stockholm. The ship has protected status in Sweden since 2010.

MANY WOODEN FITTINGS

In the spring of 2011, Birger Jarl was taken out of service for fi re safety upgrading in accordance with new international regulations. Wooden fi ttings are no longer approved as they were in 1953. In September 2011, Birger Jarl was cleared for con-tinued cruising and now cruises between Stockholm and Mariehamn 7 days a week.

VIKING SAGA BECAME SALLY ALBATROSS

M/S Sally Albatross, which came to be a ship dogged by bad luck, was built in 1980 by Wärtsilä Shipyard, Turku, as M/S Viking Saga. The ship was ordered by Finnish shipping company Rederi Ab Sally in Mariehamn to operate for Viking Line between Helsinki and Stockholm. In 1986, the ship was remodelled for cruising, renamed Sally Albatross and put in cruising traffi c from Helsinki to Visby, Tallinn and Leningrad among other ports.

COMPLETELY WRECKED IN FIRE

While docked at a shipyard in Stockholm in 1990, the ship was completely wrecked by a fi re. Only the engines were left intact after the 3-day fi re, so

the owners decided to cut off everything above the engine room to build an entirely new superstructure.

SHIP AGROUND

Completely reconstructed in March 1992, the ship recommenced her cruising operations between Helsinki and various ports in the Baltic, still with Mariehamn as her home port. During the Olympic Games in Barcelona, she served as hotel and con-gress ship. Two years later, a new accident occurred.Delayed en route from Tallinn to Helsinki, she slant across the reef off Porkkala at 19 knots and began to take in water. The ship had to be set aground not to sink. Luckily, all passengers were safely evacuated.

RENAMED SEVERAL MORE TIMES

After the grounding, the ship was chartered to the Caribbean and to Asia but reappeared in the Baltic Sea in 2002, now under Swedish fl ag and renamed M/S Silja Opera. Accidents continued to occur, one of which was a fi re in the ship’s power supply sta-tion. After her last cruise from Helsinki to London via Copenhagen and Cherbourg in the autumn of 2006, the ship was laid up in Stockholm. Now registered as M/S Opera under the Bahamas fl ag, she was later sold to Cyprus to change name to Cristal in 2007. Since March 2011, the ship operates in Greek waters under the name M/S Louis Cristal.

Sources: www.anedinlinjen.se, http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/M/S_Cristal, www.faktaomfartyg.nu, ”Sjövägen till Sverige” by Matts Dumell and Thure Malmbergs shipping archives.

�/S ally �lbatross came to be a ship dogged by bad luck.


A professional fi sherman’s life at sea �art two of the �ordic series the �orth by the ea features the actual life at sea.

Åland’s contribution to the series shows professional fi shermen trawling from a fi shing

boat. ince the dawn of time, fi shing has been an important Åland industry.

Originally, small-scale fi shing was mainly conducted for domestic consumption, but fi shing for sale or exchange for principally cereals soon developed. Baltic herring long dominated fi shing. In older times, seine fi shing was of great importance but, during the 19th century, fi shing by so-called herring drift nets expanded and from the early 1900s, fi sh-ing by drift net had become common.

DIVIDED IN FISHING TEAMS

The archipelago waters were soon to be divided into fi shing teams from various villages and homesteads. In common waters, which did not adhere to specifi c fi shing teams, net fi shing gradually shifted towards drift net fi shing, contributing to an upswing for commercial fi shery. Salted herring was Åland’s primary export article until the 1940s, when the market gradually started to fade.

FISH DELIVERED TO STOCKHOLM

In older times, pike and trout, which were mostly fi shed by seine and hoop net, were the most impor-tant types of fi sh in addition to Baltic herring. From the Middle Ages until Sweden restricted the import of live fi sh in the 1950s, they were delivered by well-boats and sold primarily in Stockholm. Other types of freshwater fi shes were also caught as was cod, a fi sh of great periodical importance to the popula-tion in the outskirts of the southern archipelago.

SALMON WITH DRIFT NET

A number of essential changes of Åland fi shery occurred in the 1950s. Pike and trout fi shing in the archipelago was affected by a decline, partly due to a reduction of the number of well-boats. At the same time, the importance of whitefi sh fi shing increased, not least because of the introduction of nylon nets.


293 • NORDIC – L IFE AT SEA

DATE21 March 2012

ARTIST Juha Pykäläinen

EDIT ION 100 000

DENOMINATIONVärlden (€0.95)

PR ICE FDC €1.55

S IZE OF STAMP72 x 29 mm

SIZE OF MINIATURE SHEET105 x 70 mm

PAPER 110 g/m²


PRINTING METHOD 4-colour offset

PR INT ING HOUSE Cartor Security Printing

JUHA PYKÄLÄINEN

Artist Juha Pykäläinen was born 1953 in Tampere, Finland, but now lives in Sund, Åland. He is a versatile artist, who enjoys work-ing in many different techniques such as watercolour, gouache and oil. He has also created sculptures, etchings and graphic art. So far, Juha has designed 16 stamps for the Åland Post as well as many other philatelic products, including the coming 3-year series of seabird decoys which will be featured on the Åland franking labels as of 2012.

The fi rst day canceldepicts a fi shing trawler.

Juha Pykäläinen has illustrated seabirds at sea on the fi rst day cover.

The miniature sheet features professional fi shermen onboard a trawler. Each Nordic post chooses how to illustrate the joint theme Life at Sea.


A set holding the eight Nordic miniature sheets on a joint theme will be issued on 21 March and is sold at €18.

At this stage, Åland fi shermen started fi shing salmon with drift nets and lines.

CHANGE OF FISHING

Fishing in Åland is pursued close to the south- western coast and at sea. Åland commercial and sideline fi shing has changed dramatically over the latest decade or so. During the latter half of the 1900s, deep-sea fi shing for herring, salmon, cod and sprat represented the major part of both haul and income. However, the population of these species of fi sh has drastically diminished recently.

42 PROFESSIONAL FISHERMEN IN ÅLAND

Divided into 42 professional, 28 side line and 215 other types of fi shermen, a total of 285 fi shermen were registered in Åland in July 2011. A profes-sional fi sherman derives at least 30 % of his income from fi shing, whereas the minimum limit for a side

line fi sherman is 15 %. Other types of fi shermen are people who derive less than 15 % of their income from fi shing. Of the above, 5 to 10 were engaged in deep-sea fi shing and the rest solely in coastal fi shing.

NORDIC SET ON THE SAME THEME

Just as usual, we will be issuing a presentation pack with all the Nordic miniature sheets on the com-mon theme. The always much appreciated Nordic Set will be out on the same day as the stamps, i.e. 21 March. In addition to the eight miniature sheets, the set holds technical details and coupons from each Nordic postal administration. Send the cou-pons to the respective posts in exchange for phila-telic presents. The Nordic Set is a limited edition (10 350 sets) and costs €18. �

Sources: ”Fiske och fi skeriförvaltning i Ålands skärgård” by Erik Neuman (2006) and Åland Government Bureau of Fishery.


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Tiina photographed an old patinated door as background for the Christmas seals. Her original idea was to use old newspapers, but such a background proved to be too restless. ”I have now repapered my hall with those newspapers instead”, Tiina tells.


“ � paint BY CAMERA”

�t is diffi cult to imagine anyone better suited than fl orist and photographer

�iina �ahvanainen to design this year’s hristmas seals on the theme hristmas

wreaths. he combines traditional with slightly odd and exotic elements.

“In my work as fl orist, I always keep material at hand. Accepting the Christmas seal commission, I decided that I would create something not very traditional; traditional design simply does not refl ect who I am”, Tiina reveals.

Instead, she decided to use unexpected and new types of material such as old score papers and lace tablecloths.

“I love to roam around fl ea markets and fi nd stuff with patina.”

WREATH FEVER

She chose a non-traditional colour scale with lots of white and green.

“I caught some type of “wreath fever” as I was working with them. During those months, I kept seeing new, possible types of material everywhere,” Tiina recalls.

When a new stamp or collectable item is being produced, the artist always fi rst presents a number of sketches to the Post’s Stamp Committee. The feedback given is based on the members’ com-bined knowledge of the preferences of collectors and customers, and it forms the basis for the artist’s continued work.

MISTLETOE AND TULIP

“I was quite prepared to continue working on the wreaths, and that’s how it turned out. At my next presentation, I showed more traditional wreaths.”

Tiina wished to also include fresh fl owers. Tulip, buttercup, mistletoe and apple are some of the ingredients for her Christmas seals.

WREATH WITH ROE DEERS’ APPLES

Getting hold of small, red, Åland apples in February–March was not easy.

“The shops only had large imported apples which are not suited for wreaths. My boss’ mother-in-law, however, put me in touch with a man in northern Geta who had saved apples to feed the roe deers. After


Tiina had chosen a non-traditional scale of colours for the Christmas wreaths

fi rst presented for the Post’s Stamp Committee.

many twists and turns and with the help of several people, I got hold of the apples and could use them for the wreath.”

MIX OF TRADITIONAL AND EXOTIC

Tiina has included more traditional types of material such as moss and cones, but she also used more exotic elements such as witch-hazel.

Her personal favourite wreath is the second wreath from the left side of the sheet, the one with witch-hazel and buttercup.

“It’s the most fl oristic wreath of the four.”

Still, she would not decorate her own door with that particular wreath.

INSTANT RESPONSE

“I much more prefer simplicity. A red wreath will never hang on my door”, she declares. Instead, she would choose a wreath made from beautiful twigs tied together.

Working in a fl ower shop downtown Mariehamn, she is used to creating wreaths at Christmas time and she enjoys experimenting.

“To be able to sell the wreaths is the be-all and the end-all, but customers are generally becoming more daring, demanding more exclusive designs.”

She appreciates the instant response she gets in the shop.“I can make a bouquet, put it on display in the shop and get an

immediate response.”

FROM FLOWERS TO PHOTOS

After nine years as a fl orist, Tiina now takes a break to focus on another interest of hers, photography, while working in a photo lab.

“I’m learning all aspects involved in digital photo work from the ground. I fi nd it extremely instructive and inspiring.”

TO LOOK AT THINGS

Tiina has been artistically interested since her senior-level years in Dragsfjärd. However, having applied for a study place at the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki at the age of 17, only to stumble at the fi nish line, she took a break from art and painting for many years. She started shooting photos when she took up photography in Helsinki from 1999 until 2001.

“Today, I paint with my camera. Everything is about paus-ing long enough to see things properly, be it painting, writing or photography.”

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CHR ISTMAS SEALS 2011

DATE OF ISSUE7 October 2011

PHOTOGRAPHER Tiina Tahvanainen

EDIT ION 14 000 sheets of 20 self-adhesive seals

PR ICE €3.70

SIZE OF SEALS23 x 26 mm

SIZE OF SHEET146 x 210 mm

PAPER 110 g/m²

PRINT ING METHOD 4-colour offset

PR INT ING HOUSEWaasa Graphics

T I INA TAHVANAINEN

Photographer and fl orist Tiina Tahvanainen was born in Dragsfjärd, southern Finland, in 1973. She has studied art in Karjaa and photography in Helsinki and has also worked in the travel agency business. Since nine years back, she lives and works in Åland where she has had a number of exhibitions, solo as well as together with other artists. In 2008, she had a show with photos of Åland Originals at the Åland Art Museum where she also took part in the exhibition Önskekonst (wishful art) in 2011.

The four wreaths featured on the sheet of Christmas seals are all different with elements such as tulip, witch-hazel, apple and buttercup. Tiina’s own favourite is the second from the left.


EXHIBITIONS IN ÅLAND

Her fi rst exhibition at Kakelhallen in Mariehamn was part of her fi nal thesis. Other exhibitions have followed, for example “Sorg-centrum” (sorrow centre) at Salt in 2003, “Snövit” (Snow White) at Kakelhallen in 2005, and “Åländska original” (Åland originals) at the Åland Art Museum in 2008.

“I’m presently working on a new show to be presented at Kakelhal-len in 2012 and next summer, I’ll have a joint exhibition with two other artists”, says Tiina, who is also creating her own homepage.

NEEDS TWO LIVES

Tiina has many dreams for the future.“Just now, I feel I really need two lives”, she laughs.“But above all, I wish to continue working with things I fi nd

interesting and realize my ongoing projects. I want to continue observing what happens around me and display the results in the form of shows and other fora. And I wish to combine travelling with photography, even in the future.”

STORIES OF COUNTRIES

The latest couple of years, Tiina has been working on a project which involves taking photos of cemeteries in various countries. Some of the countries she has visited are Tobago, France and Italy.

“I look upon cemeteries as parks and free zones. They are valu-

The Post devotes its proceeds from the sale of Christmas seals to charity every year. This year’s benefi ciaries are the Neck Injured in Åland, Åland Fountain House Association and Germundö Alpin.

The Group NACKSKADADE PÅ ÅLAND is a recently established subdivision of the association Åland Disabled Persons. The group’s goal is to observe and maintain the interests and social rights of people with neck injuries. The money received will be used for spreading informa-tion about the group.

ÅLAND FOUNTAIN HOUSE ASSOCIATION runs Pelaren (the pillar), a clubhouse model of psychosocial rehabilitation. The association provides restorative programs for people who are or have been in contact with psychiatric care. The donation will be spent on a hobby greenhouse, perfectly suited for the clubhouse activities with the aim to improve the working capacity of the members.

GERMUNDÖ ALPIN operates alpine skiing facilities with two downhill skiing slopes located in Saltvik. The society will be purchasing a rescue toboggan to be used in connection with possible accidents on the slopes.

“I wish to combine travelling with photography, even in the future.”

In 2008, Tiina had the show “Åland originals” at the Åland Art Museum. The photos below show the clown Jolle (Olle Strömberg) and actor Matts Stenlund.


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Since she bought herself a dog, Tiina is often out for walks. She makes sure to always bring her camera wherever she walks, a fact which has changed her photography.

able from a culture-historical point of view and tell stories about the country in question.”

TREES ARE VITAL

In addition to her cemetery project, Tiina currently shoots a great deal of nature photos.

“I fi nd trees extremely fascinating, old trees in particular. Just imagine how vital they are to us, but we look upon them as a matter of course. Trees have been on my mind for several years, but this summer, I have begun more actively to shoot photos of trees.”

PHOTOGRAPHY HAS CHANGED

Nowadays, she always brings her camera, wherever she goes.

“It has changed the way I shoot photos.”

Not long ago, she bought a new, digital camera, but she hangs on to her analog cameras.

“One of my cameras is a “Hasselblad” from 1973, the year I was born. But I haven’t used my analog cameras the last year or so.”

However, she has not completely abandoned analog photography.

ONLY RIGHT THING

“The experience of taking analog photos is very different from that of digital photography. You must plan and ponder in an entirely different way when you take analog photos. But right now, digital photography feels like the right thing for me.” �

Since she bought herself a dog, Tiina is often out for walks. She makes sure to always bring her camera wherever she walks, a fact which has changed her photography.


Titanic 100 years�he date 15 �pril 1912 is highly associated with the ocean-going steamship

�itanic, that struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage from outhampton on

her way to �ew �ork ity and sank in the �tlantic �cean.

The wreck of Titanic is worldwide known and a number of movies has been fi lmed and novels writ-ten about the tragic event when 1 517 persons lost their lives. Commemorating that 100 years have passed since this catastrophe, Åland Post presents a stamp in April 2012 on the theme Titanic 100 years.

CARD POSTED PRIOR TO DEPARTURE

A total of 2 207 persons were on board the Titanic, 231 of whom were of Nordic descent. Many were emigrating to America, seeking their fortune in a new country. Three of the passengers came from Åland. None of the three Ålanders survived when the ship struck an iceberg and sank. One of them was Ivar Berglund from Sund. Born on 24 June 1890, he was 21 years old. Before boarding in Southampton, he sent a postcard to his family. The

message was written in some type of coded Swedish, since he had spelled the words backwards.

I’LL BE IN NEW YORK BY MONDAY

The translated message reads: ”Seeing that I have time now I must tell you that I’m here in Southampton now on Whit Monday. ‘N’ tomorrow I will see the eye-doctor ‘n’ Wednesday I will board this boat on the other side. So that I will be in New York before next Monday. My journey has gone fi ne all the way. Although I have been alone. I’m now at the hotel where they play just like at Gröna Lund in Stockholm. Give my regards to everyone, brother”.�

Sources: http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic and the Åland Islands’ Emigrant Institute.


294 • T ITANIC 100 YEARS

DATE OF ISSUE16.4.2012

PHOTOGRAPHERInformation unavailable

DES IGN Cecilia Mattsson

EDIT ION 180 000

DENOMINATION €1.80

PRICE FDC €2.40

SIZE OF STAMP25 x 36 mm

SIZE OF SHEET 2 x 15 stamps


PAPER 102 g/m2

PR INT ING METHOD 4-colour offset

PR INT ING HOUSEJoh. Enschedé Stamps

FACTS ABOUT T ITANIC

RMS Titanic (RMS for Royal Mail Steamer) was an ocean-going steamship built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland. She was designed and put into traffi c for passenger, goods and mail transport between Europe and America. Ordered 31 July 1908, Titanic’s hull was launched 31 May 1911. Her length overall was 296.1 m, the moulded breadth 28 m and the speed 21 knots. With a crew of 860 heads, her total capacity for passengers was 3 547 divided into three classes. Titanic was owned by White Star Line.

The fi rst day cancel shows the steamship Titanic.

The fi rst day cover is illustrated with both sides of the card that Ålander Ivar Berglund sent to his family from Southampton before boarding the Titanic. On the reverse of the cover, we see boarding tickets for the Titanic.

The gutter pair strip is decorated with the same card and fi rst class ticket as the fi rst day cover. Many cards and posters were produced prior to the maiden voyage of the Titanic. One of these posters is featured on the Åland stamp.

30 • Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N30 • Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N

Cissi even cancelled her stamps. As art director at Åland Post today, she also designs fi rst day and special cancels.

Cissi created stamps already in 1981�oday, ecilia "issi” �attsson works as art director

at Åland �ost and is responsible for the design of Åland

stamps. �ut she was drawing Åland stamps as early as in

1981, three years prior to the fi rst offi cial Åland stamp issue.

“I had completely forgotten that I made stamps when I was 11. My mother found them this spring when she was cleaning the house and found it a curious coincidence that I had made stamps,” Cissi relates.

Cissi has designed these three stamps among others. From left: Mariehamn 150 years (2011), Astronomy (2009) and New border, new times (2009).


ALBUM WITH MOUNTS MADE FROM TAPE

Cissi’s personally created stamp material is easily dated seeing that she also designed a cancel with the year 1981. In addition to a great variety of stamps featuring the Smurfs, Peanuts, hares and Mumin among others, Cissi had also created her own stamp album with mounts made from sticky tape.

She also collected “real” stamps at the time.“I remember having a bathroom full of stamps that I had soaked

and would later dry and press before placing them in my album.”

PERFORATION BY SEWING MACHINE

Her favourite motifs were large and colourful.“In 1978, I visited Leningrad and the stamps there were large

and golden, so I sent postcards to myself.”Among her personal stamps, we also fi nd complete sheets.“I sewed the stamp perforations on my machine”, Cissi remembers.

TRIANGULAR STAMPS AS EARLY AS 1981

In her job at the Post, Cissi has been involved in the production of Åland’s fi rst triangular as well as gold and silver embossed stamps. However, such stamps were even included in her personally designed stamp collection from 1981. So, Cissi is no doubt the right woman in the right spot! �

Cecilia Mattsson (born in 1970) works as graphic designer at the Post’s marketing department. One of her responsibilities is the production of stamps. Cecilia has always been interested in text and form. She received her education in graphic design and advertising at Bergh’s School of Communication and the Commercial School in Tammisaari, and completed her studies with a diploma in decoration from the Commercial College in Vaasa. In addition, she has attended art courses at the Folk High School in Karjaa. Cecilia has previously worked for an advertising agency, a printing house and in a photo shop.


2011 First Day Covers

postal stationery cards by Amanda Chanfreau. The 2011 FDC Year Set has been available since 7 October; the price is €33.50.

This year’s set of Åland fi rst day covers is now available. Included in the set is the FDC with the postal labels featuring buoys as well as this year’s

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2011 Exhibition Cards

Åland exhibition cards are issued with a specially designed exhibition stamp and cancelled with the relevant exhibition cancel. The 2011 pack costs €22.80. Also available from 4 December at the price €81.60 is the 2011 Exhibition Stamp Pack holding all 12 mini-sheets of exhibition stamps.

The 2011 pack of exhibition cards will be available from 2 December. The theme for the 2011 exhibi-tion cards is pastry, and artist Alexander Lindén made all the illustrations.

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9.5 Superheroes (maximum cards)

17.3 Åland Cancer Association 25 Years

17.6 Gustaf Erikson, King of Sailing

9.5 Forests (maximum card) 9.6 Nya Åland 30 Years

11.8 Mariehamn 150 Years

2011 Special Cancellations

The pack holding covers franked with Åland stamps that are cancelled with the special cancels costs €22.80. The 2011 pack will be available as of 22 October.

We focus on a number of Åland events every year by issuing a special cancel. All the special cancellations are gathered in a pack released at the end of the year.



16.8 Beach volleyball (maximum card)

7.10 Stamp Day

22.10 Karate Club Ogawa 40 Years

15.7 Albanus 25 Years 18.6 Postal Boat Race


2012 issues1 February Wooden duck decoys, Eider Postal label, FRAMA

1 February Passenger ferries 2 stamps

21 March Nordic – Life at sea 1 miniature sheet

16 April Titanic 100 Years 1 stamp

26 April Man at the wheel 1 stamp

9 May Europa – Visit Åland 1 stamp

4 June My stamps, My Åland Mini sheet of 8 stamps, 1 motif

4 June Dragonfl ies 2 stamps, 2 maximum cards

23 August Architectural nostalgia Booklet, 3 x 3 motifs, 3 maximum cards

19 September Buses 2 stamps

9 October Christmas 1 stamp

9 October Postal stationery, Christmas 3 postal stationery cards

9 October Christmas seals Sheet of 20 self-adhesive seals

CALENDAR

Deliveries and deadlines (NOTE! PRELIMINARY TIMES OF DELIVERY)

DELIVERYNUMBER

DEADLINE SUBSC. CHANGES DELIVERY CONTENTS

1-2012 29 February April Postal labels, Passenger ferries, Nordic – Life at sea (miniature sheet), Titanic 100 Years

2-2012 2 May June Man at the Wheel, Europa – Visit Åland, My Åland – My stamps, Dragonfl ies, 2 maximum cards

3-2012 5 September October Architectural nostalgia (booklet), Buses, Christmas, 3 maximum cards, 3 postal stationery cards

4-2012 24 October November Year sets, Christmas seals and decorations, packs, Luxe year pages etc.

Other subscription deliveries (NOTE! PRELIMINARY TIMES OF DELIVERY)

PRODUCT DELIVERY PRODUCT DELIVERY

Åland provincial coin 2011 January 2012 Euro coin set May

Passenger ferries, collector’s sheets February Stamp watch no. 10 June

Nordic Set March Model car no. 26 September

Model car no. 25 April


Holiday closingÅland Post Stamps will be closed on the following public holidays:

FINLAND’S INDEPENDENCE DAY BOXING DAY EPIPHANY

6 December 2011 26 December 2011 6 January 2012

CALENDAR

Next magazineThe next edition of Ålandsposten Frimärken will be dispatched in April–May 2012.

2012 exhibitionsÅland Post Stamps takes part in the 2012 exhibitions listed below. The list is not fi nal and additions or alterations are likely to be made. A complete and updated list of exhibitions will be available at posten.ax.

TURUN KEVÄT INT. BRIEFMARKENMESSE FRIMÄRKETS DAG INT. BRIEFMARKENBÖRSE

Turku, Finland,10–11 March

Essen, Germany,12–14 April

Stockholm, Sweden,date not set

Sindelfi ngen, Germany, 28–30 October

LEMPÄÄLÄN POSTIMERKKIKERHO 35V TAVASTEX 2012 STAMPS IN SVEDALA NORDIA 2012

Lempäälä, Finland,31 March – 1 April

Hämeenlinna, Finland,27–29 April

Svedala, Sweden,8–9 September

Roskilde, Denmark,2–4 November

An exhibition card, cancellation and stamp will be available at all these exhibitions. The 2012 theme is the coat of arms of each city we visit. Artist is Jonas Wilén.


2012 special cancellationsSo far, the following 2012 events have been issued with special cancellations:

4.6 DRAGONFLIES (MAXIMUM CARDS) DATE UNSET STAMP DAY

JUNE POSTAL BOAT RACE 12.10 ÅLAND’S MARTHA SOCIETY 100 YEARS

23.8 ARCHITECTURAL NOSTALGIA(MAXIMUM CARDS)

NOVEMBER THE ÅLAND DEMENTIA ASSOCIATION20 YEARS

Additions to the above list are likely to be made. In that case, they will be listed in the next edition of this magazine and announced at www.posten.ax, where illustrations of the special cancellations can also be viewed.

Documents

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