New stamps for 2010: weddings, books, anniversaries, flowers and good food

The 2010 stamp year got off to a flying start on January 28 with Swedish Castles & Palaces, Europa 2010 - Children's Books and Cats.

March 24 sees the release of stamps based on the theme of parties and invitations. A celebration begins with an invitation, and a personal invitation shows that extra care has been taken, both for the guest and the party.

The same day also sees the launch of new stamps of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, in denominations of Domestic First Class and SEK 12 respectively.

The North by the Sea - Life at the Coast stamps are also being released to celebrate commercial livelihoods on the west coast of Sweden. The stamps are part of the Top of the World of Stamps series, a collaboration spanning several years between Sweden Post and seven other Nordic postal organizations.

May 13 is the release date for the stamps celebrating one of the genuine highlights of the year, the marriage of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling in Stockholm Cathedral on June 19. The denominations are Domestic First Class, and two stamps are enough to send a greeting anywhere in the world.

"The forthcoming wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling certainly invokes feelings of joy and expectation. The marriage of the Crown Princess is both a current and a historic event, and the stamp is something to both use and save," says Britt-Inger Hahne, Head of Sweden Post Stamps.

This year's summer stamps are being presented on the same day. Ann Andrén has photographed Pansies in close-up.

"I promise that a beautiful flower on a card or envelope combined with a personal greeting is just as much appreciated as a real flower. And it lasts longer," says Britt-Inger Hahne.

The ocean is a theme on stamps published on May 13. The Marine Life stamps are a joint issue with Canada and show marine animals, including the blue whale. Both the Swedish and the Canadian stamps are engraved and printed at Sweden Post's printing works outside Stockholm, which is world-famous for its expertise in the field.

Important anniversaries are a popular theme on commemorative stamps. This year we are celebrating the Karolinska Institutet Bicentennial. The stamps depict crystals of silicon and selenium compounds, two elements discovered by Jöns Jacob Berzelius who laid the foundation for Karolinska Institutet's focus on the natural sciences.

"The material is taken directly from Berzelius's own test tubes and was photographed by the Karolinska Institutet's master photographer, Lennart Nilsson," says Britt-Inger Hahne.

The autumn stamp release on August 26 explores the art of engraving, food culture and excitement.

The theme of a joint issue with Ireland is the art of engraving. One of the stamps reproduces the motif from the Ballet stamp in 1975, as a tribute to master engraver Czeslaw Slania. As with the joint issue with Canada, the Irish stamps are also produced by the Sweden Post printing works.

A booklet of five stamps with a denomination of SEK 6 celebrates some of our most successful authors, both in Sweden and internationally, in the modern detective and crime genre.

One of the stamps shows pioneers Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö, who wrote the Chief Inspector Martin Beck series. The other stamps show four other authors who are all part of Sweden's fine crime-writing tradition.

A booklet of self-adhesive Domestic First Class stamps celebrates some typical local delicacies with origins from various parts of Sweden. One of them is a pyramid cake from the southern province of Skåne.

The stamp year is rounded off in the customary way on November 18 with the Christmas stamps. This year domestic Christmas greetings will be adorned with a unique, newly created typeface comprising characteristic Christmas items. Stamps for standard International post show snow crystals in close-up, a beauty not afforded the naked eye.  

The 2010 stamp year encompasses a total of five different release dates, 15 or so themes and 59 different motifs.

Digital images can be downloaded at:
http://cws.huginonline.com/P/134112/pressbilder_v2.html

For more information, please contact:
Thorsten Sandberg, Sweden Post Stamps. Phone +46 (0)8-7815087.
E-mail: thorsten.sandberg@posten.se

 

Facts about the 2010 stamp issues

Day of issue January 28

Swedish Castles & Palaces
Premiere for engraved, self-adhesive stamps of International denominations in a booklet. Buildings, not least castles and palaces, are sought-after designs in the world of stamps. We have chosen to depict five Swedish castles and palaces which are each unique and represent different centuries, Vadstena being the oldest and Tjolöholm the youngest of the last major castles and palaces built in Sweden. The other three are Läckö, Ulriksdal and Sofiero.

Designer: Eva Wilsson
Engravers: Martin Mörck and Lars Sjööblom.
Printing method: Recess.
Set: Booklet.
Denomination: SEK 12 (International).

Europa 2010 - Children's Books
This year, some 40 countries are issuing stamps based on the theme of children's books. The theme was chosen by the Posteurop organization and each member country decides on its own interpretation. The designs on the Swedish stamps are illustrations from Elsa Beskow's Children of the Forest (1910) and Lena Anderson's Maja's Alphabet (1984). The choice of motif focuses on children's reading and learning expressed with artistry and pedagogy.

Designer: Gustav Mårtensson.
Engraver: Piotr Naszarkowski.
Printing method: Recess and offset.
Set: Coil.
Denomination: SEK 12 (International).

Cats
Cats and other pets are popular stamp designs often requested by stamp customers. Here we have chosen graphically distinct stamps in a Domestic First Class denomination. The cat communicates using body language - a complement to a written message in a letter or on a card.

Designer: Carina Länk.
Printing method: Offset.
Set: Booklet.
Denomination: Domestic First Class.

 

Day of issue March 24

Party!
As a prelude to all the year's happy events, from birthdays and weddings to graduation parties and other celebrations, we present five stamps that signal Party! from the very invitation. A handwritten, posted invitation shows generosity, consideration and care for the guest.

Designer: Elisabeth Björkbom (stamps in the booklet) and Gustav Mårtensson (the Rings stamp in the coil).
Printing method: Offset.
Set: Booklet and coil.
Denomination: Domestic First Class.

King Carl XVI Gustaf 2010 and Queen Silvia 2010
During a reign we frequently issue stamps with updated portraits of the King, and since 1981 also of the Queen. The latest portrait stamps are based on newly taken photographs of the Royal Couple. The setting is Gustav III's Museum of Antiquities in Stockholm, which provides a good background.

Designer: Gustav Mårtensson from photographs by Bruno Ehrs.
Engraver: Lars Sjööblom.
Printing method: Recess.
Set: Coil.
Denominations: Domestic First Class (the King) and International SEK 12 (the Queen).

The North by the Sea - Life at the Coast
Coastline, the ocean and boats are recurring themes on Swedish stamps, and in the other northern countries with coasts. In the Top of the World of Stamps series, which is issued by eight Nordic postal organizations, the time has come to depict life on the coast. The Swedish stamps emphasize commercial livelihoods along the west coast.

Designer: Norbert Tamas.
Engravers: Piotr Naszarkowski and Martin Mörck.
Printing method: Recess and offset.
Set: Minisheet.
Denomination: SEK 12 (International).

Day of issue May 13

Karolinska Institutet Bicentennial
An important anniversary is often celebrated with a stamp. Karolinska Institutet is well-known for its research, which has been the source of inspiration for two stamp designs. One of the leading researchers at Karolinska Institutet was Jöns Jacob Berzelius. His samples of silicon and selenium from the 1820s have been photographed under a scanning electron microscope by the world-famous photographer Lennart Nilsson.
 

Designer: Gustav Mårtensson from photographs by Lennart Nilsson.
Engraving: Piotr Naszarkowski.
Printing method: Recess.
Set: Coil.
Denomination: Domestic Second Class.

 Royal Crown Couple
On Saturday June 19, Sweden will be taken over by wedding fever when Crown Princess Victoria marries Daniel Westling. The wedding is both a current and a historic event, and the stamp is something to both use and save. The denomination is SEK 6 - so with two stamps you can reach the whole world.

 The stamp design will be revealed during the spring.

 Pansies
Summer is a time of year when many greetings are sent to friends and family. Summer and vacations mean fun new experiences and events that people like to write about. And the postcard is the ideal format. This year the summer stamps depict pansies - beautiful, popular flowers in vibrant colors.

 Designer: Norbert Tamas based on photographs by Ann Andrén, Ina Agency (a stamp in the booklet) and Annika Christensen (coil stamp).
Printing method: Offset.
Set: Booklet and coil.
Denomination: Domestic First Class.

 Marine Life
The ocean crops up once again in this year's stamp issue. This joint issue with Canada focuses on four different marine animals. One of these is the magnificent blue whale, the world's largest mammal.

 Designer: Martin Mörck.
Engravers: Martin Mörck and Lars Sjööblom.
Printing method: Recess and offset.
Set: Booklet.
Denomination: SEK 12 (International).

 Day of issue August 26

 The Art of Engraving
The other joint issue this year is with Ireland. The theme is the art of engraving, which holds a strong position in both Swedish and Irish stamp issues. The motifs in this issue are historic, and one of the motifs is a tribute to master engraver Czeslaw Slania.

 Designer: Gustav Mårtensson.
Engravers: Lars Sjööblom, Martin Mörck and Czeslaw Slania.
Printing method: Recess and offset.
Set: Minisheet.
Denomination: SEK 12 (International).

 Crime Novels
The Swedish crime wave - in the literary world - continues both in Sweden and internationally. The booklet presents authors such as pioneers Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö, who wrote the Chief Inspector Martin Beck series. The stamps have exciting special perforations.

 Designer: Johan Petterson.
Engravers: Martin Mörck, Piotr Naszarkowski and Lars Sjööblom.
Printing method: Recess and offset.
Set: Booklet.
Denomination: SEK 6 (Domestic First Class).

 Food Designs (issue name to be confirmed)
This autumn's stamps for letters and greetings highlight various aspects of traditional Swedish food. They depict five tasty, well-known dishes representing different tastes and preferences from different parts of the country.

 Designer: Stina Wirsén (booklet stamps) and Martin Mörck (coil stamps).
Engraver: Martin Mörck.
Printing method: Recess and offset.
Set: Booklet and coil.
Denomination: Domestic First Class (booklet and one coil stamp) and SEK 12 International (one coil stamp).

 Day of issue November 18

 Christmas 2010 - Christmas Fun
In mid-November it is time for this year's domestic Christmas stamps. At Christmas people tend to prefer a traditional physical Christmas card over digital alternatives, and almost 40 million such Christmas greetings are sent in Sweden every year. The motifs for Christmas post in 2010 are linked to the various items we surround ourselves with during the festive period.

 Designer: Stefan Engblom.
Printing method: Offset.
Set: Booklet.
Denomination: Christmas post (for domestic Christmas greetings).

 Snow Crystals
The winter feeling of Christmas greetings sent abroad is conveyed through these stamps, which depict graphically beautiful snow crystals photographed around Kiruna, in the far north of Sweden. The stamps are printed using a special ink that shimmers and enhances the feeling of snow and ice.
The denomination is SEK 12 - you can reach the whole world with a Christmas greeting.

 

Designer: Gustav Mårtensson based on photographs by Kenneth Libbrecht.
Engravers: Lars Sjööblom and Piotr Naszarkowski.
Printing method: Recess and offset.
Set: Booklet of five self-adhesive stamps and five designs.
Denomination: SEK 12 (International).