My National Covers

Every now and then I have the opportunity to add what I call a "National Cover" to my collection.

These are nothing fancy. In fact they are but covers that I print  at home with the flag and coat of arms of a specific country and which I then either send to a fellow collector who is willing to help or give to friends or family or take my own self whenever travelling abroad, in the hope that these might find a way to a local post office to get a stamp and a postmark.

I will be adding these to a new "My National Covers" section in this blog.

If you don't see your country here and are willing to help me add your own country's national cover to my collection, please email me at pnsoares1@gmail.com. 

You'll get a cover from Portugal (if you want I'll be happy to print a Portuguese National Cover just like the ones I print for myself, although in a somewhat larger envelope) and a printed envelope with the relevant symbols printed, so that you can then return it to me.

Thanks a lot.

Note: Whenever possible I will try to transcribe the flag and coat of arms information from the relevant national site. Failing that I'll transcribe from Wikipedia.

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Republic of Finland / Suomen tasavalta 

The Flag

The Finnish parliament debated the flag issue in spring 1918, and on 28 May approved the proposal of its constitutional committee for a new national symbol. The act, making the design of Eero Snellman and Bruno Tuukkanen the official Finnish flag was issued two days later, and even though some of its provisions have been amended slightly since then, the design itself, a blue cross on a white field, remains unchanged.

Source: History of the flag - Ministry of the Interior

Blue is said to represent the country's thousands of lakes and the sky and white the snow that covers the land in winter.

Source: Flag of Finland - Wikipedia

The Coat of Arms

The Act on the Coat of Arms of Finland (381/1978) describes the emblem as follows:

"A crowned lion rampant on a red field holding a raised sword in an armoured hand replacing the animal's right front leg, and trampling a sabre with its hind legs; the lion, the crown, the hilts and the joints of the armour being in gold, and the blades of the weapons and the armour itself being of silver; nine silver rosettes being scattered in the field."

Source: Coat of arms of Finland - Ministry of the Interior

The Stamps

- Martti Ahtisaari (1937-2023) was the tenth President of Finland, a position he occupied  between March 1994  and March 2000.

He was also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, a distinction bestowed on him for  "for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts".

The stamp with no indication of face value, illustrated with his effigy, and the legend "In Memoriam  Martti Ahtisaari  1937 - 2000", was isssued on 15DEC2023

- Sauli Niinistö (1948) was the 12th President of Finland, is office tenure occuring between  March 2012 and  March 2024.

The  "First Class" no face value, stamp illustrated with his portrait and the legend "65 (in roman numerals) Sauli Niinistö" was issued on the eve of his 65th birthday, 23AUG2013. 

The Postmark

Applied in Lempäälä, on 08OCT2024, a city of approximately 25000 inhabitants in the south of the country Capital, part of the Pirkanmaa Region. 

My thanks to Esko for his help, care and attention in my obtaining this wonderful cover.

COVER N. 522 - FINLAND

Postmark: Lempäälä 37560 Posti 08.10.2024 

Posted on the 8th October; Received on the 15th October 2024

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A very carefully treated cover received in a protective bag.  Kiitos paljon, Esko! 

 

I can imagine that in such a northern latitude, the Sun and its warming light assume an extra importance that us, in the south, have always taken for granted. 

Thus, it is fitting that "The Glow of the Sun" be the theme chosen for a two se-tenant priority stamp set issued on 11SEP2024, one of which can be seen on the cover, illustrated with a nice sunset with some flowers on the foreground.

The second stamp on the cover was also issued on 11SEP2024, included in a five stamp set dedicated to popular Hobbies. Frisbee golf is the sport highlighted by the image in the stamp, the four other hobbies selected for being featured in the stamps being Hobby Horse Riding (quite an uncommon sport, if I may say so...); Trekking; Freeclimbing and Postcrossing.

POSTCARD N.147 - FINLAND

Postcrossing Postcard sent on the 2nd July; received on the 8th July 2024

Postcard image: Brown County Sate park, Indiana
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A fell, term which according to wikipedia, means a a barren elevation feature in the landscape, in Lapland,  northwestern Finland, called Saana, is the main subject of the picture in the nice postcard I got from Tiina. Kiitos paljon, Tinna.

Sanna fell has a maximum elevation of 1029 m and it lies adjacent to Kilpisjärvi lake, located 556 metres below it, bot being located near the town of Enontekiö.

The 0,05 € auto-adhesive stamp, is part of a three even priced stamp set "ripples in water" issued in minisheet form on 24JAN2008.

The 0,20€ stamp is part of a four  stamp set, issued in minisheet format on 09MAY2017, dedicated to arctic birds,  

Further to the  0,20€ - Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca) on the cover, the set included: 0,10€ - Long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis); domestic (no facial value) - Brent goose (Branta bernicla); domestic (no facial value) - Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis).

The 1st class, self-adhesive stamp, illustrated with the image of a sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) was issued on 27FEB2008 as part of the "Flowers" definitive series. Of note is the fact that the stamp information is overprinted in Braille.

COVER N. 443 - FINLAND

Postmark: Helsinki Hellsingfors 98 - 19.04.24

Posted on the 19h April received on the 30th April 2024

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Hearts are obvious positive symbols: Goodwill; Love; Health, Friendship, Joy, Happiness... it's easy to find states of mind or sentiments that can be  immediately transmitted graphically with the simple image of an heart.... of course when the image includes two hearts, the more so, overlapping, words cease to be needed to understand the message...

Kiitos paljon, Alicia! 

The self-adhesive "Hearts" stamp, with no indication of any face value, was issued by Posti on 11MAR2020.

The 0,20€ stamp is part of a four  stamp set, issued in minisheet format on 09MAY2017, dedicated to arctic birds,  

Further to the  0,20€ - Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca) on the cover, the set included: 0,10€ - Long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis); domestic (no facial value) - Brent goose (Branta bernicla); domestic (no facial value) - Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis).

From the Postmark, it is possible to gather that the letter was mailed from the country's capital, Helsinki

COVER N. 236 - FINLAND

Postmark: Helsinki Hellsingfors 00100 - 08.04.2023 

Posted on the 8th April; Received on the 18th April 2023
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At first I thought I had to call on the help of Monsieur Hercule Poirot to help me with this one.

I knew it came from Finland, from the Capital city of  Helsinki, neatly stamped and posted,  but the fact is that I didn't know who the sender was, since it is not written on the envelope, and what's more, except for a piece of card to reinforce the envelope, it was completely empty,..

Could it be that it was from a postcrosser, sending me a postcard that he/she forgot to insert? That  was the closest I could get to any possible justification, but then I remembered I had recently received another cover from Finland and I went and compared the handwriting....

Yes, they looked quite the same...

Taking that for granted, since all letters should deserve an answer, I wrote a long letter to the sender of the original letter, thanking him for it and expressing my views on a couple of issues regarding the purpose and intent of my blog and so on and so forth.

I neatly stamped it, closed the envelope and took it the very next day to work, to go to the post office to dispatch it.

I was just about to do that, when I received a message from Alex, asking me if i had received his cover from Finland....?

What? wait a minute.... could it be......

Damn! Saved by the bell! Yes, Dear Alex, I did and i was just about to  attribute it to someone else 😀.

Nothing that would cause an international crisis, but  I am sure I was saved from having to explain a confusion that I and only I had created, due to my very poor forensic skills....

So, Thanks a bunch, Alex.... (only next time, please, don't forget to add the sender 😂)!

Anyway, a reply cover will go out soon, since no letter should go unanswered!

The 0,05 € auto-adhesive stamp, is part of a three even priced stamp set "ripples in water" issued in minisheet form on 24JAN2008.

The 0,10€ stamp is part of a 4 set stamp issued on 09MAY2017, dedicated to artic birds. The 4 stamps were also issued included in a souvenir sheet. 

The birds depicted were: 0,10€ - Long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis): 0,20€ - Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca); domestic (no facial value) - Brent goose (Branta bernicla); domestic (no facial value) - Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis).

The auto-adhesive domestic tariff up, to 50g, stamp bearing the Finnish National Flag was issued on 06May2005, and it is the result of a design competition, won by Ville Tietäväinen, who conceived a stamp wherein the national flag is mirrored in the waters of one of the many Finnish lakes.

Siniristilippu, for such is the designation of the Finnish flag is composed by a blue cross over a white background, the former representing the lakes and the sky, and the latter standing for the ever present snow.

The neatly applied postmarks inform that the letter was posted in the Finnish Capital, Helsinki.

COVER N. 230 - FINLAND

Postmark: Suomi - Finland  66º 33' 7'' North Napaphri - 96930 Artic Circle   

Posted on the 26th March; Received on the 4th April 2023

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Another blistering cold cover, this time from the deep north; from  across the Arctic Circle, as so informs the nice pictorial postmark, with a couple of reindeer crossing Finland's map where the arctic circle is superimposed, while on the circular section none other than its most famous inhabitant takes a peek over the date mark.

Thank you so much; Esko. 

When I was a lad Valentine's day was not a tradition that would in any way be celebrated or even acknowledged in my own country. not until the early 80's of last century. Them, all of a sudden, globalisation stepped in and marketing and commerce found a new expandable niche to extract the hard earned coins from the pocket of those afflicted by the love disease and nowadays it's just another  nonsensical and totally out of context "tradition" that is eagerly celebrated not only by the newer generations. more permeable to the global virus, but also by older people who should know better but who have been retro-infected all the same.... anyway, what sense does it make to celebrate Valentine's day or Halloween in the south of Europe? It's about as logical and expected as having the Brits celebrate the day of  Santo António or of Pedro or João, the other two saints that complete the Popular Saints triad celebrated throughout my country. Of course I'm talking about the popular and profane (i.e. commercial, mostly) dimension of the festivities, since the religious dimension of the equation is mostly off-limits for me, since not only am I an agnostic, as I also confess my ignorance regarding Christian theology and hagiology.

then there's that childish aura that...annoys me... pink and cuties..... hearts ... flowers...promises of eternal love....

Last year, 24 women died in my country, the victims of domestic violence. I wonder how many of those had been treated to a heart shaped box of chocolates and a bouquet of flowers, come February the 14th.....

anyway, as usual I digress, such is the power of stamps and images....and Esko is certainly not to be blamed for me ranting a bit more than usual...

To celebrate Valentine's day Posti Finland issued on 18JAN2023 a set of five self-adhesive stamps with no indication of face value, meant for domestic use, themed on "close friends".  Further to the squirrel and dog pairs on my cover, the set comprised three more stamps, featuring a cat couple, a deer and a rabitt and three swans, somehow illustrating in an hyperbolic way the diversity reigning over matters of the heart...

POSTCARD N.96 - FINLAND

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 22nd November, received on the 5rd December 2022

Postcard image: Avro Lancaster
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No, Finland has really nothing to do with A.V. Roe or with any of te many products that his aircraft manufacturing company produced since its inception in 1910, just 7 years after the Wright brothers flew the Flyer. 

Of these, one of the most famous for the role it played in the 2nd World War, is the Lancaster, the subject of the very nice postcard I got from Finland. Thanks a lot Vesa, and also thanks fro having sent it in an envelope with the beautiful EUROPA Finnish issue of 2022.

Developed from the twin engine Avro Manchester, the four-engined Lancaster was first flown on the 9th January 1941. 

Powered by four 12 cylinder  Rolls Royce Merlin XX engines (yes, it equals more or less  4 spitfire engines diving a single aircraft....), the Lancaster had a crew of 7 (pilot, navigator, flight engineer, wireless operator, bomber, turret gunners).

As the most important long range bomber of the RAF, the Lancaster would play a very important role in the bombing runs that targeted several German cities, including the infamous and controversial Dresden raids,  but  the most famous mission performed by the type was operation chastise, the bombing of the Ruhr river dams that took place in 1943.

 The type was used by a number of air forces around the world after the second world war, a period when  some surviving examples, that had become redundant, were transformed into civil transport aircraft, in the guise of the Avro Lancastrian, a conversion which was first done in 1943, while the war was still raging. 

 Though there are still some surviving examples in museums, only two Lancasters remain airworthy, one in the UK, part of the Battle of Britain memorial flight and another in Canada.

COVER N.185 - FINLAND

Postmark: no postmark

Posted on the 22nd November, received on the 5th December 2022

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Nothing could be more appropriate to send a postcard dedicated to an aircraft than an envelope tinted in the colour of the sky. Thanks a lot again Vesa.

To make his envelope fly across Europe into my letterbox, Vesa used one of the two "International", no face value stamps that compose Finland's EUROPA 2022 set, issued on 27APR2022, dedicated to the goddesses of sun and moon in Finish mythology, respectively Päivätär  and Kuutar, the first being obviously the one whose image appears in the stamp on the envelope.

POSTCARD N.83 - FINLAND

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 14th June; received on the 28th June

Postcard image: Jean Sibelius 

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Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) is often cited as instrumental in the creation of a Finnish national identity through music. Having been born in what was then Russian soil (small wonder Finns nowadays look across the border with the utmost distrust...) and although speaking Swedish at home, he would go on to attend the "first Finnish-speaking school in Russian-held Finland, where he came into contact with Finnish literature and in particular with the Kalevala, the mythological epic of Finland, which remained for him a constant source of inspiration" as can be read on Encyclopaedia Britannica website.

Elaborating on the canons of the  19th century Romanticism from which he would transition into a musical language that although strictly tonal was ever more permeated by the echoes of modernism,  he would produce a body of work that would lead to him being considered the most important symphonic Scandinavian composer of all times.

One of his most well known works is the Violin concerto, written in 1905, which I remember having had the pleasure of  hearing executed by Leonidas Kavakos and the Philadelphia Orchestra, directed by Christoph Eschenbach, many years ago.

Thank you so much Johanna, for making me recall it!

Stamps, L to R:

Both stamps used by Johanna are part of the same five self-adhesive domestic rate stamp set issued on05JUN2019, celebrating the Natural Life of Finland. These two depict granite rocks and the Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) butterfly,  a species that is also present in my own country, the remaining three on the set being illustrated with photos of a horse, a perch (Perca fluviatilis) and silver birch (Betula pendula) trees.

 POSTCARD N.74 - FINLAND

Postcrossing postcard sent on  (?)  April; received on the 15th April

Postcard image: Somewhere in Finland in winter
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The land of the thousand lakes can be a land of deep cold, I presume, not having visited it. And it couldn't be any other way since we all know that Finland is one of the Headquarters of Santa Claus and science has it that he only sets up office in extreme cold places, so seeing ice sculptures clinging to tree branches on the postcard I received from Suomi, comes as no real surprise. Thank you so much Sari, I'd love to see it "in the tree"...

Stamps, left to right.

I have to say (and I hope I'm not offending anyone) that I dislike the rather current fashion for some postal administrations of issuing stamps in all formats and shapes. Not that I'm against creativity but if you'd ask to chose, say, between the two first stamps on the postcard Sari sent me, the Duck stamp would win hands down. First and foremost stamps should have perforation teeth, not look like a miniature  decorative bumper sticker, even if they are of the sticker type.... 😃

This said 

0,30€ auto-adhesive stamp, part of a two stamp set (0,20€; 0,30€) themed on the birch tree, issued on 24JAN2011.

0,20€ stamp, part of a four  stamp set issued on 09MAY2017, dedicated to artic birds. The 4 stamps were also issued as a souvenir sheet. 

The birds depicted were: 0,10€ - Long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis): 0,20€ - Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca); domestic (no facial value) - Brent goose (Branta bernicla); domestic (no facial value) - Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis).

Stamp with no face value (1,85€ at the date of issue) part of a three stamp set celebrating Christmas, issued on  03NOV2021, Besides this stamp that showcases the Northern Lights, the other two in the set feature a Bullfinch and a Christmas tree.

The machine applied cancelation fell on the black areas of the bird stamp, so it is mostly illegible, though very clearly printed. I can make out the beginning of the word Helsinki, so probably the postcard was mailed from the capital. 

POSTCARD N.42 -  Finland

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 25th October; received on the 4th November
Postcard image: images of the Finnish countryside
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Finland, the land of a thousand lakes  and also green pastures, judging from the photos on the card Kerttu kindly sent me through Postcrossing. Thank you Kerttu.

Finland is on my list of countries to visit someday in the future. in good truth, the whole world is on my list of countries to visit, this being a perfect example of "wishful thinking" because I have the clear notion that the proposition dwelves in impossibility. Still, receiving mail from countries I have never been to does provide some consolation againt the realisation of the sad truth.... 

To post my card, Kerttu used a 1st class (no facial value) self-adhesive stamp issued on 08MAY

2015 with a "Golden Swan". 

I searched on the internet and came across a children's story called "The Golden Swan" which I presume the stamp does try to illustrate

The postmark wasmachine applied on the wrong face of the postcard, that is the front of the card, over the pictures on it. Other than Tammerfors, I cannot read the information on the daystamp.

POSTCARD N.32 -  Finland

Postcrossing postcard sent on the 30th August; received on the 8th September
Postcard image: Andjust,- Long Audio Play Movie, by Mox Mäkelän countryside of Sauerland
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Thank you Sandhra, for your postcard  of  Andjust, a film by Finnish conceptual artist Mox Mäkelän. 

in the words of its author this film is the sacred satire of the "stand art" host and great stuff before they become dust. 

Stamps, left to right:

The 0,10€ stamp is part of a 4 set stamp issued on 09MAY2017, dedicated to artic birds. The 4 stamps were also issued included in a souvenir sheet. 

The birds depicted were: 0,10€ - Long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis): 0,20€ - Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca); domestic (no facial value) - Brent goose (Branta bernicla); domestic (no facial value) - Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis).

The Stamp with no face value (1,75€ on the date of issue) is part of a set of six, issued on 28APR21, included in a booklet pane, celebrating the 150 years of postal cards in Finland.

The manually applied cancellation tells us that the postcard was mailed from Oulu, in the North of Finland

POSTCARD N.28 -  Finland

Postcrossing postcard posted inside cover #34, on the 30th August; received on the 4th September (from 23AUG till 4SEP I was away, so the date of reception could be any day within that interval)
Postcard image: The Northern Lights at Äkäsmylly
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The Northern Lights... stuff of dream and desire for us who live below the uppermost parallels....I truly want to go and see them one day...and then there's the luck factor because you can't control the weather and one never knows if, once in place, fog or rain or snow or just clouds will get in our way, as per the lovely Joni Mitchell song...

Speaking of songs... the Northern lights are in my mind, they guide me back to you.....

 COVER N.34 - Finland

Postmark:  - 30AUG21 Helsinki Helsingfors 
Posted on the 30th August; received on the 4th September. (from 23AUG till 4SEP I was away, so the date of reception could be any day within that interval)
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Another postcrossing postcard (postcard #28) carefully sent inside a nice envelope with a nice stamp, this time hailing from the capital of the land of the thousand lakes, Finland. Thanks a lot Alisa.

The Domestic rate stamp (even though the letter was sent abroad Alisa used a domestic rate stamp, so I suspect that the "economy" mark on the left side of the cancellation might have something to do with this..) was issued on 03JUN2020, as part of a 6 auto-adhesive stamp booklet, honouring Finnish Industry: Made in Finland.

The innovation highlighted in this particular stamp is the winter tire, something that doesn't come a a great surprise if one thinks about the huge plethora of first class rally car racing drivers Finland has produced over the years.... 

The other five Finnish innovations highlighted in the set, according to the Finnish post website are the heart rate monitor, xylitol, the Rapala wobbler lure, the Abloy lock, and the pedestrian safety reflector.

POSTCARD N.11 - Finland
Postcrossing postcard included in Cover n. 23
Potscard image: Seafortress Suomenlinna, a UNESCO WHS near Helsinki
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World Heritage Sites always make good postcards to send or receive, such as this one hailing from Finland. Thanks a lot Nina

Suomenlinna Fortress, I read, was built by the Swedes during the 18th century, the decision to build it, having bee taken by Swedish monarch Frederik I, in 1747. The fortress is implanted on a site that is made of six interconnected islands at the entrance of Helsinki's harbor.

UNESCO declared  the fortress of Suomenlinna a World Heritage Site in 1991,  acknowledging it as  an "outstanding example of general fortification principles of the 17th and 18th centuries, notably the bastion system", as can be read in the relevant page of UNESCO's WHS portal.

COVER N.23 - Finland

Postmark: No postmark
Possibly posted on the 30th June; received on the 14th July.
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Another cover with no postmark, also coming from Scandinavia. Could it be that cancelations are no longer used in Finland and Sweden?

Anyway, Nina, whom I thank for the lovely handmade envelope she used to send me a postcrossing postcard (postcard # 11) mailed it from Helsinki, Finland's capital.

The stamp without any facial value imprinted can be used, as far as I grasp, for domestic postage and was issued on 28APR2021. 

Quoting from the Finnish post website: "In April, Posti will also issue the Day of Celebration stamp that is suitable for many kinds of congratulatory messages. The stamp will also celebrate Klaus Welp’s long career as a stamp designer, as it is the 100th stamp designed by Welp."

To complete the postage for international expedition, a 0,10@ stamp was used. This is part of a 4 set stamp issued on 09MAY2017, dedicated to artic birds. The 4 stamps were also issued included in a souvenir sheet. 

the birds depicted were: 0,10€ - Long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis): 0,20€ - Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca); domestic (no facial value) - Brent goose (Branta bernicla); domestic (no facial value) - Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis).