Postage Stamps 2003

Birds from Finland

The new self-adhesive, non-denominated first class stamps, issued on 15 January in Finland, depict provincial birds; the cuckoo of Northern Karelia, the lark of Central Ostrobothnia and the Siberian jay of Kainuu.

Birds from Finland

Cheerful comics

The cartoon favourites Viivi and Wagner will soon charm also in stamps. Six non-denominated first class stamps, issued on 15 January in Finland, depict the hilarious friendship between a pig and a woman. The stamps, issued for St. Valentine's day's greetings, were designed by the comic artist, Mr Jussi "Juba" Tuomola.

Cheerful comics

Fish from Finland

On 15 January, three non-denominated 2nd class stamps were issued in Finland, depicting provincial fishes; the bream of Häme, the lake trout of Central Finland and the pike of Aland.

Fish from Finland

Mushrooms on stamps

The first issue of Aland in 2003 depicts on mushrooms. The amount of edible mushrooms in the Finish forests is estimated to reach around a million tons every year, but unfortunately only a fraction of these delicacies is gathered.

Mushrooms on stamps

Heart for Fighting fires

Who doesn't want to be a fire-fighter or in the police when they grow up? Both jobs are filled by everyday heroes, who often put their lives at risk to save others. Around 16,000 women and men, professionals and volunteers alike, in 250 Belgian fire departments are ready to go into action 24 hours of every day, 7 days of every week.

Heart for

Marc Sleen stamp issue

Marc Sleen was born in Gentbrugge on 30 December 1922 as Marcel Honoree Nestor Neels. After studying art at Ghent's Institute Saint Luc, Sleen started as political caricaturist at De Standaard newspaper in 1944.

Sleen stamp issue, Marc

Henry van de Velde

The Flemish architect, painter and interior designer Henry van de Velde (1863-1957) was originally a devotee of landscape painting in the neo-impressionistic style. He joined the Brussels based Les Vingt group in 1889, devoting himself to the applied arts from 1890.

Velde, Henry van de

Hector Berlioz

Hector Berlioz is one of the titans of European romantic music. His literary sources (Goethe, Shakespeare, Virgil) filled him with a sense of the universal. Passionate yet clear-sighted, Hector Berlioz was the antithesis of improvisation.

Hector Berlioz

Folk sports on stamps

Not without reason, pigeon racing has been honored with a postage stamp. Belgium is the spiritual home of this folk sport, which continues to be practised by thousands of enthusiasts.

Folk sports on stamps

Ice hockey lion in full speed

Mr Ken Nikander designed a euro 0.65 special stamp for the Ice Hockey World Championships organised this spring, depicting the lion mascot of the games. This lion in blue and white game wear is in full speed: it is just sliding to the red face-off circle, having shot the puck to the left bottom corner.

Ice hockey lion in full speed

Popular summer flower

One of the new stamps issued in March is a 0.65 euro stamp on garden pansies, designed by Ms Pirkko Juvonen.

Popular summer flower

Founder of the Brigittines

St. Brigit of Sweden (1303-1373) was born 700 years ago. Therefore a € 0.65 stamp, depicting a wooden sculpture of St. Brigit of Sweden, will be issued to honor the founder of the Brigittine Order. The sculpture is a detail from the altar screen in the Naantali Convent Church.

Founder of the Brigittines

Aeroplanes from different decades

2003 is a jubilee year of aviation. The first powered flight was made 100 years ago. The honor of this historical event belongs to the American engineer brothers Orville (1871-1948) and Wilbur Wright (1867-1912), who designed the first usable powered aeroplane. The first flight was made on 17 December 1903 at Kitty Hawk by the Atlantic Ocean. The plane was airborne for 12 seconds, flying 36 metres.

Aeroplanes from different decades

Beloved work of art

The 0.90 euro stamp issued on 3 March 2003 depicts the famous painting by Ferdinand von Wright (1822-1906), The Fighting Capercailles. This work, greatly admired by the Finns, is in the collections of the Ateneum Art Museum. The stamp was designed by Ms Marita Soukka, graphic designer.

Beloved work of art

AIMs

AIMs represents all specialist civil engineers graduating from the Polytechnics Faculty. AIMs is an non-profit association set up in 1853 by Théophile Guibal, one of the founders of the Polytechnic Faculty in 1836.

AIMs

America's Cup

Swiss Post is bringing out a special stamp to mark the triumph of the Swiss Alinghi sailing team in the 2003 America's Cup in New Zealand, honoring its masterly sporting and technical achievement in the world's most prestigious sailing race by issuing a so-called event stamp with a face value of 90 centimes.

America's Cup

Cats on stamps

The cat photo competition "Kitty Aland" is now over. Here we see the results of the Aland public photographing their cats with the two cat stamp issues. From all received photos ten finalists were picked.

Cats on stamps

Red Cross Stamps

Since 1914 the Belgium postal service has regularly issued a Red Cross stamps to support the Red Cross. And this year is no exception.

Red Cross Stamps

Solvay Business School

In 1903, Ernest Solvay founded the Commerce school Solvay. It was set at the Cité des Sciences (Parc Léopold), although it was part of the Free University of de Brussels (ULB).

Solvay Business School

Flowers

The loveliest scents and the most wonderful gardens await you at the third International flowershow in Liège. This will extend over an area of 15.000 m2 at the Halles des Foires de Liège, from April 26 to May 4, 2003.

Flowers

Georges Simenon

Georges Simenon (Liège 1903-Lausanne 1989), eminent writer of the 20th century, is certainly one of the most Famous Belgians in the world. After going into journalism by joining the Gazette de Liège, Georges Simenon decides to take up the pen and publishes, in Paris, a series of popular novels using different pseudonyms.

Georges Simenon

Bridges and viaducts

On 20 May 2003 Luxembourg issued a series depicting bridges and viaducts on stamps.

Bridges and viaducts

Aland Frama Bilberry

The year 2003 brings the start of a new nice three-year series of postal labels (Frama) depicting berries. First of all we take a trip to the forest to pick bilberries.

Frama Bilberry

New stamp service of Finland Post

The new service of Finland Post for Finnish companies is a stamp, the pictorial subject of which a company can design itself. The stamp may feature e.g. the logo of the company, a photo of a product or a slogan. The service will be available as of 14 May 2003.

Customised stamp

Aland poster art stamps

The theme for the Europa stamp this year is poster art. The Aland contribution is especially interesting through its connection to France, where the modern poster art once began and developed.

Aland poster art stamps

Comic strip

The comic strip, also known as the Ninth Art, is a way of telling a story using a series of pictures, in which the protagonists' remarks, feelings or thoughts are displayed in balloons.

Comic strip