Tips on Stamp Collecting

Eurovision Song Contest stamp 2007 Finland

Interesting postage stamps from Finland

Monster band Lordi and Finland's earlier entries to the Eurovision Song Contest. In May 2007 also other interesting postage stamps were issued in Finland: commemorating the scout movement, public transport, Moomins and Tampere Cathedral. Ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest, Finland Post issued a total of seventeen new stamps on 9 May 2007 in five separate issues. All the new stamps issued in May are for postage of first class mail in Finland. The Eurovision Song Contest will be commemorated with a miniature sheet of four stamps.

Stars of the entertainment world on stamps

The miniature sheet dedicated to the 52nd Eurovision Song Contest, held at Helsinki's Hartwall Arena on 10 and 12 May, features Finland's entries to the contest in different decades. Last Finnish victors, monster band Lordi, is celebrated with two postage stamps. The first stamp bears a portrait of the band's soloist, Mr. Lordi. The drawing is by Mr. Lordi or Tomi Putaansuu himself. The other postage stamp shows the whole band. In addition to Mr. Lordi, it depicts drummer "Kita" (Sampsa Astala), guitarist "Amen" (Jussi Sydänmaa), bassist "OX" (Samer el Nahhal) and keyboards player "Awa" (Leena Peisa).

Finnish Eurovision Song Contests stars

The postage stamps also show Finnish stars that represented Finland at earlier Eurovision Song Contests. Laila Kinnunen ("Valoa ikkunassa", France 1961), Marion Rung ("Tipitii", Luxembourg 1962 and "Tom Tom Tom" Luxembourg 1973), Kirka Babitzin ("Hengaillaan", Luxembourg 1984) and Katri Helena ("Katson sineen taivaan", Israel 1979 and "Tule luo", Ireland 1993) are shown on the third stamp.
The fourth stamp of the miniature sheet bears the insignia of the Eurovision Song Contest with a Finnish flag in its "heart". Silver foil is used for the insignia. The issue is the first self-adhesive miniature sheet in Finland. The shape of the stamp differs from tradition. The designer of the miniature sheet Timo Berry positioned his subjects in rounded arches like the glare of spotlights.

Technical details of the postage stamps

Issue: Finland, 9 May 2007
Design: Timo Berry, drawing for Mr. Lordi stamp by Tomi Putaansuu stamps
Print: Offset by Joh. Enschedé Stamps, the Netherlands
Size miniature sheet: 63 x 130mm
Paper: Self-adhesive stamp paper

New postal stationery card

A New postal stationery card of rowing a church boat, new postal stationery of whooper swans and bears was issued on 18 May 2007.
Finland Post issued a postal stationery card on the theme of church boats and two new postal stationery letters, one depicting a whooper swan and the other a bear. These all have postage prepaid to all countries. These new products' first day cancellation will be at the TAVASTEX 07 Stamp Exhibition in Hämeenlinna.
The front of the postal stationery card bears a picture of a church boat journey in Ikaalinen in 1957. Pirkka Inked took the picture, which is from the Finnish National Board of Antiquities' photo archive. The reverse side of the card has a picture of the Hämeenlinna Skiing Club's rowing division team in the Hämeenlinna church boat event in 2004. Simo Loisa took the picture. The denomination imprint for the stamp is a picture of Häme Castle (Lehtikuva). Asser Jaaro designed the postal stationery card. Jaaro also designed the church boat first day cancellation made for the postal stationery card.
The postal stationery card costs 85 cent. The issue is 12,000.