Sunday, May 30, 2010

Suomi Finland : Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld Minature sheet


Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, the famous Finnish-born scientist and explorer, is the subject of a miniature sheet with two 1st class non-value indicator stamps to be issued on 20 October 2008. A Norwegian-born Swede Martin Mörck designed the issue. The engraved stamp sheet was printed by the printing house of the Danish Post operator Danmark Frimaerker. The issue run is 300,000. The miniature sheet, priced at €1.60, is a joint issue with the postal operator of Greenland.
One of the Finnish stamps shows a bust of Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld. The illustration is based on a photograph by Captain Louis Patander. The other stamp depicts the research vessel Sofia, on which Nordenski6ld sailed to Greenland in 1883. Axel Hamberg took the original photograph. The scenery shown on the miniature sheet is from Ovifak, Greenland.

Voyage to Greenland

On his first voyage to Greenland in 1870, Nordenski6ld had heard of and had became interested in large stones rich in iron found at Ovifak on Disko Island. The stones were incorrectly thought to be meteorites. The largest of the chunks of rock shown on the stamp issue was later transported to Sweden. The universities of Copenhagen and Helsinki also each received a donation of rock. The picture on Greenland's miniature sheet is the same as on Finland's, but the stamps show the Sofia and interesting rocks from Ovifak. The man shown examining the rocks in the picture is Nordenskiöld. The original image from which the picture on the stamp is taken is by Th. Nordström.

Historical maps

He also accumulated an important collection of historical maps and geographical literature, which is stored at the National Library of Helsinki University. The collection has been added in 1997 to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

Postage stamps in detail

Issue: Finland, 20 October 2008
Designer: Martin Mörck
Perforation: 12.75 x 12.75
Stamp sizes: 28.84 x 33.44mm and 57.68 x 33.44mm
Sheet size: 165 x 60mm
Print: 4-color offset + engraving by Post Danmark Frimaerker, Denmark


Source: Filahome

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