09.01.2012

Latvijas Pasts to issue at least 26 new stamps with print run of 17 million in 2012

In 2012, Latvijas Pasts is planning to issue at least 26 new stamps featuring different topics important to the country and people of Latvia, and having different denominations. The amount of stamps to be released may yet be updated in the coming months; the first stamps this year will be issued on January 7, while the year will conclude with the traditional new addition to the Christmas series in December.

The total number of stamps printed by Latvijas Pasts in 2012 will reach at least 17 million - an increase of approximately 10 million compared to the average annual amount, taking into consideration the current significant demand for stamps.

"Latvijas Pasts, whose stamps are recognized in the world as being tasteful and having high artistic value, this year will again please philatelists and all of our clients with varied and interesting stamps, so that everyone can choose what best fits their taste," says Edmunds Bebrišs, the Director of the Postage Stamp Department.

The first stamps issued by Latvijas Pasts in 2012 will be part of the series Coats of Arms - three stamps featuring the small coat of arms of Riga, the coat of arms of Piltene, and the coat of arms of Lielvārde.

The end of January will bring a unique stamp, found by the people of Latvia to be worthy of release in the first stamp design competition, which allowed everyone to submit stamp designs and vote on social networks. The winning stamp - The Place Where Stories Are Born, depicting the lions of Vērmanes Garden and the nearby restaurant Bibliotēka Nr.1, encircled by trees - will be released and presented on January 27.

The third addition to the popular Flowers series - the Lily - will be made in February 2012. Two new stamps will also be released in March as part of the united European stamp series Europa, initiated by the European Postal Union - stamps in this series with a unified logo throughout Europe have been released since 1994.

In April, a stamp will commemorate the 150^th anniversary of the outstanding Latvian bibliographer Jānis Misiņš, while a series of three stamps will be dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of Riga Zoo. May will see the second release in the Ports of Latvia series, this time dedicated to the Free Port of Ventspils. In June, two new stamps will be included in the Birds of Latvia series, supplemented for the third year in the row.

In July, a special stamp will be released for the 30^th Summer Olympic Games, which will take place in London from July 27 to August 12, 2012. August will see the release of a stamp block consisting of two stamps - The 450^th Anniversary of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. A stamp celebrating the 125^th anniversary of the Riga-born rocket engineer Friedrich Zander will also be issued in August.

The third stamp in the series Contemporary architecture of Latvia is planned for September, while the joint issue of the Baltic states - the stamp block Railway bridges - will be released in October. The 150-year anniversary of Riga Technical University will also be marked with a stamp in October.

In preparation for the hundred-year anniversary of the state of Latvia in 2018, for the fourth year in the row, Latvijas Pasts will issue three new stamps in the series The 100^th Anniversary of the Republic of Latvia. Following the tradition, two new Christmas series stamps will come out in December.

LatvijasPasts issues an average of 12-16 new stamps each year, whose total print run usually reaches 7 million. The stamp themes for each year are determined by the Stamp Issue Commission.

About SJSC Latvijas Pasts

Latvijas Pasts ensures the widest availability of postal services throughout Latvia by maintaining more than 600 post offices. The primary function of the company is provision of the universal postal service; Latvijas Pasts also provides philately, transport and express mail, financial intermediation, payment, press subscription and retail services. Latvijas Pasts is a fully state-owned company with approximately 4600 employees.

Additional information:
Gundega Vārpa,
SJSC Latvijas Pasts
Head of the External Communications Department
Phone: + 371 67608505
E-mail: gundega.varpa@pasts.lv