Latvijas Pasts brings back personalized stamps by releasing a series of stamps dedicated to present-day Latvian aviation and museums

25.02.2014

Latvijas Pasts brings back personalized stamps by releasing a series of stamps dedicated to present-day Latvian aviation and museums

Latvijas Pasts brings back personalized stamp designs and releases a special series of the first stamps. The series includes a total of six stamps of different denominations, three of which are associated with the development of the present-day aviation in Latvia and airBaltic's growth, while three others are dedicated to the museums of medicine situated in Riga, the European Capital of Culture 2014. Presentation of the aviation stamps will be attended by the Minister of Transport Anrijs Matīss and the managers of Latvijas Pasts, airBaltic and aircraft manufacturer Bombardier. It will be held at the airBaltic Training Center, 6 Pilotu Street, Mārupe Municipality, Riga International Airport, at 12:30 PM on February 28, 2014.

The first day cancellation event for the new series of stamps will take place in post office Sakta, 32 Brīvības Boulevard, Riga, from 7:30 AM to 7 PM on February 28.

The print run of each stamp in the new series is 40,000. The denominations of the stamps are EUR 0.50, corresponding to the cost of mailing a regular letter within Latvia, EUR 0.78, suitable for mailing a regular Class A letter to any country within the European Union and EUR 0.85, which can be used for mailing a regular Class A letter outside the European Union. The new stamps have been designed by artist Ģirts Grīva.

Aviation theme is presented on the stamps released by Latvijas Pasts for the first time. Latvia is a transit, transport and logistics hub in the Baltic region, and aviation is the most modern and rapidly growing segment of this sector. Therefore, the three stamps depict the newest aircraft in the fleet of airBaltic, which is the region's largest and most innovative airline: Bombardier Q400 Next Gen, representing the company's newest turboprop fleet in Northern Europe and Bombardier Cseries 300, which airBaltic plans to put into service in late 2015.

The other three stamps highlight the historical significance of Riga as the European Capital of Culture 2014. Pauls Stradins Museum for History of Medicine is not only one of the most visited museums in Riga, but also one of the three largest museums of this field in the world. The stamps in the new series are also dedicated to the branches of the said museum: the Museum of Pharmacy and Jēkabs Prīmanis Museum of Anatomy.

All six stamps from the new personalized series can be viewed here.

Anyone interested in creating a personalized stamp of their own design may want to check out this interesting service offered by Latvijas Pasts. Depending on the denomination of the stamp, it will be suitable for mailing letters both within Latvia and to other countries of the world.

The renewed service for personalized stamp designs will incorporate new identification and security marks to be used from March 3, 2014. The marks, printed with a special color, will change depending on the lighting and provide a better protection against counterfeiting. The clients using the relaunched service will receive their personalized stamps within five working days of placing the order instead of two to four weeks, as was the case with the old service. Just like the traditional Latvijas Pasts stamps, the personalized stamps will also be printed here in Latvia - at Baltijas banknote printing house.

The next new philatelic release is scheduled for March 7.

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 commercial transport, express mail, payment, press subscription, retail and philatelic services. Latvijas Pasts is a wholly State-owned company with more than 4,200 employees.

Additional information:
Gundega Vārpa,
Head of the External Communications Department
Phone: +371 67608505
E-mail: gundega.varpa@pasts.lv
twitter.com/latvijas_pasts; facebook.com/latvijas.pasts