This year the Europa series stamps feature the white wagtail – the Latvian national bird
25.04.2019
In 2019 the joint stamp series of the European countries is dedicated to the national birds of each member state. Latvijas Pasts has also included two new stamps in this series, and both stamps depict the Latvian national bird – the white wagtail. The first day cancellation of the stamps is scheduled to take place in Riga post office No. 10 at 41/43 Elizabetes Street, Riga from 8 AM to 8 PM on the 26th of April 2019.
Each philatelic release featuring the white wagtail has a different face value and print run. The stamp with the face value of € 0.78 is suitable for sending an ordinary Class A letter within the European Union (EU) and its print run is 46,000 copies. Meanwhile the stamp with the face value of € 1.71 can be used to send a registered Class A letter within the EU and its print run is 30,000 copies.
The release of the stamps is accompanied by the issue of a special cover with a print run of 1,000 copies. The Europa series stamps and the cover have been designed by the artist Ģirts Grīva.
The white wagtail (Motacilla alba) was recognised as the national bird in 1965, when the the Latvian Society for Nature and Monument Protection and other ornithologists chose it as a widely-known bird in the country, which is also often glorified in Latvian folklore.
The white wagtail is easily recognisable by its black and white plumage and its black cap. The wagtail is in continuous motion and runs briskly on the ground, but when it stops, it sways its long and slender tail up and down. The wagtail is a migratory bird that spends winters in warm climates and returns at the beginning of April when the snow has melted away.
The originator of the
Europa series stamps is PostEurop Association, and the stamps of this series with a single logo and a common theme for entire Europe have been issued since 1994. In previous years the themes of the
Europa stamps were related to literature, natural attractions, travel, postal transport, old toys, eco-friendly lifestyle, castles and railway. All stamps that have been released in the
Europa series in Latvia are available for viewing
here.
The stamps and the cover
National Bird – White Wagtail can be viewed
here.
The next philatelic release is scheduled for the 10th of May.
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 around 4,000 employees. The quality measurements of Latvijas Pasts domestic mail deliveries are regularly conducted by Kantar TNS, one of the leading market, social and media research agencies in Latvia. In turn, the quality measurements of the cross-border deliveries are provided within the framework of the International Post Corporation through the intermediary of the research companies Kantar TNS, Ipsos and Quotas.
Additional information:
Vineta Danielsone | Senior Public Relations Project Manager
Phone: +371 67608504
