The Norwegian Polar Stamps Turn 100

By Even Brande

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Norway’s Polar stamps, as well as Roald Amundsen’s ambitious attempt to reach the North Pole using flying boats. These stamps were among the first my father introduced me to when he passed down his collection to me as a child. He fondly referred to them as his favorites—perhaps because they were issued the same year he was born—and suggested they held significant value (though, in reality, they are not particularly rare). His enthusiasm for these stamps undoubtedly influenced my own appreciation for this historic issue.

The background and purpose for this stamp series has a slightly controversial origin story. They were issued partially for the Norwegian government to help fund Roald Amundsen’s 1925 North Pole expedition. Roald Amundsen was the first explorer to reach the South Pole and is considered one of the greatest polar explorers of all time.

We are all familiar with semi-postal issues where a portion pays the postage and the addition goes to a special cause. With these stamps, it was proposed that a large portion of the income from the sale of these stamps would go to Mr. Amundsen. A significant portion of these stamps were given directly to him to sell to collectors for the purpose of raising funds for his expedition. 50,000 sets were sold through post offices for regular postage, and what was left was to be sold through Norsk Luftseiladsforening (roughly translated Norwegian Flight Society) to collectors at up to four times face value.

Protest

As early as 1924, Kristiania Filatelist-Klub (Kristiania Philatelic Society, Kristiania was renamed Oslo effective January 1, 1925) had a discussion of these stamps on their agenda. Philatelists were outraged about this release which they considered speculative and not the way for a postal service to operate. They submitted a protest to the Norwegian government which read:

“Kristiania Filatelist-Klub deeply regret the governments decision to issue a so-called ‘polmerke’ (polar stamp). We see this in violation of the principles under which the postal service has thus operated. In the event that such a stamp is produced, it is the position of Kristiania Filatelist-Klub that the government is creating a private, speculative issue out of nothing.”

These stamps were issued on April 1, 1925. Some of the opponents thought it might even be an April fools from Norsk Postvesen (Norwegian Postal Administration). As predicted by the Oslo philatelists, collectors flocked to acquire these. Ironically a large number of covers with these stamps were sent between philatelists, in spite of their earlier opposition to this issue.

On Polar Bears and Airplanes

The 1925 Norway polar stamp featured an iconic design by renowned Norwegian artist Thorolf Holmboe. Showcasing a lone polar bear on a sheet of ice and an airplane in the upper right, the stamp was printed using the letterpress method by Chr. Holtermann Knudsen. It was produced on Hamang paper and bore a horizontal posthorn watermark. The stamps are tagged 14 ½ by 13 ½ .  Holmboe may have also “borrowed” a design idea from the Danish wavy-line stamps in that these stamps features wavy lines (representing, in this case, water) very similar that that on the Danish stamps (symbolizing the three waterways through Denmark; the Sound and the two belts). The airplane illustrated on the stamp is the Dornier Do J Wal flying boat used by Amundsen on his upcoming expedition. Although these stamps were issued during a time when most countries were busy creating special airmail stamps, these stamps are not classified as such in spite of the presence of an airplane in the illustration. Seven different values were issued as described in Table 1.

Table 1: Overview of the 1925 Polar Bear Stamps

Flying Boats to the Northpole

As mentioned previously, the Polar bear stamps raised funding for Roald Amundsen’s next expedition. Prior to 1925, most of Amundsen’s expeditions had involved ships. For his next expedition, he had invested in two Dornier Do J Wal (“whale”) twin-engine German flying boats, registered as N 24 and N 25 respectively. This expedition has been properly documented elsewhere so I will just do a brief recap here.

Amundsen Heads North

On May 21, 1925, the two flying boats took off from Ny-Ålesund on Svalbard. On “N 25,” Hjalmar Riiser-Larsen was the pilot, Roald Amundsen the navigator, and Karl Feucht the mechanic. On “N 24,” Leif Ragnar Dietrichson was at the controls, Lincoln Ellsworth was the navigator, and Oskar Omdal the mechanic.

They landed at 87°44′ north but faced great difficulties in getting airborne again. “N 24” was damaged and had to be abandoned. When the crew of “N 24” attempted to cross an open lead in the ice to reach “N 25,” Omdal and Dietrichson fell through the ice and nearly drowned. Thanks to the fact that they were wearing Tethys suits, had partially inflated their life vests, and that Ellsworth did not fall into the water, Omdal and Dietrichson managed to climb back onto the ice. Amundsen himself stated in his book that if Omdal and Dietrichson had not survived, they would not have been able to clear a long enough runway, and the entire expedition would have perished in the ice. After returning home, Breder Carlsen received letters of gratitude from Amundsen himself, Dietrichson, and Omdal. It was not until June 15 that they had managed to construct a makeshift 500-meter runway on the ice, allowing them to take off with “N 25” carrying all six crew members and return safely to Spitsbergen.

In spite of the failed expedition, Roald Amundsen was celebrated as a hero when he returned to Oslo that summer.

In 1926, Roald Amundsen embarked on what would be his final expedition, successfully crossing the North Pole aboard the airship Norge, accompanied by Italian explorer Umberto Nobile. Two years later, in 1928, Nobile led his own airship expedition to the North Pole, which ended in disaster. Amundsen joined the ensuing rescue mission but tragically perished when his plane went down on June 18, 1928.

The 1925 Polar stamps hold a significant place in Norwegian philately, not only because of their intriguing and somewhat controversial origin story but also due to their enduring popularity among collectors over the decades. Their historical context, unique design, and connection to Norway’s polar exploration heritage have ensured that their popularity has stood the test of time, cementing their status as a fascinating and valuable aspect of philatelic history.