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.

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In the process of creating this presentation I have accumulated a fair share of WW2 philatelic material. While I am not yet ready to do a deep dive, it may be the start of a future exhibit. I am also contiuing to develop this presentation as I have been asked to present again later this year. As such, feel free to provide suggestions for improvements, or corrections.

Here is the original description of this presentation:

Even Brande will share both previously told stories and family stories on how the German occupation of Norway on April 9, 1940 impacted mail delivery and communication during World War 2. During the war, multiple postal systems evolved, both official and unofficial. The Norwegian postal system provided both legitimate and undeground mail delivery. The Germans occupying Norway operated both a military mail system and a government mail system.  Even will further talk about the role of the Norwegian resistance movement and the impact they had on the outcome of the war. The presentation will further explain the roles of a neutral Sweden and the Norwegian exile government in London. If World War II and postal history is something you enjoy, then this is a presentation you don’t want to miss.

The post Postal Service and Communication in Nazi-Occupied Norway 1940-1945 appeared first on Gellein Stamp Co..

Philatelic Issues

For the 1952 Winter Olympics the Norwegian postal service produced three stamps.

For the Lillehammer Olympics, Posten Norge, the Norwegian postal service, would have a far bigger stamp release schedule in the works. Lillehammer was selected as the host city on September 15, 1988. The other cities who had put in bids included Anchorage, Alaska, Östersund, Sweden, and Sofia, Bulgaria.

Beginning in October of 1989, Posten released the first in a series of miniature sheets themed “Norske OL-vinnere” (Norwegian Olympic Champions).  Each sheet featured 4 previous Norwegian Winter Olympic gold medal winners. In all, four more of these miniature sheets were produced over the next years (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993) featuring a total of 20 Norwegian Winter Olympic champions.

October 9, 1992 saw the first release of Lillehammer-specific Olympic stamps. Designed by Bruno Oldani , these would be the first in a series of stamps released over the next two years leading up to the February 1994 games.

Lillehammer ’94 I -NK 1154 and 1155 -Issued October 9, 1992

Lillehammer ’94 II -NK 1188 and 1189 -Issued November 27, 1993

Lillehammer ’94 III -NK 1194 and 1195 -Issued February 12, 1994

Lillehammer ’94 IV -NK 1196 through 1199 -Issued February 12, 1994

If you are missing these stamps in your collection, contact me, as I have a lot of these on hand both mint and canceled.

Numerous countries released stamps to commemorate the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics. Here are US stamps released on January 6, 1994.

Norway did a great job putting on the 1994 Winter Olympics and it was by all means considered a great success.

Since then it has been a subject of popular culture. The Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding incident has been dramatized in books, media, and a movie. The Lilyhammer TV Show, starring Steve Van Zandt, was the first ever TV series produced by Netflix when it was released to great critial acclaim in 2012 (although it was actually produced by NRK, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, and subsequently licensed to Netflix for a worldwide release).

Collector Products

Numerous collectors products saw the release leading up to the Olympics. Sadly, most of these retail well below their initial price point today. I recently picked up this two-volume collector’s set at an auction for NOK 150.00 (about $15.00). It supposedly retailed for NOK 3,000.00 when issued in 1994.

Regardless, we have some great philatelic memories, to remind us of the 1994 Winter Olympics. The last time, as of this writing, that Norway has hosted the Olympics.

30th Anniversary Commemorative Issue

Earlier this year, Posten Norge issued a commemorative cover for the 30th anniversary of the Lillehammer Olympics. It is franked with the six stamps issued on February 12, 1994 and canceled with a unique postmark exclusive to this commemorative cover. It can be ordered from Posten Norge for NOK 94.00, about $9.00 as of this writing.

The post Lillehammer Olympics 1994 -A Philatelic Update 30 Years After appeared first on Gellein Stamp Co..