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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As a youth, acquisition of stamps was primarily from tearing stamps off of mail we received as well as that from kind family members who also collected for me. I would also purchase stamps at the post office as well as subscribe to first day issues. Besides inheriting my dad’s modest collection, those were pretty much my primary sources of stamps.

Today I find myself getting stamps from a multitude of sources. I bid on online auctions, I attend stamp shows and connect with dealers, and I sometimes get the “oh, my dad used to collect stamps, I have his stamp collection that I don’t know what to do with.”

As an explorer by nature (and semi-clinically proven through a variety of personality tests) I like to explore many different avenues for stamp acquisition. I have made some substantial single object purchases as well as buying an entire filing cabinet full of stamps for a fraction of the former. The former is likely a better investment, but I find the latter to be way more fun.

When I buy a single expensive object (usually a stamp or a cover) I put it in my collection and that is that. When I get a box from an estate, or a stamp show, it can be worth hours of exploration and the possible discovery of a few interesting objects.

Whether philately is a good investment or not is a topic better suited for a different story. For me, philately is first and foremost a hobby that I enjoy tremendously. It checks so many boxes of the things I am passionate about: History, geography, exploring, discovery, research, organizing, writing, presenting, meeting interesting people, and, yes, even investing.

So, when at a recent stamp show I came across a sealed box that said “Worldwide Mystery Box $10.00” I could not help myself. How wrong could I go?

For me, the enjoyment alone of opening the box and exploring the content was worth the price of admission. What else does $10.00 buy today? Not much that I can think of that provides the same amount of entertainment that I get out of opening an unexplored box filled with stamps and postal history. So even if the content ends up having no value, I get value from the experience that in this case far exceeded the amount that I paid.

As it turned out, the box contained several objects that exceeded the price I paid for the box. As of this writing I have not yet fully finished assessing what some of the objects are worth. Suffice to say, I found a glassine containing 6 copies of the 1893 US 2-cent Columbian stamp with the “broken hat” variety. According to my most recent Scott Specialized catalog (2020), these are valued at $3.50 each. Even if mine are not in VF or better condition, they are likely worth at least $1.50 each, essentially covering the cost of the box.

What else did my mystery box contain? For a sampler, here are some of the objects I found:

• Glassines of US and worldwide stamps
• Large amounts of US First Day Covers from 1960s and up.
• Selection of First Flight Covers
• Bundles of select US and WW stamps.
• Unused US postal stationary
• Select US covers from 1920s to present day.

While the content of this box may not be worth that much, I can assure two things:

• It is worth significantly more than I paid.
• The enjoyment I got out of exploring the content far exceeds the price of admission.

In short, for me philately is a hobby that I enjoy, not an investment. The latter I do in the stock market. However, in spite of doing well, the stock market rarely brings the joy I get from philately. Owning a share of a company just can’t compare with owning a physical philatelic object. Stamp collecting gives me so much enjoyment in my day-to-day life and on so many levels. If happiness can be considered a form of investment, then I guess this hobby is providing a strong return for me.

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Out this year is “Norwegian Classics” by Georg Størmer. Norwegian Classics features 100 rare, precious and beautiful philatelic objects from Norway’s first three stamp issues: Norway Number One, Skilling Oscar (#2-5) and Coat of Arms II (#6-10).

The origin of the book dates back to 2019 when Georg gave a presentation entitled “Norway 1855-1868: The First Three Issues” to the Royal Philatelic Society London. The booklet that was distributed for that event is included as a bonus feature inside the book and is, in my opinion, itself as interesting and informative as the book itself.

Georg Størmer is one of the giants of Norwegian philately with an impressive collection, including many of the objects featured in this book. His non-philatelic career spans an impressive resume including Finance Director of Norsk Hydro, one of Norway’s largest public companies, and Vice Chairman of the Oslo Stock Exchange.

The subtitle of the book is “A selection of the 100 most important items in private hands”. The featured selection includes objects owned by the author, Tom Komnæs, Klaas Bierman, and others. In fact, several of the most valuable objects of Norway No. 1 were included in Klaas Bierman’s exhibit dedicated to this issue that was shown at NORDIA in June (see separate review in this issue).

Featured objects include mint and used multiples as well as multiples on covers. Some examples of mixed franking are also included. Each object is cataloged as Størmer001, Størmer 002, etc. This had me confused as first. Did all these belong to the author? Had they inadvertently forgotten to remove the file name instructions for the printer? Not so. As Jonas Hällström explained when the book was presented at NORDIA, the idea is to give each of these classic objects distinct “catalog” numbers for future reference. I.e. when referencing the Norway No. 1 “Trondheim” 39-block, it will from now on be referred to as Størmer007 (somewhat appropriate for an object whose origins are as mysterious as James Bond).

Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the book to this reviewer is the fairly comprehensive inclusion of provenance. As much as it is available, the book shows when the individual objects were sold, at what auction and what name sale for what price. To me, this is fascinating insights in that it allows a deeper analysis of the evolution of prices on the individual items. Overall, the 20th century experienced significant appreciation in value. Most prices peaked between 1990 and 2005 with prices somewhat coming down again in more recent years.

When asked the reason why these 100 objects were chosen, Størmer explained:

“I could have easily chosen many other objects. Some of these exist in multiple similar versions and I could have easily gone with a different version. I chose the ones I believe are the most interesting. I also want to encourage others to disagree with my choices. Part of my goal for this book is to start a discussion.”

For me, this book serves as great inspiration to some of the amazing Norwegian classic objects that are out there. One can only dream of perhaps seeing and winning one or two of these at a future auction.

My only complaint about the book is that each of these objects likely have way more stories to tell than what the author shares. Most objects are described in a short paragraph when their story likely could occupy an entire page or more. The aforementioned bonus booklet goes deeper on some of these objects, but reading the book left me hungry for more information. And that, according to Mr. Hällström was part of the objective for this book: That it would lead the reader to want to dig deeper and to open up a discussion.

Norwegian Classics, Georg Størmer, Nordisk Filateli, 2024, Hardcover, 140 pages, 195×270 mm, SEK 600.00, English.

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Langesund was first established as a customs center in 1570 and was a major site for the exports of timber. It did not gain town status until 1765. The name Langesund translates directly to “long sound” or perhaps more accurately translated, “long strait” due to Langøya (literally Long Island) forming the roughly 2 km long strait between the island and the mainland.

The Federation had strong administrative support from the local stamp clubs in Porsgrunn, Skien, and Stathelle in putting on this show.

Numerous clubs, societies, dealers, and postal administrations were present. Postal administrations present included Norway, Faroe Islands, and Åland. Posten Norge put on two first day events, one for Friday May 31, a series of two stamps exploring flora and fauna under water (NK 2120-2121) and the second for Saturday June 1, a series of four stamps celebrating the summer festival season in Norway (NK 2122-2125). A variety of NORDIA-specific postmarks and cachets were available for the occasion both from Posten Norge and from the local clubs.

Auction houses Postiljonen of Sweden and Skanfil of Norway were also present. Skanfil held the official live auction on Friday evening.

Societies present included the aforementioned local clubs as well as Oslo Filatelists Klubb, Bergen Filatelist Klubb, Norwegian Postal History Soecity Norwegian Postcard Collectors Society, Norwegian Railroad Mail Society, and Norwegian Ship Mail Society.

Hallvard Slettebø was the Norwegian commissioner, with Ebbe Eldrup representing Denmark, Ari Muhonen, Finland, Gísli Geir Harðarson, Iceland, and Rikard Azelius from Sweden.

The show was officially opened at noon on Friday by Jon Pieter Flølo, mayor of Bamble municipality, Halvor Fasting, Stamp Director for Posten Bring, the Norwegian postal service, and Odd Runar Aslaksen, who chaired the planning committee.

The Federation held their bi-annual meeting with the election of the individuals who will lead the organization for the next two years. Frank Gilberg who has served as President for the past several years handed the baton to incoming President Øistein Bøe. Several other clubs held meetings, including the Royal Philatelic Society London.

There were also several presentations, including a presentation by Georg Størmer and Jonas Hällström on Nordisk Filateli’s new book “Norwegian Classics“.

The exhibition was held in Skjærgårdshallen, an indoor soccer arena, with great lighting conditions and astro-turf, which were friendly on the eyes and knees respectively.  Over 500 frames were exhibited. While the majority of exhibits were focused on nordic countries, there were also numerous frames dedicated to philately from other parts of the world. Detailed results can be found on the Nordia web site at nordia2024.no

The Palmares dinner Saturday night was very well attended and took place in the conference center of Skærgården hotel. I was seated between Kristian Aune, President of the Bergen club, and Øyvind Refsnes, editor of Norsk Filatelistisk Tidsskrift. These two gentlemen who I have corresponded with for some time but who I first met in person here are so fascinating to talk to that I honestly did not pay much attention to the food being served. The food and wine were delicious but I failed to register more details, being in such excellent company.

NORDIA wrapped up Sunday afternoon. With HANFIA coming up in Copenhagen this October, we don’t have to wait long for the next Nordic stamp exhibition.

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But the background and purpose for this stamp issue has a slightly  controversial origin story. They were issued to fund Roald Amundsen’s proposed 1926 North Pole expedition. Roald Amundsen was the first explorer to reach the South Pole and is considered one of the greatest polar explorers of his time, and perhaps of all time. In short, the Norwegian government had decided to use this stamp series to help fund Roald Amundsen’s planned 1926 northpole expedition. 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 all the income would go to Mr. Amundsen. A large portion of these stamps were given directly to him to sell to collectors for the purpose of raising funding for his expedition. The rest was sold through post offices for regular postage, but with the income going to Amundsen.

Overview of the 1925 Polar Bear Stamps

As early as February 1924, Kristiania Filatelist-Klub (Kristiania Philatelic Society, Kristiania was renamed Oslo in 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 operated. 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 principals 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 thin air.”

NORWAY: Complete Set of 1925 Amundsen Polar Stamps Canceled

$25.00

The 1925 Polar Series caused quite a bit of controversy when first released. These were Norway’s early attempt at semi-postal stamps, even if they don’t have an additional charge. They were designed to raise funds for Roald Amundsen’s next expedition. All seven values, NK 130-NK 136.

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NORWAY: Complete Set of 1925 Amundsen Polar Stamps Canceled quantity

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SKU: 16

Category: 1920-1939, Norway Stamps

When these stamps were released on April 1, 1925, collectors, as predicated by the Oslo philatelists, flocked to acquire these. A lot of covers, a few of which are shown on these pages, were produced with philatelic intent. Ironically, several covers bearing the names of members of this club or the club itself have been discovered over the years. Maybe they weren’t so undesirable after all?

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The two collections have taken several detours over the years with up and downs, pauses, changes in technology, and a few surprises along the way. For stamp collecting it got put on the backburner after I moved to the US to go to college in 1988 and, aside from maintaining a subscription to Norwegian First Day Covers, didn’t get re-ignited until COVID forced us to slow down in 2020.

For vinyl records, I got my first CD player in 1986, and purchased my last vinyl records (or so I thought) in the early 1990s when they became a bargain as people dumped their vinyl in favor of CDs. At one point, while visiting my parents in Norway, my dad came in after taking out the trash announcing “A neighbor just dumped a lot of vinyl records in the trash can”. Assuming it was likely records deserving to end their lives in the trash can, I didn’t respond. He kept insisting I should take a look and eventually decided to bring in a sample of the findings. In his hands were mostly mint condition albums by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, and many of the other artists I love. I may have set a new sprint record that day. That trash can contained literally 100 or more albums that today would sell for $20-30.00 used. Similar stories have been shared about stamp collections being found in landfills. My point being, nobody wanted vinyl records in the 1990s, and nobody could have predicted that some day they would return.

I can’t think of many other technologies that died and came back. Film photography to some extent. Fax machines and VCRs, fortunately not. So why did vinyl records make such a comeback, and why am I writing about this in a blog about philately? I will try to answer both of these questions here.

Around 2005 I decided to stop collecting physical media. Why fill up my house with more CDs, books, etc. when I could just purchase digital equivalents online? For a few years I only bought records in downloadable, digital format. For my birthday in 2008 a friend gave me a vinyl record (Brian Wilson’s then new album “That Lucky Old Sun”).

Sitting down at my stereo with a glass of wine, listening to this album it occurred to me how much I missed this experience. With digital files, music often just became background noise, something I had on in the background while doing something else. Sitting down with a vinyl record, opening the gatefold cover, and actually listening, was an entirely different experience.

Around the same time, a group of people, who apparently had the same desire for physical media as myself, came up with the idea for Record Store Day.  Originally once a year, strategically placed near tax day in April (a good way to spend your refund, if there was one), artists started releasing unique, very limited edition vinyl releases, only released to independently owned record stores. The concept worked, and now, over 15 years later, Record Store Day (RSD) is bigger than ever. I just “observed” this year’s RSD (April 20) at Twist & Shout in Denver, my usual go-to record store. By 6 AM when my son and I showed up, the line was already half-way around the block. By 8 AM, when the store opened, it was a blockbuster (i.e. the line ran all the way around all four sides of the city block).

Since that birthday in 2008 my vinyl collection has continued to grow steadily, even buying some CDs occasionally. My only limiting factors these days are space, and the fact that there is little more to release from the artists that I do collect (mostly those I discovered before the age of 21). While I do buy a few new artists, they don’t have  the same “staying power” as those artists I discovered in my youth. But, where my record buying days may have slowed down, my children have taken over. All my three kids own a turntable and purchase vinyl records to a lesser or greater extent.

I asked my 18-year old daughter Laura why she buys vinyl records when she can stream anything she wants from Spotify? She told me she likes the idea of physical objects. The value of having a “full package”. That she can experience the artwork and the lyrics printed inside. When she puts on a record, she listens to the who album rather than just an individual song, getting the full experience that the artist intended. She also told me she thinks vinyl sounds better that digital. Imagine that! Anyone old enough to remember the introduction of CDs in the mid-1980s? One of the key selling points of CDs was crystal clear sound, and no pops or crackles as you would find on vinyl. The truth is, CDs were developed with the very limited digital technology we had in the 1980s. 44,100 samples per second was cutting edge in the 1980s. Consider your average 5 minute video clip on your iPhone today uses more storage capacity than what can be fit on a single CD, you get the point. Vinyl in contrast is analog so it gives you completely uncompressed audio. Further, modern vinyl records are pressed with generally higher quality vinyl than in the past (and priced accordingly) so they have very little surface noise. A friend who hadn’t listened to vinyl since the 1980s recently asked when I played him a record: ‘What happened to all the pops and crackles I remembered from playing vinyl as a kid?” Without going to deep on this (it is a topic I am passionate about and, yes, I can go very deep if needed), vinyl records has seen an unexpected massive resurgence in the past 15 years and it doesn’t seem to end. While it represents a blip in overall music revenue, one fact is firmly established by now: The comeback has lasted too long for it to be a fad. It isn’t just old people like me who buys vinyl. I saw an equal number of people under 30 in line for RSD this year.

So, there you have my answer to the first question as to why vinyl came back. What about the second question. How does this relate to philately?

As someone who collects both records and stamps there are a lot of similarity between record collectors and stamp collectors. While I don’t know many stamp collectors who also collects records and vice versa, there are similarities. The discussion of that is a whole other study beyond the scope of this article.

The point I want to make is that people who started buying vinyl records again did so because they missed the physical aspects of having an actual record. I predict that at one point we may see the same reaction to mail. In a world where we are increasingly bombarded with email from multiple accounts, messages from numerous platforms, and social media we start to go into information overload, and then we just start tuning it out. It is like the old Bruce Springsteen song “57 Channels and Nothing On”. The more information we get, the more we tune it out. My business has been increasing our use of physical mail to our prospective clients because we find that our messages are not getting through with the many electronic channels we have access to. With physical mailings we are getting feedback that they received the material we sent. We also find that they are more likely to open it and to share it with others.

So will this behavior translate to individuals reverting to sending letters to each other?  More importantly, will the next generation start sending letters? While we have trained our own children to send thank you cards by mail, I suspect that there are many growing up today who have never attached a postage stamp to an envelope and sent a physical letter. If you have never done something then why would you miss it or be motivated to start doing it? Many younger individuals had never played a vinyl record before either but when they saw their friends do it, or saw a video of someone doing it on Tik Tok, they too became intrigued. Behavior is often driven by copying what others do.  Sending a letter is often influenced by responding to getting a letter. My son received a letter from his Big Sister (as in Big Brother Big Sister) after she moved away. This led to pen-pal relationship that lasts to this day.

So what if we create “International Send a Letter Day”? One day a year where we all send a letter to someone (and hopefully get a few in return). Imagine the possibilities: Postal services can issues limited-release stamps just for this day (instantly creating a collectors market). It could help stimulate both a desire for sending letters (not just on this day) and it may help recruit new future philatelists. What would such an endeavor cost? Likely there would be the need to do some initial marketing but over time this event could grow through word of mouth just like Record Store Day did.

Just a thought I had, but it might just work. In a world where more and more things go digital (and I am guilty helping this cause, having spent most of my career in software) many of us are seeking back to a simpler time with real physical objects and real physical communication. It might just happen some day.

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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.

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NATO was formed after World War II as an “alliance of mutual assistance” as the potential threat of the Cold War emerged. The 12 founding member countries included the United States, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. Today, NATO has 32 members, two in North America, and 30 in Europe. Most recently, Finland and Sweden became members in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

Current Secretary General is former Norwegian Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg. Mr. Stoltenberg term as Secretary General has been extended four times. His term is up this fall.

NATO, being one of the most significant international alliances in modern history, has been commemorated through postage stamps by various member countries. From a philatelic perspective, these stamps offer insights into the historical, political, and cultural significance of NATO, as well as the individual perspectives of member nations. The first countries to issue NATO stamps were Portugal and United States who both recognized the third anniversary on April 4, 1952 with respective commemorative issues.

Philatelic items related to NATO can provide insights into the historical context of the Cold War and the geopolitical landscape of the post-World War II era. Stamps issued during the early years of NATO may reflect tensions of the time and the alliance’s role in maintaining peace and stability.

For the 10th anniversary in 1959 US issued this stamp.

For the 50th anniversary in 1999, several countries recognized the occasion with new stamp issues.

On April 4, 2024, Norway issued its first ever NATO stamp. Considering the facts that Norway still has an active stamp release program and that there has been a Norwegian at the helm of the organization for the past 10 years, this is not a moment too soon.

If you’re interested in exploring further, you may want to look into the designs and themes of these NATO-themed stamps issued by various countries over the years. Additionally, the story behind each stamp, including the symbolism and historical context, can provide deeper insights into the shared values and goals of NATO member nations.

As for the recent issue of Norway’s first NATO-themed stamp in 2024, it certainly underscores the ongoing relevance of the alliance and Norway’s commitment to it. It’s also a testament to the enduring tradition of philately as a means of commemorating significant events and promoting cultural exchange.

The new Norway NATO stamp can be ordered in many configurations from Posten Norge.

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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.

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In 2015 I signed up for Worldloppet. Worldloppet is a worldwide Nordic ski marathon series. The premise is pretty simple: Finish 10 ski marathons in 10 different countries on two different continents in your lifetime and you become a Worldloppet Master.  Worldloppet was founded in Sweden in 1978. “Loppet” means “run” or “race” in Swedish. The famous Swedish ski marathon Vasaloppet was likely the namesake.

Each country where Nordic skiing exists has one qualifying race.  This year I decided to try to knock out two races on each side of a week. It turned out that this would be possible in Estonia with the Tartu Marathon on February 18 and Finland with the Finlandia Hiihto Marathon on February 26.

I flew from Denver to Helsinki, Finland on February 16 and met my nephew Alexander who had flown over from Norway to do the Estonia race with me. We took the Tallin boat from Helsinki to Tallin and made the two hour drive by car to Tartu. As it happens Tartu is the host city for the Mare Balticum Stamp Show in July of this year. With a focus on the marathon, we did not have a chance to explore any philatelic connections while in Tartu. The Tartu marathon was a great experience. At 63 KM it is one of the longer Worldloppet races, though by no means the longest (that distinction goes to Vasaloppet in Sweden at 90 KM which I completed in 2020). It had been raining with mild temperatures in Tartu in the days leading up to the race. On the race day the sun came out and it was a beautiful day. However, the ski tracks had suffered, and they were very icy. This led to a very fast course, and I finished in a respectable 4 hours and 35 minutes.

With a few days to spare until the next race, I flew back to my hometown of Oslo, Norway, a mere hour flight from Helsinki, to spend some time visiting friends and family and to recover before my next marathon. As luck would have it, I was able to attend my first in-person meeting with Oslo Filatelist Klubb (OFK) who happened to have their bi-monthly meeting the evening I arrived. I have been a member of OFK for several years but typically only visit Norway during Christmas and summer, outside of the regular meeting season. It was great attending and meeting several members in person for the first time. They have a new meeting space as of 2024, in the Ice Skating Museum, inside the Frogner Stadium Ice Skating Arena. Next time I plan to visit the museum during opening hours as it looked like they have some amazing displays.

The next morning, I made my rounds to pick up auction lots accumulated over the past few months. I got a little worried when Skanfil rolled out a big moving box on wheels. How was I going to get all this content into my suitcase and back to the US? Fortunately, it all consolidated well. While I had to leave behind a few empty albums, I was able to get my new acquistions safely back home. I also visited with Erik Olafsen at Oslo Frimerke og Myntauksjoner as well as Hans Solbakken with Samlerbørsen, picking up lots from their latest respective auctions. It is great to see that there is no shortage of stamp auctions that are well attended with competitive bidding. One of my favorite auction object types are the “leftover-lots” where you don’t know exactly what you are getting. The excitement of going through a box full of surprises is comparable to how I felt at Christmas Eve as a child. These lots did not disappoint.

On Thursday February 22 I flew back to Helsinki, got my rental car and drove the 100 km north to Lahti. Lahti is Finland’s ski capital, dominated by their modern ski stadium and triple ski jumps. As with Estonia, the rain was pouring down, and I was somewhat concerned about the skiing condition. Fortunately, most of the Nordic countries have received unusually large amounts of snow this winter, so Lahti’s trails were able to withstand the rain. On Friday I had the opportunity to tour the Lahti Ski Museum which is highly recommended for those interested in skiing history. Particularly impressive to me, was a ski dated to approximately 6000 years ago. They looked a bit heavier than my modern carbon-fiber skis, but probably better suited than mine for hunting moose in deep snow ca. 4000 B.C.

While waiting inside for the start on Saturday morning, I spotted a table with some distinguished looking gentlemen. It turns out they were there representing the Lahti Stamp Club, offering commemorative covers from the ski marathon, as well as ski-related postcards and stamps.

I finished the 62 KM race in five hours and six minutes. The wet snow made the course a bit slower than the Estonia race. It was a beautiful course circling through a mix of forest, open spaces, and small communities surrounding Lahti. Start and finish was at the Lahti Ski Stadium. Food and drinks were provided at food stations every 10 KM or so. All nutritious except when at the last stop I chugged down what I thought was a Finnish energy drink. It tasted like beer because that is exactly what it was.

After the race, did I rush to try my first sauna in the motherland of saunas? Of course not. I rushed back to the Lahti Stamp Club booth where I purchased the commemorative cover and some postcards.

I have a habit of carrying a few “good luck stamps” in my fanny pack on these marathons. With me on this race my stamps included the four Norway stamps from the 1966 Ski World Championship. I subsequently donated these to my new friend who in turn gave me a nice commemorative cover from the 1978 Lahti World Championship.

One more semi-philatelic connection: When you sign up for Worldloppet you get a Worldloppet passport. Upon completion of each race, you get a rubber stamp in your passport. While not postmarks, they look like postmarks and are just as fun to collect and gives a sense of accomplishment.

So, there you go. Skiing and stamp collecting may have more in common than you think. These were my 7th and 8th Worldloppet marathons respectively. Only two more to go.

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