Europa

designer: Joanna Górska
quantity of stamps: 1
face value: PLN 3
issue: 500,000 pcs
printing technique: offset
size of stamp: 43 x 31.25 mm
paper: fluorescent
selling sheet: 16 stamps
date of circulation: 5th May 2008

The tradition of joint issues of the EUROPA stamps is over 50 years old now. In 1956 six postal operators of the original member countries of the European Union (Belgium, France, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and Italy) have prepared a joint issue of the stamp with the word EUROPA in a form of a tower built of its letters. The joint issues have been continued recurrently up to 1973 always with common design with the leading themes such as: Europe, unity and peace, only gradually supplemented with some symbols of telecommunications. Since 1974 only Europe as the leading subject remained, and the stamps are designed by each country individually. The range of possible themes has become therefore much broader, including culture, famous personages, or inventions, but also some more general problems, such as nature conservation or the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America in 1992. The EUROPA stamps should on one side contribute on popularity of the community ideas while on the other side they should help in mutual understanding of the various traditions. Moreover, they underline cooperation of the European public postal operators, particularly in the domain of philately.

CEPT - European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations, an official sponsor of the EUROPA joint issues in the years 1959-92.
PostEurop - Association of the European Postal Public Operators. Exists since 1993 and it takes care about the EUROPA joint issues.

Nordic Mythology III

Day of issue : 27-03-2008
Number in Sheet : 10
Size : 105 x 70 mm
Value : 120 ISK
Printing process : Offset + 1 pantone litur
Printer : Joh. Enschedé
Designer : Hany Hadaya

The old Nordic gods and other supernatural powers inhabited a mythical realm of their own. However, there were certain places in the Nordic landscape where humans could feel their presence more strongly than in other places, for example cult sites, burial grounds, unusual natural formations or mountain areas. Religious rites could take place beside a sacred tree or a burial place, on perilous mountain journeys or at sea, and create meeting points between the human and supernatural worlds. These were special places; they could be experienced as sacred, salutary or dangerous. This is typical of various places in Snæfellsnes where the sorcerer Bárður Snæfellsás is said to have settled in late 9th century A.D.

UEFA EURO 2008™ - Children´s Drawing - Lederhose

Release Date: 2008|04|19
Number of Copies: 500.000
Printing Style: Offset
Design: Vanessa Schennach
Printed by: Österreichische Staatsdruckerei
Type: Special issue series

There can be no doubt that lederhosen are the traditional clothing for men in the Alpine regions of Austria – and have been worn in their present form since the 17th century. What is more obvious than playing football (after all, still mainly a man’s game) in lederhosen? Whether made of chamois or stag leather is irrelevant, what matters is that the quality is in event something special, just like the football that will be on display in the UEFA EURO 2008™ games. The lederhosen are of course accompanied by the traditional broad-brimmed hat with a tuft of chamois hair – a genuine Tyrolean hat. And it is Tyrol, to be precise the new Tivoli stadium in Innsbruck, that will be hosting three of the preliminary round games with the teams from Russia, Spain and Sweden.

The original idea for this stamp was created by 12-year-old Vanessa Schennach from Burgstall in the district of Mutters. She attends the third class of the Pastorstrasse secondary school in Innsbruck. Her participation in the 2007 school children’s drawing competition was certainly worth the effort!

UEFA EURO 2008™ - Children´s Drawing - Großglockner

Release Date: 2008|04|18
Number of Copies: 500.000
Printing Style: Offset
Design: Stefan Gritsch
Printed by: Österreichische Staatsdruckerei
Type: Special issue series

Austria, the country of the mountains, is working up its enthusiasm for football. The snow-covered peaks of the Alps and the green turf of the football pitches are becoming the country’s trademark – and inspired this work by Stefan Gritsch from western Styria. It merges the flags of Austria and Switzerland, the two host countries of UEFA EURO 2008™, using a wavy line to separate the skies from the earth, or dream from reality, thus also showing that it is in fact two skiing nations that are hosting UEFA EURO 2008™.

Even if there are no UEFA EURO 2008™ games in Styria, the 16-year-old nevertheless came up with this clearly successful painting, the Styrian province winner in the 2007 schoolchildren’s drawing competition. This talented young man attends the Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium in Deutschlandsberg.