NORDEN 1969

The Norden stamps are common stamp issues between Nordic countries. It is as old as the Europa stamps. The idea of a Norden issue with a common motif was bred by Foreningen Norden [the Norden Association] in a letter to the five Nordic Postal Administrations in 1951. At the conference of the Nordic Postal Association in March the same year the consensus was to accede to the idea, but for practical reasons it could only be accomplished later.

The first issue was in 1956, and had a common motive representing five flying swans. The Swan motif emanated from a poem from 1946 by Hans Hartvig Seedorff Pedersen titled "Svanerne fra Norden" [TheSwans from the Nordic Countries], which is a tribute to the free community in the five countries each symbolized by a swan- Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. In 1969 the common design was five Viking ships from a rock carving.  On February 28th 1969, the five Northern Postal Administrations issued stamps with a common motif to stress Nordic Solidarity, and the importance of Nordic co-operation in many different fields. The Swedish designer Sven Ake Gustafsson designed the stamps. They were printed at different Nordic stamp or bank-note printing presses.

In connection with the issue an exhibition with all the five Postal Administrations participating was held at the Postal Museum in Stockholm. The exhibition was held from February 28th to March 30th, 1969. A special date-stamp was used for letters and postcards posted at the exhibition. In accordance with a special agreement all “Norden” stamps were postmarked by the date of the exhibition stamp.

Thank you my friend Merja for this wonderful first day cover, with stamps of all the five Nordic countries.