A personalised stamp is a postage stamp where a picture or photograph can be added to the stamp by a member of the public, some non-governmental entity, or a governmental entity that is not in an official stamp-issuing capacity; it is obviously to be distinguished from personalised rubber stamps as well as "Postal Pal," a label with picture on which a regular postage-stamp can be placed. In addition to mere personal expression the design of personalized stamps have served a number of other purposes such as the attempt to find missing persons. Some stamp-issuing entities have in turn used their personalised stamp systems to issue "personalised" stamps personalised by the stamp issuing entity.
Displayed are typical examples of personalised stamps created by the citizenry of Finland. It is such activities that encourage philately, which seem to be losing in the battle between the use of the hand-written and stamped letter to the use of the almost instantaneous and very efficient internet e-mail systems. Personalised stamps are available in Finland in sheets of 20 and eight-stamp booklets. My friend Ella created the stamps on the cover shown. Very pretty indeed!
