The first stamps of Finland appeared in 1856, at a time when Finland was still an autonomous Grand Duchy within the Russian Empire. A pair of the 5 Kopeck denomination is shown above.
The currency of Finland, before 1860 was the Russian Ruble (1
Ruble = 100 Kopecks). Their currency from 1860 to 2002 was the Finnish
Markka (1 Markka = 100 Pennia).
The Finn people, originally a
civilization of hunters and gatherers, have inhabited this area for over
8,500 years. The word "Suomi" is believed to be derived from an ancient
Proto-Baltic word meaning "land", and that is the name by which the Finns
would eventually refer to their nation. Most of the modern European
languages would interpret that as being "the land of the Finns" or
"Finland". Stamps inscribed "SUOMI / FINLAND" were first issued in 1875.
From the 12th Century until the beginning of the 19th
Century, present-day Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden. The
area was conquered by the armies of Czar
Alexander I of Russia in 1809, and afterwards, Finland became an autonomous Grand
Duchy, within the Russian Empire. In the midst of the Russian
Revolution, Finland declared its independence from the Russian Empire on
December 6, 1917, and since then, the country has been a parliamentary
republic.
The stamps of Finland that are most recognizable to stamp collectors were issued, beginning in 1860. They are shown above. One could show the back side of these stamps to any experienced stamp collector, and they would immediately be able to determine that they are Finnish stamps.
The first stamp separation methodology used by Finland was Serpentine
Rouletting, usually with gauge 7 1/2 or gauge 8. The indentation depth
between the teeth was so extreme that the individual stamps looked very
odd. This methodology worked, but separating the individual stamps from
the sheet often resulted in mutilated or missing teeth. As a result,
stamps with intact teeth all the way around are rare. The prices in the
catalogs refer to stamps with all the teeth intact.
Perforation of
printed sheets of stamps was finally implemented in 1875.
Links to historical articles and reviews of many of the individual classical and early modern postage stamps of Finland will eventually appear at the top of the third column of this page.
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