Umfjöllun um Íslensk frímerki í Gibbons Stamp Monthly

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eða lesa fréttina í heild sinni neðan við myndirnar:

‘Welcome to Iceland the home of Icelandair’. That was the friendly announcement that greeted passengers as fl ight 451 from London Heathrow touched down at Kefl avik International Airport situated about 50km from Reykjavik, venue for the 1986 summit between President Ronald Reagan of the USA and Mikhail Gorbachev of the then Soviet Union.

A few minutes earlier I had had my first glimpse of the vast, mainly uninhabited snowcovered landscape of Iceland, and geologically Europe’s youngest country, from the window of the Boeing 757-300 as it fl ew across the coastline in the darkness of a mid-November afternoon. At the time I was in transit by way of Reykjavik to Boston, USA, where I was working on a non-stamp related project.

Iceland

Iceland is the 16th largest island in the world. Only Madagascar, Great Britain and Cuba are larger single independent states. About 10 per cent of the country is covered in glaciers, including Vatnajökull, the largest in Europe.

Icelandair

I had never considered flying to North America via Iceland until a stamp collector friend of mine, Chris Bates, suggested that I contact his son Rob Bates, PR Manager UK & Ireland, Icelandair. Rob explained that Icelandair now offers up to 21 fl ights each week from the UK to Iceland and that fl ights operated from Heathrow, Glasgow and Manchester (website: www.icelandair.co.uk). On my way home from Boston I spent a most enjoyable 48 hours in Iceland researching and taking pictures to go with this article. Mr Bates kindly facilitated my visit to Iceland on behalf of GSM and arranged a business class ticket for all sections of the journey courtesy of Icelandair. I am pleased to record that all my fl ights arrived on schedule and that the attendants were friendly, effi cient and helpful. My overnight fl ight 630 from Boston arrived 6.20 a.m., slightly ahead of schedule. I changed some money into Icelandic Krona— Iceland is not in Euro-land. It was -10 degrees when I left the terminal building—according to a local meteorologist the weather was abnormally cold for mid-November.

Population

Iceland is an island—distance to: Greenland 287 km, Scotland: 798 km, Norway: 970km, Faroe Islands 420 km. Despite its mid-Atlantic location, Iceland observes Greenwich Mean Time throughout the year. Out of a population numbering more than 300,000 people, two thirds live in the capital, Reykjavik, and its neighbouring towns. The highland interior is uninhabited and uninhabitable. About 11 per cent of the country is covered in glaciers, including Vatnajökull, an icecap consisting of many glaciers. There are no railways in Iceland. The life expectancy for women is 82.8 years and 78.9 for men, the second longest in the world.

Destinations

Icelandair celebrates its 70th anniversary during 2007 and is proud of its position as one of the world’s longest established airlines. It began in 1937 with the formation of a little airline in the north of Iceland, which three years later turned into Flugfélag Íslands or Icelandair. In 1945 the airline made its fi rst international fl ights to Scotland and Denmark. A year earlier another airline, Loftleiðir, was founded, which became known as Icelandic Airlines. In 1947 this airline began international fl ights and in 1953 commenced its pioneering low-fare service across the North Atlantic. In 1973 these two airlines merged to form Icelandair. Today, Icelandair fl ies to 21 international destinations, including six in North America and 15 in Europe, with Kefl avik International Airport as the nerve-centre of the operation. The Fly Bus from Kefl avik International Airport to Reykjavik, situated in the southwest of Iceland, is linked to fl ight arrivals and drops off and picks up at all the major hotels by request. The bus made two or three stops during the 45-minute journey via the BSI Bus Terminal to the Nordica, a comfortable four-star modern hotel owned by Icelandair Hotels situated close to the city centre. I had a superb panoramic view of Reykjavik looking out over the harbour from my room situated on the sixth fl oor during my twonight stay. It was dark when I arrived and did not get light until about 9.45 a.m.

Solstice

The Winter Solstice, 21 December, is the shortest day of the year when the sun does not rise above the horizon until 11.22 a.m. and disappears at 3.30 p.m. giving just over four hours of daylight. The Summer Solstice 21 June is the longest day of the year when the sun rises at 2.54 a.m. and doesn’t set again until just after midnight the following day. My fi rst appointment was with María Reynisdóttir, Assistant Project Manager for Tourism, at the Reykjavik Tourist Information Centre, situated at Aðalstraeti 2, (website www. visitreykjavik.is). María, who studied tourism at the University of Surrey in Guildford, answered my questions about Iceland before taking me on a two-hour walking tour of central Reykjavik. First stop was the harbour.

Fishing

Reykjavik Harbour is an important landing point for the trawlers catching cod and many other types of fi sh in the North Atlantic. The majority of Iceland’s GDP comes from fi shing, that provides more than half of the country’s export income but employs less than fi ve per cent of the workforce. The travel industry is the second largest income gener ator. Banking and IT are now the fastest growing sectors in the Icelandic economy. Photo: Peter Jennings FRPSL, FRGS

Catholic Cathedral

The Church and State are not separated in Iceland. About 86 per cent of the population belong to the National Lutheran Church of Iceland. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Reykjavik serves the whole country and now has a membership of nearly three per cent of the population.

Next María took me to visit the Cathedral of Christ The King, consecrated in July 1929. Inside the main entrance is a statue of St Thorlakur 1133–93, whose relics were enshrined in his cathedral at Skálholt on 20 July 1198. He was declared the Patron Saint of Iceland by Pope John Paul II in January 1984. The statue was blessed on 20 January 1995.

Viking age

Next María took me to see the recently opened Settlement Exhibition. The highlight of this spectacular exhibition is the archaeological remains discovered and excavated in 2001 during construction work to build a new luxury hotel in central Reykjavik. The remains turned out to be the oldest relics of human habitation in Iceland, from around AD 871. The fi nds included a hall or longhouse, which is now preserved in its original location as the focal point of the exhibition about life in Viking-Age Reykjavik. The construction of Viking-Age buildings is clearly explained using multimedia technology (website www. reykjavik871.is).

María showed me the outside of the Parliament House. Iceland was under Danish rule from 1380 until 1944, when the Icelandic Republic was established with a parliamentary democracy. Iceland has been a member of EFTA since 1970, but has never applied for membership of the European Union. Next we went to the nearby City Hall to look at a magnifi cent map in relief of Iceland, on display in a large room situated near the entrance hall. María pointed out places of interest throughout the country and explained their signifi cance to Iceland today.

Stamp House

At the end of the tour María took me to a stamp shop that she told me she had walked past a thousand times but never been in. I persuaded her to come into the shop with me and there we met Mr Bolli Davidsson, now aged 73, a member of the PTS from 1970 until 1998, at the Stamp House that he opened in 1960 (email: frimex@simnet.is). I mentioned that I was researching an art icle ‘Iceland and its Stamps’ for Gibbons Stamps Monthly. Mr Davidsson replied that he had read some of my articles in the magazine and was delighted to welcome María and me to his stamp shop. Looking at the early Icelandic stamps displayed under the glass counter I decided to add two lovely unmounted mint sets to my collection—the 1934 Air (SG 208/13) because of my interest in Pioneer Airmails and stamps issued in 1938 depicting the ‘Great Geyser’ because I had the opportunity to see the geyser the following day (226/33).

Asked which country was the best market for the early stamp issues of Iceland, Mr Davidsson replied without hesitation:

‘Germany and Sweden, for both modern and old stamps of Iceland.’

‘Are the modern stamp issues of Iceland popular with collectors and what is the most popular theme depicted on the stamps?’, I asked.

‘This is a diffi cult question to answer. They are not as popular as they used to be. Also, these days, people rarely receive a letter with actual stamps stuck on the envelope. Birds, without a doubt, is the most popular theme on our stamps.

‘I would like to recommend two books in English: Exploring Iceland through its Stamps, and Walking into Iceland’s Postal History, both by Don Brandt, an American who has been living in Iceland for 25 years.’ ‘Is stamp collecting a popular hobby in Iceland?’, I wanted to know. ‘Yes, I’m pleased to say that stamp collecting is still a popular hobby in Iceland, as in all the Nordic countries’—Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and the Faroe Islands. Before I left the stamp shop, Mr Davidsson generously presented me with a copy of a beautifully produced and profusely illustrated book: One Hundred Years of Icelandic Stamps, by Jón Aðalsteinn Jónsson, published in English by the Post and Telecommunications Administration, Reykjavik, in 1977. This marvelous book has been of a great help to me while researching this article. The illustration of Iceland SG 1 has been scanned from this book, which I thoroughly recommend as an important addition to general philatelic libraries worldwide.

Post van

Quite by chance, a postman was parking a post van outside the Stamp House just as we emerged into the cold. It was a great opportunity for a picture. We walked back to the tourist offi ce where I thanked María for a fascinating tour and went to one of the many delightful coffee houses for an hour or so to get warm and gather my thoughts and impressions and make some notes about Iceland and its postage stamps.

First issue

Iceland issued its fi rst postage stamps on 1 January 1873. The design was the same as for the Danish numeral issue of the time (numeral of value surmounted by a crown, all inside an oval), denominated with values ranging from 2 to 16 skilling, and inscribed ‘ÍSLAND’ (SG 1/7).

Iceland’s fi rst commemorative stamps were issued in 1911 and honour Jón Sigurðsson on the centenary of his birth in 1811 (96/101). King Christian X of Denmark fi rst appeared on Icelandic stamps in a new set issued between 1920 and 1922 (116/93). Periodic stamp shortages plagued the postal service during the 1920s, and locally surcharged stamps were produced in 1921, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1929, and 1930. The fi rst pictorial, non-portrait stamps were issued in 1925, a set of fi ve showing views of Iceland (151/5).

Airmail stamps

Iceland’s fi rst airmail stamps were issued in 1928 and 1929—regular 10a. and 50a. stamps overprinted with a rather crude outline of an aeroplane (156/7). In 1930, Iceland celebrated the 1000th anniversary of the Althing with an attractive series of 15 regular and fi ve airmail stamps featuring a wide variety of historical, mythological, and scenic images (174/8). In May 1931, stamps were overprinted ‘Zeppelin 1931’, for use on mail sent via the airship Graf Zeppelin, which visited Reykjavik on 1 July. The zeppelin did not actually land, there being no facilities, but it got low enough to pass mail bags up and down (179/81). Also in 1931, a new issue came out epicting the Gullfoss waterfall (195/200). In 1938 a dramatic series featured images of Geysir, the namesake of all other geysers. Iceland again honoured Jón Sigurðsson on its issue marking the Proclamation of the Independent Republic established on 17 June 1944 (265/70), and again on the 150th anniversary of his birth on 17 June 1961 in a set to mark the 50th anniversary of the University of Iceland (388/90). A dramatic set of stamps showing Mt Hekla in Eruption was issued in 1948 (280/6). The eruption of Surtsey Island was marked by another set of images in 1965 (423/5). Since Independence, Iceland has pursued a relatively restrained stamp-issuing policy that includes annual Christmas and Europa issues. Many of the stamps depict local scenery, fl ora, and fauna, as well as heritage and the works of local artists.

Iceland Post

Iceland Post recently described its stamps as follows on one of its web-pages: ‘The Icelandic stamp collection can conveniently be divided into two main categories: The Kingdom (Iceland under the Danish Crown) and the Republic. Iceland started issuing its own stamps as early as 1873 while the country was still a Danish posession. It gained independence and became a republic in 1944. ‘In the Republic era motifs on Icelandic stamps have focused mainly on Icelandic cultural heritage and the country’s nature, richly diverse in its multiple aspects of ice and fi re. The amazing variety of the country’s fl ora and fauna, thriving in an arctic climate tempered by the Gulf Stream, has been the main theme of Icelandic stamps during the last two decades. These stamps are usually printed using the fi nest techniques available and the collector will fi nd a wide variety of engraved, gravure or offset-printed stamps in the Republic collection.’

The two 2006 Christmas stamps 55k. and 75k. glow in the dark (1152/3). The stamps, issued on 2 November 2006, were printed by Joh Enschedé of the Netherlands in sheets of ten with conventional gum. The 55k. stamp was also produced as a self-adhesive (1154) in booklets of ten.

British Ambassador

I then walked to the Residence of the British Ambassador to Iceland, HE Alp Mehmet, which is situated next to the British Embassy itself. We had a wide-ranging conversation over tea about Iceland and in particular the government’s decision to go back to commercial whaling announced on 16 October 2006. In past years there was an abundance of whales in the seas off the coasts of Iceland and they were hunted, killed and eaten for food. In 1948 this developed into a commercial whaling industry which continued until 1989, when whaling ceased.

Mr Mehmet told me that on 1 November 2006 whaling resumed, and he led a delegation of 25 ambassadors from anti-whaling nations to deliver a ‘strongly worded’ letter to the country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, urging a reversal of the decision to allow whaling in Icelandic waters.

Whale watching is one of Iceland’s main tourist attractions and between April and September tours leave Reykjavik Harbour up to three times a day out into Faxafoi Bay. Not surprisingly, tourist bookings fell 25 per cent in the two weeks following the resumption of whaling. Seven fi n whales, worth about £95,000 each, had already been killed by the time of my visit to the Ambassador on 14 November.

Hopefully, the government of Iceland will take the opportunity presented by the impending general election in May 2007 to announce a new and strict ban on all commercial whaling. Iceland is a wonderful destination for tourists, but potential visitors who want to watch the whales will be put off when they see newspaper pictures like that in The Times of 2 November 2006, showing an endangered species being cut up for meat—which, incidentally, the majority of Icelanders do not eat.

Geysers

The following day, Wednesday 15 November, I went on an afternoon tour (courtesy of Reykjavik Excursions) in a mini-bus together with 11 other visitors from a variety of countries, to see the world-famous Geyser (Geysir in Icelandic) geothermal fi eld where the spouting springs are seen. Unfortunately, the gush of the biggest and most impressive geyser in the world (the one on the stamps of 1938–47), that used to shoot up to 70 metres in the air, now does little more than gurgle. It was extremely cold. In fact so cold that after less than 15 minutes I quickly made my way to the nearby Geysir Museum where there is an informative multimedia exhibition that vividly shows the power of these forces of nature. Situated on the mid-Atlantic Ridge, Iceland is a hot spot of volcanic and geothermal activity. 30 postglacial volcanoes have erupted in the past two centuries, and natural hot water supplies much of the population with cheap, pollution-free heating. Rivers, too, are harnessed to provide inexpensive hydroelectric power. On the way back to Reykjavik we stopped briefl y at Gullfoss, one of the most magnifi cent waterfalls in Iceland.

Beautifully designed

In order to illustrate this article I visited the Stanley Gibbons shop at 399 Strand on 14 December 2006, a month after I arrived in Reykjavik, in order to purchase the Icelandic stamps I had selected from the Stamps of the World Catalogue. It was fun but, unfortunately, some of the early issues were out of stock and others were in low supply. Since 1873 Iceland has issued many extremely beautiful and well produced stamps. I thoroughly recommend and commend Iceland as a place to visit and to collect. Find out more about Iceland at www.visiticeland.com and www.visitreykjavik.is

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