This post is about my post horn stamps from Finland. It is part of a series of articles featuring my post horn collection from around the world. Check out the main hub page here. You can also see the following posts about my collections of post horn stamps from Austria, Azerbaijian, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, and Sweden.
Post horns are small brass instruments, usually coiled (but sometimes straight). A mail carrier blew the horn to announce the arrival or departure of the mail. In the nineteenth century, the instrument became a recognized symbol of the postal service. It now appears on postal logos, mail boxes, and postage stamps all over the world. While it can be found on stamps from Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, it is most popular in Europe. This post features my post horn collection from the country of Finland.
1875
Scott Number FI 21
The earliest stamps from Finland with post horns are from 1856. However, the earliest Finnish stamp I have is from 1875. On the stamp, two horns are linked together as a decorative motif below a coat of arms in the center. You can see an enlarged version to help you identity it. In the 19th century, a post horn as a decorative element on stamps was actually fairly common and can be seen on stamps from Denmark and Russia as well as on many designs from Finland.
1885
Scott Number FI 23
The design on the 1875 stamp above was in use for many years. My next stamp in chronological order is from 1885 and is essentially the same design, with the pair of post horns once again below the coat-of-arms.
1889
FI 41 (20 Pen); FI 42 (25 Pen); FI 25 (1 Mark)
The basic design was still the same in 1889, but notice that the post horns have gotten a little bit more pronounced. They are fatter (or thicker) than the previous stamps and much more discernible.
300th Anniversary of Finnish Postal Service
In 1938, Finland celebrated the 300th anniversary of its postal service with a set of four stamps, including the one above in honor of the post sailing sledges used to carry mail.
Sword and Post Horn – 1943 and 44
Aarne Karjalainen.
In 1943, during the middle of WWII, Finland introduced a sword and post horn design for military mail. In addition to two stamps stamp from 1943 (one green and one purple), the same design appears on a smaller purple stamp in 1944. I have shown the two purple stamps below scanned together to show scale.
Aarne Karjalainen
Europa Post Horn Stamps of 1973
In 1974, the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) chose the post horn as a common them to appear on stamps for all of its members. Most of the countries used a nearly identical design. Check out my page featuring my entire collection of stamps from that year here. Below is the Finnish design for that year.
