Five new issues from Greenland!

There were five new issues from Greenland last week, all released on Wednesday 12th August. They are all very different and I thought it would be a good idea to review them together.

The History and Use of the Kayak - Part 1

The first I will look at is this set of two stamps showing The History and Use of the Kayak. The kayak is used for transport and also hunting. In the first stamp we see the view from underneath as the kayak moves across the sea and in the second we see a hunter closing in on a walrus. The WOPA website explains: "For centuries, the kayak was the hunters’ most important tool at sea. With great skill and an extensive knowledge of nature, the hunter could silently move through the Arctic waters in search of seals, narwhals and other marine mammals. The kayak’s construction makes it possible to get close to the prey, whilst the vessel is light, fast and suitable for the often demanding conditions along the coasts of Greenland."

Design Quality: I think these stamps have a really good design, especially because they use quite simple illustrations but still manage to show a lot. The two stamps also show kayaking from completely different angles. On the first one, we seem to be underneath the kayak looking up through the water, while the second gives us a much more traditional view from the side. I especially like the first one because it is such an unusual perspective for a stamp. It almost feels like we are seeing the hunter from the point of view of an animal underneath the water, which makes the kayak suddenly seem a bit frightening. Who ever thought of a kayak as frightening? The second stamp is much easier to understand straight away, with the hunter in his kayak and the huge walrus appearing out of the waves. Together they make a very good pair. 7/10 Theme and Subject Choice: The history of kayaking is quite an unusual subject for a stamp series and I don't think there can be too many stamps about it. This is only the first part of the series, which is going to show the different ways kayaks have been important in Greenland. These stamps are about hunting, while the next three issues will look at kayaks being used for postal services, expeditions and sport. Some of us might think that making a whole series about kayaks sounds a little strange, but actually I think it is a very good choice for Greenland. Kayaks have been a huge part of Greenlandic life and history, so they are much more than just something people use for fun on holiday. I also like that the series is going to show lots of different sides to their history instead of only concentrating on one thing. 9/10 Historical and Cultural Relevance: Kayaking obviously has enormous historical and cultural relevance in Greenland, and I think this whole series is going to prove that. Hunting is just one of the many things that kayaks have been used for, but it was an extremely important one because travelling quietly through the water allowed hunters to get close to animals. These stamps show that a kayak was not simply a way of getting from one place to another. It was an important part of people's lives and helped them survive. I think it is good when stamps teach you something about the country they come from, and these definitely do that. 9/10 Innovation and Creativity: The most creative thing about these stamps is definitely the way the artist has used different angles. The underwater view on the first stamp is especially clever because it is not the obvious way to illustrate somebody in a kayak. It makes you stop and work out exactly what you are looking at. I also like the illustration style. It is quite simple and almost looks like a picture from a storybook, but there is still plenty of movement in it. The light shining down through the water on the first stamp and the enormous curling waves on the second make both pictures feel dramatic without needing lots of tiny details. Even the walrus seems to be bursting out of the sea! 7/10 Collectability: What actually makes a stamp collectable? I suppose that depends a lot on the collector, because different people collect stamps for completely different reasons. I think these could appeal to people who are interested in Greenland's history, traditional ways of life or kayaking, as well as collectors who just like stamps with slightly unusual subjects. The fact that this is Part 1 of a longer series probably makes them more collectable too, because once you have the first set you might want to collect all the later parts and have the complete history. The unusual artwork could also make them stand out in an album. They probably won't appeal to absolutely everybody, but I can definitely imagine them having quite a few fans. 7/10 Personal Appeal: I think these are very good stamps, but they aren't really my thing. I like the artwork, especially the strange underwater view, and I definitely recognise how important the subject is to Greenland's history. However, I'm not a huge fan of hunting, so stamps showing animals being hunted aren't ever going to be among my favourites. The walrus on the second stamp also looks rather impressive, so I find myself being more interested in the walrus than the hunter! I can appreciate why these stamps deserve to exist and why other collectors might really like them, and I look forward to the stamps about some of the other ways kayaks have been used. 4/10

Overall Score: 43/60

Charity Stamp in aid of the Amarngivat Shelter in Tasiilaq The next stamp is Greenland's annual charity stamp. This year the charity is the Amarngivat Shelter in Tasiilaq. The WOPA website tells us more about this charity: "The shelter in Tasiilaq was originally established by Save the Children; the building was subsequently transferred to Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq municipality. The Amarngivat building is a multi-purpose facility. On weekdays, it is the workplace for the Family Counsellors in MI Tasiilaq the focus area Qaammartsaavi.

"Every other weekend and on monthly pay days, it stays open as a shelter for children and young people.

"Here, children and young people can come and stay in a safe environment, avail of adult contact and conversation as well as something to eat. Children can opt to stay the night at the shelter, which is staffed 24 hours during opening times. Similarly, social workers can use this option instead of placing children outside the home, the children can stay at the shelter until their parents are ready to take care of them again." Design Quality: I think this is a really lovely design. Showing an adult polar bear cuddling a young bear works perfectly for a stamp supporting a children's shelter because it immediately gives you the feeling of being protected and looked after. The little bear looks completely safe tucked into the adult bear's arms, which seems like exactly the message the charity would want to give. I also really like the illustration itself. The pale colours are quite soft and gentle, and there isn't too much happening in the background to distract you from the bears. It is a simple idea, but it has been done very well and you can understand the message without anybody having to explain it to you. 8/10 Theme and Subject Choice: I think Amarngivat is a very good choice for a charity stamp. The whole idea of an adult looking after a younger bear fits a children's shelter really well, without the stamp needing to show something sad or upsetting. Instead, it concentrates on safety, care and support, which I think is a much nicer way of representing the charity. It is also part of an annual tradition, so collectors can look forward to seeing what design will be chosen each year. I think charity stamps are a good idea anyway because they can draw attention to an important cause while also giving us an interesting new stamp. 8/10 Historical and Cultural Relevance: Amarngivat clearly has a lot of cultural and social relevance because it provides a safe place for children who need help and support. That makes it a very worthwhile subject for an annual charity stamp. Polar bears are also strongly associated with Greenland and the Arctic, so it makes sense to use them rather than just choosing any animal. This means the stamp manages to represent both the charity and Greenland at the same time. 7/10 Innovation and Creativity: Using a parent and young animal to represent care and protection isn't a completely new idea, but I think using polar bears makes it work especially well here. The way the little bear is actually wrapped up in the adult bear's arms makes the connection with a children's shelter even stronger. It isn't just two cute polar bears sitting next to each other. You can actually see the idea of protection in the picture. The soft illustration style helps too because it makes the whole stamp feel warm and comforting, which is quite impressive considering polar bears live somewhere extremely cold! 7/10 Collectability: I think this stamp has quite a few things going for it. First of all it is an annual charity stamp, so somebody who already has the previous stamps will probably want this one as well. It will also appeal to people who collect animal stamps, especially polar bears, and I imagine there are plenty of those collectors around. Cute animals probably give a stamp a bit of an advantage too! The fact that it supports a good cause also gives it an extra story and purpose beyond simply being a nice-looking stamp. 7/10 Personal Appeal: I think this is a beautiful stamp and the design fits the charity perfectly. I especially like the little polar bear leaning against the adult because it looks so comfortable and safe. I really like the soft style of the drawing. More importantly, once you know what Amarngivat does, the picture means something rather than just being a nice picture of polar bears. It is one of those stamps where the artwork and the reason for issuing it fit together really well. 8/10

Overall Score: 45/60

Aasivik

Aasivik is a "modern Inuit summer camp", which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The stamp "invites us into Aasivik’s unique universe" where "community, culture, learning and nature experiences merge." Families from all over Greenland attend Aasivik every year.

The stamp has been designed by Ivínguak’ Stork Høegh, who has a strong personal connection with Aasivik and calls herself an "Aasivik child". The design is "an artistic interpretation of a significant institution in the history of contemporary Greenland" but also the work of someone who has a lot of experience of Aasivik. The camp has been an important part of her life.

It's not just about celebrating an anniversary but "the people and stories that have made Aasivik a living piece of Greenland’s modern cultural history."

Design Quality: This is quite a simple design, but I think it works really well because it gives you an idea of what Aasivik is about. We can see people gathered together, tents, mountains and a big Aasivik banner, so it actually feels like we are getting a little glimpse of the camp. I also like the fact that the artist has a strong personal connection with Aasivik, because that makes the picture feel as though it has been created by somebody who understands what the camp means to people. The woman and the boy at the front also make it feel more personal, rather than just being a picture of tents and scenery. It isn't incredibly detailed, but I don't think it needs to be. 8/10

Theme and Subject Choice: A 50th anniversary is definitely something worth celebrating on a stamp, especially when it is for something that continues to be important today. I think Aasivik is also an interesting choice because it isn't necessarily something that people outside Greenland will already know about. I like anniversary stamps most when they aren't just celebrating the fact that something is old, but are celebrating something that is still alive and happening. Aasivik seems to fit that perfectly. 9/10

Historical and Cultural Relevance: This stamp manages to be both historically and culturally relevant. Reaching a 50th anniversary is important, but what makes it especially interesting is that it isn't just something from the past. People are still gathering there and continuing the tradition today. That means the stamp is celebrating 50 years of history while also showing something that still matters to Greenlanders now. The camp is part of Greenland's modern Inuit culture. 9/10

Innovation and Creativity: I wouldn't say this is the most innovative stamp design ever because it mostly shows us exactly what we might expect to see at a camp: people, tents and the landscape around them. However, the artwork is very effective. I like the hand-painted appearance because it gives the stamp a friendly and personal feeling rather than making the event look too formal. There are also lots of little things to notice, such as the different groups of people, the colourful tents and the birds flying over the mountains. It feels more like somebody's memory of being at Aasivik than an advertisement for it, which I think is perfect. 7/10

Collectability: Camping is already quite a popular subject on stamps because of all the stamps connected with Scouts. Aasivik is obviously quite different from a Scout camp, but there is enough of a connection that I think some of the same collectors might be interested in it. You have the tents, outdoor activities and people gathering together in nature, which are all familiar themes. It could also appeal to collectors interested specifically in Greenland, Inuit culture or important anniversaries. The fact that it celebrates exactly 50 years probably helps its collectability too, because major anniversaries always seem to make stamps feel a little more special. 7/10

Personal Appeal: I really like this stamp, and the best thing I can say about it is that it makes me want to visit Aasivik! The picture makes the camp look like a friendly and interesting place where lots of people come together, and the mountains in the background make the setting look amazing as well. I like stamps that make me curious about something I didn't know much about before, because then they have done more than just look nice. This one makes me want to know what actually happens at Aasivik and what it would be like to be there. I think that is a pretty good achievement for one little stamp. 8/10

Overall Score: 48/60

Solar Eclipse I don't think I have to explain this one! This stamp marks the solar eclipse that took place last week (on 12th August). Parts of Greenland experienced the full eclipse and this stamp celebrates this special moment. I was in Luxembourg for the eclipse and while it wasn't a total eclipse it was still very special.

I can only imagine how awesome a full eclipse would be. On this stamp we see a few people watching (not a good idea to be looking directly at the sun though!) and we also see local wildlife enjoying it! Design Quality: I love the amount of detail and colour in this stamp. Your eye obviously goes straight to the "action" in the middle, but then you start noticing everything else that is happening around it. There are the amazing colours in the sky, the mountains and ice in the distance, the light reflecting across the water and all the animals swimming around. I especially like the decision to include the animals because it makes the eclipse feel like an event happening to the whole natural world, rather than just an important scientific event that humans are standing around watching. The little people at the bottom also give you a sense of scale and make the eclipse seem enormous. There is a lot going on, but somehow it doesn't feel overcrowded. 9/10

Theme and Subject Choice: A total solar eclipse is a brilliant subject for a stamp because it is such a rare and spectacular event. There is something especially exciting about an eclipse because even though we understand the science behind it, seeing the Sun disappear is still a very dramatic thing. It also seems like a perfect subject for Greenland because you have this amazing event happening above an already dramatic Arctic landscape. If something this spectacular is going to happen in your country, I think it definitely deserves a stamp. 9/10

Historical and Cultural Relevance: This gets full marks from me because the stamp is basically recording a piece of history as it happens. Total solar eclipses don't happen very often, so the 2026 eclipse is an event that people in Greenland will remember for a very long time. I also think there is something interesting about putting an eclipse on a stamp because eclipses have fascinated and probably frightened people for thousands of years. Today we can predict exactly when they will happen, but that doesn't make them any less amazing to see. This stamp connects a huge astronomical event with a particular moment in Greenland's history. 10/10 

Innovation and Creativity: I think this is very creative and quite different from other eclipse stamps I have seen. The obvious way to design an eclipse stamp would be to show a realistic picture of the Sun and Moon, perhaps with a dark sky and the bright corona around the outside. This artist has gone in a completely different direction. It almost looks like a fantasy, with the eclipse sitting right in the centre while the sky seems to twist and explode around it. The green shapes even remind me a little of the Northern Lights. Then underneath all that drama, the animals are circling in the water while tiny humans watch from the shore. It feels like the whole landscape is reacting to the eclipse. I also love that it isn't trying to look like a photograph. There will probably be thousands of photographs of the eclipse, but this stamp gives us an artist's version of what the event feels like, which is much more interesting. 10/10

Collectability: This should definitely appeal to astronomy and space collectors because eclipses are a very popular subject and this one celebrates a specific total solar eclipse. It might also be interesting to people who collect stamps about unusual natural events. The big question is whether it will appeal to collectors who aren't particularly interested in astronomy, and I think it probably has a better chance than most eclipse stamps. The artwork is colourful and dramatic enough to be interesting even if you know absolutely nothing about eclipses. The whales, mountains and Greenland scenery give collectors other reasons to like it. I can imagine someone choosing this for an album just because the design caught their eye. 7/10

Personal Appeal: I absolutely love this stamp. I am interested in space anyway, so a stamp about a total solar eclipse already has a big advantage with me, but I think this is much better than other eclipse stamps I have seen. I love the illustration style and especially all the strange colours and movement in the sky. The animals make it even better because they turn it into a picture of nature experiencing the eclipse rather than just another photograph of the Moon passing in front of the Sun. It manages to look scientific, mysterious and slightly magical all at once. I am going to buy this for my collection, and it is definitely my favourite of this group. 9/10

Overall Score: 54/60

New Definitive Value

The final new stamp from Greenland is this new definitive with a portrait of the King, Frederik X. It is the same design as other values in the series so I won't review it. That is my round-up of new stamps from Greenland and I hope you enjoyed it. Which is your favourite?