Since April 2026, the personalised stamps (Estonian "minu mark" – my stamp) introduced in 2007 by the Estonian postal service, Omniva, are no longer available to order. No advance notice was given, which philatelists would have liked to have had at least one month's notice.

"The service, developed several decades ago, was innovative, popular and widely used at the time, but today its use has declined significantly. Last year, orders for such personalised stamps amounted to only around 2,700 euros, which equates to approximately 50 orders per year," explained Katri Laanela, Head of Postal Services at Omniva.

However, she rejected the accusation that not enough is being done for philatelists: "We look for important themes in Estonian history and culture so that they are preserved and remembered. This year, 46 different stamps on important themes will be published. Stamps featuring local red berries were recently issued and proved unexpectedly popular – even social media influencers shared them and encouraged people to buy the stamps!"

Philatelists have criticised Omniva's focus solely on cost factors. Whilst philately is indeed part of culture, Omniva, they argue, does not engage with internationally valued stamps, but concentrates solely on costs and profits. Omniva: "We focus on services that create value." The full privatisation of Omniva is progressing – AS Eesti Post is still a state-owned public limited company.

Source: err.ee/1610001298

Pärnu Post Office during its establishment, 2023

The block praised by Omniva

The discussions at this video meeting initially centred on some surprising results from the auction of individual lots from the "Mare Baltikum" collection, which were achieved at the Köhler auction that had just taken place.

A number of new acquisitions by Friedhelm Doell (extremely rare stamps of Displaced Persons Post), Olaf Hoffmann (adapted Soviet postmarks from 1942 and Latvian stamps) and a wealth of rare Estonian items (Oliver Hanschmidt) were presented.

This registered letter from Arensburg on the Estonian island of Saaremaa (not to be confused with Ahrensburg north of Hamburg), dated April 19, 1919, addressed to Frankfurt am Main (arrived May 13, 1919) is notable for the line stamp "Kuresaar" alongside the date stamp and the handwritten R-slip.

The 15-kopeck stamps in blocks of six are very rare.

From the perspective of subscribers to the Estonian Post's new issues, the organisation is moving beyond the realm of a manageable number of new stamp issues. Whilst fewer and fewer letters are being written – a trend that will lead to the number of post offices across Estonia falling to just 19 by 2026 – stamp issues are rising to a total of almost 90 € in the first quarter of 2026 – pure marketing. Collectors pay without receiving any postal service in return, thereby only helping to finance the Estonian Post.

The text below commemorates the withdrawal of Soviet Russian forces from Estonia and the invasion by German troops ("Reichskommissariat Ober-Ost"), two days before the first reading of the Declaration of Independence and thus the proclamation of the Republic of Estonia on February 23, 1918.

It is rounded off by the first stamp of the Republic of Estonia, a 5-kopeck stamp featuring a floral design, and a first-day postmark dated December 19, 1918.

On peace

On February 21 (1918), the German Foreign Minister von Kühlmann sent a reply to the telegram from the Council of People's Commissars, in which the latter stated that they accepted the German terms (for withdrawal from Estonia).

One point in the response also directly concerns Estonia.

§ 3 states: Livonia and Estonia are to be evacuated immediately by Russian troops and the Red Guard. They are to be replaced by the German police, who are to remain in place until public safety and public order have been restored in the country. All residents who have been detained for political reasons are to be released immediately.

Our monthly video chat, where anyone with an interest in Baltic philately is welcome, takes place on every first Saturday of the month at 17 h CET more technical information on this here).

Next date: May 2, 2026

Special theme: none so far

Join the Zoom meeting with:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85338222428?pwd=WGpZRXJTZVpnSnB6eHg4Ukx2aFVHdz09