After providing information about the completed BALTIKUM 20, which is currently being printed, Olaf Hoffmann showed some postmarks that had fallen into private hands when a post office was closed down (see picture).

Privately offered stamp from Schrozberg (near Bad Mergentheim, Germany) – stamps can no longer be verified as their contemporary use cannot be proven!

The differences between US experts recognised by the American Association and BPP examiners were explained on the basis of the required test collection and the equipment inventory to be presented for approval.

Several letters from the Baltic countries were displayed, including the postcard pictured here, sent from Mõisaküla (Estonia) to Nizhny Novgorod (Soviet Union, known as Gorky 1932–1990) in 1931.

The linguistic mix is particularly interesting: the sender's stamp of a member of the international collectors' association ‘Liechtenstein’ is in German (the Eisenbahnsägerei = railway sawmill was probably the departement that manufactured railway sleepers and buildings) with the Estonian country name and address in Russian.

Postcard to Nizhny Novgorod

Questions regarding a document from the Courland kettle could only be answered by consulting the expert Wilhelm van Loo, whose book on "Postal Traffic in Courland (1944–1945)" (see also the bibliography on this website under "Handbooks Latvia") is considered to be the relevant specialist literature.

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: January 3, 2026

Special theme: none so far

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

Announcement of the closure of the Värska post office on September 1, 2025 (Photo: Aili Vahtla/ERR)

Source: Estonian Broadcasting ERR www.err.ee/1609870779/eestis-jaab-alles-19-postkontorit

The number of post offices in Estonia will be reduced from the current 35 to just 19 in 2026; the number of post boxes will also be reduced. At the same time, the number of parcel stations will be increased from 387 to approximately 600. The aim is to ensure that every resident has a parcel station within a few hundred metres of their home.

Martin Kuldma, the head of Omniva, explained these plans as follows, citing economic necessity: "There are hundreds of post boxes that are checked three times a week as scheduled, even if they are empty. We have post offices where only a few parcels are posted each day, while a parcel station in the immediate vicinity handles hundreds of parcels daily. Post offices are also no longer used to order magazines or pay bills, as digital channels make this possible free of charge. Stamps are sold in retail outlets throughout Estonia. Maintaining such a historic postal network is inefficient and, in its current form, no longer serves the interests of today's customers as it did 20 years ago."

At least one post office per county will remain, and there will be more in Tallinn and Tartu. For customers who cannot or do not want to use digital solutions, postal courier services will be offered that will travel to private addresses or businesses, where people can buy stamps and envelopes, send and receive letters and universal service parcels, pay bills and order magazines.

Detailed decisions on the exact locations of post offices, letter boxes and new parcel stations have not yet been made; the first step will be to coordinate the planned reorganisations with local authorities, landlords, trade unions and the competition authority.