44. monthly video chat
Members of the Baltic States Study Group can look forward to some special philatelic issues from the group to mark its 10th anniversary! We don't want to give away too much yet, but these special issues will be sent out with BALTIKUM No. 19, which will be published in May. If you want to benefit from this, become a member before then!
Martin Bechstedt presented a number of innovations related to mail from Estonia and Lithuania, such as a new "postage paid" stamp from Tallinn, a date stamp from Rapla that does not have a distinguishing letter but a distinguishing number "1" (there are also some with "2"), or letters from Lithuania that have been reused, some with forged stamps to the detriment of the postal service.
A curiosity is a postmark from the Nurmenuku post office in Estonia, which opened in 2017: For a few days they used "AS NURMENUKU" (a–d) date stamps (i.e. for a joint-stock company), which were then quickly replaced by the usual "NURMENUKU" (a–d) date stamps. Another date stamp 'AS NURMENUKU e' will (according to filateelia.ee since 2019) be in use until 2024, as shown by an existing document! The reason for this is not yet known.
"AS NURMENUKU e" "false" postmark in use for 5 years for a normal Omniva post office that is not an independent joint-stock company = aktsia selts (AS)!
Our monthly video chat, where anyone with an interest in Baltium 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 4, 2025
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43. monthly video chat
The first topic of the meeting, which was attended by nine people this time, was the trade fair in Ulm, the results achieved and the results of the survey of the working groups by the BDPh, above all the (current) impossibility of organising a stamp fair in northern Germany similar to those in Ulm or Munich.
Initial ideas for giveaways or items to be purchased to mark the 10th anniversary of the ArGe Baltikum in 2025 were discussed. In addition to motif postcards, individualised stamps were also discussed. Please send any further suggestions to the board!
Thanks to a small dealer at HAFNIA in Copenhagen, the list of rare Estonian 8 centi leopard stamps as single frankings has now been extended to over 10 items.
Finally, Thomas Löbbering reported on the testing of a Rakvere counterfeit using state-of-the-art equipment.
Overprint forgery Rakvere - not a one-off proof!
Our monthly video chat, where anyone with an interest in Baltium philately is welcome, takes place on every first Saturday of the month at 17 h CET (more technical information on this here).
Next date: December 7, 2024
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Two gold medals and the Rauhut Literature Prize
87 points and thus (national) gold for the ArGe web (third place out of 13 in the category "Websites") and 86 points and thus also gold for the BALTIKUM (seventh place out of 26 in the category "Newsletters, Magazines") - this is the result of the 5th BDPh ArGe Literature Competition 2024 for the ArGe Baltikum.
We were also successful with third place in the Rauhut Prize for Literature 2024 in the "Websites" category. This is endowed with 100 €, which will go to the association's treasury.
This is a great overall success and a fitting tribute to our active team!
The results were announced at the third International Stamp Fair in Ulm, which - as in the two previous years - took place in the Donauhalle:
Exhibition stand and staffing
With 44 working groups present at the trade fair, it was to be expected that the small rented conference room would not be sufficient for a meeting with the BDPh board. Frank Blechschmidt announced the results of the ArGe survey (see the latest issue of "Philatelie"). Spontaneous wishes were expressed by those present: annual face-to-face meetings of this kind for 2 hours in Ulm (plus virtual meetings in between). Otherwise, there was a lot of talk about the fairness of contributions and representation options for working groups in the BDPh. BDPh President Alfred Schmidt could imagine participation options, but would need people from the working groups who are willing to actively participate in the BDPh.
As a result, Ulm was once again as diverse as every philatelist is unique - there is almost nothing that does not exist!
The ArGe Baltikum had travelled to the event with a five-man stand (from left to right): Reinhard Heinrich, Olaf Hoffmann, Thomas Löbbering and Torsten Berndt; not in the picture: Friedhelm Doell (who took the photos).
In addition to more or less material, which individuals were able to purchase from the dealers for their own collections, the greatest benefit for our visitors was the expert information and for the stand staff, as always, the conversations and exchanges with many old and new acquaintances, friends and each other.
Soooo long was the list of wishes from the working groups that Frank Blechschmidt from the BDPh board presented
Estonian Post is moving letterboxes to parcel machines
Foto: Siim Lõvi/ERR
Source of information: Estonian State Broadcasting Corporation (ERR) www.err.ee/1609490329/tulevikus-saab-omniva-pakiautomaadiga-ka-kirju-saata
We have already reported on the removal of letterboxes due to reduced usage and the expansion of the parcel machine network in Estonia. Omniva announced current developments in mid-October:
There are actually 369 parcel machines in Estonia (or about one for every 3,650 inhabitants) with around 30 devices added each year. On the other hand, around 50 letterboxes, which are hardly used anymore, were removed each year. There are currently still 970 letterboxes in Estonia (which is about one per 1,450 inhabitants – by way of comparison, at the end of 2023, there were about 5,650 people per packing station and about 780 per letterbox in Germany).
For those who are interested: the exact location of Omniva parcel machines and letterboxes in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania can be found on this continuously updated map: www.omniva.ee/abi/kaart, where you have to click on "Pakiautomadid" for parcel machines and "Kirjakastid" for letterboxes at the bottom left.
In recent years, letterboxes have been moved ever closer to parcel machines. The addition of a letterbox flap to parcel machines is also currently being tested. "If we find a suitable prototype, we can immediately use it on a larger scale in Estonia," Kristi Unt, head of Omniva's logistics and delivery network in the Baltic States, told ERR.
42. monthly video chat
The current state of planning for the PhilLat26 exhibition was presented (see separate announcement).
Friedhelm Doell reported in detail on the presentation of Antanas Jankauskas' Lithuania catalogue, which took place the previous Saturday at the Lithuanian Philatelic Society. The catalogue not only includes the new issues since the first edition of 2012, but has also been fundamentally expanded in many areas. Incidentally, it complements the catalogue by Martin Bechstedt, which has a different focus, perfectly. The 2012 catalogue should not be given away either – a number of illustrations were not included in the 2024 edition due to lack of space!
The conversation then turned to the pricing of this catalogue, to book production in general and to the tax treatment of such activities in particular – three of the participants had already had different experiences with this.
The new Michel catalogue for the Baltic States and Finland 2024/2025 was also briefly mentioned – it is good in regards to Lithuania, but contains minor errors for Estonia, which, like every year, will be reported to the Schwaneberger publishing house by our specialists.
Our monthly video chat, where anyone with an interest in Baltium philately is welcome, takes place on every first Saturday of the month at 17 h CET (more technical information on this here).
Next date: November 2, 2024
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Advance notice: PhilLat26 in Rīga, June 26–29, 2026
Our member Aija Pince has announced an international exhibition in Riga, Latvia, for the end of June 2026.
In addition to a FIP or FEPA competitive exhibition with a focus on Latvia and the Baltic States and international dealers, lectures, activities for children (to specifically promote young people in philately) as well as guided excursions to tourist destinations in the area around Riga are planned.
They are even planning an entry in the Guinness Book of Records – but we won't reveal what it's for just yet! For now, all we can say is: mark the date in your calendar!
41. monthly video chat
This time we had plenty of topics to discuss:
Martin Bechstedt reported on the financing problems of the Hamburg Philatelic Library following a drastic rent increase.
Friedhelm Doell presented his small collection of mail from Displaced Persons (DP) camps in Germany after the Second World War. Our new member Ed Ambros from Ohio/USA contributed with the experiences of a contemporary witness – his mother-in-law was the head translator in the Augsburg DP camp. It was also possible to provide him with contacts for a professional exchange about the 'Memelland ist frei' ('Memelland is free') overprints from 1939.
Oliver Hanschmidt informed us that a third example of the imperforate 1 Marka Smith-and-Weaver stamp from Estonia has turned up as a single franking on a letter and is now in his possession.
Finally, Michael Wienecke presented a cover that was to be sent from Estonia to Denmark on December 18, 1918, but due to the civil war in Latvia could not reach its destination by land and because of the sea blockade of Estonian harbours by British warships (to prevent the Soviet navy from entering) only in February 1919.
Our monthly video chat, where anyone with an interest in Baltium philately is welcome, takes place on every first Saturday of the month at 17 h CET (more technical information on this here).
Next date: October 5, 2024
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40. monthly video chat
The topic of our monthly meeting was, of course, the MARE BALTICUM 2024 exhibition in Tartu (see article below), which many of us also attended.
With a week's distance, it was possible to see more clearly what was good and what was less good, what was a fair assessment of exhibits and where the limits were.
The bottom line is that some participants felt this exhibition was the best they had ever visited (we are talking about philatelists who have been active for decades).
We also discussed a special document from Estonia: sending a letter from parcel station to parcel station. This costs just 3.18 € as a parcel within Estonia (up to 30 kg!), whereas a registered letter costs 6.00 €. More about this in the next BALTIKUM!
Shipping label: from parcel station to parcel station
Our monthly video chat, where anyone with an interest in Baltium philately is welcome, takes place on every first Saturday of the month at 17 h CET (more technical information on this here).
Next date: September 7, 2024
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The ArGe Baltikum is truly international
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Festive evening at the Palmarès of MARE BALTICUM 2024 in Tartu, Estonia. In addition to two members from the USA, one of our Japanese members also traveled to the event.
The ArGe Baltikum has members from a total of 23 countries on 4 continents, making it one of the world's most active working groups dealing with the philately of the Baltic states!
We therefore operate this website and have also been publishing our publications in English since 2022 and have gained over 20 new members since then.
You too can become a part of this community! Further information is available at here!
Baltic States Philately at it's best in Tartu
What a magnificent exhibition!
What Oliver Hanschmidt (who was virtually taking care of major and minor problems himself on the days of the exhibition) and his helpers in Tartu had put together surpassed much of what visitors to competition exhibitions had seen before. Whether it was the sheer number of exhibition frames (over 560) and exhibits (153), the large number of artists, musical and other artistic interludes or the beauty of the medals, almost everything was just right (apart from a few details that were not ideal, but that probably exist everywhere).
All Baltic philatelists were invited to meet and get to know each other personally on Saturday, in particular to connect familiar names with a face, to hear what the other attendees collect and what they are specialists in and to make new contacts in Tartu and beyond – one of the highlights for all attendees!
25 Baltic philatelists posed for the photographer (Renate Feustel); at least 5 others who were in the building at the same time are not in the photo.
| Class | Description | No. | Name | Country | ArGe member | Exhibit | Points | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Traditional Philately | 1 | Tuomo Koskiaho | Finland | Estonia 1918–1941 | 92 | Gold, Special Prize (Material) | |
| 2 | Yuki Itabashi | Japan | • | Estonia Seagull Issue 1918–1920 | 80 | (One Frame Exhibit) | ||
| 3 | Jukka Sairanen | Finland | Otepää 1941 | 88 | (One Frame Exhibit) | |||
| 4 | Keijo Savelainen | Finland | Estonian Stamps and Mailings from 1918–1941 | 82 | Vermeil | |||
| 5 | Kaido Andres | Estonia | • | Reconstruction Fund Issue 1941 | 80 | Vermeil | ||
| 6 | Jaan Roots | Norway | • | Estonia Regular Issues 1928–1940 | 90 | Gold, Special Prize (Knowledge) | ||
| 7 | Villu Roosa | Estonia | Estonian Stamps 1928–1940, The Gold Standard Period | 75 | Large Silver | |||
| 9 | Ants Linnard | Estonia | Postage Payment Instructions as a Reflection of Estonia's Development in 1918–1940 | 83 | Vermeil | |||
| 11 | Frederick Lutt | USA | Estonia Stamp Centenary Commemorative 1940–1941 | 83 | (One Frame Exhibit) | |||
| 14 | Gatis Poišs | Latvia | Latvian Stamps printed on the Banknote Paper | 81 | Vermeil | |||
| 2.2 | Postal History | 32 | Jaan Roots | Norway | • | Mail in Estonia during WWI 1914–1917 | 86 | Large Vermeil |
| 33 | Randy Tuuri | USA | Estonia – Postal rates 1918–1941 | 83 | Vermeil | |||
| 34 | Ahto Tanner | Estonia | Eesti 1940–1944 / Kahe tule vahel (Estonia 1940–1944 / Between two fronts) | 87 | Large Vermeil | |||
| 35 | Ago Papp | Estonia | • | Valik postivagunite templeid Eesti NSV raudteedel 1945–1970 (Selection of Stagecoach Cancellations on the Estonian SSR Railways 1945–1970) | 70 | Silver | ||
| 36 | Juozas Urbonas | Lithuania | Baltic States People's Deportation Mail | 82 | Vermeil | |||
| 37 | Vesma Grinfelds | USA | • | Postmarks of Mail Routes Within the Latvian Territory of Russia 1767–1858 (old name was: Pre-Stamp Postmarks Along Postal Routes Within Latvia) | 88 | Large Vermeil, Special Prize (Material) | ||
| 38 | Dzintars Grinfelds | USA | Imperial Russian Machine Cancels of Latvia 1908–1917 | 81 | (One Frame Exhibit) | |||
| 40 | Dennis Hassler | USA | Wenden 1790–1919 | 78 | Large Silver | |||
| 41 | Aivars Cimmermanis | Latvia | Latvia and Latvians in World War 1 | 71 | Silver | |||
| 43 | Zinta Zeltiņa | Latvia | Postmarks of Postal Institutions in Latvia 1918–1940 | 77 | Large Silver | |||
| 44 | Ilgonis Šteinbergs | Latvia | Post Offices of Kuldiga District | 68 | Silver Bronze | |||
| 45 | Vesma Grinfelds | USA | • | Cancellations of the Provisional Era in Latvia 1919–1921 | 87 | Large Vermeil | ||
| 48 | Kalle Nurminen | Finland | Handstamped Postal Slogans of Latvia 1936–1940 | 73 | Silver | |||
| 49 | Edmundas Liesis | Lithuania | Registry Labels and Cachets of Kaunas Post Telegraph Office | 80 | Vermeil | |||
| 2.3 | Aerophilately | 72 | Michael Wieneke | Germany | • | Luftpost in Estland 1918–1941 (Air Mail in Estonia 1918–1941) | 82 | Vermeil |
| 74 | Vitaly Geyfman | USA | • | First and Second Non-Stop Transatlantic Flights from New York City to Lithuania, July 15, 1933 and September 21, 1935 | 83 | Vermeil | ||
| 2.4 | Postal Stationery | 77 | Tuomo Koskiaho | Finland | Postal stationery used in Estonia in 1852–1944 | 87 | Large Vermeil | |
| 2.6 | Open Philately | 89 | Mats Söderberg | Sweden | Estonians Outside Estonia 1944–1991 | 81 | Vermeil | |
| 97 | Darius Liutikas | Lithuania | Scouting in the Baltic Countries: A History in Philately | 75 | Large Silver | |||
| 2.7 | Modern Philately | 98 | Peeter Pärn | Estonia | Eesti Posti taassünd ja üleminekuperiood Tartu ja Tartumaa postkontorites 1991–1992 (The Rebirth of Eesti Post and the Transition Period in Tartu and Tartumaa Post Offices 1991–1992) | 72 | Silver | |
| 2.9 | Picture Postcards | 100 | Janne Nikkanen | Finland | Historic old Tallinn in postcards | 92 | Gold, Special Prize (Treatment), Grand Prix National | |
| 101 | Jaak Koppel | Estonia | Tallinna trükipostkaart 1894–1917 (Tallinn Printed Postcard 1894–1917) | 75 | Large Silver | |||
| 103 | Indrek Ilomets | Estonia | Academic Fraternal Organisations of University of Tartu on Postcards until 1940 | 90 | Gold, Special Prize (Material) | |||
| 104 | Jaan Moik | Estonia | Haapsalu linnus ja kuurort (Haapsalu Castle and Resort) | 77 | Large Silver | |||
| 2.11 | Philatelic Literature | 124 | Martin Bechstedt | Germany | • | Die Datumstempel des unabhängigen Estland seit 1991 – Bestandsaufnahme und Typisierung (Dated Postmarks Of The Independent Estonia Since 1991 – Overview And Standardization) | 87 | Large Vermeil |
| 125 | Martin Bechstedt & Bernhard Fels | Germany | • | Die Tagesstempel der unabhängigen Republik Litauen seit 1990 – Hand- und Begleitbuch zur Internet-Datenbank (Dated Postmarks of the Independent Republic of Lithuania since 1990 – Handbook and Companion to the Internet Database) | 88 | Large Vermeil | ||
| 130 | Oliver Hanschmidt | Estonia | • | Cancellations and Markings of the Estonian Railway TPO (Travelling Post Offices) 1918–1944 | 82 | Vermeil | ||
| 133 | Daumantas Kiulkys & Lithuanian Sea Museum | Lithuania | • | Philately. The Collections of the Lithuanian Sea Museum speak. | 76 | Large Silver | ||
| 137 | Peeter Pärn | Estonia | Eesti Posti ajutised maksevahendid 1991–1993 (Temporary Means of Payment of Eesti Post 1991–1993) | 82 | Vermeil | |||
| 142 | Arbeitsgemeinschaft Baltikum | Germany | • | BALTIKUM, Zeitschrift für Philatelie und Postgeschichte (Journal for Philately and Postal History) | 88 | Large Vermeil | ||
| 147 | Peeter Pärn & Aivar Kuuskvere | Estonia | Catalogue of Estonian Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery 1918–2023 | 81 | Vermeil | |||
| 149 | Bernhard Fels & Martin Bechstedt | Germany | • | Digitale Datenbank der litauischen Tagesstempel ab 1994 – ein zukunftsweisendes Projekt (Digital Database of Lithuanian Daily Postmarks from 1994 – a Forward-looking Project) | 82 | Vermeil | ||
| 150 | Friedhelm Doell & Arbeitsgemeinschaft Baltikum | Germany | • | www.arge-baltikum.de | 85 | Large Vermeil |
And here are a few impressions of the exhibition (as always: click on the pictures to enlarge):
The international Jury
The Estonian National Museum
The commissioners (who take care of the exhibits)
Large Vermeil for the BALTIKUM
Front side of the medal
Back side of the medal
Large Vermeil for this Web
An individualized stamp for the exhibition
Tried out all the cancellations...
An exhibition postal stationary
"Picture of an exhibition"
MARE BALTICUM 2024 – Program
The Exhibition Program
Friday July 27
11:00 Opening
14:00 Presentation of the 2nd edition of the Estonia Stamp Guide by Martin Bechstedt
15:00 "From polar journey to polar philately"
Saturday July 28
10:00 Meeting of all Baltic philatelists (hosted by ArGe Baltikum)
15:30 Open Philately – a new exhibition class
18:30–23:00 Palmarés (for registered guests, in the Athena-Center, Küütri- Street 1, Tartu)
Sunday July 29
13:00 Award ceremonies
39. monthly video chat and Invitation for Tartu
The topic of our monthly meeting was exhibitions – the past DEBRA 2024 in Haldensleben and the upcoming MARE BALTICUM 2024 in Tartu.
Despite 86 points for the BALTIKUM and 87 points for this web www.arge-baltikum.de – and thus two national gold medals –, a strange feeling of incomplete satisfaction remained in addition to pride and joy, which could hardly be put into words.
We are looking forward to the exhibition in Tartu and invite all Baltic collectors to a joint meeting on Saturday July 27, 2024 from 10 am to 12 noon in the adjoining room of the Estonian National Museum in Tartu!
Gold for the BALTIKUM...
...and for the Web of the ArGe
Our monthly video chat, where anyone with an interest in Baltium philately is welcome, takes place on every first Saturday of the month at 17 h CET (more technical information on this here).
Next date: August 3, 2024
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100th Anniversary of Lithuanian Song Festival
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first Song Festival in Lithuania, a Lithuanian Post souvenir sheet was issued on June 28, 2024 with four face values of € 1.55 (each for a standard domestic letter up to 20 g)).
It is the first stamp block in Lithuania to feature a QR code which, when scanned with a simple photo app, leads to the official website of the Song Festival www.dainusvente.lt.
In 2003, the Baltic song festivals were recognised by UNESCO as masterpieces of the oral and immaterial heritage of humanity..
The first song festival took place in August 1924 in the then capital Kaunas. This year's anniversary event was held in Vilnius from June 29 to July 6; here is the special postmark for the first day of issue.
38. monthly video chat
In our monthly video chat, Olaf Hoffmann showed us letterboxes from all over the world, as real photos and depicted on stamps. The designs vary, as do the differences in the destinations per slot and the labelling as a whole.
Further topics were::
– The elaborate procurement of a photo of the Junkers F13 aeroplane leased from Germany with the registration "D 335", with which the Finnish Aero OY carried out ice flights between Tallinn and Helsinki in 1924 (Michael Wieneke)
– Notifications from Eesti Post about restrictions on postal services in 2024 (Friedhelm Doell, see separate news article below)
Our monthly video chat, where anyone with an interest in Baltium philately is welcome, takes place on every first Saturday of the month at 17 h CET (more technical information on this here).
Next date: July 6, 2024
Special theme: None announced yet. If you would like to show something, please contact the webmaster at This email address is being protected from spambots. JavaScript must be activated in order for it to be displayed. .
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Estonian Post reduces postal services
Foto: Siim Lõvi/ERR
As already partly announced, the Estonian postal company Omniva will reduce further postal services in 2024:
Discontinuation of the PO box service as of May 31, 2024
As part of the reorganisation of its service offering, Omniva has discontinued it's mailbox service after many decades as of May 31, 2024. The service was available to business and private users and last cost &euor;18.30 per month. The only alternative left for customers with such a need is the mail storage service ("poste restante", Estonian "nõudmiseni").
Source of information: https://www.omniva.ee/meie/uudised/koik_uudised/news/omniva-kaotab-nimekasti-teenuse and the personal information of our Estonian member Lehho Jõumees.
Closure of 10 post offices and other announcements
Omiva currently has 57 post offices across Estonia, but by the end of July there will be ten fewer, i.e. 47. For example, Omniva will close the post offices in Põltsamaa, Sindi, Paldiski, Pähklimäe in Narva, Mustamäe and Nõmme in Tallinn, and Raadi and Lõunakeskus in Tartu. However, in some places, such as Kehra or Lõksa, the post office will become a "post point", which means that a parcel or letter can be sent via a library or shop. Apart from the closure of these post offices, no major changes are expected this year in the area of universal postal services, i.e. the dispatch and delivery of letters. Omniva's main focus this year will be on improving the efficiency of delivery routes, i.e. delivering more items with the same courier or allowing couriers to concentrate more on parcel delivery.
In the next few years, when the new postal law is passed, there will probably be further major changes to letter delivery. Omniva made a loss of 1.3 million euros last year. While letter delivery currently has to be affordable, Omniva hopes that in the future it will be cost-based. This means that sending letters would also cost a few tens of cents more. And that would also mean that letters would no longer necessarily have to be delivered five times a week, but could also be delivered less frequently. Only 1.2 million letters are sent in Estonia every year, 900,000 of which are Christmas cards. "We will certainly deliver the Christmas cards to your home by Christmas," promised Mart Mägi, CEO of Omniva.
Source of information: Estonian State Broadcasting Corporation (ERR) https://www.err.ee/1609357953/omniva-vahendab-postkontorite-arvu-veel-viiendiku-vorra.
A completely normal general meeting
This is what it looks like when members of the ArGe Baltikum and guests come together, swap ideas, chat, show each other their latest achievements, ask questions, give presentations and enjoy seeing each other. Simply relaxed, restful and informative. No stress.
When inspecting exhibition sheets,..
...chatting...
... talking shop...
...in lively exchange...
...or during a relaxed chat...
...whether with beer...
...or still without...
...there was a lively exchange throughout the days, and in addition to the formal members' meeting, there were of course – as usual – interesting presentations, this time by these 3 active members:
Thomas Löbbering
Money and value covers 1864–1945
Martin Bechstedt
Fluorescent overprints on Lithuanian and Latvian stamps
Bernhard 'Tony' Fels
Digital database of modern date stamps of the Republic of Lithuania
We have gathered all our strength and replenished our inner stores of motivation – and are looking forward to our monthly video chat, the BALTIKUM 2024 editions,
the MARE BALTICUM in Tartu and our next members' meeting in 2025, on May 23–25, also in Hennef!
37. monthly video chat
The cover shown here illustrates one of the topics of the above video chat: a member asked about the origin of this Latvian postal stationery without nominal value from December 1990, long before Latvia issued its own stamps again. The answer: Mi U2, PS for domestic use.
Other topics were: Questions about the Baltic States on philaseiten.de, new acquisitions by individual members, transport problems of our exhibits on the way to Mare Balticum, discussion about the advantages of video chat (article on this coming soon).
Our monthly video chat, where anyone with an interest in Baltium philately is welcome, takes place on every first Saturday of the month at 17 h CET (more technical information on this here).
Next date: June 1, 2024
Special topic:
Postboxes from around the world (Olaf Hoffmann)
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Valuable talks in Munich
Torsten Berndt and Wilhelm van Loo in dialogue
The trade fair team in conversation with a visitor
Good attendance, lots of contacts - the most recent PHILATELIA in Munich was again a success all round. The concept of limiting the trade fair to two days simply meant that the visitors were well distributed over both days and there was never a day on which there was more or less low tide, as we often experience at trade fairs with three days. Of course, in the last hours of Saturday and especially on Sunday afternoon, the crowds slowed down considerably. But that happens at all trade fairs. Therefore, it cannot be emphasised often enough that less is more, that both visitors and exhibitors prefer events that run over two rather than three days. The concept of mixing non-commercial and commercial exhibitors and not separating them is just as convincing.
Our trade fair team this time consisted of Friedhelm Doell, Reinhard Heinrich, Olaf Hoffmann and Torsten Berndt.
We not only answered the visitors' questions, but also learnt a thing or two. Who knows, for example, that in the period before the German occupation in the First World War, only comparatively few postcards were produced in Lithuania? There are many offers from Estonia and Latvia, as a visitor specialising in philocartography explained to us, but you have to search a long time for Lithuanian items. Lucky the Lithuania aficionados in our working group, whose albums also contain picture postcards!
The trade fair team, from left to right: Reinhardt Heinrich, Friedhelm Doell, Torsten Berndt and Olaf Hoffmann
On Saturday, a veteran of philately and expertising visited us: Wilhelm van Loo had found his way to Munich from the far west. More sprightly than some people 20 years younger, he wandered around the hall, taking photographs and finding time to exchange ideas. It's not just because of his rich experience that it's always a pleasure to chat to him.
This time, our monthly video conference took place "Live from PHILATELIA". For the team at the stand, the conference camera and audio worked as usual; however, the travelling video message from Friedhelm Doell, who took participants on a virtual tour of the exhibition hall, was received by colleagues at the stand – unlike the external participants – without audio. So there is room for improvement.
With its contemporary concept, the organising trade association APHV has positioned PHILATELIA for the future. At the farewell, the motto was: "Next year, same wave, same place".
Latvian Post to close 105 post offices
As of January 25, 2024, there are 173 post offices and 423 locations in Latvia where postal services are provided on request (www.pasts.lv/en/Category/Post_Offices). In relation to around 1.875 million inhabitants, this currently means one post office for approx. 11,500 inhabitants and a total of one postal facility for some 3,150 inhabitants.
On January 24, 2024, Latvian Post announced that it intends to close 105 post offices (from 176 at the beginning of the year) by the end of 2024, with 12 ceasing their services completely and 93 "changing their format", i.e. also only providing postal services on request. This means that by the end of the year there will only be 71 post offices in Latvia, one for every 26,400 inhabitants. Some residents already have to travel 20 to 25 kilometres to their nearest post office, a distance that will soon double.
In the postal service centres with the "modified format", customers who wish to use postal services must call the customer support telephone number and a postal employee will come to their home the next day.
The reason for the closure of the post offices is the unprofitability of their management for the Latvian State Post. Desperate reactions from the population, such as the offer by the local council of South Kurzeme (Latvia's largest municipality by area) to take over some of the tasks of the postal staff, have so far been unsuccessful, as the Latvian Post is not willing to hand over its offices and competences to the municipality.
My opinion: The times in which a postal system for the general public was seen as a state welfare service are clearly over. Capitalism has arrived in the Baltic States.
Image source: Latvian State Broadcasting Corporation
Source of information: Latvian State Broadcasting Corporation eng.lsm.lv/article/economy/transport/24.01.2024-latvian-postal-service-to-close-most-offices.a540108/
Estonian Post (brand name Omniva) addition as of January 26, 2024:
Also in Estonia, another 10 to 15 post offices will be converted into postal points this year (which are not owned by Omniva, but are operated by local authorities, for example in libraries or shops). Post points are also being replaced by parcel machines. Sending and receiving parcels is the most used postal service at 80%, and with outdoor parcel machines, people are not tied to opening hours. The hoped-for savings amount to 1 million euros per year; up to 10 full-time jobs will be cut in 2024.
There are currently 57 post offices and 59 post points as well as around 350 parcel machines in Estonia. "There will not be a wave of closures like in Latvia, as these changes have already taken place in recent years," assured Mart Mägi, CEO of Omniva.Source of information: Estonian State Broadcasting Corporation www.err.ee/1609234572/omniva-vahendab-tanavu-postkontorite-arvu-kuni-kumme-protsenti.
New status of the Latvian Post as of February 2, 2024:
The head of Latvijas Pasts, Beate Krauze-Čebotare, said on Thursday (February 1) that the plan to close 105 post offices had been put on hold. Latvian Transport Minister Kaspars Briškens also confirmed this. The Latvian Post's plan had caused great resentment in the country, as the decision would have left some municipalities without a post office. An individual solution is now being sought for each location, whereby the costs must also be seen in the context of small subsidies, said Krauze-Čebotare.
My opinion: Why not just like this?
Source of information: Estonian State Broadcasting Corporation www.err.ee/1609241208/lati-pani-postkontorite-sulgemise-plaani-pausile.
Consequences at the Latvian Post on February 7, 2024:
The Chairman of the Board of Latvijas Pasts, Raimonds Duda, and Councillor Ivars Blumbergs resigned because they felt that cooperation and communication with the Ministry of Transport had stalled and the common goal of developing the Post as a competitive company had not been achieved. For over a year, the new strategy to change the company's business model with significant process improvements had been developed with the involvement of the relevant officials from the Ministry of Transport. They had been aware of the restructuring plans for a long time, but had not raised important issues with the Post directly after the planned measures were publicised, but via social networks. The Ministry of Transport then instructed the Latvian Post to suspend and reconsider the planned closure of each post office in order to reduce Latvia's economic independence in postal services, taking into account the views of local residents, authorities, municipalities and employees in the sector.
Source of information: Estonian State Broadcasting Corporation www.err.ee/1609245840/lati-posti-noukogu-astus-tagasi.
Arbeitsgemeinschaft Baltikum e.V.
(Working Group Baltic States)
in the BDPh e.V.(Association of German Philatelists)
Philately of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
Association register entry VR 3542 at Siegburg local court
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