Big Blue 1840-1940: Iceland

1900s Reykjavik Post Office

Bud's Big Blue
Bud's Observations

Iceland’s stamps reflect a Nordic solemnity; they’re not as dark as Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal, but trend in that direction. The 1900s Reykjavik post office (above), through which passed some of my stamps, looks solidly drab too. Stamp colors reminiscent of Iceland’s December noontime sunrises, or February northern lights, continue well beyond the classical era. Bright spots occasionally pop up. The embossed 1912 Frederik VIII series has vibrant surrounds, but Frederik himself is snow white. Another splashy exception: Iceland’s 2016 commemorative of the Holuhraun eruption.

2016 Iceland "Holuhraun Eruption"

Pastel colors may contribute to Iceland’s popularity among stamp collectors. More important, Iceland limits the number of issues. And, except for the earlies, they’re inexpensive. I found BB’s selection easy to collect, mostly, although some of the “officials” proved challenging.

Census: 161 in BB spaces, 7 tip-ins, 52 on supplement pages.

1930 Scott 153 5a dark blue & slate green

"Viking ship in Storm"

Jim's Observations

Perhaps one of the most interesting issues I've come across, collecting WW classic, is the Icelandic set commemorating the "Millenary of the Althing", the Icelandic Parliament, the oldest in the world. This is a fifteen stamp lithographed set issued in 1930, with eight of them in BB - see page 2c.

With a classic Norse frame "wood block" design, the vignette has several Viking scenes: "gathering wood", "Iceland woman in national costume", "Winter-bound home", "Woman spinning", and "Map of Iceland". Nine stamps have a modest CV of $4-$10+.

Iceland Blog Post and BB Checklist

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