A Brief History of Stamps of Iceland

Iceland used ordinary Danish stamps from 1870 till 1873 and examples of these with the numeral obliterators of Reykjavik or Setdisfjordur are highly prized by specialist collectors. The first stamps were in a modified form of the crowned numeral design adopted by Denmark in 1870. The stamps were put on sale on New Year’s Day 1873 in denominations from 3 to 16 skilling. A series in aur (ore) currency was released two years later.

A series bearing a full-face portrait of King Christian X was introduced in 1920 in denominations from 1a to 5k. Various provisional surcharges and changes of colour were produced in 1921 – 1930 and then the series was reissued between 1931 and 1937 with the portrait redrawn with finer lines. The portrait series was augmented by pictorial recess printed designs. In 1931 a series of small format stamps featured the Gullfoss Falls, while two stamps of 1935 featured the Dynjandi Falls and Mount Hekla. Between April 1938 and March 1945 a series featuring the Great Geyser was recess printed.

De La Rue produced the majority of Icelandic stamps from 1930 to 1960. During World War II British and American forces garrisoned the island, though Denmark itself was under German occupation. In Jun 1944 Iceland became an independent republic. A set of six stamps was released on Independence Day and portrayed the nineteenth century Icelandic statesman, Jon Sigurdsson, who led the independence movement. A definitive series featuring scenery and occupations was introduced in 1950. The 5a. 90a and 2k stamps depicted the harbour on the Vestmann Islands, while other stamps featured a tractor, a flock of sheep, a fishing trawler and the Parliament Building in Reykjavik.

A set of five stamps was released in June 1949 with premiums in aid of Red Cross funds. The stamps showed a children’s hospital, a nurse and patient, a nurse arranging a patient’s bed, an aged couple and a ship and a lifeboat, highlighting aspects of Red Cross relief work and medical care. For the United Nations Freedom from Hunger campaign, Iceland chose a novel design getting away from the conventional symbolism favoured by most other countries. The 5 and 7.50k stamps featured trawlers and a catch of herring. Multicolour photogravure was adopted by Iceland in 1960 and has been used virtually exclusively ever since.

Many stamps of Iceland have alluded to the thermal and seismic activity of the island, with views of the Great Geyser and Mount Hekla in eruption. In November 1963 a submarine volcano erupted and from the lava and ashes arose the new island of Surtsey. Scientists from all over the world have observed the zoological and botanical development of Surtsey closely. A set of three stamps was issued in June 1965, each denomination depicting a different phase in the birth and development of the island.