27th June 1919 ANUS overprint occupation stamps
On June 27, 1919 the Finnish post office issued the Anus overprint occupation stamps.
These stamps are an interesting time capsule of the post WW1 upheaval.
Soon after Finland gained independence from the Russians, the citizens of Karelia, which were culturally aligned with the Finns, began requesting support to join Finland. After a couple of unsuccessful forays, Finnish troops crossed into Eastern Karelia on 21 Apr, 1919 with the objective to unite Eastern Karelia with the rest of Finland. The Finns sorely underestimated the troops necessary to take Eastern Karelia, anticipating support from the local population as well as from British Troops which occupied portions of the region.
https://www.dcstamps.com/aunus-finnish-occupation-1919/
Finland released 8 stamps overprinted with the word Anus, which was the Finish word for the Olonetsky District of Karelia.
Finland Coat of Arms – Anus Overprint
Released June 27, 1919
Designer: Eliel Saarinen
This is a nice panel of overprints showing the date and plate number on the selvedge.
The designer Saarinen is better known as an architect who was involved in the following projects in Finland and the United States.
- Helsinki Central railway station
- National Museum of Finland
- Vyborg railway station
- Hvitträsk
- Kleinhans Music Hall
- Lahti Town Hall
- Finnish pavilion at the 1900 Exposition Universelle
- Cranbrook Academy of Art
- Eliel Saarinen’s Tribune Tower design (1922)
Along with the Anus overprint stamps, Saarinen designed the 1922 Finnish bank notes. You can read more about Eliel Saarinen and his work here.
The previous SODs were celebrations of moments in Canadian history. I have a real soft spot for all things Canadian: