Designer Magnus Rakeng’s Roald Amundsen’s 150 Years begins Norway’s 2022 stamp program. It’s beginning to feel like a tradition. Rakeng ushered in the past 2 years with snowy visages as well.  An appropriately chilly start to the new year. 

Last year offered some interesting perspectives on Norwegian history and landscape. I know, I know, all of you expect the puffin stamp to come out on the top of my picks, but no. Puffins, although near and dear to my geeky little heart weren’t the winners.  The Dovre Railway Line Centenary pair were the hands down best of 2021. The trains illustrated are “Dovregubben at Hjerkinn station and type 14 electric locomotive at Snøhetta”. The Record – The Illustrators (illustratorene.no)

“The Dovre Railway was officially opened on September 17, 1921. It took seventy years to complete, and was a long and difficult process. Several lines have been added over the years.” The Dovre Railway | A journey from Oslo to Trondheim (visitnorway.com)

Artist Trond Bredesen’s design has a classic travel poster appeal that really makes me want to book a trip on the Dovre train. If the stamps intrigue you, then you’ll enjoy Visit Norway’s write up on the line The Dovre Railway.  If you are a fan of Bredesen’s illustrations, look for his return in April for the Royal Anniversaries stamp. Much of Bredesen’s work has a vintage feel to it. Check out more of his illustrations at Illustratørene (illustratorene.no). And before you ask, yes, he has a couple of trolls and gnomes! Wonderful, wonderful trolls and gnomes. 

While Norway’s cancels aren’t as richly detailed as say Japan or Peru’s, the country does offer excellent collecting opportunities. Norwegian postmarks are clean and very linear, which has it’s own appeal. Here’s a good example from the October 2021 Mopeds and Motorcycles set. It’s amusing and understandable with no need for words

On a final note, I’m currently looking for details about Posten stalwart designer Camilla Kvien Jensen. She’s a one person design force for them but decent info is a little hard to source.  Onwards and northwards to Norway.   
Catpaw

January

Roald Amundsen 150 years

2 stamps, sheets of 50, FDC, cancel, gold letter FDC, 2 maxi cards, presentation pack, collector’s set
Offset 

Roald Amundsen at the South and North Poles  
Amundsen was featured on 6 previous Norwegian stamps. 

Amundsen, Roald (1872-1928) | FRAM (frammuseum.no)

Designer: Magnus Rakeng
Rakeng has designed 20 previous stamps for Norge Posten. His first stamp was the 2013 200 Years of the Norwegian Student Society. 
Photos from the National Museum / Commons, Fram Museum Fram Museum Oslo | The best museum in Norway‎

Release date: January 3, 2022

Posten at 375 Years

2 stamps, sheets of 50, FDC, cancel, gold letter FDC, 2 maxi cards, presentation pack, collector’s set
Offset 

Marking Norwegian post’s 375 years of service. 
Norges Postmuseum (postmuseet.no) (use Google translate) 

In 1642, Governor Hannibal Sehested received an order from the Danish-Norwegian King Christian IV to organize a postal service between Copenhagen and Christiania. The result was that the Post Office was established on 17 January 1647. At that time, letter delivery was the only postal service. Sending a letter was relatively complicated, where the postage was calculated according to distance and weight and had to be paid in advance or upon receipt.  Frimerkeposten Nr 1/2022

Each stamp has a QR code. When scanned you will be treated to a Posten anniversary film.

Designer: Camilla Kvien Jensen
Photographer: Aksel Jermstad

Release date: January 17, 2022

April

EUROPA 2022 – Stories and Myths 

2 stamps, FDC, cancel, collector’s set, souvenir pack, presentation pack, 2 maxi cards

Trolls & Hulder (forest nymph)

Trolls, Hulders and Nisses: The Preternatural Creatures of Norwegian Folklore – #FolkloreThursday 

Artist: Wictoria Nordgaard
Designer: Camilla Kvien Jensen

Release date: April 22, 2022

Royal Anniversaries

4 stamps, prestige booklet, gold letter, 5 FDCs, cancel, collector’s set, folder
offset

• King Harald V
• Queen Sonja
• King Haakon VII
• Princess Ingrid Alexandra

Illustrator: Trond Bredesen
Designer: Camilla Kvien Jensen

Release date: April 22, 2022

June

Posthorn

1 stamp 2 FDCs, cancel, collector’s set, souvenir pack, presentation pack, maxi card

Andreas Friedrich Wilhelm von Hanno created the world’s oldest stamp design in 1871. Philatelic Database has a writeup about this design World’s Oldest Stamp Design – Norway’s Posthorn Stamp Still Going Strong – Philatelic Database. 

Designers: Enzo Fingers & Sverre Morken 

Release date: June 17, 2022

Love is Love

1 stamp 2 FDCs, cancel, collector’s set, souvenir pack, presentation pack, maxi card

Designer: Camilla Kvien Jensen

Release date: June 17, 2022

July

Roald Amundsen 150 Years
Special cover

1 cover with cancel

Released with cooperation of the Follo Museum. Cover shows Amundsen’s house Uranienborg in Svartskog near Bunnefjorden. The cancel is the emblem carved onto the dining chairs at Uranienborg. 

Release date: July 16, 2022

October 

Arctic University of Norway’s 150th Anniversary – Tromsø Museum

2 stamps on souvenir sheet, FDC, gold FDC, cancel, presentation pack, collector’s pack
offset

Established October 16, 1872

The Arctic University Museum of Norway | UiT

Designer: Martin Mörck
Photographer: Th. Iversen/Norsk Folkemuseum, Aslak Jonne Sarre

Release date: October 1, 2022

Research, Innovation & Technology

2 stamps, FDC, gold FDC, cancel, 2 maxi cards, presentation pack, collector’s pack
offset

Floating wind power – Hywind Tampen & Delousing with laser – Stingray Marine Solutions

The QR code on each stamp leads to Research, innovation and technology on new stamps (forskningsradet.no). This page highlights each stamp in the series: 

• Hywind Tampen – The largest floating offshore wind farm in the world
• Stingray Marine Solutions AS – Shoot salmon lice with laser
• Georadar – Norwegian georadar to Mars issued 2021
• Underwater robot – HUGIN explores the depths of the ocean issued 2021
• Microscopic spheres – Professor John Ugelstad pioneered medicine and technology issued 2021

Designer: Enzo Fingers

Release date: October 1, 2022

Posthorn Stamps 150th Anniversary

1 stamp on souvenir sheet, mini sheet, FDC, gold FDC, cancel, presentation pack, collector’s pack
offset

From Norway’s news release:

Norway’s post horn stamps would eventually become the world’s oldest, unbroken series of stamps. The talented German-Norwegian architect Wilhelm von Hanno was commissioned to produce a design for the stamps. He was a well-known architect who designed the Trinity and Grønland churches, a school, fire station and police station in Oslo. He was also a sculptor and taught drawing to young students, one of whom was Theodor Kittelsen. Von Hanno worked with Heinrich Ernst Schirmer on a design for the new Parliament building. Although it won the competition in 1857, their proposal was later rejected.

In the first few years after 1872, the posthorn stamps had denominations in Skilling. Then in 1877, Norway started to issue them with denominations in Øre. There have been numerous different printers, printing techniques and designers over the years. The posthorn stamps were given a veritable facelift in 2001 by the stamp artists Sverre Morken and Enzo Finger. They combined the original motif of the stamp with modern, five-colour offset production. The new stamps were issued in all the colours of the rainbow with a metallic gold crown and horn and silver under the wings, creating a series that is simultaneously on-trend and classic – a worthy 150-year-old world record holder

Wilhelm von Hanno – Nasjonalmuseet (in Norwegian and English)

Designer: Enzo Fingers
enzofingerdesign

Release date: October 1, 2022

November

Volunteering

1 stamp, FDC, cancel, Gold FDC, maxi cards, collector’s set, presentation pack

Designer: Jørn O. Jøntvedt

Release date: November 11, 2022

Christmas 2022

Gingerbread houses, gingerbread man

collectors pack,  maxi cards

Designer: Camilla Kvien Jensen
Photographers: Elin Vatnar Nilsen, Mette Randem, Maren Baxter
Bakers: Gingerbread house: Elin Vatnar Nilsen, Maren Vøllestad, Maren Baxter.
               Gingerbread man: Margrethe Lim

Release date: November 11, 2022

Enjoy Norwegian 2021 stamp issues & designers | Bitter Grounds Magazine

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