Mourning Stamp

On August 7, 1900, a private "mourning stamp" at 1 Penni was launched in Finland as a protest against the use of stamps with increasingly Russian instead of Finnish design (kopecks instead of pennies, coat of arms with Russian double eagle instead of Finnish lion) enforced by Russia, with the peak from 1901 to 1917, when only stamps with Russian design were allowed.

 

The request was to affix the mourning stamp on corresponding letters with Russian franking. The stamp was in black and showed the Finnish coat of arms, the value of 1 Penni was imprinted on the rubber side. Corresponding letters were carried without problem. The proceeds from the mourning stamp sales were to be donated to general welfare causes.

mourning stamp finnish lion 1 penni

 

Mourning stamp front

mourning stamp finnish lion 1 penni

 

Mourning stamp rear


trilingual finnish lion russian eagle kopek penni markka

 

Left to right

 

1895: 25 Penni, Trilingual, Finnish lion
1890: 1 Markka, Trilingual, Finnish lion
1891: 1 Kopek, Russian double eagle
1901: 1 Markka Russian double eagle
1908: 10 Penni Russian double eagle
1926: 11/2 Markka, the Finnish lion is back