GC_GB_0603

S U P S C R I P T I O N M A G A Z I N E F O R C O L L E C T O R S O F G R E E N L A N D S TA M P S • V O L . 1 1 • n O . 3 • septem b er 2 0 0 6

Galathea 3 Page 3

Dovekie in Greenland Page 4

Arctic Station - 100 Years – Page 6

”Washington 2006” Page 10

Subscribers’ Draw 2006 Christmas Stamps 2006 Page 12 Page 13

& FIRST DAY COVERS & MAXICARDS

Take out a subscription to any FDC product now and receive a free random set of 3 FDC/1, no longer on sale. This offer is valid until 31st December 2006. Use the order form and indicate which products you would like to subscribe to. Please mark your order “3 Free” to get your free set.

A subscription to First Day Covers and Maxicards gives you the opportunity to collect Greenland stamps in a most original and unique format. Any First Day Cover or Maxicard is by default a rare and limited collector’s item. First Day Covers and Maxicards present Greenland stamps in the artistic context of an envelope or a postcard especially designed for each stamp or series of stamps. The First Day Cancellation, likewise especially designed for each stamp or series, shows the date and place of issue, making each First Day Cover and Maxicard a real philatelic item and a document of time.

First Day Covers and Maxicards are only for sale from POST Greenland for a period of six months from the date of issue. The price is always the value of the stamp plus DKK 6.00 for the envelope or card.

You can purchase or subscribe to six different kinds of First Day Products,

3 FDC arge h c f o free

all with a First Day Cancellation. Similar to the Year Pack, it is also possible to get all First Day Covers issued during one calendar year as a set.

However, this option is only available for FDC/1.

201 FDC/1: Single stamp on a special envelope 202 FDC/4: Block of four on a special envelope 203 FDC/Series: One or several stamps of the same series

on a special envelope 204 FDC/Souvenir Sheet: Souvenir Sheet on a special envelope 205 FDC/1 Year Set: All FDC/1 for one calendar year in a set 401 Maxicards: Single stamp on the front of a special

postcard

Photo: Grønlandskommandoen

01100373 Galathea 3 DKK 9.75 Issue Date: 09.09.2006 40 stamps per sheet Format: G vertical Printing Method: Offset Paper: Sopal Artist: Naja Abelsen Outside Measurements: 28.84 mm x 39.52 mm

The seabed has a story to tell Text: Senior Researcher, PhD. Naja Mikkelsen, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS)

The seabed of the Greenlandic fiords and coastal area contains extensive records of information about, among other things, climatic changes of the past. One of the projects of the Galathea 3 Expedition “Environmental and Climatic Changes in Greenlandic Fiords and Shelf Regions” is to collect and examine cores of the seabed from West Greenlandic Fiords. The purpose of collecting and examining these cores is to obtain new knowledge about changes in the Greenlandic climate and about recent geological history.

Climatic changes have had a major influence on the history of the Greenlandic population and culture since the first Inuit immigration to Greenland took place 4,500 years ago and up until today.

Cores of Seabed and Climatic Information The cores of seabed consist of fine-grained material, which is stratified – and it is these different strata which are the object of the examinations. The strata contain, among other things, remains of small microfossils, that is calcium shells of small microscopic animals, which once lived in the water before sinking to the bottom and being embedded in the sediments of the seabed.

The cores of sediment are collected with 6- and 12metre long core tubes, which are pressed into the

soft sediments on the seabed by heavy plummets.

Subsequently, the core tube is pulled out of the seabed with one of the strong capstans of the ship and then follows the exciting moment when the core tube is put on to deck. Will the new core contain new and exciting information? The cores are opened and samples are taken out, so the small microfossils can immediately be examined in the microscopes in the laboratories of the “Vædderen”.

These examinations are to give a first impression of the age of the cores and the climatic situations they represent. At the end of the expedition the cores will go through a long series of examinations in the laboratory in Copenhagen – and then more detailed information will emerge.

Before taking out the cores of sediment, a number of seismic examinations of the fiords have to be carried out, in order to find places suited as sediment basins.

Climatic Changes and Greenlandic Cultural History On the Greenlandic west coast, the 4,500-yearold cultural history of Greenland is represented by the well-known Inuit cultures, Sarqaq, Dorset and Thule. In addition to these, there was also the Norse culture, represented by the Norsemen, who were descendants of the Norse Vikings.

Attempting to clarify whether the different

cultures of Greenland arose and disappeared synchronously with climatic and environmental changes – or if other factors also came into play – the examinations of the cores of sediment collected during the Galathea expedition will focus on the latest 4,500 years, in order to examine, among other things, climatic and environmental changes in the fiord regions at the times when the different Inuit immigration waves moved along the Greenlandic coasts. Also climatic and environmental changes during the Norse period, when Europeans tried to live in Greenland as farmers, from approximately 1,000 until 1,500 AD, will be examined. Norsemen settled in Greenland as farmers during a warm period and the Icelandic sagas relate the lives and activities of these Norsemen. The last written account about the Norsemen is from 1408, a description of a wedding in Hvalsø Church. What happened to the Norse population since then has not yet been clarified but, hopefully, the marine cores of sediment to be collected during the Galathea expedition will contribute information about climatic changes during the period when the Norse disappeared from Greenland.

The most abundant bird in Greenland

“The thrill of nature is complete: An acrid smell of sea-birds as the sun warms the cliffs of the colony; the sight of several thousand dovekie which, frightened by a patrolling glaucous gull, come rolling like a black and white avalanche from higher up in the colony, and the sound of the flapping of thousands upon thousands of wings passing just over my head.�

Extract from a field diary, Ittoqqortoormiit, July 2004.

Text: Carsten Egevang, The Greenland Institute of Natural Resources – Photos: Carsten Egevang, ARC-PIC.COM

The dovekie is in many ways an impressive bird.

With a length of 20 cms and a weight of only 150 grams, the dovekie is the smallest of the Greenlandic sea-birds. It spends nine months of the year out at sea, usually far from the coast, and it only comes close to land in the summer to breed in the high Arctic. The most impressive characteristic of the dovekie is, however, the enormous number of birds found in a dovekie colony.

Millions of birds The dovekie is truly a real Arctic breeding bird. In Greenland the species is found in enormous numbers near Qaanaaq in

Northern Greenland, the Ittoqqortoormiit region in North Eastern Greenland and in a few small colonies in the Upernavik and Disko Bay regions. In addition to Greenland, the dovekie is widespread in Svalbard and in some of the Northern Siberian islands. But nowhere else in the world is the dovekie found in such large numbers as in Greenland. The precise number of birds in the Greenlandic colonies is very difficult to establish as the dovekie builds its nest in loose stones hidden in half-metre deep cavities. The enormous numbers of birds congregated in the same place mean that it is not possible to use the usual methods of counting in the case of the dovekie.

Bird researchers estimate that between 20 and 40 million dovekie pairs breed in the Qaanaaq region and that the colonies in the Ittoqqortoormiit region probably consist of between 5 and 10 million pairs. This means that more than 80 percent of the world population of dovekie are found within Greenland and

that, with these numbers, the species is one of the most abundant sea-birds of the world.

Although the dovekie is not large, it is an important element of the ecosystem of the ocean because of its enormous numbers. Calculations have shown that while the chicks are being fed, the parent birds in a colony of 100,000 pairs will collect more than 5 tons of food from the sea a day. Since the dovekie spends a considerable time in and around the colony, a great part of this food, in the form of droppings, will be deposited on land around the colony. The usual natural cycle involves transport of nutrients from land to sea. But in the case of the dovekie, this transport takes place in the opposite direction: from sea to land.

May reveal climatic changes In the summer of 2004 researchers from the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources visited the Ittoqqortoormiit region in order to reveal unknown aspects of the life of the dovekie, using

new methods. This was done with the aid of a

The dovekie is a species with a high degree of

was once very important when hunting was poor.

small electronic measuring device, a so-called data logger.

specialisation in its choice of food and with species such as these, where no alternative foods

It is estimated that 10 kiviaqs could keep a family alive for four to five months.

Information from the data logger showed that the dovekie collects its food at depths up to 25 metres, each dive lasting about a minute. When

are available, climatic changes will probably be readily expressed by altered foraging habits or changes of regional occurrences. In other words,

The dovekie was also used for making bird skin clothes. This type of clothing was used in the Qaanaaq region by both men and women

catching the many small krill, the dovekie uses a special technique, beginning by diving fast

the dovekie will be extremely sensitive to changes in, for instance, the ocean current near Eastern

until around 1920 and was made of the skin of approximately 250 dovekie. The garment was

into deep water and then, using the buoyancy of its body, moving slowly up through the water,

Greenland, and at an early stage would be able to

worn next to the skin and there were usually feathers on both the inner and outer sides. It was

probably catching the small animals one by one.

The results also provide a detailed picture of how, during the breeding season, the dovekie divides its time between the colony and foraging at sea.

The Greenland Institute of Natural Resources is not only interested in finding out more about the feeding habits and lifestyle of the dovekie to collect knowledge of the species and the Greenlandic population, but also because the life quality and feeding habits of the dovekie may be important in a wider perspective as a form of early warning system of global climatic changes.

warn of future climatic changes.

very flimsy, but extremely warm.

Fat-preserved dovekie Catching dovekie previously played an important part during the summer months, but especially as a food source for kiviaq – fat-preserved dovekie.

This Qaanaaq delicacy is prepared by opening a seal and removing all the meat, leaving the blubber. The seal is now filled with 500 – 600 whole raw dovekies and is then sewn together and subsequently stored under a stone for about six months. In this way the seal blubber will tenderise the dovekies. This form of food reserve

Photo: Niels Nielsen, former Chairman of the Governing Body of Arctic Station

100th Anniversary of Arctic Station in Qeqertarsuaq Text: Reinhardt Møbjerg Kristensen

Arctic Station is the northernmost outpost of Copenhagen University and the Station celebrated its 100th anniversary on 4th August 2006. During the last 100 years, Arctic Station has been the flagship of Danish Arctic Fundamental Research but the Station is more than just a research centre. It is also a historic journey into the culture of Greenland and a symbol of the proud scientific traditions of Denmark so far north. The anniversary was celebrated with, among other things, the issue of a Greenland stamp and the book: Arctic Station 1906 – 2006. The book would not have materialised without the support of the A.P. Møller and Mrs Chastine McKinney Møller Foundation for Common Purposes and Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik’s Foundation. Both foundations have contributed to this anniversary, not only being celebrated on the actual day, but also to the first 100 years being secured for posterity.

Arctic Station and Nature of Disko

the

Unique

Arctic Station (69°15’N 53°34’W) is situated on the southern side of the Disko Island

(Qeqertarsuaq) in the outer part of the Disko Bay, precisely where the natural environment displays greatest diversity, on the border between the low and high arctic regions. The sea is abundant with plankton; it is therefore possible to watch large whales at play just outside the Station. During later years, the Greenland whale has returned. This whale was the reason for the foundation of the whaling town Qeqertarsuaq (Godhavn) in 1773. Now researchers, using Arctic Station as a base, are trying to elicit secrets from this giant – which may have a lifespan of more than 200 years. Also the bird life in the Disko Island is extremely abundant, and therefore no less than three of the 10 Ramsar areas of Greenland are situated in Disko. The Station is situated on the transition between the bedrock (gneiss) and the basalt in a designated area of outstanding natural beauty, with a view to Black Sand, where capelins come to spawn in early spring, and to the icebergs of the Disko Bay, most of which come from the Ilulissat Ice Fiord. The main reason why the area around the Station is designated an area of outstanding natural beauty is Østerlien (the Eastern Hillside)

with its unique flora and fauna and also the hot springs (uunartut) which, from their source in the basalt wall of the Østerlien, flow down into the lagoon in front of the Station.

The basalt of the heather field table mountain rises impressively steep immediately behind the Station. The mountain massif has its own small ice cap in a walking distance from the Station.

This glacier is now frequently visited by both researchers and tourists. Arctic Station provides the setting for research and tuition at university level within the subjects of botany, zoology, geography and geology. All-year research is given high priority and, for this reason, both the technical and the scientific leaders live at the station all year so conditions can also be studied in extreme winter circumstances. Even if the Station is now equipped with automatic meteorological stations, a daily manual log is kept of the most important meteorological phenomena and occurrences in nature.

Especially in the summer, Arctic Station is a place bustling with great activity as it is then a base of several scientific expeditions to the Disko Bay region. At this time the research ship “Por-

sild” has to be at sea almost around the clock, as it is used both as a means of transport and for research. In the summer, advanced tuition for university students, the Greenlandic educational system, university extension courses and other scientific field courses are taking place and, in the winter, other courses are held which may be organised for the Greenlandic Home Rule Government or the municipality. Finally the Station has been opened up for several international courses and workshops during later years, so the Station now has approximately 2,000 bednights a year. Also, its comprehensive library has become a substantial resource in international research and tuition work.

The Foundation of Arctic Station

Arctic Station Today

After numerous renovations the Station today consists of four buildings: 1. Morten Porsild’s original but now modernised two-storey building. The technical leader lives in the western wing on the ground floor. The

During its 100 years of existence, Arctic Station had had no less than four cutters used for research purposes. The newest research cutter is “Porsild”, built of steal and aluminium. The building of “Porsild” in 1994 was rendered possible by a generous grant from the A.P. Møller and Mrs Chastine McKinney Møller Foundation for Common Purposes

About

the

01100370 Science II/3 ”Arctic Station” DKK 15.50 Issue Date: 06.11.2006 40 stamps per sheet Format: F vertical Printing Method: Combination Paper: TR4 Engraving: Lasse Sjööblom Outside Measurements: 33.44 mm x 28.84 mm

Author:

Reinhardt Møbjerg Kristensen, born on 06.12.1948, Professor, hon. DSc, PhD, The Danish Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen.

Photo: Niels Nielsen, former Chairman of the Governing Body of Arctic Station

Arctic Station was founded by the botanist Morten P. Porsild, who, as leader of an expedition to Disko in 1902, together with August Krogh (who later received the Nobel Prize) got the idea of establishing a scientific station in Greenland. As soon as Morten Porsild had returned from the 1902 expedition, he began agitating for the establishment of an arctic station in Greenland. The money came from Counsellor Holck (DKK 35,000); at the same time the “Biological Station” was awarded a Government Grant of DKK 9,000 a year for running costs. In 1906 Morten Porsild came to Qeqertarsuaq where, together with the sealers of the town, he chose the site of the station, a little east of the whaling town of Godhavn. The area was the old shamans’ place, Angakkussarfik, where a homoeothermic spring (uunartoq) flows down from the Østerlien into a lagoon. Here science was now to take over and it did so for the next 100 years. Morten Porsild was at Arctic Station for 40 years and 23 scientific leaders followed. The oldest arctic all-year station today belongs to the “Scientific Faculty of the University of Copenhagen”. In Greenland the 100th anniversary was, among other things, celebrated with the issue of this stamp.

rest of the building has room for 26 visitors, kitchen facilities, dining and living rooms and a classroom with modern audio-visual equipment and, of course, the famous stuffed birds from the whole of the Disko Bay. There is a fantastic view from the living room over the icebergs and the animal life in the Disco Bay. 2. The laboratory building, drawn by Eva Koppel, consists of two dry laboratories with modern microscopes with digital cameras, a large library, a herbarium with Morten Porsild’s collections etc.

3. The scientific leader’s house with the meteorological station. Here the 23 successive scientific leaders have lived.

4. Garage with workshop and a wet laboratory for the dissection of fish and marine mammals etc.

Kap København Left: The melting inland ice left huge boulders in the landscape, as if arranged by prehistoric giants.

Centre: Strata, originally deposited as sand and clay on the sea floor 3,800 million years ago. The black strata contain carbon, which shows that there was a flourishing life in the sea already at this early stage in the history of the Earth.

Right: From the high mountain of Isua one can see 150 kilometres in all directions. The inland ice withdrew from the land a few thousand years ago and left the surface of the mountains scoured and polished - to the delight of the many researchers studying these, to our knowledge, oldest sediments on the Earth.

The Earliest Life on the Earth Text and photos: Professor Minik Rosing, Geological Museum

Isua is situated 150 km northeast of the capital of Greenland, Nuuk. Here we find rocks which were originally deposited on the ocean floor 3,800 million years ago. Some of the rocks derived from submarine volcanic eruptions and others were deposited as sand and mud on the sea floor. Isua, therefore, comprises the oldest sedimentary rocks known on the Earth today. Through studies of the sediments, we can obtain insight into the surface environments of the Earth at the time of the deposition of these sediments. One of the most conspicuous features of the sediments is the fact that they are black as coal. Under the microscope one can see that the black colour is due to the presence of abundant microscopic particles of carbon. Similar carbon particles are found in sea floor sediments today and, in the present-day deposits, we know that the carbon is derived from living organisms that lived in the sea, died and sank to the bottom together with clay and sand. Therefore, the assumption immediately suggests itself that the carbon in the ancient deposits is also of biologic origin. However, we do not have to deal with speculation alone. Carbon has two isotopes - that is atoms with slightly different weights. When living organisms take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or the sea to build new cells, they prefer the lighter of the two carbon isotopes, carbon-12, rather than the heavier carbon-13. Carbon derived from living organisms therefore has a characteristic deficit of

About

the

Author:

Minik T. Rosing, born in 1957, Professor of Geology at the University of Copenhagen and President of the Commission of Scientific Studies in Greenland.

carbon-13 in comparison to carbon that has not been concentrated by living organisms. The carbon particles from Isua have this distinctive biogenic isotope signature. We do not know exactly what types of organisms existed at the time or how they functioned, but there is some evidence to suggest that life had acquired the ability to perform photosynthesis. Thanks to the sedimentary strata at Isua, we now know that life has existed on the Earth for more than 3,800 million years - more than one quarter of the history of the entire Universe.

01100369 Science II/2 ”Oldest Mountains” DKK 8.00 Issue Date: 06.11.2006 40 stamps per sheet Format: F vertical Printing Method: Combination Paper: TR4 Artist: Naja Abelsen Engraving: Lasse Sjööblom Outside Measurements: 33.44 mm x 28.84 mm

sand

clay

Mesozoic and Palaeozoic sandstone and limestone

01100368 Science II/1 ”The Kap København Formation” DKK 0.50 Issue Date: 06.11.2006 40 stamps per sheet Format: F vertical Printing Method: Combination Paper: TR4 Engraving: Lasse Sjööblom Outside Measurements: 33.44 mm x 28.84 mm

The Kap KøbenhavnFormation Text: Ole Bennike, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) – Illustrations: GEUS

During the geological mapping of the eastern part of Peary Land in 1979, a hitherto unknown sequence of clay and sand was discovered. During the following years, the sequence, which is around 100 metres thick, turned out to contain a unique wealth of well-preserved remains of plants and animals. Its age is around 2.4 million years and the Kap København Formation, as the sequence was baptised, was thus formed at the beginning of the large glaciations of Greenland. The Kap København Formation fills a major gap in our knowledge about the development of the Greenlandic environment, as we did not previously know of any deposits from the beginning of the glacial stages.

Remains of many hundreds of plants and animals have been found. Land, lakes and the sea are all richly represented. But even though the remains are well preserved, it has been a large piece of detective work to identify them, because one usually finds only fragments of a plant or an animal. Many of the species can still be found in Greenland today, but a large number of species no longer living in Greenland were also found, as well as a small group of extinct species.

Most noteworthy are the remains of trees. To begin with, when we found trunks of trees, we thought they were driftwood, which is frequently found along the shores of Peary Land today. But later on we found cones, seeds and leaves of conifers and, therefore, they must represent local tree growth. The dominating conifer was an extinct species of larch, which was baptised Greenland larch, but black spruce and northern white cedar were also common. The trunks are small, the largest recorded diameter being 18 cm, and the longest piece being 460 cm long.

The trunks have extremely narrow growth rings. This shows that the yearly growth rate was extremely small and the summers were only just warm enough for tree growth. The flora also comprises many shrubs and herbs. Mountain aven, crowberry and arctic blueberry are examples of dwarf-shrubs with a wide geographical range in Greenland today, as well as an extinct species of sweet gale. Mountain sorrel and purple saxifrage are examples of typical arctic herbs.

These species are common in the area around Kap København today.

In addition to plant remains, numerous remains of insects were also found, some of them from species that only live in association with trees. The diversity of species is astonishing compared to the situation today. Remains of more than 210 species of beetles were identified, whereas the present-day beetle fauna of all of Greenland comprises only 33 species. Some of the species from the Kap København Formation now live in North America, whereas other species are only found in Siberia.

Also four species of ants were found – whereas today there are no ants in Greenland at all. There has probably also been a rich fauna of birds and mammals, but only fragments of a hare and an extinct species of rabbit were found.

The Kap København Formation holds a mixture of plants and animals, indicative of an oceanic, sub-arctic forest-tundra environment. The arctic tree line was approximately 2,500 km further north than now and the climate of Greenland was much warmer. This also means that the Greenland Inland

Ice did not exist and the Arctic Ocean was not covered with sea ice all year round.

The most noteworthy about the Kap København Formation is the marked contrast between conditions today and 2.4 million years ago. However, it is at least as exiting to think of the long history of arctic species, which we did not know about previously.

For further information about the Kap København Formation, please contact: Ole Bennike, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350 Copenhagen K, telephone +45 38 14 23 63, e-mail: obe@geus.dk.

About

the

Author:

Ole Bennike, born in 1955, geologist. Employed as an information officer with the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland.

Furthermore, we drew lots for 20 “consolation prizes” in the form of 2005 Greenland Year Packs. The winners of the 2005 Year Packs are:

10

”Washington 2006” – A World Exhibition Indeed!

1. Robert P. Foster, Milwaukee, OR 2. Michael Budnik, San Ramon, CA 3. Neil B. Selby, Concord, CA 4. Charlotte J. Rees, Carlsbad, CA 5. Steven Walczak, Littleton, CO

By Pertti Frandsen, Administration & Logistics Manager

6. Bob Giles, Royal Oak, MI 7. Laurence DuBois, Chatham, NY

With 85,000 visitors, “Washington 2006” was a huge success. This number of visitors can hardly be exceeded anywhere else in the world today.

Furthermore, collectors were very keen to purchase the latest issues and close gaps in their various collections.

Consequently, sales were higher than expected.

The capital of the United States turned out to be the perfect place for an exhibition of this magnitude.

Exhibitors, stamp dealers, agents, stamp printers, suppliers of accessories and postal administrations from all over the world met thousands of stamp collectors of every age and walk of life.

our joint Nordic booth: All visitors signing up for a subscription to Greenland Year Packs automatically qualified for the draw for a beautiful first prize: a genuine Inuit Ice Bucket worth $1,000. Many visitors seized the opportunity to participate in the contest for this fine piece of Inuit handicraft.

At the close of the exhibition, we drew lots. The lucky winner of the ice bucket is: Raymond Rudell from Germantown, Maryland. POST Greenland

POST Greenland wishes to thank all visitors and

Many of our subscribers to Greenland stamps paid a visit to our joint Nordic booth. It was a pleasure to meet so many of our North American collectors, many of whom had either visited Greenland or flown over the ice cap. Furthermore, it was indeed a pleasure to welcome so many new subscribers to Greenland stamps.

POST Greenland had arranged a competition at

17. Gerald Strauss, Bloomsberg, PA

all who contributed to making “Washington 2006” the best philatelic world exhibition ever!

18. Joan B. Tittle, Philadelphia, PA

congratulates Mr Rudell on winning this fine prize.

8. Paul Clemmensen, San Jose, CA 9. Albert T. Badd, West Lawn, PA 10. Ronald A. Howley Sr., Dumfries, VA 11. Johnny T. Nelson, Dallas, TX 12. Richard E. Hinds, Clearwater, FL 13. William N. Castor, Sault Sainte Marie, MI 14. Myron Liberman, Albuquerque, NM 15. Richard B. McCammon, Sequim, WA 16. Jerry B. Reinoehl, Fayetteville, NC

For more information on Washington 2006 – please, log on to www.washington-2006.org

19. Jean-Pierre Menard, Montreal, Canada 20. Valerie Puzulis, Bel Air, MD All winners have received their prizes.

2006

„Frimærker i Forum” Norse Mythology is the main theme of the largest stamp exhibition of Northern Europe

By Holger Amelung, Customer Service & Marketing Manager

We are now approaching one of the highlights of the philatelic calendar: from 10th to 12th November, 10,000 stamp collectors from the whole of Denmark, the other Nordic countries and abroad are once more expected for the largest stamp exhibition of Northern Europe: “Frimærker i Forum” in Copenhagen. For many years, this stamp exhibition has been a draw, not only for philatelists, but also for everyone with an interest in the culture and traditions of

• Exhibition of figures from Greenlandic and Norse mythology • Inge Birke is spinning musk wool and showing Viking inspired jewellery • The tooth-carving artist Olaf Borulf and painter Vivi Regina Hansen are both giving an insight into their work during the whole exhibition.

Nordic countries. Also this year, there will be many interesting features, activities and lectures, especially about Norse

And, as always, Santa Claus, who, of course, hails from Greenland, is visiting the exhibition with sweet presents for

mythology, which was the theme of this year’s joint Nordic stamp issue, the second of a series of altogether three parts.

the very small on Saturday and Sunday. Of course, we shall have lots of stamps at our booth, so you will be sure to find

Together with “Tranhuset” in Copenhagen, POST Greenland

something missing in your collection. So, make a note of the weekend 10th – 12th November, and do not miss out

is presenting an interesting programme, including among other things: • Lectures by Arnaq Grove on Greenlandic mythology

on this event.

For further information and latest news about the exhibition, please log on to www.frimforum.dk

Win 10,000 Danish Kroner – Participate in the Stamp Poll for the Greenland Stamp of the Year!

Spend your Christmas holidays electing the Greenland Stamp of the Year!

The 2006 Greenland Stamp is soon to be chosen. The starting signal will be the issue of Greenland Collector No. 1/2007 during the Christmas holidays. Deadline for voting will be up to and including 1st March 2007.

From all ballots received, we are drawing lots for a handsome main prize of 10,000 Danish kroner in cash Moreover, we are drawing lots for 10 “consolation prizes” in the form of our year pack 1996.

The draw will be carried out on 2nd March 2007 by the Mayor of Tasiilaq – and

Exhibition Address: FORUM – COPENHAGEN Julius Thomsens Plads 1 1925 Frederiksberg C

11 Opening hours: Friday, 10th November 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Saturday, 11th November 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Sunday, 12th November 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Entrance Fee: One-day ticket: DKK 30.00 Permanent pass: DKK 50.00 Free entrance for all below the age of 16

the winner of the main prize, the winning stamp as well as the winners of the year packs will be announced immediately thereafter on www.stamps.gl and in Greenland Collector no. 2, April 2007.

Everybody may take part in the election of the Greenland Stamp of the Year, but of course with only one vote per person.

You will find your ballot list in the next issue of Greenland Collector, no. 1/2007, due to be published around Christmas.

Of course, you will also be able to vote online on www.stamps.gl. The ballot list on our website will be ready when Greenland Collector no 1/2007 is sent out.

POST Greenland is hoping for a high poll – and wishes all of you good luck!

Subscribers’ Draw 2006

By Holger Amelung, Customer Service & Marketing Manager

Philatelic Manager Søren Rose presents AWI Director, Prof. Dr. Jörn Thiede with a framed whole sheet of the Alfred Wegener stamp.

12

Stamp success in Connection with the Alfred Wegener Commemoration Day

By Pertti Frandsen, Administration & Logistics Manager

On 22nd May 2006, POST Greenland issued stamp no. G371 (DKK 20.75) featuring the German Polar Explorer Alfred Wegener. To celebrate the issue of this stamp, the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in the naval town of Bremerhaven had arranged a special commemoration day. POST Greenland was invited to present the new stamp and a special cancellation to the more than 500 visitors and collectors present. Deutsche Post also participated with a German special cancellation. The event took place at a German – Greenlandic mobile post office at the AWI. It was a great and busy day, and many Alfred Wegener fans became acquainted with Greenland and our stamps.

In his words of welcome, AWI Director, Professor Dr. Jörn Thiede, mentioned Alfred Wegener’s numerous research results in Greenland and the Arctic. At the same time, the Professor thanked POST Greenland for the good co-operation in connection with the stamp issue. In his German reply, Philatelic Manager Søren Rose, POST Greenland, acknowledged the good co-operation with both the AWI and Deutsche Post. In addition, Søren Rose mentioned that POST Greenland appreciates AWI’s positive mention of the Greenlandic ice cap, which fascinates and attracts explorers from all over the world.

This was the first time POST Greenland participated in such an event on the occasion of a stamp issue. With the very positive result in Germany, POST Greenland will continue public presentations.

There are many advantages of being a subscriber with POST Greenland, Filatelia. One of them is our annual subscribers’ draw, where we draw lots for a piece of East Greenlandic handicraft among all our subscribers. Over the years, there have been many lucky winners, who have been delighted with very special prizes, such as an East Greenlandic ice bucket, a drum and a walrus tooth with carvings.

This year, there will be two Greenlandic wooden masks with fine carvings to be won. One mask represents a man’s expressive face and the other one that of a woman with the typical Greenlandic knot on her head. The masks were manufactured by a local artist from Tasiilaq.

Especially in East Greenland, masks have played a major part in various connections. They were, among other things, used at song contests or drum dancing. POST Greenland has previously issued stamps featuring masks.

These stamps are still available as mini sheets.

The draw will take place at the end of December.

If you are not a subscriber yet, you still have the possibility of participating if you take out a subscription by 30th November.

The winner of the subscribers’ draw will be contacted personally and announced in Greenland Collector no. 2, April 2007.

The picture shows two of our customer service employees having a go at mask dancing during lunch break.

The 2006 Christmas Stamps The artist and writer Julie Edel Hardenberg has designed this year’s POST Greenland Christmas stamps. Collectors and observant readers will know that these will not be Julie’s first stamps. Earlier this year we issued her first stamp, G364 (DKK 19.50), POST Greenland’s commemorative stamp on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first Norden stamp. Below Julie describes her two Christmas stamps and her thoughts behind their design.

When I was commissioned to design the Christmas stamps 2006, it was natural for me to start with the Greenlandic Christmas hymn “Guuterput qutsinnermio”, which was written by my great-great-great-grandfather Rasmus Berthelsen (1827 – 1901) from one of his dreams. It is about the angels, who, on Christmas Night, appeared to the shepherds and in song proclaimed the birth of the Saviour Jesus Christ, and it is the melody and the notes from the Christmas hymn I have depicted on the stamps and the postcards.

“Guuterput qutsinnermiu” and its Christmas tidings of happiness, peace and salvation we can share through the stamps and the postcards – not only in Greenland, but also in the rest of the world.

As something quite special, it will be possible to download, free of charge, an mp-3 file with the Christmas hymn featured on the Christmas stamps from Filatelia’s website, www.stamps.gl as from the First Sunday in Advent.

Julie has recorded the carol herself and we hope that, along with the stamps, it will contribute to creating the Christmas spirit, both at home and far away. Enjoy yourselves.

01301111 Christmas Stamp Booklet No. 11 DKK 75.00 Issue Date: 06.11.2006 Printing Method: Offset Paper: Avery 96/S2000/Kr130

01100375 Christmas in Greenland 2006/1 DKK 5.50

01100376 Christmas in Greenland 2006/2 DKK 7.00 Issue Date: 06.11.2006 50 stamps per sheet Format: B horizontal Printing Method: Offset Paper: TR8 STAMP PAPER PVA Artist: Julie Edel Hardenberg Outside Measurements: 31,08 mm x 23,60 mm

13

Following

Final sale

on 30th November 2006 The following stamps and stamp booklet will be withdrawn from our sales list on 30th November 2006, provided they are not sold out prior to this date. Any remaining stock will be shredded.

01100340. 17.01.2005 Additional Value Stamp ”Save the Children Fund”.

DKK 5.25 + 0.50

14

01100341. 17.01.2005 Church Law for Greenland – 100th Anniversary DKK 9.25

our final sale

on 31st March 2006, we can now publish the following sales figures: Item No. 01100145 01100238 01100321 01100322 01100323 01100324 01100325 01100326 01100327 01100328 01100332 01100333 01100334 01106329 Sold Out: 01100258 01100358 01100364 01303013

Title Hans Lynge ”Refuelling” Expeditions II ”Otto Sverdrup” Home Rule - 25 Years Polar Air Service - 50 Years Norden ”Moon Man” Norden ”Northern Lights” Angelica Arctic Thyme Crowberry Navigation III ”Disko” Navigation III ”Julius Thomsen” Navigation III ”Misigssût” Additional Value Souvenir Sheet “The Society of Greenlandic Children”

DKK 50.00 25.00 17.50 11.00 8.75 5.50 6.50 5.00 5.50 17.00 8.75 14.00 21.75 22.00

Issue Date 05.09.1991 20.08.1998 26.03.2004 26.03.2004 26.03.2004 26.03.2004 26.03.2004 14.05.2004 14.05.2004 14.05.2004 18.10.2004 18.10.2004 18.10.2004 14.05.2004

Sales 203,187 178,213 167,656 117,399 116,524 152,549 97,438 251,842 158.273 71,147 132,321 131,457 138,667 56,865

Sirius – 50 Years Sisimiut – 250 Years Norden stamps – 50th Anniversary

10.00 9.75 19.50 47.25

21.02.2000 16.01.2006 16.01.2006 12.03.2003

463,950 98,998 93,148 2,966

Souvenir Folder – Expeditions I

News from POST Greenland

Sindelfingen '06 Tag der Briefmarke

27.-29.10.2006

01100343. 20.06.2005 Navigation IV/1 Dannebrog DKK 5.25

01100344. 20.06.2005 Navigation IV/2 Kista Arctica DKK 6.00 01100355. 31.10.2005 Christmas Stamp 1/05 DKK 5.25

01100356. 31.10.2005 Christmas Stamp 2/05 DKK 6.00

01301110. 31.10.2005 Christmas Stamp Booklet no. 10 DKK 67.50

New Postal Code in Igaliku from 1st November From 1st November 2006, the South Greenlandic settlement of Igaliku – which has so far belonged to 3921 Narsaq – will have a new postal code. From this date the settlement will come under 3920 Qaqortoq.

The change is due to the new traffic structure, which makes it impossible to direct mail to Igaliku via Narsaq. All navigation and helicopter flights are today taking place via Qaqortoq.

Envelopes to be cancelled with first day cancellations must be received by POST Greenland, Filatelia, no later than 1st November 2006.

Exhibition Cancellations Up until the end of 2006, POST Greenland will participate in the following stamp exhibitions: • “Halfrim ‘06”, Falkenberg (Sweden), 14th – 15th October • “Nordia 2006”, Helsinki, 27th – 29th October • “Briefmarkenbörse”, Sindelfingen, 27th – 29th October • “Frimærker i Forum”, Copenhagen, 10th – 12th November • “Youth 2006”, Brussels, 16th – 20th November • “Juleudstilling” in Randers, 2nd – 3rd December Special Greenland cancellations will be produced for all these exhibitions. Envelopes to be cancelled with these special cancellations must be received by POST Greenland, Filatelia, no later than the day before the opening of the respective exhibitions.

The cancellation advertisement ”2412 Santa Claus Greenland” ” will be used on all outgoing mail from POST Greenland, Filatelia, in 3913 Tasiilaq during the period 6th November – 30th December 2006.

The advertisement cancellation ”Send juleposten i god tid” (Send your Christmas mail early) will be used in the stamp cancellation machines during the period 1st – 30th November 2006 at the following 8 Greenlandic post offices: 3900 Nuuk (Godthåb) 3910 Kangerlussuaq (Søndre Strømfjord) 3911 Sisimiut (Holsteinsborg) 3912 Maniitsoq (Sukkertoppen) 3920 Qaqortoq (Julianehåb) 3950 Aasiaat (Egedesminde) 3952 Ilulissat (Jakobshavn) 3970 Pituffik (Thule Air Base) Please, send franked and addressed letters to be cancelled with this advertisement direct to the post offices in the above towns. Furthermore, the advertisement cancellation will also be availabe at POST Greenland, Filatelia.

During the period 1st – 25th December, the post office in 3910 Kangerlussuaq (Søndre Strømfjord) will also use the advertisement cancellation “Christmas Greetings from Greenland” in its stamp cancellation machine. Please, send franked and addressed letters to be cancelled with this cancellation direct to: TELE-POST Center, Blok L (B-50), 3910 Kangerlussuaq, GREENLAND.

Worth

knowing…

Please send your orders / amendments to: POST Greenland, Filatelia P.O. Box 121, 3913 Tasiilaq, GREENLAND, Phone: (+45) 7026 0550 and (+299) 98 11 55 Fax: (+299) 98 14 32 Email: stamps@tele.gl Any change in name, address and/or subscription must be received by POST Greenland, Filatelia, no later than 5 weeks prior to an issue.

NOTE: . Please, do not write your order on a giro transfer form as these are processed by computers.

How to pay: On payment - please, make sure you always state your name and your customer number.

Your payments may be made by giro to one of the accounts mentioned below, by credit card, by international reply coupons or by cash in Danish Kroner, Euro or US Dollars only. It is no longer possible to pay by cheque.

Giro: Denmark: BG Bank A/S, Girostrøget 1, 0800 Høje Taastrup, Account No.: 1199-940 4120. IBAN: DK98 30000009404120, BIC (SWIFT code): DABADKKK Sweden: Postgirot Bank AB (publ), Vasagatan 7, 105 06 Stockholm. Account No.: 41 45-9. IBAN: SE9795000099602600041459, BIC (SWIFT code): NDEASESS Norway: Postbanken, Kunderegister Bedrift, 0021 Oslo. Account No.: 7878.06.55312. IBAN: NO44 78780655312, BIC (SWIFT code): DNBANOKK Finland: SAMPO BANK, UNIONINKATU 22, 00075, SAMPO. Account No.: 800016-70617928. IBAN: Fi2580001670617928, BIC (SWIFT code): PSPBFiHH The Netherlands: Postbank NV, Account No.: 3487172. IBAN: NL92 PSTB 0003 4871 72, BIC (SWIFT code): PSTBNL21

Germany: Postbank, Niederlassung Hamburg, Überseering 26, 22297 Hamburg. Account No.: 541414200, BLZ 200 100 20. IBAN: DE03 2001 0020 0541 414200, BIC (SWIFT code): PBNKDEFF

Fees for registered letters and parcels despatched from Greenland The fee for registered letters within Greenland or to Europe (including Denmark and the Faroes) is DKK 45.00. E.g.: Postage for a registered letter stamped with DKK 7.00 (max. 20 g) comes to a total of DKK 52.00. For surcharge on mail to overseas countries, see: www.post.gl

United Kingdom: Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank plc., Bridle Road, Bootle, Merseyside, Liverpool GIR 0AA. Account No.: 358 7118.

IBAN: GB69GIRB72000003587118 Luxembourg: Postes et Telecommunications, Division des Postes, Service des Cheques Postaux, Secretariat, 38 Place de la Gare, 1090 Luxembourg.

Account No.: 26606-28. IBAN: LU18 1111 0266 0628 0000, BIC (SWIFT code): CCPLLULL France: La Poste, Centre Régional des Services Financiers, de la Poste en ile-de-France, 16 rue de Favorites, 75900 Paris. Account No.: 250.01 F020.

IBAN: FR51 3004 1000 0100 2500 1 F02 022, BIC (SWIFT code): PSSTFRPPPAR

Net Payment within 30 days Payment of our invoices is to be made within 30 days from the date of the invoice.

Please, note that the registration of your payments will take approximately two weeks or more. Therefore, you may receive an invoice with a balance which does not include your recent payments.

Exchange of Stamps POST Greenland, Filatelia, exchanges only old stamps (stamps no longer on our sales list) into new stamps (stamps on our sales list) at the customer’s choice. No more than 3 exchanges free of charge at maximum DKK 100.00 each, per customer per year. When exceeding a total of 3 x DKK 100.00, POST Greenland, Filatelia, will charge a fee of 45% of the nominal value. The fee of 45% must always be paid in cash and is not payable by other stamps. The maximum annual value of stamps for exchange per customer must not exceed DKK 50,000 in nominal value. For further information, please contact POST Greenland, Filatelia.

If you are not resident in Denmark and use our account 1199-940 4120, you will be charged a handling fee for each transaction by Euro Giro.

Credit cards: Dankort, Eurocard/MasterCard, JCB, VISA Cash: - DKK, Euro or US Dollars only - to be sent by registered mail Postal order IRC (IBRS) - International reply coupons: - value DKK 7.50 each.

15

All information on prices, fees etc. is subject to printer’s errors.

One-year deadline for complaints Any complaints concerning stamps or philatelic items purchased from POST Greenland must reach POST Greenland, Filatelia, no later than one year from the last day of the month in which the items were despatched. The date of the postmark, or possibly the invoice, indicates the date of despatch.

Publisher: POST Greenland - Editors: Søren Rose, Chief Editor; Pertti Frandsen, Lene Skov Meyhoff, Holger Amelung, Ilka Gerken - Layout & Printing: Datagraf - ISSN: 1397-8632 - Cover Photo: Carsten Egevang, ARC-PIC.COM

Switzerland: Postscheckamt, Office de cheques postaux, Ufficio dei conti correnti postali, 4040 Basel. Account No.: 40-6773-5. IBAN: CH37 0900 0000 4000 6773 5, BIC (SWIFT code): POFiCHBE

We are the people you reach whenever you write, fax, email, or telephone POST Greenland, Filatelia. We look forward to offering our continued assistance with your philatelic enquiries.

Silvia Dix Ilka Gerken Sales Assistant Sales Assistant German, English, German, English, Danish.

Danish.

Lene Skov Meyhoff Correspondent Danish, German, English.

Helene Tukula Elev Trainee Danish, English

Kristian »Karé« Pivat Assistant Clerk Greenlandic, Danish

Moses Utuange Senior Clerk Greenlandic, Danish

Holger Amelung Customer Service & Marketing Manager German, Danish, English.

Pertti Frandsen Administration & Logistics Manager Danish, English, German

Expedition card – Galathea 3 in Greenland In connection with the Galathea 3 Expedition visiting Greenland and the issue of the Galathea stamp on 9th September 2006, POST Greenland has produced a special expedition postcard in a limited edition of 1,000, which have been sailed on the expedition ship “Vædderen” from Narsarsuaq in Southern Greenland and up along the coast to Nuuk. This beautiful postcard is in an A5 format, designed by Naja Abelsen and franked with two stamps, also designed by Naja Abelsen.

In Narsarsuaq, the centre of Greenlandic sheep farming, the expedition card was franked with the commemorative stamp G372 “Sheep Farming over 100 Years” and cancelled with the 3923 Narsarsuaq day cancellation. On board the “Vædderen”, the cards were cancelled en route with a special expedition cancellation. In Nuuk, the expedition cards were franked with the new Galathea stamp G373, on its issue date, Saturday 9th September, and cancelled with the 3900 Nuuk day cancellation.

Order the card now from POST Greenland, Filatelia, item no.: 01520855, price: DKK 50.00.

In the next Greenland Collector, to be published in December 2006, you may read about: • Stamp Programme for 2007 • International Polar Year 2007 - Arctic • Additional Value Stamp ”Amnesty Children’s Convention” • EUROPA Stamps – ”Scouts in Greenland” • West Nordic Co-operation, Hydraulic Power • The Crown Prince and his Family • Report from ”Frimærker i Forum ’06” • Participate in the Stamp Poll for the Greenland Stamp of the Year 2006 • Final Sale on 31st March 2007 • And much more

Have you considered starting your own Greenland collection?

Then the year pack is the right choice for you. A year pack will get your collection off the ground quickly and make it easy to keep your collection up to date. As a subscriber, you will receive the year pack immediately on issue at the end of each year. In addition, you will also receive the collectors’ magazine, Greenland Collector, three times a year, you will take part in an annual draw among all subscribers and you will receive a subscriber’s gift every year. You may cancel your subscription at any time, and you choose your preferred method of payment, see page 15.

Take out a subscription to year packs and become a Greenland collector now!

The Year Pack 2006 will be issued on 6th November. In Greenland, 2006 has really been a year of anniversaries, and this has also had a marked effect on the Greenland stamps of the year: 250th anniversary of the town of Sisimiut, 100 years of sheep farming and Arctic Station, 50th anniversaries of the first EUROPA and Norden stamps and the second part in the series “100th Anniversary of PARCEL POST stamps in Greenland”. Moreover, the issues have once more covered a wide field – from mythical creatures to edible fungi, and from the famous Polar Explorer Alfred Wegener to the Danish led scientific expedition, Galathea 3. In addition to the altogether 18 stamps, all three souvenir sheets of the year will also be included in the year pack. Similar to previous years, the year pack has been produced in an A5 format to be unfolded, is beautifully illustrated and has a short text about the stamps in four languages. The price of the Year Pack 2006 is DKK 270.50, which, as always, is the equivalent of the total face value. The Year Pack can be ordered already now, Item No. 01304006.

Use the order form, send an e-mail or log on to www.stamps.gl !

POST Greenland · Filatelia · Tlf.: (0045) 7026 0550 Fax: (00299) 98 14 32 · stamps@tele.gl · www.stamps.gl