The most beautiful European postage stamp in 2013

The Mail Delivery Vehicles stamp was released on May 6, 2013. The stamp portrays a Volvo LV-70 mail truck from 1933 and two drivers standing in front of it. The color tones of the old black-and-white photo have been adjusted to fit a four-color image. In addition to mail deliveries, the Volvo truck was also used for carrying passengers. Today, the 80-year-old car stands in the Mobilia automobile and road museum.
(image by Susanna Rummu and Ari Lakaniemi)

This Finnish postage stamp, designed by Susanna Rummu and Ari Lakaniemi, has been voted the most beautiful in Europe by a panel of judges. Issued in May, the stamp depicts two postal workers standing with their 1933 Volvo postal van.

A total of 56 stamps released in different European countries entered the competition, all depicting mail vehicles, in accordance with the theme of the series. 
The jury paid particular attention to the originality of the stamp design and technical aspects, such as the quality of the graphics. An important criterion was how well the stamp pleases the average stamp user, as well as philatelists with more interest in the matter.
The nine members of the jury were experts in graphic design and stamps from different European countries, including Germany, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. The president of the jury, which convened in Brussels, was the Belgian philately activist Guy Coutant, the organizer of the distinguished Grand-prix de l'art Philatelique.
"The quality of the entries was high, and we needed three rounds of voting and a lot of debate to choose the winner. In the end, the Finnish stamp was the clear winner in all voting criteria," Coutant explains.

“In the end the Finnish stamp was the clear winner based on all voting criteria,” said philatelist expert and panel head Dr. Guy Coutant.
Altogether 56 countries entered stamps released this spring, all depicting different models of postal vehicles.

Congratulations to the Finnish post office Itella and the designers!