To mark the 175th anniversary of the Latvian Museum of Natural History, Latvijas Pasts has released the final stamp in the series Unique Exhibits of the Latvian Museum of Natural History, dedicating it to the Baltic amber. The first day cancellation of the stamp is scheduled to take place in the Latvian Museum of Natural History at 4 Krišjāņa Barona Street, Riga, from 10 AM to 5 PM on the 14th of February 2020. The presentation of the stamp, which is planned to start at the same place at 10:30 AM, will see the participation of representatives of Latvijas Pasts and the Latvian Museum of Natural History.
The new stamp features the Baltic amber specimens, which were found in Latvia, from the collection of the Latvian Museum of Natural History. The stamp has a print run of 300,000 copies and a face value of € 2.69, corresponding to the postage of letter-post items in the weight class from 21 to 100 grams to the countries located in zone 4. The release of the stamp is accompanied by the issue of a special cover with a print run of 1,000 copies. The stamp and the cover have been designed by the artist Ģirts Grīva.
Amber is a hardened fossil resin that is highly valued for its golden colour. The deposits of the Baltic Sea contain the largest amount of amber in the world, accounting for about 80% of the world’s amber reserves. The collection of the Latvian Museum of Natural History includes more than 600 pieces of amber, and this number continues to grow, while the largest Baltic amber in the collection weighs 1.7 kilograms.
