On the 19th of February 2021 Latvijas Pasts is releasing a new stamp in the series Historical Ships of the 19th Century, featuring the barquentine Mercator (Merkators), a three-mast sailing ship built in Ainaži in 1895.
The face value of the new stamp is €1.27, which corresponds to the postage of letter-post items in the weight class from 21 to 100 grams within Latvia, and its print run is 50,000 copies. The release of the stamp is accompanied by the issue of a special cover with a print run of 1,000 copies. The philatelic releases have been designed by the artist Elita Viliama.
The new stamp in the series of historical ships depicts the three-mast barquentine Mercator built in Ainaži in 1895 and constructed by the shipbuilder Mathis Hoenze. The Mercator is distinguished by its rigging – the system of ropes, cables, chains, blocks and other devices – and its paint, while its mast height reaches 42 metres. The ship has made transatlantic voyages and has been in European, North American and South American ports with various types of cargo.
Latvijas Pasts launched the series of stamps Historical Ships of the 19th Century in 2016 in honour of the period of the rapid development of Latvian seafaring and shipbuilding in the 19th century. Three stamps have been released in this series over these years, featuring the sailing ship Andreas Weide built in Ainaži in 1891, the four-mast gaff schooner Abraham constructed in Ventspils in 1891 and the four-mast motor-sailing ship Eurasia made in Engure Municipality in 1925.
