To mark the 100th anniversary of the flag and the coat of arms of the Republic of Latvia, Latvijas Pasts releases a stamp block with two new stamps. The face value of each stamp is €1.00 and the print run of the block is 20,000 copies. The release of the stamps is accompanied by the issue of the first day cover with a print run of 1,000 copies. The philatelic releases have been designed by the artist Ģirts Grīva.
The new philatelic releases feature the Latvian national symbols: one of the stamps in the block depicts the national flag and the other – the greater coat of arms of the Latvian state, while the cover includes both national symbols.
The Latvian national symbols – the flag and the greater coat of arms – were adopted on the 15th of June 1921 along with the Law on the Flag and the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Latvia passed by the Constitutional Assembly of Latvia. The designer of the Latvian national flag standard is Ansis Cīrulis (1883–1942), while the greater coat of arms was designed by the artists Vilis (Vilhelms) Krūmiņš (1891–1959) and Rihards Zariņš (1869–1939).
The uniform principles for the use of the national flag of Latvia are prescribed by the Law on the National Flag of Latvia. The national flag of Latvia is carmine with a white horizontal stripe: the red-white-red stripe ratio is 2:1:2, and its width to length ratio is 1:2.
Each part of the greater coat of arms of the Republic of Latvia has its own meaning, but the most important component is in its centre: the escutcheon with a rounded lower part, which is divided into three sections. The red lion in the escutcheon symbolises Kurzeme and Zemgale, the silver griffin represents Vidzeme and Latgale, and the sun motif stands for freedom. The greater coat of arms is allowed to be used by the President of Latvia, the Parliament (Saeima), its commissions and deputies, the Cabinet of Ministers and members of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry and the Secretariat of the Minister for Special Assignments, the State Audit Office, the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Office of the Prosecutor, the Constitution Protection Bureau, the Bank of Latvia and diplomatic and consular missions of the Republic of Latvia.
