Latvia issues its first holographic postage stamp

Latvijas Pasts will issue Latvia’s first postage stamp featuring a holographic image, LSM reports. The stamp is part of the “Modern Latvian Architecture” series and is dedicated to the Vizium science centre in Ventspils.

The new stamp will be available from August 6. Its design uses holography for the first time in the history of Latvian philately, allowing two different visual layers to appear in the same image when viewed from different angles. One layer shows the exterior of the science centre, while the other conveys its world of discovery and technology.

“This is a notable event in Latvian philately, as holographic technology has been used in a stamp design for the first time. It allows much more to be revealed in a small-format issue than initially seems possible,” said Māris Kuļikovskis, a member of the Latvijas Pasts board. He said the stamp shows both the uniqueness of the building’s architecture and its educational content.

The designer of the stamp and first-day cover is artist Māris Upenieks. He said the holographic image was used to highlight Vizium’s dynamic architecture and innovative character, as well as the centre’s atmosphere of discovery.

The graphic design is based on the style of scientific illustrations. The stamp’s wavy perforated edge refers to Ventspils as a coastal city. The first-day cover has a minimalist, futuristic design depicting the experience offered at the science centre, while the postmark refers to the operation of a law of physics when it meets the surface of the envelope.

The stamp will have a print run of 7,000 copies, while the first-day cover will have a print run of 500. The stamp’s denomination is 4.41 euros, corresponding to the postage cost for letters weighing up to 20 grams sent to other countries.