The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
On March 26th, 2004, Canada Post will join POST Greenland and Norwegian Post, in honouring famed Norwegian explorer Otto Sverdrup (1854-1930), on the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of his birth. Both Canada Post and POST Greenland will issue a single stamp, while Norway will issue two stamps in a uniquely formatted souvenir sheet. Norwegian explorer Otto Sverdrup (1854-1930) discovered and charted some 160,000 square kilometers in the Canadian Arctic, more than any other polar explorer in history. During his 1898-1902 expedition, he mapped an area now known as 'the Sverdrup Islands', which are today part of Nunavut. The joint issue will be in the form of three souvenir sheets Ð one for each participating country. Each sheet will feature three designs, but only one of the three designs will be denominated. The Canadian sheet will feature a stamp image of Sverdrup's ship the FRAM. Norway's images will be of the explorer himself and also the FRAM, while Greenland's features the exploration team in a rowboat braving arduous sea conditions during one of their expeditions. The souvenir sheets were designed and engraved by Martin Mrk of Norway. Mr. Mrk previously engraved the $2 polar bear definitive for Canada in 1998. Canada Post's design team will supply a cancellation mark tailored to each country for the Official First Day Covers. The individual souvenir sheets will also be available as a set in a souvenir folder that will include information on Sverdrup and his expeditions. "Joint stamp issues offer a special opportunity for countries to acknowledge and honour a common bond," said the Honourable Steven W. Mahoney, Secretary of State responsible for Canada Post. "In the same way that explorers like Otto Sverdrup opened the world with their explorations, mail delivery allows people from around the globe to cross borders with a piece of paper, a pen and a postage stamp. Canada Post is pleased to join with POST Greenland and Norwegian Post in commemorating this important pioneer." Additional information about this stamp issue will be available early next year.
