Anniversary Overprints

On 1 April 1976, the Faroese authorities took over the postal service in the Faroe Islands. Until then, the Faroese post had been part of the Danish postal service, which carried all mail to and from the Faroes and between the villages and islands.

The Danish postal service had already issued the first Faroese stamps a year before the handover, on 30 January 1975, but they were cancelled with a Danish postmark. Then, on 1 April 1976, Postverk Føroya issued its own first stamps.

To mark Posta’s 50th anniversary and the “Frimærke, Brev & Postkort Messe 2026” stamp exhibition, these three stamps are now being reissued with a special overprint.

The stampsAll three stamps carry the overprint “Posta 50 ár” at the top. The flag stamp has also been overprinted with a new value of DKK 27.75. The other two stamps keep their original values of 125 øre and 800 øre.

Together, the three stamps have a postage value of DKK 37, which covers a letter abroad (0–100 g).

The original designs are by Fridtjof Joensen (the boat), Zacharias Heinesen (the flag), and Sámal A. Jensen and Otto Blehr (the postman). The 125 øre and 800 øre stamps were engraved by the renowned engraver Cz. Słania.

First Day Cover (FDC)The First Day Cover is franked with all three overprinted stamps. It’s illustrated with Cz. Słania’s drawing of the boat, which is also the design on the 125 øre stamp. The cover bears the text “Postverkið føroyskt í 50 ár 1976–2026”.

Exhibition card and postcardThe postcard shows a photograph of the Danish flag being lowered on the last day before the Faroese authorities took over the postal service on 1 April 1976. It captures the moment the post passed from Danish to Faroese hands. The exhibition card is franked with the three stamps and the exhibition postmark.

Limited edition Please note that the overprints are issued in a limited edition and are not included in the standing order service.
How to buyThe products are on sale at Posta’s stand No. 1 at Frimærke, Brev & Postkort Messe in Frederiksberg Hallerne, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark, on 7–8 November.