New Omniva envelope commemorates early days of Estonian public transport
Omniva has released two new envelopes commemorating the centenary of the founding of Mootor, which went on to become Estonia's largest transport company in the 1930s.
In its heyday, Mootor employed more than 300 people. The company served both Tallinn city routes and long-distance lines, placing it among the largest enterprises of its kind in the Baltic region.
Motor's activities came to an end in 1940 following nationalization.
The back of the newly-released envelope features a 51-seat Scania-Vabis bus No. 94, which operated in Nõmme in 1938. The front of the themed envelope features a 1929 map of Estonia showing the bus routes of the time and their network in different regions.
The issue is particularly notable for its tire-shaped postmark, symbolizing movement and the road network.
"Both postage stamps and first day covers are cultural carriers – they preserve and bring into view stories that help us understand how our society has taken shape," said Hannes Nagel, head of philately at Omniva.
"With this thematic envelope, we look back to a time when publictransport connected people and regions and supported the daily functioning of a young state," Nagel added.
The new thematic envelope is issued with two Estonian standard postage stamps. The orange stamp, priced at €3.90 with a print run of 30,000, is suitable for international mail. The purple stamp, costing €0.50 with a print run of 30,000, is intended to be combined with lower-denomination stamps.
The new thematic envelopes and stamps are both available from January 19 at the Omniva e-shop 19 and in post offices across Estonia.
More information is available here.
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Editor: Michael Cole, Jevgenia Zõbina
