If no matter how tiny island desires to become a state, it will issue a postage stamp. The stamp gives to it the seal of sovereignty in the way the sea outlines its border. A stamp is the smallest identification document of every country. Immediately after gaining independence, the Republic of Croatia began issuing these small identity cards, and to this day, over the course of thirty-five years, the Croatian Post has printed more than 1600 of them. Many were issued jointly with other countries or in response to international topics, acting in the space of cooperation and creating such, much-needed, space. In 1991, Croatia appeared as a novelty and surprise on the philatelic stage, as evidenced by an impressive string of international awards. Respected artists have been invited to design the stamps, not only the best designers in the narrow sense (naming them would likely lead to involuntary omissions), but also painters, printers, photographers, ranging from students to the classics. Moreover, school children have been given an engaging opportunity to take part in the creation of stamps, with a didactic and creative goal.
Thirty-five years of stamp production are also thirty-five years of delivering work up to a set of criteria... In addition to the design diversity, technical innovations have been developed, such as, for example, the crypto stamp, or a stamp that can be used to follow a journey into the world… But what one receives from a stamp as a surplus value, without the requirement to be a philatelist or a qualified consumer of visual works, is an incentive to preserve some endangered human virtues: those of concentration, attentive reading, appreciation of conciseness, recognition of what matters...
Leafing through the thirty-five years of Croatian stamps fills us with pleasure and pride. They are simply beautiful. Of course, not all motifs are equally attractive and not all designs are equally top-notch. But the flashes of beauty and experiences of effective communication are so frequent that the pleasure and pride can be considered fully earned and justified. As best we could, we have shown Croatia at its best.
Academician Željka Čorak
