Following on from the four seasons stamps and the winter and summer editions, this year’s supplementary stamp block is dedicated to the spring.
This block of stamps, comprising ten stamps in six different low denominations, is once again decorated with beautiful flowers. The stamps can be used on their own or in combination to supplement older stamps whose values no longer match current tariffs. Alternatively, you can also frank a missive using only supplementary stamps, as many different postal rates can be covered by combining the different denominations.
The block of stamps features ten floral illustrations in a yellowish-green shade that speaks of spring, with lettering in a cheerful pink. The typical spring flower that is featured is the narcissus or daffodil, a popular garden plant that comes in many types and hybrid forms. Narcissi are grown from bulbs and belong to the family Amaryllidaceae. Depending on the type and region, they are also known by other names, a typical German one (“Osterglocke”) translating as Easter bell, as they typically flower around Easter. The attractive flowers come in many shapes and sizes – large or small, single or double – in shades of white, yellow and orange. A characteristic of these flowers is the corona or trumpet, the inner circle of petals, which is often a different colour from the six outer petals or perianth. Most varieties of narcissus originate from southern Europe, with the star-shaped narcissus that takes on the leading role in the Salzkammergut region’s Narcissus Festival being indigenous to Austria.
