Latvijas Pasts releases the first three stamps of 2017 in the series Coats of Arms of Latvian Towns and Municipalities, and they depict the coats of arms of Olaine, Roja and Mālpils Municipalities. The first day cancellation of the stamps is scheduled to take place in Riga post office No. 50 located in the shopping centre Origo, 2 Stacijas laukums, Riga, on the 13th of January, from 8 AM to 7 PM. The new stamps are specific in that they are printed on a self-adhesive base, so the adhesive side does not require moistening in order to affix the stamp.
The release of the new stamps is accompanied by the issue of the first day cover with a print run of 1,500 copies. The cover features the map of Latvia as well as the coats of arms of Olaine, Roja and Mālpils Municipalities. All the new philatelic releases have been designed by the artist Ģirts Grīva.
The stamp dedicated to the coat of arms of Olaine Municipality has a face value of €0.50 and is suitable for sending a regular Class B letter within Latvia. The print run of the stamp is one million copies. The coat of arms of Olaine Municipality features a silver and green border, which symbolises the merger of Olaine parish and Olaine town. The three red drops of blood are a symbol of life, while the cranberry sprig with silver leaves and two pink berries stands for the Municipality’s natural wealth and agriculture.
The stamp with a face value of €0.57 shows the coat of arms of Roja Municipality. The face value of the stamp corresponds to the cost of sending a regular Class A letter within Latvia and its print run is 250,000 copies. There are two salmons, a gold one and a silver one, depicted in the centre of the coat of arms of Roja Municipality, while the blue field of the coat of arms symbolises the sea.
The coat of arms of Mālpils Municipality is featured on the stamp with a face value of €1.39, which is suitable for sending a registered Class B letter within Latvia. The print run of this stamp is 250,000 copies. The coat of arms of Mālpils Municipality depicts an ethnographic pattern of the Mālpils Municipality belt, whose patterns form the signs of ancient Balts – symmetrically oblique crosses. The cross symbolises light and fire, while the oblique gold cross combined with a straight cross stands for the movement of the sun throughout the year. The red colour in the background of the coat of arms symbolises clay.
