| Iceland has had a variety of local and regional issuers including organizations such as: Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, Scouting, Odd Fellow, etc. I attempt to stock the singles, as well as blocks, sheets, imperforates, proofs, etc. from all issuers. I wish to purchase any items not listed (and many that are listed). All Icelandic Christmas Seals (and those of all the other Scandinavian countries) are available on approval. If you have specific topical/thematic interests, please let me know. |
The Gimli Christmas Seal sheet was produced in 1918 by an Icelandic poet, painter, essayist, etc., Thorstein Th. Thorsteinsson, who had immigrated to Canada and lived in Gimli, Manitoba. Each sheet contains a total of 36 seals with 36 completely different pictorial designs. The sheet is oriented upright when the panel of triangular and diamond-shaped stamps are on the right. The 18 seals on the top half of the sheet have Icelandic Christmas text, while the 18 seals on the bottom half have Canadian (English) Christmas text. The seals of each language are respectively numbered from 1 to 18 somewhere in the design. The seals exist imperforate or perforated; in my experience, the perforated versions are significantly scarcer -- of some colors I have never even seen pictures of perforated examples. The imperforate seals are often, but not always, gummed; the perforated seals exist gummed, but are usually seen ungummed. The seals exist in several colors; I have so far (1/2025) personally recorded or have seen images of the following colors: Red, Dark Red Brown (also called Violet Brown or Lilac Brown), Green, Deep Green, and Ultramarine (I have only seen an image of one Ultramarine sheet so it may actually be a Blue shade instead of true Ultramarine). Some colors seem to be significantly scarcer than others; I have not yet seen all the colors in perforated form. [I have seen one comment, but no pictures, that seven colors exist. I would be interested in seeing pictures of other colors.] I have been told (but have not yet seen) that these seals are listed in the Lafrenière catalog ("The Field Guide to the Cinderella Stamps of Canada", Second Edition 2015) as No. cc4100, and are there defined as “very uncommon”. I have also been told that there is an Icelandic-language article in "Grusk" on this subject.
The 18 Icelandic-language designs picture classic Icelandic themes, such as the waterfalls, map of Iceland, falcon, volcano, country coat of arms, parliament, geological features, geysir / geyser, etc. Each seal bears text in Icelandic and/or English defining the pictured design. The 18 Canadian seals picture classic Canadian themes.
These classic Christmas seals, issued in 1918, came soon after the world-first (Danish) Christmas seal of 1904, and before many countries had issued Christmas seals. They are little known even to the vast majority of avid Christmas seal collectors and they are virtually unknown to both Icelandic postage stamp collectors and Icelandic Christmas seal collectors. |
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