Official Helsinki 2005 stamp (© c)
Tourists coming to Helsinki for the 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics this summer will have plenty of souvenirs to choose from. Some are more likely to retain their value and are more official than others: a postage stamp celebrating the Championships and two specially minted coins will be available to collectors.
Finland Post published this week a special postage stamp with three sprinters rushing to the finish line. Finnish top sprinters Markus Pöyhönen, European 100m and World Indoor 60m finalist, and Heidi Hannula, European Indoor women’s 60m finalist, were present at the publication of the first day cover, but the runners depicted in the photomontage are the artist himself, Pekka Piippo, and two of his colleagues. The denomination of the stamp is 0.65 euro.
There will be two specially minted coins. The first, a gold coin, has a denomination of 20 euro. It will be available to the public next week.
