Icelandic stamp collector Magni R. Magnússon recently found a rare stamp sheet from Liberia portraying President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson in a collector’s store in Belgium. Liberian post authorities issued stamps with almost 200 world leaders in 2000.
President of Iceland Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. Photo by Páll Kjartansson.
“Liberia is not highly regarded with us collectors. The authorities there issue stamps only to pluck money from collectors and that is usually not appreciated by people from our society,” Magnússon told Morgunbladid.
Magnússon said he was stunned when he saw a stamp with the president of Iceland for the first time. “It is beautifully done. Ólafur Ragnar is probably among the prettier male country leaders in that series,” he laughed.
Icelandic post authorities usually don’t issue stamps with Icelandic presidents or other state leaders—at least not during their lifetime.
An exception was a series with all of Iceland’s presidents in 1994 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Republic of Iceland. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was included in the series—Grímsson took office in 1996.
