Latvia — Stamps & Postal Service

Postal Service Overview

Latvijas Pasts (Latvia Post) is Latvia’s state-owned national postal operator. Like Estonia and Lithuania, Latvia has two stamp-issuing periods separated by the Soviet annexation (1940–1991). Latvia’s first independence period (1918–1940) produced some of philately’s most unusual and historically poignant stamps. The restored Latvian republic began issuing stamps again in 1991. Latvian stamps are typically collected alongside Estonian and Lithuanian issues by Baltic states specialists.

Notable Stamp Issues

Latvia’s most famous philatelic achievement is also its most desperate: the 1918–1919 stamps printed on the reverse sides of German military maps left in the country after WWI, as no proper stamp paper was available. These map-back stamps are unique in world philately and symbolise the precariousness of the new republic’s birth. The subsequent 1920s Arms and portrait definitives are more conventional but equally historically charged. The restored republic’s 1991 stamps depicted the Latvian coat of arms and marked return to independence. Modern Latvian stamps feature the Baltic landscape, folk traditions, and Art Nouveau architecture of Riga.

Collecting Tips

Map-back Latvian stamps (1918–1919) require specialist knowledge to authenticate — fakes exist. The maps on the reverses can sometimes be identified, adding another dimension to collecting. First independence period (1918–1940) stamps are found used in VF condition on commercial mail. German occupation (1941–1944) overprints and issues are a specialist WWII area. Post-1991 Latvian stamps are well-produced and affordable.

Part of the Europe Postal Directory.