Umbrella represents protection on Slovakian stamp

By Denise McCarty

Rain and an umbrella symbolize Slovakia’s chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on a stamp issued Feb. 1 by Slovakia’s post office, Slovenska Posta.

With 57 participating states in North America (including the United States), Europe and Asia, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world’s largest regional security organization, according to the website www.osce.org, the organization “works for stability, peace and democracy for more than a billion people, through political dialogue about shared values and through practical work that aims to make a lasting difference.”

The chairmanship of the organization changes annually, and Slovakia assumed the chairmanship Jan. 1.

Adrian Ferda designed the stamp. The umbrella, which shows a map of the countries that participate in this regional security organization, “represents the concept of protection against the adverse effects that threaten security,” according to information from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic.

The stamp is nondenominated. The “T2 50g” in the lower right of the design indicates that it pays the domestic first-class rate for delivery within two days for items up to 50 grams. The rate currently is €0.50.

Tiskarna Hradistko printed the stamp by offset in sheets of 50. A total of 1.5 million stamps were printed.

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