Norway - Public Telephone Box Postage Stamp, 2009

 

In the Autumn of 1932, Oslo Telefonanlegg (the Oslo Telephone Exchange) announced an architectural competition for a Norwegian public telephone box. The winner was the architect Georg Fredrik Fasting (1903-1987) with his Riks booth (literally The National) which was made of spray-painted sheet metal plates riveted to an angle iron frame, and was strong enough to withstand the freezing winter weather. 

Production of the booth started in 1933, and the first one was installed that year at the Norwegian America Line quay in Oslo. By the time production ceased in 1995, more than 9,000 red Riks booths had been made. 

The Norwegian American Line Pier and telephone box, 1930s

The irony was that Fasting himself couldn’t hear as he was born without ears. But at the age of 56, he became the first person in the world to have ear canals constructed, so he could finally use his own creation!

In 2009, Norway Post Office issued a stamp of Fasting's legendary creation as part of their Year of Cultural Heritage's 'Communication' set. 

The designer was Inger Sandved Anfinsen.

A nice cancel of a reindeer over the 2009 TELEFON stamp

The Norwegian Year of Cultural Heritage 2009 (Kulturminneåret 2009) was aimed at highlighting the diversity and importance of Norway's cultural heritage for all sectors of the community. 

Saint Helena - Public Telephone Box Postage Stamp, 1990

 

Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, measures about sixteen by eight kilometres, and is one of the most remote islands in the world. The British Overseas Territory has been issuing stamps since 1856, the first of which was a portrait of Queen Victoria printed with blue ink. 

For my latest in an ongoing series of irregular posts about public telephone boxes on postage stamps, this study of a cardphone box in Saint Helena offers up a remarkable possibility of someone in such a remote place having a chat with a friend or family member many, many thousands of miles away. Because mobile telephony only began on the Island in the past six years or so, there are still 36 booths in operation that use either coin or cards, or a combination of them both, for both local and international calls.

Woman in Card Phone Booth, 1990

This 20p stamp was issued in a set of four in 1990 commemorating  'Communications' on the Island, and it was designed by the British illustrator Nick Shewring, who has created over 200 sets of stamps for over 40 countries across the world. The sheet edge also included an attractive decorative border depicting pared down versions of the four subjects in the stamps.