[Contest] Flowers and Fruit on Polish Definitive Stamps

This article refers to the definitive series of stamps issued by the Polish Post between 2009 and 2018, containing 14 issues (16 stamps in total), depicting flowers and fruit. As of 2018, the series is complete, no more stamps were announced for the series in the release plan of the Polish Post for 2019 or 2020. However, they can still be released, as the Polish Post reserves 10 to 15 stamps a year which are not announced in the release plan, but issued for operational needs. You can win all the stamps in the article if you participate in the contest from this article. For details, read on!

The stamps in the series are all in the same format and orientation, with 11 1/2 perforation. They were issued irregularly and have face values ranging from 0.05zł to 10zł (approx. 0.01EUR to 2.3EUR). The Polish popular name of the flower is given, as well as the Latin name. All stamps have been designed by Marzena Dąbrowska.

---

The first two stamps were issued on Aug-10, 2009, with face values of 1.95zł and 3.75zł. They depict the wild cherry (cerasus avium), and the common marigold (calendula officinalis).

The next stamp was issued on Aug-10, 2010 with a face value of 4.15zł, showing the delicate flowers of forget-me-not (myosotis arvensis).

On Dec-16, 2011, a new stamp was added to the series. It has the face value of 1.55zł and shows some very appetizing European raspberry (rubus idaeus).

No new stamp in the series was issued until Jun-26, 2015, when one more stamp with a face value of 1zł was added to the issue with an awesome detail of a sunflower (helianthus).

Still in the same year, on Sep-15, 2015 two more definitive stamps were issued. The first one has a face value of 0.1zł and shows a fine detail of a water lily (nymphaea), while the second one with a face value of 5zł shows the common rose (rosa).

A last issue of the year was released on Dec-18, 2015, adding one more stamp (the eighth) to the definitive series. With a face value of 0.05zł, it shows a bunch of lilac (syringa).

2016 was also a generous year, with as many as 5 releases of stamps for the definitive series of flowers and fruit. On Jan-20, 2016, the first one was released. It has a face value of 0.5zł and shows a weedy bluet (centaurea).

Coming up next on Apr-22, 2016, the largest face value of the series was issued (10zł), showing the intricate details of the poppy flowers (papaver).

On Jul-06, 2016, a 0.2zł stamp was added to the series, giving us a nice crocus flower (crocus).

One month later, on Jul-15, 2016, a 6zł stamp was released. This time, a delicate lily flower (lilium) was chosen for the design.

Still in the same month, on Jul-22, 2016, a 2zł stamp depicting a blooming iris (iris).

On Sep-20, 2016, the last definitive stamp of the year was released. It is a 0.15zł stamp, showing the cranberry fruit (vaccinium oxycoccos).

While no stamp was added to the definitive series in 2017, two more stamps were issued in 2018, completing the 16-stamp series. The first one, with a face value of 0.25zł was issued on Mar-09, 2018 and shows a daffodil (narcissus jonquilla).

The second stamp of the year, and the last (sixteenth) of the definitive series came a little bit later on May-11, 2018. With a face value of 6.8zł, it depicts the lily of the valley (convalaria majalis).

---

As is often the case with definitive series, the face values of the stamps correspond to operational needs, and combinations thereof allow to add up the postal fees of most sendings from regular local to track & trace worldwide. Because they were meant for operational needs, many of them have already been used up in the span of 2009-2018, therefore a series is harder to assemble nowadays.

---

Contest time!

As announced in the title and in the introduction, this post includes a giveaway raffle. You can win one copy of the complete definitive series of 16 stamps depicting flowers and fruit issued by the Polish Post between 2009-2018. All you have to do is to follow my blog and announce your intention to participate in the contest in the comment before Jun-02, 2019. Both actions are obligatory.

First things first: In order to follow the blog, you can enter your email address in the form below. If you have a WordPress blog, you can also follow my website via WordPress Reader. Following the blog means you will receive email updates when a new article is published on the website. If you are already a follower of the website, you can still participate, just complete the second step!

Second of all, leave a comment on this post with your wish to participate in the contest.

On Jun-02, 2019, with the help of random.org, I will choose the winner and notify them about the result. Contestants who at the time of the draw have not completed both actions above will be disqualified.

Please note that in the event of winning you will need to provide a valid postal address for the sending. Good luck!

---

Update on Jun-02, 2019: Contestants were given an order number, based on the order they signed up for the contest.

With the help of random.org, I raffled the winner:

So our winner is Yuri K. I notified him via email to send me the postal address to which I can send him the stamps. Many thanks to all participants & all my best!