A new postage stamp appeared in Lithuanian post offices on Friday, depicting zeppelins for the first time. Stamp enthusiasts began searching for and buying this particular stamp from the very morning. Some even bought more than one. In one of the Vilnius post offices, the stamp with the image of zeppelins was gone by noon.
Marius, a Vilnius resident, came to the post office to buy stamps and bought a lot of them.
"Last month I bought it for 100 euros, now maybe for 140," said the Vilnius resident.
He decorates envelopes, sticks the most beautiful, interesting stamps on them, and sells them decorated in this way at a higher price. He says that quite a few people want such envelopes, so he has to send them all over Lithuania.
"Such an envelope will probably last longer if it is beautiful than one where only a stamp is placed," said Marius.
Marius also bought the last stamps depicting zeppelins from the Vilnius Akropolis post office. The first edition of zeppelin stamps was issued on Friday, and in some places they were sold out very quickly.
"They redeemed it today (Friday – ed. post), so then they will have to order stamps again," said Miglė, an employee of the Lithuanian Post.
When asked if they brought it in the morning and it was gone by lunchtime, Miglė replied: "Yes."
The best catch is the postage stamp in the corner, because it is the only one with the Lithuanian Post logo. The first one was bought on Friday.
"They ask specifically for a corner, whether we have it - or even ask us to open it ourselves," said a Lithuanian Post employee.
Over a million postage stamps are still sold in Lithuania each year.
"There is a very active philatelic community. They collect those stamps, exchange them, and follow the news closely," said Lukas Zadarackas, a representative of Lithuanian Post.
The postal worker said that collectors or those who have a hobby of exchanging postcards through the mail are more likely to seek out exclusive stamps. Those who send regular letters rarely request stamps. Some customers say it's because of the price, which is rising rapidly.
"They ask more often during holidays - Christmas, Easter. When sending birthday greetings abroad, they ask to decorate them with a more beautiful postage stamp," said a Lithuanian Post employee.
Vilnius resident Laima sent a postcard on Friday to congratulate her on her anniversary. She used to write letters, but now she notices that sending them is becoming more and more difficult.
"You could buy stamps at a newsstand and get all the information, but now you have to come here specially, which is very inconvenient," said the Vilnius resident.
Ema from Vilnius used to send letters to friends and relatives all over the world, but with the advent of technology, she began to communicate only via e-mail.
"No one writes now, we all either email or talk on the phone and that's it," the woman emphasized.
Every year, Lithuanians send fewer and fewer letters. The decrease is significant, and most of them are sent not by residents, but by institutions.
"On average, private customers in Lithuania send about one million letters per year, while five years ago that number was much higher and reached over 10 million," said a representative of Lithuanian Post.
Even if the number of letters decreases, the stamps will continue to be issued, a representative of the Lithuanian Post assured. The stamps of šaltiborščiai and šakotis issued a few years ago also attracted great interest.
"It is with Lithuanian food that they are really very popular: cold borscht, šakotis. With Lithuanian nature, the Red Book," said Miglė.
The latest postage stamp, featuring zeppelins, is now worth two euros. It has been issued in a print run of 30.
