Illustration of a historical stamp for learning, shown at screen size. Not valid for postage.
How to read it
Kopeks in two alphabets around the Finnish lion arms: Finland under the Russian tsar.
- 15 KOP. (Latin)
- 25 КОП. (Cyrillic)
- Inscription
- 5 KOP. · 5 КОП.
- Meaning
- The value is written twice, in Latin and in Cyrillic letters: 5 kopeks, a Russian coin.
- Issued by
- Grand Duchy of Finland (Russian Empire)
- Today
- Finland
- Year
- 1856. Finland’s first stamps, 1856.
One fact
Finland’s first stamps, the small oval 5 and 10 kopeck values of 1856, were issued while Finland was a grand duchy ruled by the Russian emperor.
Source and public-domain rule
Creators died more than 70 years ago. Published 1856 with no named designer or engraver: anonymous, 70 years from publication. Copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years, counted from 1 January of the year after death. Every named designer and engraver of the stamp died before 1 January 1956; any contributor who was never named counts as anonymous, whose term is 70 years from publication, and the stamp was published before 1956. Legal sources: Directive 2006/116/EC, Art. 1(1) life + 70 years; Art. 1(3) anonymous works 70 years from publication; Art. 7(1) comparison of terms for works from outside the EU; Art. 8 terms run from 1 January, Switzerland, Norway.
Scan: Finland stamp first stamp 1856 5k.jpg on Wikimedia Commons (revision 1253023129), licence templates {{PD-RU-exempt}} (a public-domain reason different from ours; both are recorded). Downloaded 2026-10-19, sha256 2fc7307958fa…; cropped and cleaned for this site. Facts checked 2026-10-19 against source 1 and source 2. Research record, not legal advice; a human rights review is pending. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
