0,05euro, Forget-me-not.

These lively flowers spread everywhere in Finland - sometimes even in the far north of Lapland, scattered in cornfield, waste land or a barren field at any time during the summer. The flowers has many nicknames such as corn beauty, flower of love, flower of yearning. The artist Pirkko Juvonen writes about the forget-me-not. "I saw something beautiful light blue in front of me, in a large area. It was the forget-me-not, which had taken the opportunity to spread to a wide area. At that moment I could do nothing but stand and stare at this fascinating view that makes one wonder if it is even real. These five cent stamps may be used to give an extra meaning for the message to be delivered.

0,10euro, Lily-of-the-valley, national flower

The lily-of-the-valley was nominated national flower in 1967, when Finland celebrated its 50 years of independence. Among six candidates, the lily-of-the-valley was voted winner by Finnish radio listeners. The search for a national flower had gone on for years - the Central Organisation for Finnish Horticulture (Puutarhaliitto) suggested the lily-of-the-valley as the national flower as early as in 1964. The advantage of this flower is that it flowers both in nature and as a cultivated plant, and is thus available even during the darkest times of the year. The disadvantage, however, is that it does not occur everywhere in Finland - it is rare in Kainuu and does not exist at all in northern Lapland. The lily-of-the-valley flowers in mid-June.

0,50euro, Whooper Swan, national bird

The Finnish national bird, the swan, was flown to the stamp by artist Erik Bruun. The flying bird naturally symbolises the fast delivery of mail to the ends of the earth, but it also brings into the mind the idea of the victory the swan gained in its struggle against the human race in Finland. In spite of always being a holy symbol of cleanness, light and beauty for the Finns, the swan nearly became extinct during the first decades of the 1900s. Only a few animals ever came out winners - the swan gained a splendid victory and was rightly nominated the national bird of Finland. Today there are nearly two thousand nesting swan couples in Finland. In addition to being faithful to its partner, the swan is also faithful to its nesting lake. In Finland, we can expect to see flights of hundreds of swans migrating in future springs and autumns as well - an incredibly beautiful view and a wonderful symphony at the same time.

First class (0,60euro). National flag

The Finnish flag stamp was designed by Päivi Vainionpää. The basis for the design was formed by some of her thoughts about the Finnish flag: independence, patriotism, permanency, traditional values and freedom. The proudly waving flag
describes the past, present and future of Finland. The Arctic tern flying on the lower right corner symbolises freedom and unspoilt nature. The stamp consists of three pictures. The waving flag is by Matti Niemi, the Arctic tern by Arto Lehtinen and the sky in the background by Fred Björkstén. The stamp is issued in self-adhesive booklet of 8.

0,60euro. Birch, national tree

The silver birch is the national tree of Finland. This plant is one of the first trees to conquer an open habitat but later on it has to give way to other trees, especially to the spruce. The silver birch is spread by humans as well - it is often planted in parks and by the streets. The curly birch, commercially our most valuable tree, is a modification of the silver birch.

0,90euro. Finnish landscacpe 

The designer Asser Jaaro has transferred part of the painting ‘Kymintehtaalta’ by Victor Westerholm to the stamp. The painting is excellently related to the great change, which the year 2002 brings to the Finnish history of stamps. Westerholm made the painting in the year of the general strike, 1905 - the first period of oppression ended and the February Manifesto, which five years earlier had taken away from Finland the right to have its own stamps, was annulled. Now that the picture is used for delivering messages around the world, it symbolises - perhaps a little ironically - the strength of the Finnish identity when giving up the national currency and changing into the euro. The painting and the stamp also depict Finnish nature - esterholm regarded running water as a national value. Current, energy, looking ahead - these thoughts brilliantly describe Finnishness in threshold of the new period.

1,00euro and 5.00 euro, Heraldic lion 

The lion has been depicted in European coats of arms as early as a thousand years ago.  From coats of arms the lion theme has been later transferred to the world of stamps - in Finland in 1856, when the first Finnish stamps were issued. Since then, the heraldic lion stamps have been modernised a few times by famous artists, such as Eliel Saarinen and Signe Hammarsten-Jansson. The last FIM-denominated heraldic lion stamp was designed by Pirkko Vahtero in 1975.

Graphic designer and heraldist Mika Launis won the stamp design competition in 2000 with this bold, powerful Finnish lion. This dynamic and modern stamp reflects the new period of time and social change. This is how the artist himself describes the designing of the stamp: "Any problems I encountered were mostly due to the cultural context of the heraldic lion. This symbol depicts power and values, which gives the extreme significance to its different parts. ..//...My way of expression is at the same time both avant-garde and ancient. How does it then convey and carry today's values? I wanted to help the lion cast off its historical burden and present it for revaluation.

1,30euro. Granite cliff

The national rock of finland, the granite was really born when the molten substance was crystallised deep inside the earth's crust. Heat was slowly conducted away from the hot stone mass, and the mineral crystals had time to grow large. The beautiful and firm granite is common everywhere in Finland, rapakivi granite being a peculiar modification.  The stamp depicts a reflection of Finnish sky with its cumulus clouds on water in a cleft of a rock - a sensitive contrast to the unyielding granite.

2,50euro. Spruce

The spruce - unlike the pine - is very sensitive to storms because its roots are close to the surface of the ground. However, it still symbolises perseverance by stubbornly growing under other trees, and then later on shadowing these. If the Finnish forests were left untouched, a majority of them would become spruce forest.

3,50euro. Pine

The roots of the pine force their way deep into the ground, and therefore this tree that withstands great storms could be considered as an excellent symbol of Finnish perseverance - sisu. It is thus a great choice as a theme for the very first euro
denominated stamps.