The 5c Viking Ship stamp is one of two Norse-American Centennial stamps. They were produced to honor two historic American events. First, to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the settling of Norwegians in America. In 1825, fifty two immigrants arrived in New York on the sloop Restaurationen from Norway. Second, to honor the finding of the North American continent by Norwegian explorer Leif Erikson around the year 1000. This 5c stamp features a Viking Ship, likely a close replica of the one used by Ericson, five hundred years before Columbus. This ship is flying an American flag, as it sailed from Norway to America for the World's Colombian Exposition in 1893.
The design of this stamp is dark blue and black. Bi-color stamps were uncommon in 1925. Although this was a popular issue, they were produced in smaller numbers as the bi-color process was laborious and expensive.
The above stamp was released October 9, 1968, Leif Erikson Day, chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the day the first Norwegian immigrants, aboard the ship Restaurationen, landed in New York.
The statue in this 6c 1968 issue is located at the Hallgrimskirkja, the largest church in Iceland.
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