The ATMs in Greenland (2009-2017)

The aCon equipment in Greenland

	Following on from *Post Danmark* in 2006, *Posten Norge* in 2007, and *Postverk Føroya* in 2008, Post Greenland became the fourth Nordic postal administration to start using the postal equipment of the Danish company aCon. (More information: Denmark > and in VARIABLE 4, Norway > and in VARIABLE 7, and Faroe Islands > and in VARIABLE 11).
	TELE Greenland A/S is owned by the Greenland Home Rule Government. The company is responsible for all telecommunications in the country and provides a wide range of domestic and international services. It is divided into 3 business units: TELE, running the telecommunications service, POST, running the Greenland postal service, and Coastal Radio Service, handling maritime safety and emergency communications.

The Greenland postal administration has acquired the aCon stamp printer, called 'Frankie' (right picture), which has been used by the philatelic service from August 17th 2009.
These mini printers are mainly intended for small and medium sized businesses, offering a huge improvement thanks to more flexible franking and online payment with credit cards.
The stamps printers include a roll of thermal labels. Using the keyboard and the top screen, the user can easily enter the number of stamps and required face value(s). The thermal printing of the stamps is fast.

Also planned is the installation of 4 PostSelv postal kiosks, with similar features and characteristics to those already in service in other countries, although here they are customized according to the Post Greenland company markings and corporate colours. The texts are in Greenlandic and Danish. The Greenland name is nassitsivik.
The first postal kiosk was installed in early September 2009, in the TELE-POST centre in Nuuk, the capital, and put into service on September 17th. The other 3 kiosks have been installed in Kangerlussuaq, Narsaq and Uummannaq.

The customer can use the kiosk for all types of letter and parcel mailings. The user places the postal item onto the scales, and indicates the destination and shipment type, by just following the easy instructions on the touch-screen. The user can also get variable value stamps in strips of 5 from a minimum face value of 0.25 DKK, for later use. Once the operation is completed, the system displays the total to pay, and accepts only payment by major credit cards. The stamps and receipts use thermal printing.

2009. The series 'Post'

The installation of the new aCon equipment involved the manufacture of suitable rolls of thermal self-adhesive labels. In this case, Post Greenland followed the steps of the Danish and Faroe Islands postal administrations, and the first annual issue is made up of a series of 4 different labels, appearing consecutively on the rolls.

The set shows 4 situations in which the characters expresses their joy when receiving mail. The illustrations are by the young local artist and illustrator Kunuk Platoú, who also created the official first day cover and the commemorative postmark (pictured below).

The labels have the same characteristics as those manufactured for Post Danmark and Postverk Føroya. They are manufactured by the Danish company Ganket A/S, on thermal paper, and sized 55.00 x 22.50 mm. The labels have perforations on 3 edges. At the right there is an area with a grey security background with the POST Greenland logo and a straight edge, that is used for the printing of the face value and a 11-digit control code. The labels are on rolls of waxed backing paper, 60 mm wide, with a spacing of 6 mm. between labels and horizontal serrations.

Greenland's philatelic service uses an aCon stamp printer for philatelic orders, and sells ATMs with face values starting from 6.25 DKK, corresponding to the domestic rate for priority mail, on the date of issue. ATMs with smaller face values, starting at 0.25 DKK, can be obtained from the aCon postal kiosks.


Official first day cover, franked with the 4 designs, and detail of the first day commemorative postmark.

2011. Fauna of Greenland

Following the pilot with the aCon PostSelv postal kiosks, POST Greenland decided to install new self-service equipment. So from the summer of 2010 they set up postal kiosks in 12 cities around the country - Aasiaat, Ilulissat, Kangerlussuaq, Nanortalik, Narsaq, Nuuk (right picture), Paamiut, Qasigiannguit, Qeqertarsuaq, Tasiilaq, Upernavik and Uummannaq.
As can be expected with new technology, usage of the devices was very moderate in the beginning, but they experienced a rise in usage, and postal customers are now readily accepting the devices. POST Greenland is convinced that the devices will play a significant role in the development of the postal business in Greenland, so they plan the installation of new kiosks in the rest of TELE-POST centres throughout Greenland - Maniitsoq, Pituffik, Qaqortoq and Sisimiut.

(More information on the pilot in the above article >>>, also published in VARIABLE 14).

Unlike what happens in other countries in the region, POST Greenland, quite correctly, decided that it was probably not necessary, nor advisable for collectors, to have an annual release of a set containing 4 different designs for the aCon machines, but to produce a new issue every two years.

The new series on sale from May 2nd 2011 is dedicated to the fauna of Greenland. The 4 designs show images of a polar bear on ice in Fram Strait, in northeast Greenland (photo by Olivier Gilg); a group of walruses on a beach in Young Sound, in the northeast of the country (photo by Carsten Egevang); musk oxen in Inglefield Land, in northwestern Greenland (photo by Olivier Gilg), and a white-tailed eagle in flight in Saqqarliit, in Nuuk (photo by Lars Maltha Rasmussen).

The labels have identical characteristics to the previous issue. They are manufactured by Ganket A/S on self-adhesive thermal paper. The size is 55.00 x 22.50 mm, and have perforations on 3 edges. On the right there is an area with a grey security background with the POST Greenland logo and a straight right edge, that is used for the printing of the face value and a 11-digit control code. The 4 designs appears consecutively on the rolls of labels.

The official first day cover features a scene from Greenland, from a photograph by Erwin Reinthaler. In the picture, the cover is franked with the 4-stamp set and includes the first day postmark.

2014. Greenlandic scenery

In 2014, Post Greenland released the third series of designs for use in the Danish aCon Postselv postal kiosks - which are called nassitsivik, in Greenland.

The first kiosk was installed in the hall of the Tele-Post Centre in the capital, Nuuk (right image and below), in September 2009. Today, Greenland Post has postal kiosks installed in 15 of its 19 Tele-Post Centres, offering postal and telecommunication services, and are mainly located in cities and communities on the southwest coast of the island.
(More information in the above articles, also published in VARIABLE 14 & 22).

	These postal kiosks had a good acceptance and are in regular use. They allow some basic postal operations, such as obtaining the franking and shipping forms for letters and parcels, the purchasing of packing items and variable value stamps (ATMs), as well as tracking postal items ('Track & trace').


Tele-Post Center, Paamiut

The new set could be obtained, from January 20th 2014, from the postal kiosks (left strip below), and also with the aCon desktop printer (nicknamed 'Frankie'), used by the philatelic service (right strip). Both machine types use the same rolls of self-adhesive labels, and print the face value and the 11-digit control code with a similar print font, although it is possible to recognize the origin according to the height of the face value and the separation from the lower code.
Users can obtain the ATMs at the postal kiosks with any face value starting from 0.25 DKK, in steps of 0.25 DKK. However, the philatelic service does not allow customers to buy ATMs under the current rate of domestic economic mail (9.00 DKK in 2014).

The 4 new designs show different landscapes of Greenland.
(1) The aurora borealis in the Mitivagkat glacier near Tasiilaq,
(2) a mountains landscape in the East Greenland,
(3) an iceberg, and
(4) a view of Tasiilaq, across the King Oskars Fjord, and the Polheim Fjeld mountains in the background.
Photographs 1, 2 and 4 are taken by Erwin Rheintaler, and the iceberg photograph is by Olivier Gilg.

The rolls of labels were manufactured by the Danish company Ganket A/S, on self-adhesive thermal paper. The 4 designs appears consecutively on the rolls. The size of the label is 55.00 x 22.50 mm. On the left side, the label has perforations on 3 edges. On the right, there is an area with a grey security background with the POST Greenland logo and a straight edge, which is used to print the face value and an 11-digit control code.


Pictorial first day cover with the 4 designs, and detail of the postmark.

2016. Greenlandic scenery (2nd series)

More than two and a half years after the previous issue, Post Greenland produced, in 2016, a new set of designs for its aCon equipment. With a much more moderate issues policy than other postal administrations, this is just the fourth set since the installation of the postal kiosks, in September 2009 (More information in the above articles, also published in VARIABLE 14, 22 & 32).

The new series is again illustrated with photographs of Greenland’s landscapes, taken by Mads Pihl, a well-known local photographer.

Variable value stamps with new designs could be obtained, from October 20th 2016, at aCon - PostSelv postal kiosks (called nassitsivik, in Greenland) installed at 15 post offices (TELE-POST Centres), and the desktop stamp printers used at post offices and by the philatelic service.
Kiosks and printers use the same type of labels, and print the face value and the 11-digit control code in a similar font, although it is possible to recognize the origin according to the height of the face value and the distance from the lower code.

The rolls of labels, with the four consecutive designs, were manufactured by Limo Labels A/S on self-adhesive thermal paper, printed by flexography, and with characteristics identical to the previous issues.


Pictorial first day cover with the four designs, and detail of the postmark.

In 2016, Post Greenland participated, among others, in the two major philatelic events held in Denmark, TAK16 in Birkerød, and the Frimærke, Brev & Postkort Messe 2016 in Frederiksberg (see articles, also published in VARIABLE 43). Unsurprisingly, this country is the main collecting market for Greenlandic stamps. Post Greenland installed aCon desktop printers with the new series of designs at both events, and prepared special postmarks.

NORDIA 2017. Greenlandic landscapes (3rd series)

In 2017, Post Greenland's philatelic department decided to modify its biennial issuing policy and release a new series of designs for its aCon equipment just a year after the last series.

Following on from the designs issued in 2014 (see article, also published in VARIABLE 32) and 2016 (article and VARIABLE 43), the new issue is the third dedicated to the amazing Greenland landscape. The photos are by Haukur Sigurdsson, from Iceland, and Abel Berthelsen, from Nuuk.
The rolls of labels, with the four consecutive designs, were manufactured by Limo Labels A/S on self-adhesive thermal paper, and with characteristics identical to the previous issues.

It was a good decision by Post Greenland to launch the new series on October 27th, coinciding with the opening of NORDIA 2017 (article and VARIABLE 47), the annual philatelic meeting of the Nordic countries.

	For the variable value stamps printing, Post Greenland had two aCon desktop stamp printers in its booth.

The code printed at the bottom of the stamps issued by these two machines begins with erG... or e4c... (images). They also had on sale strips of four stamps printed in advance on a third machine, with a code beginning with TFD... For the first time, in 2017 Post Greenland did not produce any pictorial first day cover for these issues.

In Greenland, the new series could also be obtained from October 27th, at the aCon - PostSelv postal kiosks and the aCon desktop printers installed at postal outlets.


NORDIA 2017 pictorial first day cover, with the four designs, and detail of the commemorative postmark.

The basic postal tariffs in Greenland (2009 - ...)

Standard letters up to 20 g.	Greenland		Europe		Rest of the world
Standard letters up to 20 g.	B economy	A priority	B economy	A priority	B economy	A priority
19.1.2009	6,00 DKK	6,25 DKK	7,00 DKK	8,00 DKK	8,00 DKK	9,00 DKK
18.1.2010	6,50 DKK	7,00 DKK	7,50 DKK	8,50 DKK	8,50 DKK	9,50 DKK
17.1.2011	7,00 DKK	7,50 DKK	8,00 DKK	9,00 DKK	9,00 DKK	10,00 DKK
16.1.2012	7,50 DKK	8,00 DKK	8,50 DKK	9,50 DKK	9,50 DKK	10,50 DKK
14.1.2013	8,50 DKK	9,00 DKK	9,50 DKK	10,50 DKK	10,50 DKK	11,50 DKK
20.1.2014	9,00 DKK	10,00 DKK	10,00 DKK	11,50 DKK	11,50 DKK	13,00 DKK
2015	9,00 DKK	11,00 DKK	10,00 DKK	12,50 DKK	11,50 DKK	13,00 DKK
18.1.2016	10,50 DKK	12,00 DKK	11,50 DKK	13,50 DKK	13,00 DKK	15,00 DKK
23.1.2017	10,50 DKK	13,00 DKK	11,50 DKK	15,00 DKK	---	16,00 DKK

The Greenland currency is the Danish kroner (DKK).