Albert Einstein once said that imagination is more important than knowledge, and this phrase has also been printed on a postage stamp. One could argue, which is more important, knowledge or imagination, but it is certain that stamps enrich both, both knowledge and imagination.

When I was a little boy, I was captivated by my great-aunt’s postcards from the years before the occupation. Both made me dream, the beautiful pictures on Christmas and Easter postcards and the stamps with three lions or the portrait of the president.

As a schoolboy, I collected pre-war postage stamps of the Republic of Estonia along with coins and banknotes. I have a decent collection of picture postcards with views of Tartu and samples from all the coin and banknote emissions since Estonia regained its independence.

Once, a guest of mine noticed a brick I had put aside. He asked me to give him this particularly unique brick for his collection. He got it. And later, the prime minister’s limousine stopped a couple of times by piles of old construction debris, from which I supplemented his collection with several different bricks.

I highly respect collectors, people who preserve our culture and history.

I would like to cordially thank all the organizers of this exhibition. I hope Mare Balticum 2024 will enrich all of us.

Enjoy the exhibition, discover our beautiful city of Tartu and the whole Estonia!

Andrus Ansip