The Tom of Finland commemorative stamps honoring Finnish gay erotic artist Touko Laaksonen are very popular. With pre-orders from fans in over 178 countries, it has become the most popular stamp set ever created by Finland's postal service.

 

The stamps were available since Monday, with orders coming from Britain, the US and France. And in Tampere, Finland, long lines formed at a new postal museum where the stamps were being sold.

 

"We haven't seen this kind of interest before in Posti's history and we probably won't again soon," Posti development chief Markku Penttinen said. "Our starting point was to get Touko Laaksonen's artwork in our stamps. We know that he was very well-known globally. Of course the subject matter is also topical and much discussed. This equation has worked better than we anticipated."

 

"Tom of Finland's greatest significance is that these gay figures were given their masculinity," explained stamp designer Timo Berry. "Previously they had been portrayed as 'girlish.' It's great that these sketches that had to be sold in secret can now be publicly viewed on envelopes and postcards."

 

You can purchase the stamp set here.