First Issue of Lithuania, Vytis (White Knight)

Lithuania · 1918 · 10 Skatikų

This stamp is from the first series issued by Lithuania following its declaration of independence. The design features the Vytis, or White Knight, the national coat of arms, which depicts a knight on horseback wielding a sword and shield. This initial printing was done on the blank reverse side of German military maps due to a severe paper shortage.

Issued in Vilnius in December 1918, this stamp marks Lithuania's re-establishment as an independent state after more than a century of Russian rule and subsequent German occupation during World War I.