Postcards from Tove Jansson discovered at flea market in Loviisa

On the back of a postcard, there is a significant amount of text, ending with the elegant handwriting of Tove. Jussi Perämäki has laid out additional vintage postcards he found at a flea market in Loviisa. These postcards were sent to family members by Tove Jansson, renowned for creating the Moomins. Perämäki stumbled upon these cards entirely by chance.

Over the weekend, he decided to take an evening drive with his spouse to Loviisa and visit flea markets, as is their custom. At one market, he spotted a large envelope addressed to Tove Jansson and her life partner, Tuulikki Pietilä. “My first reaction was complete bewilderment at how such a cultural treasure could be for sale at a flea market,” Perämäki explained. He purchased the postcards and envelopes for as little as 40 cents each, with the most expensive being a postcard sent from Japan for two euros. Altogether, he spent just over ten euros.

Moomin Characters confirmed to Yle that, based on the images, the postcards are authentic. Moomin Characters is the official authority overseeing the Moomin characters and trademarks created by Tove Jansson, which was co-founded by Tove and her brother Lars Jansson. Today, Tove’s niece, Sophia Jansson, serves as the artistic director.

Perämäki has yet to read all the postcards thoroughly but discovered that Jansson sent them to relatives during her overseas trips in the 1970s from places like France and Japan. He speculated that someone might be selling the cards and envelopes due to a decision to part with a stamp collection, as nearly all the envelopes were empty. Finding the cards brought him joy, honoring both Tove Jansson and Tuulikki Pietilä, whose work he collects. He shared his find on Facebook, noting the surprising volume of messages from people eager to hear Tove and Tuulikki’s stories.