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Unusual Subject – Pearl Diving

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Unusual Subject – Pearl Diving
Penrhyn, Northern Cook Islands 2011


In 2011 Penrhyn, one of the Northern Cook Islands, issued the stamps shown here featuring the unusual subject Pearl Diving. Two species of pearl oyster are found in the Cook Islands. The small pearl oyster (pinctada maculata) – also known as pipi – is harvested on Penrhyn for its natural golden pipi pearl. Then there is the black-lipped pearl oyster which is plentiful in the Penrhyn lagoon. As they can be found in the wild attached to coral reefs as deep as 60 metres, in the past divers collected the pearl oysters. Nowadays it is more common to use farming methods such as drilling holes in the oysters and hanging on ropes set in the lagoon, as can be seen on the stamp sheet at top and below.

Penrhyn, Northern Cook Islands 2011
United Arab Emirates 2005

In 2005 Emirates Post issued special stamps in five denominations – 50 Fils, 125 Fils, 175 Fils, 275 Fils and 375 Fils – the subject being ‘Tools used in Pearl Diving’. The stamps highlights tools like the nose clip, the leather gloves used for protecting the divers’ fingers from the sharp edges of the oyster shells, the basket used for collecting the oysters, the weight used for accelerating the diver’s descent into the sea and a diver’s outfit.

United Arab Emirates 2005
Japan 1961

In 1961, Japan released a stamp featuring pearl divers as part of the “Minami-Boso Quasi-National Park” series. The stamp depicts pearl divers on the beach, along with a lighthouse. There is also a superb First Day Cover, see above. The items were issued to highlight the Minami-Boso Quasi-National Park in the Kantō region of Honshū in Japan. 

Japan 1961
Bahrain 1996

Bahrain produced pearl diving stamps in 1996. They show a dhow, divers preparing to work, a diver descending and one returning to the boat with oysters.

Bahrain 1996

And on this Bahrain souvenir sheet pearl divers’ equipment is featured.

Qatar 1998

The background of this minisheet from Qatar (1998) shows a dhow, while the stamp and its border depicts a pearl diver opening his catch.

Tonga 2002

“Pearls of the Tropics” is the title of the 2002. 90c Workers and pearls. 1p Diver and pearls. 1p20 Woman wearing pearl necklace. 2p50 Island scene and pearls.

Tonga 2002
French Polynesia 1970

And beautifully illustrated air mail stamps from French Polynesia, produced in 1970, depicting various facets of pearl diving

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Dubai Metro Anniversary

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Dubai Metro Anniversary

In 2024, United Arab Emirates Dubai issued the stamp sheet shown here to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Dubai Metro system. Opened in 2009, the Dubai Metro is one of the most advanced and impressive transport systems in the world. With fully automated, driverless trains and modern stations, it offers an efficient way to travel around the city. The network consists of two main lines: the Red and Green lines, which connect key locations such as the airport, business district and tourist attractions. Extensions were added later, including the Route 2020 line, which serves the station Expo 2020 Dubai. The commemorative block below was issued in 2024, the service’s 15th anniversary. In the early 21st century, it became increasingly clear that Dubai needed an efficient public transport system. The city was growing rapidly, and the road network was becoming increasingly busy. In 2005, the Dubai government commissioned the construction of a fully automated metro system.

United Arab Emirates – Dubai 2024

Construction began in 2006 and was led by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The project was carried out by a consortium led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, along with other international companies. On 9 September 2009, the Red Line was officially opened, giving Dubai the world’s longest fully automated metro. The Green Line followed on 9 September 2011, significantly expanding the network. Dubai Metro stands out for its modern infrastructure and luxurious amenities. With climate-controlled stations and trains, special cabins for women and children and premium Gold Class carriages, it fits perfectly with Dubai’s image as a futuristic city.

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World’s First Stamp for Butterfly Topic Collectors?

World’s First Stamp for Butterfly Topic Collectors?

Collectors of butterfly stamps consider the issue seen here to be the world’s first butterfly topical postage stamp. In 1891, the Kingdom of Hawaii issued a 2¢ dull violet Queen Liliuokalani stamp. Liliuokalani (1838-1917) was the only Hawaiian queen to rule in her own right (from 1891-93), and she was the last sovereign monarch of the kingdom. The design of the 2¢ stamp features a butterfly ornament in the Queen’s hair.

Hawaii 1891
Mozambique 1953

Whilst on the subject I thought I would add a few stunningly attractive butterfly stamps from the middle of the last Century. Here is a definitive set from Mozambique, produced in 1953.

Japan 1956

In 1956 Japan issued the above, depicting a Great Purple Emperor (Sasakia charonda) butterfly.

Hungary 1959

A gorgeous imperforated butterfly and moth set from Hungary, issued in 1959.

Somalia 1961

Beautiful air mail stamps issued by Somalia in 1961. Shown are; a Small Monk butterfly (Amauris hyalites) 60c; Common Commander (Euryphura chalcis) 90c; Central Emperor Swallowtail (Papilio lormieri) 1 Somali Shilling; African Giant Swallowtail (Papilio antimachus) 1.80sh; Monarch (Danaus Morgeni) 3sh; Apple-green Swallowtail (Papilio phorcas ansorgei) 5sh; and a Western Red Charaxes (Charaxes Cynthia) 10sh.

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The Royal Observatory Greenwich

The Royal Observatory Greenwich

In 2025, to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the home of modern British astronomy – London’s Royal Observatory Greenwich – Great Britain’s Royal Mail has produced some very fine items.

Great Britain 2025

The Miniature Sheet seen here has four First Class stamps featuring English carpenter and clockmaker John Harrison (1693-1776). He created marine timekeeper prototypes for measuring longitude at sea, including his H4, with its convention-defying watch design. The stamps celebrate a pioneer whose ideas would be adopted by future clockmakers and would inspire the marine chronometer that would revolutionise 18th-century celestial navigation.

Great Britain 2025

John Harrison spent 5 years building his first marine timekeeper, now referred to as H1. Instead of a pendulum it had two linked dumbbell balances to compensate for movement. It was large and in its case took up much of the space in the captain’s tiny cabin. On its first sea-trial from England to Lisbon and back, it proved its value on the return leg by correcting the longitude of the ship and preventing almost certain disaster. Harrison however, always looking for improvements, was not satisfied and so set about making a second marine timekeeper.

Great Britain 2025

Harrison felt that H1 could be further improved and started work on a new version, H2, seen on above stamp. This clock contained many improvements, including a more reliable and constant source of power to the escapement – the remontoire – and better temperature compensation. But he soon realised there was a fundamental design flaw as the clock was susceptible to errors occasioned by sharp forward-and backward rotational movement. Although the H2 passed rigorous testing, Harrison was dissatisfied with it and started again on a new clock. H2 was never trialled at sea.

Great Britain 2025

H3 took some 19 years to complete (1740-1759), by which time Harrison was in his late 60s. The clock incorporated many of the features of H2, but significantly used a pair of linked circular balances rather than the dumbbell balances in H1 and H2. Two further innovations were the caged roller bearing to minimise friction and the bimetallic strip to combat changes in temperature, two devices that remain in wide use today. Like H2, H3 never underwent sea trials as Harrison had devised a new and better solution – his famous timekeeper H4.

Great Britain 2025

And finally we come to H4. Pocket watches driven by a mainspring had been around for many years but were very inaccurate compared to pendulum clocks, being incapable of accuracy of less than a minute a day. In the early 1750s while working on H3, Harrison designed for himself a relatively conventional-looking spring-driven pocket watch which he had made for him by John Jefferys (1701–1754) an English clockmaker and watchmaker. This included a number of novel refinements including temperature compensation and a larger balance than normal, oscillating faster and at greater amplitude. The accuracy of his new watch pleased him so much that he recognised that a spring-driven watch could potentially solve many of the problems H2 and H3 had revealed. After six years of work and innovation he developed the watch that came to be known as H4, accurate enough to solve the Longitude problem. It was the first true marine chronometer and is now recognised as one of the most important watches ever made. It proved that spring-driven watches could perform well enough to determine longitude at sea. It was tested on a voyage to Jamaica, where after a voyage of 81 days it was found to be just 5 seconds slow, equivalent to one nautical mile of longitude. King George III tested the second version of this watch (H5) himself at the Kew observatory in London and after ten weeks of daily observations between May and July 1772, found it to be accurate to within one third of one second per day.

Great Britain 2025

And the above six 1st Class stamps depict important developments connected to the Royal Observatory. In chronological order they show: Flamsteed House, the original Royal Observatory building at Greenwich. King Charles II instructed Christopher Wren, who was also an astronomer, to design the building in 1675 and it was completed 1676. The role of Astronomer Royal was created by Charles II in 1675, when he appointed John Flamsteed to draw up a map of the heavens with enough accuracy to be reliable for navigation;
Airy Transit Circle Telescope, observations made to define Meridian in 1851;
Shepherd Gate Clock, 1852, the Observatory’s first public clock;
Great Equatorial Telescope, 1893, large refracting telescope installed;
Prime Meridian, 1884, Greenwich chosen as the centre of time and longitude; and
Annie Maunder Astrographic Telescope, 2018, new telescope installed for astrophotography.

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Recently Added to Stock

Recently Added to Stock

A small selection of stamps added to PostBeeld’s stock recently can be seen below. Please note: for each country featured in the article, there will have been many more stamps added to PostBeeld’s freestampcatalogue.com website.

United Nations New York 2025

This souvenir sheet from the United Nations Postal Administration features images of the United Nations pavilion at the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, Japan. The exposition is open until October 13th 2025. The stamps on the souvenir sheet show close-up photos of the pavilion and are denominated in three different currencies. The $1.65 for use from the post office at U.N. headquarters in New York City; 2.50 francs for use from the post office at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland; and €1.90 for use from the Vienna International Centre in Vienna, Austria.

Spain 1953

Above, two quite rare air mail stamps issued by Spain in 1953. The 25ptas shows Miguel Lopez de Legazpi (1510-1572), a Spanish explorer and conquistador, best known for leading the successful expedition that established Spanish control over the Philippines in the 16th century. The 50 ptas stamp has a portrait of Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (1863–1923), one of history’s most brilliant artists and yet despite his exhibitions attracting vast attendances his stunning oil paintings are still not widely known outside Spain.

Belgium 2004

From Belgium 2004 is this fine set of bird stamps. They depict, in order of value: 0.01Euro cent, the Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos); 0.40c a Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata); 0.44c the Western House Martin (Delichon urbicum); 0.55c a Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius); 0.65c Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus); 0.75c European Golden Plover (Pluvialis apricaria); and the €4 stamp has an Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo).

Portugal 2000

This minisheet from Portugal, issued in 2000 features old photographs of cod fishermen.

Latvia 2014

As part of the movement to gain independence from the Soviet Union, on the 23rd of August 1989 approximately two million inhabitants of the Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – joined hands forming a human chain from Tallinn through Riga to Vilnius. The Baltic Way was organised by the national movements of the Baltic states: the Estonian Rahvarinne, the Latvian Popular front of Latvia and the Lithuanian Sajūdis.

Latvia 2014
Lithuania 2014

The participants gathered in the cities and villages where the campaign was to take place or drove to the less inhabited Baltic territories where the Baltic Way was to wind through. According to the news agency Reuters, the campaign gathered 700,000 people in Estonia, 500,.000 in Latvia and 1,000,000 in Lithuania. 

Estonia 2014

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the peaceful protest, the postal authorities of the three countries: Lietuvos paštas; Eesti Post; and Latvijas Pasts, issued special stamps and postmarked covers.

Syria 2024

In 2024 Syria produced this item to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the International Chess Federation.

Ecuador 2014

In 2014 Ecuador and Peru had a joint issue for the 15th anniversary of the 1998 Brasilia Peace Agreement that ended a territorial dispute between Ecuador and Peru. Because of the size and location of the contested area, it had remained a source of regional instability and continental tensions for decades. Above is a first day cover from Ecuador and below the stamp from Peru.

Peru 2014

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Smurfing Together for a Better World?

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Smurfing Together for a Better World?

“Smurfing together for a better world” – that’s the title given to this great stamp sheet issued this year by Belgium’s bpost.

Belgium 2025

The Belgian writer and artist Pierre Culliford(1928-1992), also known professionally as Peyo, was the creator of the various popular Smurf cartoon characters depicted on the stamps. He once said: “As a child I already liked to draw, but actually all children draw. Some of them grow up, serious people. Others refuse to take that step and make comic book characters”.

On the stamps, the Smurfs, as ambassadors of the United Nations, show their contributions to the organisation’s 17 goals for a better world: Reduced inequality; Life on land/Climate action; Industry, innovation and infrastructure; Decent work and economic growth/Quality education; Life below water/Clean water and sanitation; Affordable and clean energy/Sustainable cities and communities; Good health and well-being; No poverty and gender equality; Peace, justice and strong institutions.

Belgium 2008

The Smurfs first appeared in the Belgian comic “Spirou” in 1958. The minisheet shows Smurfs celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2008.

Belgium 2018
Germany 2022

This stamp was issued by Germany in 2022. It’s 67 years since the Smurfs were created and they remain popular in almost every country in the world.

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Unusual Topic – Parachuting

Unusual Topic – Parachuting

If one of your favourite topics is parachuting here we have a small selection of stamps which might be of interest. The items in the article do not include stamps featuring paragliding, of which there are also many.

Bulgaria 1960

The 5th International Parachute Championships were held in Bulgaria in August 1960.

Hungary 1967

The ‘Homo Volans’ (Flying Man) parachute was invented by Fausto Veranzio (1551-1617), a Dalmatian philosopher, historian and inventor. It is shown on the Hungary stamp pair seen above.

DDR 1966

These three stamps were issued by the DDR (East Germany) to commemorate the 1966 World Parachuting Championships held in Leipzig.

Belgium 1960

Then we have six values produced by Belgium in 1960.

Isle of Man 1992

4 sheets of se-tenant pairs of 23p, 28p and 39p Isle of Man stamps issued in 1992. The stamps depict parachute regiments at various past military operations: 23p – North Africa and Italy 1942-1943, Operation Overlord Normandy June 1944; 28p – Operation Market Garden Arnhem Sept 1944, Operation Varsity Rhine March 1945; and 39p – Near Middle & Far East 1945-1968, Operation Corporate Falkland Islands 1982.

France 2013

Featured on this French stamp from 2013 is Adolphe Pégoud, a French aviator and flight instructor who became the first fighter ace in history during World War I.

Peru 2009

Peru produced the se-tenat stamp pair featuring skydiving in 2009.

Russia 2012

The knapsack parachute was created in Russia in 1912 by a Russian engineer, Gleb Kotelnikov. This stamp was issued to celebrate his invention’s centenary.

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Recently Added to Stock

Recently Added to Stock

A small selection of stamps added to PostBeeld’s stock recently can be seen below. Please note: for each country featured in the article, there will have been many more stamps added to PostBeeld’s freestampcatalogue.com website.

Deutsche Democratische Republik 1964

The Deutsche Democratische Republik (DDR), more commonly known as East Germany, produced this fine stamp sheet to celebrate the Republic’s 15th anniversary. This example was issued without gum. The text on the bottom of the sheet, “Auferstanden aus Ruinen und der Zukunft zugewandt …”, refers to the song that became the national anthem of the DDR – “Auferstanden aus Ruinen” (Risen from the Ruins).

DDR 1978

From 1978, this East Germany foursome highlights various aspects of the nation’s postal service.

Monaco 2000

Monaco produced these four stamps in 2000, depicting not only classic cars but also ladies’ fashion at the time the cars were originally made. With values in Euros and French Francs the cars shown are: a Humber Beeston from 1911 (3.00F), a 1947 Jaguar Mark IV (6.70F), 1956 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud (10.00F) and a 1986 Lamborghini Countach (15.00).

Netherlands Antilles 1979

This great definitives set with a variety of perforations produced for the Netherlands Antilles in 1979. The stamps feature Queen Juliana of the Netherlands who reigned from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. And below, rare Queen Juliana definitives from 1950.

Netherlands Antilles 1950
Mexico 1992

This attractive and very originaly designed stamp set was issued by Mexico to commemorate the 1992 Olympic Games, held in Barcelona.

Montserrat 1971

Leeward Islands Air Transport Services was founded in Montserrat in 1956 and began flying with a single Piper Apache aircraft operating between Antigua and Montserrat. The aircraft on this fine minisheet are, in value order: 5c Piper Apache PA-23; 10c Beech 50 Twin Bonanza VP-LIF; 15c De Havilland DH-114 Heron 2 VP-LIA; 20c Britten Norman Islander VP-LAE; 40c De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 100 VP-LIR; and 75c Hawker Siddeley HS-748 VP-LIP. After various takeovers and a rebranding the company, LIAT (1974) ceased operations in 2024.

Switzerland 2000

The city of Saint Gallen, Switzerland, was once known as the embroidery capital of the world, with century-old textile houses such as Forster Rohner, Bischoff and Jakob Schlaepfer supplying lace across Europe. The embroidery machine was invented there in the early 1900s. The embroidered stamps on the stamp above and on the first day cover below were issued by Switzerland in 2000.

Switzerland 2000

 

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Poland’s Failed Record Attempt

Poland’s Failed Record Attempt

In 1938 Poland issued a stamp to commemorate what turned out to be a failed attempt to break the record for reaching Earth’s stratosphere in a manned balloon flight.

Poland 1938

The balloon “Gwiazda Polski” (Star of Poland) was going to attempt to reach the stratosphere and beat the high-altitude world record, established on November 11, 1935 by Albert William Stevens and Orvil Anderson, in their “Explorer II” balloon. Stevens and Anderson managed to ascend to the altitude of 22,066 meters (72,395 feet). The Polish crew, consisting of Captain Zbigniew Burzynski and Doctor Konstanty Jodko-Narkiewicz, made the record attempt in the Chocholowska Valley area of the western Tatra mountains in October, 1938. Unfortunately the balloon caught fire when it was less than 100 feet above the ground. The crew members escaped unharmed.

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Past Bird of the Year Issues

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Past Bird of the Year Issues

BirdLife International is a global family of 123 national partners covering all continents, landscapes and seascapes and the official scientific source of information on birds for the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List. BirdLife International’s mission is to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people toward sustainability in the use of natural resources. The stamps seen here were issued in collaboration with BirdLife International and various postal authorities.

Solomon Islands 2004

Solomon Islands produced the magnificent stamp sheets above and below in 2004 and 2005 respectively. The top six stamps depict: the West Solomons Owl (Athene jacquinoti), a Solomons Nightjar (Eurostopodus nigripennis), the Guadalcanal Owl (Athene granti), a Marbled Frogmouth (Podargus ocellatus) and the Hawk Owl (Ninox jacquinoti). The middle sheet features the Beach Kingfisher (Todiramphus saurophaga), the Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris), the Ultramarine Kingfisher (Todiramphus leucopygius), the Moustached Kingfisher (Actenoides bougainvillei), the Little Kingfisher (Alcedo pusilla) and the Variable Dwarf Kingfisher (Ceyx lepidus). Bottom six show: the Rufous-tailed Waterhen (Amaurornis moluccana), the Buff-banded Rail (Gallirallus phillapensis), Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio), Woodford’s Rail (Nesoclopeus woodfordi), the Roviana Rail (Gallirallus rovianae) and the Makira Woodhen (Gallinula silvestris).

Solomon Islands 2005

Top sheet shows: Finsch’s Pygmy Parrot (Micropsitta finschii), a Cardinal Lory (Pseudeos cardinalis), the Solomons Corella (Cacatua ducorpsii), a Moluccan Eclectus (Eclectus roratus), a Coconut Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus) and a Song Parrot (Geoffroyus heteroclitus). in the middle is: a Red-knobbed Imperial Pigeon (Ducula rubricera), the Yellow-bibbed Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus solomonensis), the Claret-breasted Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus viridis), a Nicobar Pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica), Stephan’s Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps stephani) and the Crested Cuckoo-Dove (Reinwardtoena crassirostris). The bottom sheet has: the Pied Goshawk (Accipiter albogularis), an Imitator Goshawk (Accipiter imitator), a Buff-headed Coucal (Centropus milo), a Black-faced Pitta (Pitta anerythra), the Melanesian Megapode (Megapodius eremita) and Blyth’s Hornbill (Rhyticeros plicatus).

Kyrgyzstan 2019

Kyrgyzstan is active with its BirdLife International issues. Above, from 2019 is the Little Bustard (Tetrax tetrax).

Kyrgyzstan 2020

The following year’s stamp featured the White-browed tit-warbler (Leptopoecile sophiae) a rare, non-migratory bird native to Kyrgyzstan. It belongs to the Long-tailed tit family of birds from the order Passerine. This is one of the smallest representatives of Kyrgyz fauna.

Kyrgyzstan 2021

Then, the 2021 and 2023 stamps had the Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) and the Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus), a migratory bird from the duck family. A characteristic feature of the appearance of these geese is the presence of two black bars on the crown and nape. In Kyrgyzstan, they nest exclusively on the high mountain lake Chatyr-Kul.

Kyrgyzstan 2023
Belarus 2020

From Belarus, its BirdLife International stamps from 2020 and 2022 depicted the Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) and, below, an Azure Tit (Cyanistes cyanus).

Belarus 2022

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