Now and then we focus on the incredible variety of subjects that can be found on postage stamps, some being very unusual. And today I came across some such stamps.
Those in question feature a sport whose participants must not only have a considerable amount of stamina but also excellent navigational skills.
The sport, orienteering, began in Sweden in the late 19th Century and involved the crossing of unknown land with the aid of a map and a compass.
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As a young boy collecting stamps I was often more attracted to those with colour and shape rather than rarity. Diamond-shaped stamps from Hungary, Monaco and the Burundi particularly caught my eye.
The stamp on the left is from Hungary 1953, overprinted to celebrate a famous 6 goals to 3 victory by the national team over England at Wembley Stadium.
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I many warm countries the colourful shirts on the stamps below are common attire for men. Many other men living in cooler climes may have one or two of these spectacularly-decorated items of clothing sitting in their wardrobes, waiting for the summer months or their annual holidays. Typically known as Hawaiian shirts, U.S.A. issued the stamps in 2012 with the Hawaii greeting word “Aloha”.
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Below are some examples of the hundreds of stamps recently added to PostBeeld’s vast stock.
A few attractive booklets from the Channel Islands including this from Guernsey:
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The above stamp was issued by Hungary in 2010 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Hungarian Grand Prix for Formula 1 racing cars. As with so many stamps, there is a historical significance attached to that particular issue.
In 1986, after a failed attempt to host a race in the former Soviet Union, then Formula 1 franchise owner Bernie Ecclestone signed a contract in London for the first five years of the Hungarian Grand Prix. A track was quickly built and the first race was held on August 10th, 1986.
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A mint, never-hinged stamp pair issued by South-West Africa in 1936.
Below, five 1937 Edward VIII Coronation stamp pairs, South Africa.
2004 Football European Championship winners Greece commemorated by this set of four stamps.
World Wildlife Fund stamps issued by Malawi in 1978.
Butterflies, Mozambique, 2002 and 2000.
From Manama 1971, stamp sheet featuring a self-portrait of the artist Modigliani and one of his seated nude paintings.
1963, Poland, featuring reptiles.
And Polish airmail definitives from 1957.
Baseball stamps issued by Curacao 2013.
This is just a small selection from the hundreds of stamps added to the postbeeld.com website daily.
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Do you recognise the young man above? He is someone who has already been recognised in the world of postage stamps for his achievements.
Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, still only 26 years old, is a three-time World Champion of chess. He won his first world title in 2013, becoming the second-youngest ever to win that competition.
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Three times heavyweights world champion boxing Muhammad Ali died last week at age 74. With 56 winnings out of 61 matches, he is considered to be the greatest boxer of all time by many people. Ali was also famous for his quotes that were everything but modest.
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New stamps appear regularly with a variety of subjects. Below is a selection of recently-published stamps from around the globe.
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We know Olympic Games stamps are a popular theme for many stamp collectors and as our parent company, PostBeeld (postbeeld.com), has recently added many stamps on this subject to its stock thought this article about Olympic Games mascots might be of interest to some.
The first Olympic mascot, though not official, was named “Schuss” and was born at the Grenoble Olympic Winter Games in 1968. Representing a little man on skis, half-way between an object and a person, it was the first manifestation of a long line of mascots which continue to this day.
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