Recently Added to Stock

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July 15, 2025

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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.

In 1950, Venezuela issued this airmail stamp series featuring the protection of the country’s flora – specifically specifically focusing on the Tabebuia Chrysantha flower shown on the stamps.

Issued in 1951, this great set of airmail stamps from Venezuela features gas and oil facilities and the coat of arms of the State of Zulia. Zulia is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state capital is Maracaibo, situated in northwestern Venezuela, bordering Lake Maracaibo – the largest body of water of its kind in Latin America. Its basin covers one of the largest oil and gas reserves in the Western Hemisphere.

Some great additions to stock from Great Britain if you check PostBeeld’s website, including this set featuring photographs of Winston Churchill at different stages of his life and some of his famous quotes. And below is a special collector’s sheet from Christmas 2024. The sheet features eight First Class stamps, eight Second Class stamps, one First Class Large Letter stamp, one Second Class Large Letter stamp and two £2.80 stamps. Each stamp features a snowy scene of a UK cathedral: Edinburgh, Liverpool, Armagh, Bangor and Westminster.

These Pro Juventute stamps and the first day cover were issued by Swiss Post in 1986.

The United States Postal Service issued “The Pan-American Inverts” souvenir sheet seen here in 2001. The Pan-American Exposition held in Buffalo, New York in 1901, highlighted advancements of the 19th century in industry, transportation, manufacturing, and the arts. On opening day, a series of six bi-coloured stamps commemorating the exposition was issued. A limited number of the stamp sheets were printed with inverted centres: the 1-cent stamp depicting the steamship, “City of Alpena”; the 2c stamp depicting the train, “Empire State Express”; and the 4c stamp depicting an early electric automobile. The rare inverts quickly became collectibles.

This 2001 souvenir sheet includes reproductions of the famous Pan-American inverts in their original colours as well as four reproductions of a “cinderella” stamp that originally commemorated the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. (A cinderella is an item that resembles, but is not, an official government-issued postage stamp.) The design of the red and blue, diamond-shaped cinderella features a charging buffalo in the centre with the words “Pan-American Exposition Buffalo.” The addition of an 80-cent denomination makes each of the four cinderella reproductions official postage stamps. A detail of the cover illustration from a 1901 souvenir guide also appears on the 2001 souvenir sheet. In the illustration, an allegorical female representing unity among the Americas stands on top of a globe. In her left hand she holds a flag – half-Canadian, half-American – and her right arm rests on the back of a buffalo. The globe shows the western hemisphere and includes the words “Pan-American Exposition 1901. Buffalo, NY, USA.” Niagara Falls appears in the background.

The 5.60 Zloty stamp on this Polish stamp sheet from 1963, entitled Conquering Space, depicts Mariner 2 (Mariner-Venus 1962), an American space probe to Venus, and was the first robotic space probe to report successfully from a planetary encounter. The 6.50 Zt features Mars 1, the first spacecraft to fly by Mars, although communications had been lost before it reached the planet.

The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships is a bienniel competition for cross-country skiing, ski-jumping andNordic combined skiing, organised by the International Ski Federation (FIS). These three rare minisheets were produced to commemorate the 1962 event held in Zakopane, Poland.

Colourful orchid stamps from Namibia issued in 1999. In value order they show: Eulophia hereroensis, Ansellia Africana, Eulophia leachii and Eulophia speciosa.

Also from Namibia three stamps, one overprinted ‘Registered Mail’ featuring vegetables and grain – from 2005.

The 1967 World Jamboree was the 12th World Jamboree of the World Organization of the Scout Movement. The camp was held in Farragut State Park, on the southern shore of Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho, in the northwestern United States. It was the second time a World Jamboree had been held in the Americas. The camp welcomed 12,011 participants from 105 countries. Dubai produced the above stamps to commemorate the event. For those interested in Scouting stamps PostBeeld has recently added a great collection to its stock, shown here are just a few.

The 13th World Jamboree was held in Japan in 1971 and Fujeira issued a gold and silver stamp for the event during which a typhoon struck and thousands of scouts had to evacuate the camp site for 48 hours.

Also from 1971, Sharjah featured Scouts from various European countries with accompanying famous landmarks in this set of stamps.

The Holy See’s participation in the Brussels World Fair was commemorated by a series of Vatican City postage stamps. The designs represent Pope Pius XII and the Holy See’s pavilion at the fair.

These higher value definitives from Suriname (1936), then a Dutch colony, show Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands who reigned for nearly 58 years (1890-1948), making her the longest-reigning monarch in Dutch history.

Unusual Subject – Pearl Diving

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July 8, 2025

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

“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.

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

Dubai Metro Anniversary

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July 1, 2025

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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.

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.

World’s First Stamp for Butterfly Topic Collectors?

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June 24, 2025

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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.

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.

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

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

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.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich

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June 17, 2025

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Recently Added to Stock

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June 9, 2025

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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.

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.

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.

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).

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Smurfing Together for a Better World?

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June 3, 2025

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

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.

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

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.

Unusual Topic – Parachuting

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May 26, 2025

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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.

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

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.

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

Then we have six values produced by Belgium in 1960.

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.

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

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.

Recently Added to Stock

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May 7, 2025

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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.

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).

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

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).

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.

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

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.

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.

Poland’s Failed Record Attempt

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May 1, 2025

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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.

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.