The person featured on the 2017 Black Heritage stamp was Dorothy Height (1912-2010). She fought long and hard for the rights of women, especially women of colour. Height helped to form the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971. She was the leader of the National Council of Negro Women when they joined the Council for United Civil Rights Leadership. She stood behind Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. Among the honours awarded to her were the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1994) and the Congressional Gold Medal (2004).
USA 2018
Lena Horne (1917-2010) was featured on the 2018 stamp. She helped break racial barriers by changing the way black women were represented in film, refusing to play roles that stereotyped African American women. One of the most popular African American entertainers of the twentieth century, she was known for her parts in films such as ‘Cabin in the Sky’ and ‘The Wiz’ as well as her trademark song, “Stormy Weather”, during her sixty-year career performing Lena Horne electrified audiences with her beauty and fine voice. She used her fame to fight social injustices toward African-Americans, working with civil rights groups.
USA 2019
Gregory Hines (1946-2003) was the subject in 2019. He was an American tap dancer, actor and choreographer who was a major figure in the revival of tap dancing in the late 20th century. Gregory Hines began dancing as a child and went on to launch a successful Broadway, television and film career. His notable movies include The Cotton Club and White Nights. In addition to his work on the dance and theatre stage, in film and on television, Hines’ wide-ranging career also included making a 1987 album called Gregory Hines, and writing forewords for the books “Brotherhood in Rhythm” about the careers of the fantastic tap-dancing Nicholas Brothers.
The year 2022 is the 90th anniversary of the founding of a company that produces one of the most popular toys enjoyed by children and adults alike. Austria saluted the anniversary with the stamp seen here. We are talking about the LEGO Group, founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen. The company has passed from father to son and is now owned by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, a grandchild of the founder. The name ‘LEGO’ is an abbreviation of the two Danish words “leg godt”, meaning “play well”.
Denmark 2015
According to company figures the approximate number of LEGO® elements sold per year is 70 billion. More than 60 colours are used in production and more than 3,400 different shaped parts are produced.
Malaysia 2017
And in 2017 Malaysia issued these attractive stamps featuring Legoland Malaysia Resort, Malaysia’s first international theme park, which opened in 2012 with over 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions. The first Legoland theme park was created in 1968 in Billund, Denmark. The park is located next to the original Lego factory and Billund Airport, Denmark’s second-busiest airport. To date there are others in California, Florida, New York, Malaysia, Dubai, Windsor, Japan, Korea and Germany.
Crypto stamps have attracted younger people to look at stamp collecting from a completely different angle and the popularity of these items has seen more countries being involved with issuing crypto stamps. Above is the first Crypto stamp. Österreichische Post AG issued the world’s first blockchain stamp on 11 June 2019.
Croatia 2020
On the 180th anniversary of the issue of the first postage stamp, the “Penny Black”, Croatia issued its first crypto stamp.
Thailand 2022
Thailand Post is the first postal service in Southeast Asia to produce Crypto stamps.
Switzerland 2022
And above is one design from a set of 10 crypto stamps produced by Swiss Post in 2022.
Netherlands 2022
The Netherlands and Austria co-operated with this 2022 crypto issue, using different background designs.
Spain 2000
Then we have three stamp sheets from Spain depicting a satirical and humorous journey through the history of Spain through the stamps and drawings designed by the graphic humorists José Gallego and Julio Rey.
Spain 2001
From Atapuerca Neanderthals to the Swabians, Vandals and Alans; from the Visigoths to the Catholic Monarchs and from Columbus to Philip III, the idea behind these wonderfully illustrated stamps was to teach schoolchildren how postal messaging works.
Spain 2002Belgium 1999
Belgian chocolate is world-famous, 1999 saw the above stamp issue from Belgium. Same year the 50th anniversary of the death of Belgian expressionist and surrealist artist James Ensor was commemorated with stamps featuring three of his artworks.
Belgium 1999
We have also recently acquired a great amount of stamps from the Arab States. A few examples of which follow.
Kuwait 2002
The Scientific Center of Kuwait, inaugurated in April 2000, was considered the first of its kind in the Middle East Region. The Center is dedicated to the advancement of the sciences and cultural heritage of Kuwait, promoting public awareness and knowledge of the wildlife and ecosystems of the Arabian Gulf Region and, consequently, committed to the care and preservation of these ecosystems. The 12-stamp sheet above features the Center and fauna from the region.
Kuwait 2010
In 2012 Kuwait produced the above to celebrate 50 years membership of UNESCO (1960-2010).
Qatar 2008
Al Marash, Oud oil, Agar wood and Al Moghass – four perfumes dear to Qatari people – were shown on the stamp sheet “Traditional Perfume”, issued by Q-Post in 2008. And below an issue to celebrate Qatar’s capital Doha being 2010’s Capital of Arab Culture.
Qatar 2010Burundi 2012
Opel is one of Europe’s largest automakers. It was founded by Adam Opel in 1862 in Rüsselsheim, Germany. In the beginning, Opel just produced sewing machines in a cowshed in Rüsselsheim. Encouraged by success, Adam Opel launched a new product in 1886. He began to sell high front-wheel bicycles, also known as penny-farthings. Opel died in 1895 and four years after the death of her husband – after listening to the advice of her sons Carl, Wilhelm and Friedrich – his widow Sophie Opel decided to start producing cars in 1899. Thus Opel joined the ranks of the automotive pioneers of the late 19th century that included Daimler, Benz and Peugeot. In the spring of 1899, the first of 65 hand-made Opel Patentmotorwagen “System Lutzmann” was built in Rüsselsheim. The two souvenir sheets, issued in 2012 by Burundi, commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Adam Opel AG (Opel) automobile company. That on the left has a portrait of the founder with a sewing machine, his son Fritz (Friedrich) on a later bicycle model, the first vehicle (1899) and an Opel Olympia from 1935. The second sheet includes images of contemporary Opel models at the time of the stamp issue, including the 2011 Opel Ampera, the 2008 Opel Insignia, and the 2012 Opel Mokka. The stamp includes an image of the 2011 Opel RAK e Concept car.
Ethiopia 1994
PostBeeld currently has this rare mint never-hinged definitive set from Ethiopia, produced in 1994, depicting the Simien fox, also known as the Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), a canine native to the Ethiopian Highlands.
North Korea various
And how about 100 beautifully illustrated overprints from North Korea, dating from the 1970s?
Chimney sweeping! Who would have thought it could be the subject on a postage stamp? Part of the attraction for many collectors is the incredibly varied amount of topics to be found on stamps. The Chimney Sweeper Switzerland association celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2022. The special stamp issued by Switzerland to mark that fact has a woman and a man in traditional chimney sweep costume with the typical tools of the trade. The chimneys that can be seen on the rooftops are grey but can be scratched clean. The clover leaf brings luck on the roofs. The sheet also contains self-adhesive lucky charms. In addition to the chimney sweepers’ top hats, the charms also include a ladybird, a 1-centime coin and a four-leaf clover. As long ago as the Middle Ages, chimney sweepers were seen as bringers of good fortune, because they protected people from poisoning and fire by unblocking their chimneys. They also evidently had no fear of dark chimneys, where spirits were believed to live. Touching a chimney sweeper was believed to bring good luck in the New Year.
Liechtenstein 2022
Good luck wishes are also conveyed through the two stamps shown above. The “Horseshoe” (CHF 0.90) and “Cloverleaf” (CHF 1.10) special stamps come with gold foil embossing. In addition to the phrase “Good luck” in five different languages, a horseshoe and cloverleaf adorn the stamps as symbols of good luck. However, portraits of a female chimney sweep and a male chimney sweep, which also frequently appear as lucky charms, take centre stage.
Sierra Leone 1990
Donald Duck even gets in on the act as a chimney sweep on the Le 100 stamp in this set of Disney definitives from Sierra Leone in 1990.
Sweden 1976
And the bottom left stamp of the Sweden stamps above features a chimney sweep.
Great Britain 2004
And finally, the Royal Society of Arts’ 250th anniversary was celebrated by Great Britain with the above stamp set. Bottom left lies the chimney sweep connection – the RSA Gold medal 1805 was awarded to George Smart for his apparatus for sweeping Chimnieswithout employing boys.
This article focuses on a man who achieved great things in his life – Albert Schweitzer. He was born 14 January 1875 in the small town of Kaysersberg in Alsace, a town that in 1871 had become part of the German Empire in the renamed region, the Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine, after being French for more than two centuries. When Alsace became French territory again after World War I, Schweitzer chose to become a citizen of France. Schweitzer was a clergyman and theological scholar, philosopher, physician and musician. In 1952, as recognition for his many years of humanitarian work, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and in 1955, Queen Elizabeth II conferred on him Great Britain’s highest civilian award, the Order of Merit. The gold stamp at the top of the page was produced by Gabon to commemorate his life’s work.
DDR 1965
Above we have three DDR commemorative stamps from 1965, the year he died aged 90.
Monaco 1955
With the aim of becoming a medical missionary in Africa, in 1905 he returned to university until 1911 to study medicine. In 1913, with his wife, Hélène Bresslau, who had trained as a nurse and anaesthetist in order to assist him, he set out for Lambaréné in the Gabon province of French Equatorial Africa with the intention of setting up a hospital. The 1955 stamps from Monaco above show their landing site in Lambaréné, a birthday portrait with flora and fauna, the first hospital buildings and Gabonese flora and fauna.
Mali 1965
The Republic of Mali produced this stamp sheet to commemorate the life of Albert Schweitzer.
Ajman 1971
These Ajman stamps from 1971 feature Albert Schweitzer holding two babies accompanied by Hélène Bresslau.
Upper Volta 1975
In what would have been Schweitzer’s centenary year the Republic of Upper Volta produced the above beautiful stamp set depicting the following fauna native to Africa: 5f Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), 15f Bateleur Eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus), 150f Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill (Tockus erythrorhynchus), 175f Vulturine Guineafowl (Acryllium vultur), 200f King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa).
Liberia 1975
Another commemorative stamp sheet for what would have been Albert Schweitzer’s 100th year, this time from Liberia.
Netherlands 1975
The two stamp sheets above from the Netherlands to celebrate Schweitzer’s 100th year birth anniversary. They depict an aerial view of the site of the hospital founded by him in Lambaréné, his portrait with the house where he was born in Kaysersberg, a house he owned in Gunsbach and two of his quotes.
Germany 2000
In the Millennium year Germany produced the stamp sheet here to commemorate his 125th birth anniversary. The stamps had with Schweitzer’s signature and also two of his quotes in the margins.
Mozambique 2013
Then in 2013 Mozambique issued these stamps to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon. Albert Schweitzer died on the 4th of September 1965 and was buried on the banks of the Ogooué river. His grave is marked by a cross he made himself.
It is commonly thought that the game of Dominoes originated in China in the 13th Century. There is a theory that a form of the game reached Europe in the 18th century via Italian missionaries. Nowadays the game is played worldwide, both professionally and for fun.
Switzerland 2021
The four special stamps on the stamp sheet here, issued by Swiss Post in 2021, each with a value of 50 centimes, are ideal to use together, so that every envelope can be given a personalised design. The domino tiles appear in light colours on the stamps, creating a harmonious effect on the wooden playing table. The stamps were designed to encourage users to affix them in creative arrangements. A particularly attractive feature is that the spots of the dominoes are punched out. The Dominoes World Champion in 2020 was actually Swiss.
Mali 1978
From Mali 1978 we have two stamp featuring dominoes and playing cards.
Poland 1999
The artist and graphic designer Jacek Konarzewski created the images seen on the above Polish stamps from 1999.
Netherlands 1973
In 1923 the Dutch government became the second country in the world after Switzerland to introduce a special stamp with a surcharge for 'the deprived child'. Switzerland had introduced its Pro Juventute stamps in 1912. The 1973 stamps "Children's" stamps included a domino stamp.
Sweden 1985
The 60 ÖRE stamp in this set of indoor games definitives from Sweden (1985) features dominoes.
Norfolk Island 2011
The six Norfolk Islands stamps above show items from the collections held at Norfolk Islands’ various museums. The $1.20 stamp depicts bone dominoes that were originally mounted on wood and were found in the Officer’s Mess, New Military Barracks from the second convict settlement on Norfolk Island.
Cuba 1977
And these stamps featuring some examples from the body of work of Cuban artist Jorge Arche (1905-1956) were produced by Cuba in 1977. The 30 Peso air mail stamp (bottom right) shows an Arche painting, ‘Jugadores de domino’ (Domino Players), from 1941.
Brazil 2009
Finally from Brazil in 2009, ‘Popular Games’ set of 1 Real stamps including, top right, a domino stamp.
A specialised world stamp exhibition, with FIP (Fédération Internationale de Philatélie) Patronage and FEPA (Federation of European Philatelic Associations) recognition, was held in May 2022 to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the “Sitting Helvetia”, the first perforate Swiss stamp and the first to bear the title Helvetia, still used today. organised by the Swiss Federation of Philatelic Societies in cooperation with the Philatelic Society of Lugano. The stamp above was produced by Swiss Post for the event. During the exhibition Swiss Post had a sales stand that offered a special cancellation service offering an exclusive silver overprint for the stamp – as seen on the stamps below.
Switzerland 2022Switzerland 1881
And here we have a definitive set of “Sitting Helvetia” stamps from 1881, the image retained the original 1862 design.
August 20th marks the day in 1897 when the British physician Ronald Ross confirmed that the female anopheles mosquito transmitted malaria to humans. Each year that day August is commemorated as World Mosquito Day. Dr. Ross’s research and discovery earned him a Nobel Prize for Medicine. His discovery laid the groundwork for scientists to understand and deal with the Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes that spread the parasite that causes malaria. Stamp at top, issued by India in 1997, with portrait of Sir Ronald Ross, celebrated the centenary of the discovery.
Haiti 1949
The air mail charity stamps from Haiti (1949) show a sanatorium in Port au Prince where patients with malaria and tuberculosis were treated.
In 1960, the 26th Executive Board of the World Health Organisation (WHO) resolved that postage stamps devoted to the Global Malaria Eradication Programme would stimulate interest in the battle against malaria. A plan was approved for the issue of malaria eradication stamps and Member States were invited to take part. It was hoped that Member States would be able to give the Organisation either a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of such stamps, provide quantities of stamps for the WHO to sell internationally to philatelists, or make other suitable donations.
Iran 1960
Here is a small selection of stamps issued in support of the 1960 initiative.
Afghanistan 1961Poland 1962
The Polish issue had an error showing only white cells and no parasites in the microscopic image of a blood film seen on the middle stamp.
The two stamp sheets from Gabon (1966) feature Red Cross first aiders administering treatment, on the right a nurse is seen providing anti-malaria medicine.
Solomon Islands 1977
During the 1970 and 1980s there was less international support for malaria control and fewer countries produced stamps highlighting the problem. Despite this there are still very many anti-malaria stamps to be found if the subject is of interest to the collector, including the last three items seen here from the Solomon Islands (1977), Botswana (2011) and Angola (2019).
The artist responsible for the images on these stamps from Curacao, Mirjam Griffioen, loves to paint animals and she finds goats particularly interesting. Goats, like many other grazing mammals, have horizontal eye pupils that allow their eyes to stay level with the horizon when they bend their heads down to graze. This gives them a better view of encroaching risks and danger. Mirjam chose vibrant background colours for this very attractive stamp set.
Japan 2022
Japan has produced some brilliant stamps over the years. The two 10-stamp sets above depict important cultural items connected to the Edo period in Japan’s history and Tokyo landmarks. The history of the city of Tokyo stretches back some 400 years. Originally named Edo, the city started to flourish after the warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa Shogunate there in 1603. As the centre of politics and culture in Japan, Edo grew into a huge city with a population of over a million by the mid-eighteenth century. Throughout this time, the Emperor resided in Kyoto, which was the formal capital of the nation. The Edo Period lasted for nearly 260 years until the Meiji Restoration in 1868, when the Tokugawa Shogunate ended and imperial rule was restored. The Emperor moved to Edo, which was renamed Tokyo. Thus, Tokyo became the capital of Japan.
Japan 2017
The first stamp sheets in the series “My Journey” were issued by Japan Post in 2016. Here we have the two 10-stamp sheets from 2017. And below 2022’s production.
Japan 2022
Austrian Post is famous for presenting very special, exclusive stamps and in 2016 produced a glass stamp, the first stamp valid for franking ever made out of glass anywhere in the world. The glass stamp shows one of the famous “Sandlbilder” – a reverse glass painted Pietà from the Upper Austrian municipality of Sandl. The traditional design of the Pietà (also known as a Vesperbild in German) dates back to the 14th century. The stamp shows the Virgin Mary weeping over the dead body of her crucified son, Jesus. In reverse glass painting the design is painted on the back of the glass, enabling the front to be cleaned easily, which was a big advantage in the smoke-filled farmhouse parlours of bygone years. There is a long tradition of reverse glass painting in Sandl. This is because there were many glass works in the nearby Bohemian forests, from which sheets of glass could be acquired easily and cheaply.
Austria 2016
Ten years after the world’s first postage stamp, the Austrian Empire produced its first stamps. They showed the Austrian coat of arms with the double-headed eagle. Values of 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9 Kreuzers were issued. The stamps for the Kingdom of Lombardo-Venetia, which also belonged to the Habsburg Empire, showed the same motif in the same colours but with the denominations of 5, 10, 15, 30 and 45 centesimi – they were valid throughout Austria, while the Austrian was not allowed to be used in Lombardy and Veneto. The first day of issue was June 1, 1850. Initially, the stamps were printed on hand-made paper with sheet watermarks, then from 1854 on machine-made, smooth paper without watermarks. The stamps were not yet perforated, they were cut off the sheet with scissors. Depending on how carefully the stamps were cut off and the different types of paper and printing methods, there are many colour and quality variants of the coat of arms edition. As Austria’s first stamp issue, it is extremely popular with philatelists and collectors today. The stamp block shows the Austrian issue with a value of 2 Kreuzer and an issue from Lombardo-Venetia with a value of 15 centesimi. The background is a 1 Kreuzer stamp, entwined with flowers and oak leaves, as depicted on the stamps. Austria’s first perforated postage stamp was the “Kaiserkopf issue” of 1858, which followed the coat of arms issue. This stamp sheet is also shown below.
Austria 2016Austria 2016
Some wonderful bird stamps have recently been acquired and a small selection is shown here. As I write there are 15,405 stamps featuring birds in stock, to view go to postbeeld.com or freestampcatalogue.com.
Czechoslovakia 1965
In 1965 Czechoslovakia issued a “Mountain Birds” stamp set. In order of value they depict: 30 haléřů the Eurasian Dotterel (Charadrius morinellus), 60 haléřů a Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria), 1.20 Korun the Lesser Redpoll (Acanthis cabaret), 1.40 Korun a Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), 1.60 Korun a Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus) and the 2 Korun stamp a Spotted Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes).
Thailand 1967
Thailand 1967, from top left: Talking Mynah (Gracula religiosa), White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus), Diard’s Fireback Pheasant (Lophura diardi), Spotted-necked Dove (Spilopelia chinensis), Sarus Crane (Antigone antigone), White-breasted Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) and Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis).
Kyrgyzstan 2021
A more recent issue from Kyrgyzstan, a beautiful stamp sheet featuring the European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster).
Upper Volta 1965
Then back to 1965 from Upper Volta (now known as Burkina Faso), left to right: the Pygmy Sunbird (Hedydipna platura), an Olive-bellied Sunbird (Cinnyrischloropygius), the Splendid Sunbird (Cinnyris coccinigastrus) and an Abyssinian Roller (Coracias abyssinicus).
Hungary 1952
Above, just added to stock, one set mint never-hinged and another unused (hinged) set of bird stamps from Hungary. From top, left to right are: Great egret (ardea alba), Glossy ibis (plegadis falcinellus), European bee-eater (merops apiaster), Red-footed falcon (falco vespertinus), Great Bustard (otis tarda), Lesser grey shrike (lanius minor), Black-winged Stilt (himantopus himantopus), Kentish Plover (charadrius alexandrius), Eurasian Golden Oriole (oriolus oriolus), White Stork (ciconia ciconia) and Pied Avocet (recurvirostra avosetta).
Denmark Air Mail 1934
PostBeeld has used and unused (hinged) sets of these 1934 “Airplane over Copenhagen” air mail definitives.
Excuse my ignorance but I’d never heard of Underwater Orienteering before I came across the stamps featured here! Organised in bodies of open water over courses of various shapes and distances it is a combination of underwater diving and orienteering. The sport was developed in the Soviet Union during the late 1950s and competitions are currently played mainly in Europe. Known as Orientation Sub in French and La Orientación Subacuática in Spanish. Above is a stamp from 1968 produced by the Soviet Union in recognition of the Scuba Diving European Underwater Orienteering Championship held in Alushta, Crimea, that year.
East Germany (DDR) 1985
Held every two years and organised by the Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS), the Underwater Orienteering World Championship is the highest international competition. The stamps here, issued by East Germany (DDR) in 1985, commemorate the 2nd World Championship in Underwater Orienteering held at Neuglobsow, DDR, in August 1985.
Below is an article from January 2018 with Orienteering as the theme.
