USPS Cover Stamps

USPS cover stamps affixed to this envelope include Women's Soccer, XX Olympics in Munich 1972, Peace Bridge, Navajo jewelry, Apollo 8 earth view from the moon and yachting. 

USPS Cover Stamps

 

USPS Cover stamps depicted on this enveloped show mostly politicians and statesmen: Senator Everett Dirkson, Benjamin Franklin, Charles E. Bohlen. Whitey Moore Young and Ship Building in Maine.

USPS Cover Stamps

USPS coover stamps on this envelope show classical music conductor Toscanini and scouting (e.g. YMCA Youth Camping, Boy Scouts, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Campe Fire) related stamps, all of these are block sets.

USPS Cover Stamps

 

USPS cover stamps shown on this envelope include John Foster Dulles, Abraham Lincoln, Boys Clubs of America Movement, Wisconsin's Workman's Compensation Law and Dungeons & Dragons.

Jordan Tax and Definitive Stamps - 1940s

JORDAN’S First Postal Tax Set was declared on 22 July 1946, the Arab League passed a law that allowed Jordan to issue a postal tax stamp set. The stamps became available to the public on 31 May 1947. The purpose of Jordan’s 1947 postal tax stamps was to raise money to create a welfare fund to help and support the Palestinians in Palestine.

These are the low denomination stamps with the value between 1 mil and 5 mils. The stamps were issued in four different colours; viz. blue for 1 mil, red for 2 mils, green for 3 mils and deep red for 5 mils.

The stamps depict the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in the centre with king’s name on the top and the top and name of the place at the bottoms flanked by denomination in Roman and Arabic.

In 1927, Jordan’s first postal stamp was issued bearing the image of His Majesty King Abdullah I bin Al-Hussein. 

This cover from Jordan features these stamps.

Thai Post 50th anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 50th Anniversary of Accession to the Throne

THAI POST on 9 June 1996 issued a set of five First Day Cover stamps commemorating the 50th anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's accession to the throne (second series). Each multicoloured stamps had a 3 Baht face value. The designer was Mr. Thaveeporn Thongkhambaih. The printer was Helio Courvoisier SA, Switzerland.

Ceremonial set included:

- The Royal Ablutions Ceremony

- The Pouring of the Libation

- The Grand Audience

- The Royal Progress by Land

- The Audience from the Balcony

Thai Post 150th Birth Anniversary of H.R.H. Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse

THAI POST on 11 January 2009 issued a set of four First Day Cover stamps marking the 150 birth anniversary of H.R.H. Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse, who was the founder of the Thai post office and brother of King Chulalongkorn, Rama V. Each stamp carried a 3 Baht face value. The stamp designer was Mrs. Veena Chantanatat (Thailand Post Company Limited).  Thai British Security Printing Public Company Limited, Thailand printed 15,000 multicolored pieces. A special Royal Siam Post Office cancellation was affixed to each stamp and originated from Bangkok, Thailand.

Field Marshal Somdet Phra Raja Pitula Boromphongsabhimuk Chaofa, Bhanurangsiswangwong Krom Phraya Bhanuphandhuwongworadej (1859-1928) was a younger brother  of H.M. King Chulalongkorn. With the help of his brothers, the Prince wrote news about the court and had it published in a daily newspaper under the English name, "Court", and the Thai name, "Khao Rajakarn". The newspaper bore his portrait and was delivered to members of the royal family. He also had documents and letters affixed to the same kind of stamp delivered to these members. This practice was similar to the postal service in other countries. For this reason, the King had confidence in this brother and appointed him to the position of Director with the responsibility of founding the Department of Posts on 2 July 1881. It was opened to the public on 4 August 1883.

Poste Monaco Birth of Princess Caroline

POSTE MONACO on 11 May 1957 issued a series of First Day Cover stamps commemorating the birth of Princess Caroline on 23 January 1957. This particular postcard is one of many printed and circulated in 1957, some with definitive stamps of Princess Grace Kelly in various colours and denominations. I happen to like this postcard with the effigy of Princess Grace, its stamps and special postmark. The engraving is minute and extensive. A recess printing method was used.

Ross Dependency New Zealand Antarctic Expedition - 1957

ROSS DEPENDENCY first stamps were issued on 11 January 1957, in conjunction with the New Zealand Antarctic Expedition, led by Sir Edmund Hillary (part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition). 

The stamps were for use by members of the expedition but also helped support New Zealand's claim to sovereignty over the Dependency.

The two higher value stamps in the set were included for use by the British members of the party in sending letters back to the United Kingdom. It had been an Antarctic expedition custom that Post Offices be opened as soon as a base site on the ice was chosen, but finding a location for the site of Scott Base proved difficult. 

Once a decision had been made to locate the base at Pram Point on Ross Island, no time was lost in opening a tent post office. Sir Edmund Hillary had been appointed postmaster on 23 November 1956, he in turn had appointed A S Helm as assistant postmaster to attend to all postal matters during the first summer Scott Base was open.

Four stamps, in the denominations 3d, 4d, 8d, and 1s 6d, were first issued. When New Zealand adopted a decimal currency in 1967, the stamps were reissued in denominations of 2c, 3c, 7c, and 15c.

The 3d value depicted the ship Erebus with a background design depicting Mt Erebus on Ross Island, and pack ice. The vessel of 370 tons, was built during the Napoleonic Wars and had been specially strengthened for work in the ice. It was the flagship of Sir James Clark Ross, who, in 1841, discovered the volcanic mountain and named it after the vessel. The Dependency takes its name from this well-known explorer.

The 4d value featured portraits of Robert Falcon Scott, leader of the ill-fated 1910-12 British Antarctic Expedition and Ernest Henry Shackleton, leader of the 1914-16 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, with a map of the Ross Dependency as background. Every possible photograph of the two leaders was scrutinised before the final selection was made.

The 8d  Included a map of the Antarctic region, with the Ross Dependency shown prominently in relation to New Zealand. The stamp proved difficult to produce as in order to bring both New Zealand and the Dependency within the scope of one stamp, the former had to be foreshortened. The stamp included the boundaries of the Ross Dependency, 160'E and 150'W longitude and 60'S latitude. Shown on the map are the Ross Dependency, New Zealand, Chatham Islands, Campbell Island, Ross Sea, Cape Adare, McMurdo Sound and the Antarctic Circle.

The 6d Showed a portrait of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. James Berry's drawing was similar to what he prepared for the New Zealand 'Official' series, but with the Queen facing left instead of right.

Technical details about the stamps. 

- Stamps designed by:

3d: E M Taylor; 4d: L C Mitchell; 8d: M R Smith; 1s6d: J Berry

- Printer and process: Thomas De La Rue, England; Recess printed - Intaglio

- Stamp size: 3d and 4d: 40mm x 25mm;  8d: 25mm x 40mm; 1s 6d: 25mm x 28mm

Sheet size: 120 stamps per sheet

- Perforation gauge: 3d, 4d and 8d: 14; 1s 6d: 13

- Paper type: Wiggins Teape 'Royal Cypher', multiple NZ and star watermark.

The Massey Ferguson tractors (shown in the cachet) were used by Hillary at the Pole by the US for some years. The TAE sno-cats were left at Scott Base and used there afterwards.

Source: New Zealand Post

Denmark assorted cover stamps

DENMARK assorted cover stamps

Stamps shown in 1st row (left to right):

- Admiral Butterfly issued in 1993

- Bredsten Church issued in 1990

- Danish Law issued in 1983

- Endangered Flowers issued in 1990

- Nature Reserves & Parks issued in 1999

- Children's Office issued in 1981

- Preservation of Danish Natural  Amenities and Ancient Monuments(Water Mill) issued in 1962

Stamps shown in 2nd row (left to right):

- Nudist Beach issued in Denmark 1991

- 300th Birthday Anniversary of J.S. Bach (Partita No. 2 in C minor) issued in 1985

- 400th Anniversary of the Establishment of the National Archives issued in 1982

- Danish Street Scene by Eckersberg issued in 1983

- First Polar Flight of DC-7 in 1957

 

USPS Great Film Directors - John Ford

USPS on 23 May 2012 issued a First Day Cover stamp commemorating John Ford. It was one of four in their Great Film Directors series. This 45¢ stamp was designed by Avery Dennison. A Photogravure printing method was used render 6,250,000 copies of this multicoloured stamps. Postmark cancellation originated from Silver Spring, Maryland.

In his 50-year career, John Ford (1894-1973) directed over 130 films between 1917 and 1970 (although most of his silent films are now lost), and received six Academy Awards including a record four wins for Best Director for The Informer (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), and The Quiet Man (1952). Ford’s first major success, The Iron Horse (1924), was one of the top-grossing films of the decade. 

Ford is renowned for his Westerns, such as Stagecoach (1939), My Darling Clementine (1946), Fort Apache (1948), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962); though he worked in many other genres, including comedies, period dramas, and documentaries. He made frequent use of location shooting and wide shots, in which his characters were framed against a vast, harsh, and rugged natural terrain. He is credited with launching the careers of some of Hollywood's biggest stars during the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, including John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Maureen O'Hara and James Stewart.

During WWII, he served in the U.S. Navy producing documentaries, and was injured at the Battle of Midway. Ford won a record four Academy Awards, received the American Film Institute’s first Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Source: Mystic Stamps and Wikipedia 

Poste Monaco 100th Anniversary of the Opera Carmen

POSTE MONACO on 13 May 1975 issued a four-stamp First Day Covet set celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet. The set was designed and engraved by Albert Decaris who did a superlative polyptych piece. Since Carmen has four acts, a stamp has been illustrated  each of these acts.

Carmen is a tale of seduction, passion, infidelity, jealousy and murder. Bizet’s famous heroine first appeared in a novella by Prosper Mérimée in 1845. Thirty years later, Bizet adapted the story into an opera. It was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875. It was considered quite scandalous for its time! Since then it has become one of the world’s most loved, with the free-spirited Carmen at its heart.

ACT 1 (0.30 stamp)

Carmen appears in the square in front of the tobacco factory smoking a cigarette. The men in the square surround Carmen and try to woo her, but she refuses. When the men try to rape her, Jose, a soldier who happens to be there, helps her, but Carmen leaves, not happy about Jose's affections. At that moment, Jose is captivated by Carmen's beauty. Later, Carmen gets into a fight and is thrown into a cell in the tobacco factory, but Jose lets her escape and chooses to take the punishment himself.

ACT 2  (0.60 stamp)

The tavern "Lillas Pastia" is packed with customers. The bullfighter Escamillo makes advances to Carmen, but she doesn't pay him any attention. Next, Jose appears at the tavern to see her. Carmen is delighted and welcomes him with songs and dances, but then the army's trumpet sounds to signal the end of the war. As Jose prepares to leave, she becomes angry and sad. Jose is unable to give up his honor as a soldier, but he cannot bring himself to part with Carmen, and he eventually confesses his love. He decides to quit being a soldier and join Carmen's group.

ACT 3  (0.80 stamp)

However, it is discovered that Carmen is a member of a smuggling ring. Jose regrets joining the group, and Carmen, who wants free love, proposes breaking up with him, but Jose refuses. Carmen's friends start reading cards. Carmen is shocked and unable to hide her shock when her death is predicted. The bullfighter Escamillo visits Carmen in her hideout. Jose learns that Escamillo is in love with Carmen and challenges him to a duel, but his friends intervene.

ACT 4  (1.40F stamp)

As the bullfighters gather in the crowded square, the spectators welcome them with loud cheers. Escamillo approaches Carmen and tells her he loves her. Carmen accepts his love and remains alone in the square. At that moment, Jose appears. Jose tries to win back Carmen's love, but she coldly pushes him away. Jose blocks Carmen as she heads to the bullring. Carmen throws the ring Jose gave her at him and prepares to leave. In the end, Jose kills Carmen.

La Poste France Birth Centenary of Sarah Bernhardt

LA POSTE FRANCE on 16 May 1945 issued a First Day Cover stamp marking the centenary birth of French actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923). This maxim card has a cancellation postmark for 12 April 1946, Conservatoire de Paris. The stamp illustration is based from a painting by Bastien Lepage. This brown-lilac stamp had a face value of 4F + 1F. An Intaglio print method was used to produce 4,500,000 copies.The designer was Pierre Gandon but credited to Charles Mazelin; Pierre Gandon was also the engraver. 

The stamp bears Mazelin's name as the engraver's signature, but in fact it was never engraved by him. Why? After WWII a purge of Vichey government collaborators was in full swing. Gandon had been deprived of orders from the postal administration for three months  having engraved the triptych of the Tricolor Legion in 1942 (poste-1942-45). The punch was finished engraving on 14 November 1944. Given this state of affairs and the contempt towards Gandon, it was difficult to issue the stamp with Gandon's signature. Mazelin agreed to put his signature in place of Gandon's.

Sarah Bernhardt (born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress. She is considered one of the greatest tragediennes of the 19th and 20th centuries. The first international "star", she was the first to have made triumphant tours on five continents, Jean Cocteau (1889-1963, novelist, playwright, poet, etc.) inventing for her the expression "sacred monster". In 1859, she entered the Conservatoire d'art dramatique de Paris in the class of Jean-Baptiste François Provost (1798-1865, actor, 258th member of the Comédie-Française, in 1839). After graduating in 1862 with a second prize for comedy, she entered the Comédie-Française, but was dismissed in 1866 for having slapped a member, Mademoiselle Nathalie (1816-1885, actress 272nd member in 1852). She signed a contract at the Théâtre national de l'Odéon (inaugurated in 1782). She was revealed there by playing "Le Passant" by François Édouard Joachim Coppée (1842-1908, poet, playwright and novelist) in 1869. In 1870, during the siege of Paris (17 September 1870 / 26 January 1871), she transformed the theatre into a military hospital and treated the future Marshal Ferdinand Foch (1851-1929, general and academician) there, whom she would meet again forty-five years later on the Meuse front, during the First World War (28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918). She triumphed in the role of the Queen in Ruy Blas (a five-act play created in 1838) in 1872, which led to her being nicknamed the "Golden Voice" by the author, Victor Hugo (Feb. 1802 - May 1885, writer, poet, playwright, politician, Academician, etc.

She was also linked with the success of artist Alphonse Mucha, whose work she helped to publicise. Mucha became one of the more sought-after artists of this period for his Art Nouveau style.

Source: Wikipedia