World of Stamps
Myriad philatelic content from around the world, such as first day covers, block stamp sets, maxicards, may be found at this website.
Thursday, October 17, 2024
La Poste France 900th birth anniversary of Pierre Abélard
USPS Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou's portrait for the stamp was taken from Atlanta artist Ross Rossin’s large 48” x 48” oil on canvas painting, which is part of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s collection. Upon seeing the 2013 portrait, Angelou exclaimed, “This is exactly how I see myself and exactly how I wish to be remembered.” The stamp pane has a popular Angelou quote: “Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.
Shortly before its issue, the stamp stirred some controversy as the quote it includes was originally published in a book of poetry by Joan Walsh Anglund. Angelou was widely credited for the quote, and while she may not have originally wrote it, she did say it in an interview.
By her mid-twenties, Angelou was performing in touring musicals and plays and had released her first music album, "Miss Calypso'. She spent much of her 30s abroad, learning the languages of the countries she visited, teaching, and writing.
In 1969, Angelou made literary history. The initial installment of her memoirs, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", became the first best-selling nonfiction work by an African-American woman. From there, Angelou went on to author numerous inspirational books, poems, and essays. She never attended college but was awarded more than 50 honorary doctoral degrees and taught as a professor at Wake Forest University for 25 years. In 2010 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Poet, actor, author, teacher, and activist, Angelou became an influential voice of the 20th century. She was known for her timeless wisdom and is remembered for her numerous contributions to American culture. Despite her many talents and accomplishments, Maya Angelou wished to be remembered simply as a “good human being.”
Source: Mystic Stamps
Sunday, October 13, 2024
USPS Cover Stamps
USPS Cover Stamps
USPS Cover Stamps
USPS Cover Stamps
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Jordan Tax and Definitive Stamps - 1940s
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Thai Post 50th anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 50th Anniversary of Accession to the Throne
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
Monday, October 7, 2024
Thai Post 150th Birth Anniversary of H.R.H. Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Poste Monaco Birth of Princess Caroline
Ross Dependency New Zealand Antarctic Expedition - 1957
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
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Denmark assorted cover stamps
Monday, September 30, 2024
USPS Great Film Directors - John Ford
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