USPS Cover

In 1974, USPS issued a 10-cent postage stamp depicting "The Lovely Reader" painting by Jean-Étienne Liotard. It was part of a "Famous Works of Art" series released by the USPS. The stamp was issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union. The painting originally dates from 1746.

US Postal Service stamps from the 1995 Great Lakes Lighthouses series.The strip features five different lighthouses, each with a denomination of 32 cents.Identified lighthouses in the pane include Split Rock (Lake Superior), St. Joseph (Lake Michigan), Spectacle Reef (Lake Huron), Marblehead (Lake Erie), and Thirty Mile Point (Lake Ontario). The stamps were painted by artist Howard Koslow.

French Equatorial Africa Airmail 1947-1953

FRENCH EQUATORIAL AFRICA (Afrique Équatoriale Française or AEF), a federation of French colonial territories in Central Africa, issued these airmail stamps  between 1947 and 1953 and belong to a series featuring landscape and wildlife themes, often including an DC-3 to denote their "Poste Aérienne" (Air Mail) status.

The set included the following denominations and designs:

- 50F - Red/Brown - Airplane over palm trees and a village

- 100F - Greenish/Grey - Airplane over a baobab tree and coastal huts

- 200F - Blue - Airplane over a dense tropical forest with local figures

- 500F - Dark Green - Anhingas (water birds) near a riverbank

 Many stamps in this era, including the 50F and 100F versions for other French colonies like Guadeloupe, were designed and engraved by the renowned French artist Albert Decaris.

Tunisia Carthaginian General Hannibal Barca

TUNISIA issued on 14 November 1995 a 180 LSd  (Tunisian milim) stamp commemorating Carthaginian General Hannibal Barca. It was engraved/designed by Czeslaw Slania (E) | Hatem El Mekki. The printer was Joh. Enschedé, using a recess printing method on phosphorescent paper. Total print run was 510,000. 

Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hòa Defense of Con Co Island

VIỆT NAM DÂN CHỦ CỘNG HÒA (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) in 1965 issued a stamp commemorating the Defense of Con Co Island during the Vietnam War. It depicted Vietnamese soldiers defending the island against American naval and air forces. The artwork was  credited to Khanh Lac. The stamp had a face value of 12 xu.

Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hòa Rice Harvest 1966

VIỆT NAM DÂN CHỦ CỘNG HÒA (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) issued a stamp to mark tye successful 1966 rice harvest in North Vietnam. The stamp featured farmers harvesting rice, highlighting the agricultural achievements of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. This stamp was part of a series focusing on "Bumper Crops" and rural development during that period. Denomination was 12 xu.

Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hòa 20th anniversary of the August Revolution

VIỆT NAM DÂN CHỦ CỘNG HÒA (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) issued  on 19 August 1965 a two-stamp set to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the August Revolution   (1945–1965).

They featured identical artwork by designers Công Độ and Trần Lương, depicting a group of people and soldiers in a revolutionary scene.

The stamps:

6 xu (blue/grey design).

12 xu (red/brown design).

Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hòa "Victories in Dry Season Campaign" 1965-1966

VIỆT NAM DÂN CHỦ CỘNG HÒA (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) issued in 1966 a series of four stamps (partial set shown here) to commemorate  the "Victories in Dry Season Campaign". The caption reads "Chiến thắng mùa khô của quân và dân miền Nam 1965-1966;" it translates to "Victory in the dry season of the army and people in the South 1965-1966".

These stamps were designed by the artist Nguyễn Hiệp and used as propaganda to boost morale and highlight successes during the Vietnam War. 

 Red stamp - 18 xu denomination - depicts a woman guerrilla fighter with a rifle, set against a background of ongoing battle or military preparation.

Purple/Pink stamp - 12 xu denomination - is from the same series.

Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hòa First Five-Year Plan (1961–1965)

VIỆT NAM DÂN CHỦ CỘNG HÒA (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) issued in 1965 a set of stamps to commemorate the Completion of the First Five-Year Plan (1961–1965).

The stamps were designed by artists Lê Toàn and Kim Điệp. Each stamp has a face value of 12 xu and features social realist imagery typical of propaganda art from that era.

- Red stamp (left) depicts a female industrial worker, specifically a weaver at a textile mill, representing industrial progress.

- Blue stamp (right) showcases a group of people, including a young man and woman, in front of a modern building and agricultural scene, highlighting social and cultural development.

Seminole Indians 1935 an Benjamin Franklin Stamp 1922

SEMINOLE INDIANS in Florida, a community known as the "Unconquered People" for their fierce resistance to U.S. relocation efforts in the 19th century, are depicted in this early 20th century postcard.

This postcard is dated 1935. The picture, however, was likely taken in the 1910s or 1920s.This specific postcard was part of a series often published by companies like Curt Teich.

These images were popular souvenirs from Florida tourist attractions like Musa Isle or Ross Allen’s in Silver Springs, where the tribe found new sources of income as their traditional hunting grounds in the Everglades were drained.

As shown here, the clothing featured horizontal stripes, a hallmark of Seminole style that emerged more fully by 1920.

 Women typically wore floor-length ruffled skirts and long-sleeved blouses with short capes that covered the shoulders.

 Men wore "long shirts" or tunics, which were standard attire. Some include "built-in" belts that would later evolve into the iconic "Seminole jacket".

The green UNITED STATES 1-cent postage stamp of Benjamin Franklin on this postcard was issued from 1922 till 1929.

Shanghai Surcharged Airmail - 1948

 

SHANGHAI SURCHARGED AIRMAIL stamps, issued by the Republic of China from 1946 till 1948, were implemented due to severe national currency fluctuations at the time. These issues overprinted existing air mail stamps in red or black to meet soaring postal rates, often creating high-value stamps. 

These stamps were primarily printed by the Dah Yeh Printing Press in Shanghai. During the transition period in 1949, "Air Mail" was overprinted on revenue stamps, and non-denominated green plane stamps.These featured either horizontal overprints (Peiping/Hong Kong prints) or vertical overprints (Shanghai prints).

Shown here:

- Green and blue stamps feature a Junker F-13 aircraft flying over the Great Wall of China. They were surcharged with $50,000 over original value.

 - Blue stamp depicting an airplane flying over the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing. It was overprinted with a value of $10,000.

KUT King George VI 1938

KENYA, UGANDA, AND TANGANYIKA  issued in 1938 this 20 cent stamp depicting a portrait of King George VI surrounded by two crowned cranes.

Siam First Airmail - 1925

SIAM AIR MAIL  (Thailand formerly known as Siam) issued between January and April 1925 the Garuda series. The stamps were Thailand's first airmail stamps and featured the mythological bird-like creature that is the national emblem of Thailand.

Each stamp has a different colour and denomination (face value in Satang):

- 2 Satang - Orange-brown

- 3 Satang - Red-brown or purple

- 5 Satang - Green

- 15 Satang - Rose-carmine or dark red

- 25 Satang - Dark blue

- 50 Satang - Orange and black

The series was released during the reign of King Rama VI. Some stamps from this era may feature overprints for special occasions, such as the "Siam Kingdom Exhibition" (Siam Rath Museum) in 1926.

Thailand 400th anniversary of the birth of King Naresuan the Great - 1955

THAILAND issued around 1955 a series of stamps to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the birth of King Naresuan the Great.

The stamps depicted King Naresuan riding a war elephant, celebrating his historical role in Thai history.

Denominations shown here: 

- 25 satang

- 2 baht

- 3 baht