Sverige Post John Bauer Nordic Trolls and Gnomes

SVERIGE POST on 16 February 1982 issued four stamps with Nordic motifs affixed to matching maximum cards  featuring the artwork of illustrator John Bauer (1882–1918) and engraved stamps by Czesław Słania. A special postmark originated from Jönköping, Sweden.

John Bauer's famous folklore and fairy tale illustrations shown here include:

- "Here is a piece of a troll herb which nobody else but me can find" (1912) — Depicting an enormous troll mother sitting near a small child in the forest. 

- "Princess Tuvstarr gazing down into the dark waters of the forest tarn" (1913) — One of Bauer's most iconic works, showing the blonde princess sitting at the edge of a reflective woodland pool. 

- "Leap the Elk and Little Princess Cottongrass" (1913) — Showing the massive moose ("Skutt") standing over the tiny princess resting on the moss. 

 - "En riddare red fram" ("A knight rode forth") (1915) — Featuring a small, shining knight riding a charging horse beneath a starry sky.

These scenes were originally published in the famous Swedish fairy tale anthology Bland tomtar och troll (Among Gnomes and Trolls).

USPS "Post Office Murals", "Moving Camp"

USPS  on 10 April 2019 issued a series of stamps representing the "Post Office Murals" painted during New Deal-era. The First Day Cover stamp here featured the 1936 mural entitled "Moving Camp" by Stephen Mopope, James Auchiah, and Spencer Asah, who were members of the renowned group of Native American artists known as the Kiowa Six. This mural was painted at the US post office in Anadarko, Oklahoma, hence the first day of issue postmark.

The postcard highlights the "Piegans" (painted in 1918), depicting members of the Piegan Blackfeet band on horseback by Charles Marion Russell (1864–1926) who was famous for his depictions of the American Old West.

US General George S. Patton Jr. - 1953

UNITED POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT issued on 11 November 1953 a commemorative  First Day Cover 3 cent stamp honouring General George S. Patton Jr. and the Armored Forces of the U.S. Army. The postmark originated from Fort Knox, Kentucky.

The cachet on the envelope is a Herman F. Fluegel's design. This distinctive patriotic and colourful border artwork like this one of Patton makes his covers more sought after by military history buffs than mass-produced alternatives like standard Artcraft covers. 

Nasu-no-Yoichi Hitting the Fan-mark Aboard, Yashima-no-kassen Battle and The Illustrated Tale of Heiji

The postcard depicts Nasu-no-Yoichi Hitting the Fan-mark Aboard, Yashima-no-kassen Battle (12C) by Chikanobu Yoshu.

Nasu-no-Yoichi was one of the most prominent archers in feudal Japan. He was a samurai archer of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods (1169–1232), known for his exceptional skill with the bow. 

Nasu no Yoichi is best known for his remarkable feat during the Battle of Yashima in 1184, part of the Genpei War between the Taira and Minamoto clans. 

During the battle, the Taira forces placed a fan atop a pole on one of their ships, challenging the Minamoto to shoot it. Nasu no Yoichi, on horseback, stepped forward and, with great precision, shot the fan from the ship. This impressive display of archery skill and coirage is often depicted in Japanese art and literature.

NIPPON POST on 6 October 1992 issued a stamp commemorating The Heiji Monogatari Emaki (The Illustrated Tale of Heiji) is a masterpiece of Japanese narrative handscroll (emaki) painting created during the Kamakura period (13th century). It vividly depicts the brutal political and military clashes of the Heiji Rebellion of 1159, a brief but pivotal civil war that set the stage for the rise of samurai dominance in Japan.

Nippon Post Random Stamp Cover

 

NIPPON POST stamps:

- Top Left & Middle Right (62 yen): Features pears labeled "二十世紀梨・鳥取県" (20th Century Pear, Tottori Prefecture).

- Top Right (62 yen): Commemorates the 450th anniversary of Japan-Portugal relations (平成5年・1993, 日本・ポルトガル友好450年記念), showing a traditional lacquered box.  

- (Middle Left (62 yen): Features a stylised character with glasses and a hat, labeled "めがね・福井県" (Glasses, Fukui Prefecture) from a regional/letter-writing collection.

- Bottom Left (62 yen): Commemorates the 100th Tenno Sho horse race (第100回天皇賞競走記念, Heisei 1 / 1989).

- Bottom Right (70 yen): Commemorates the Europalia Japan festival in 1989 (平成元年 1989, ユーロパリア日本祭記念), featuring a traditional performer with a fan.

Nippon Post Insects

NIPPON POST on 12 March  1987 issued a series of stamps dedicated to insects, among these being (shown on the left) Ascalaphus Ramburi (yellow-spotted owlfly), valued at 60 yen and (on the right) the Polyphylla Laticollis (a species of scarab beetle), valued at 60 yen.

POLYNÉSIE FRANÇAISE - 1956 and 1964

 

POLYNÉSIE FRANÇAISE (French Polynesia, (then classified as a French Colony/Territory) featuring a 3f stamp with a traditional woman/dancer and two 5f RF Postes stamps depicted a spearfishing native (Pêcheur au harpon). 

The stamp on the left was issued in 1964, whereas the two  on the right were first printed in 1956. The circular postmark stamped directly over the left-hand side of the postcard has a cancellation date of 27 September 1967.

The postcard shows a beautiful sunset (Magnifique coucher du soleil) in Tiva, Tahaa, French Polynesia.

USPS Hank Aaron

USPS commemorated Hank Aaron and his outstanding baseball career on 31 July 2024 with a postage stamp created by artist Chuck Styles and designed by Greg Breeding. A digital painting of Aaron is shown during his time with the Atlanta Braves. The pose is his famous right-handed batting stance from the waist up. 

The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team.

 Hank "Henry"  Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021) was a professional baseball player who was part of Major League Baseball (MLB) for 23 seasons. He played from 1954 to 1976, with most of that time spent on the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (he spent two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers). Aaron played as a right fielder and designated hitter, becoming famous for breaking Babe Ruth’s long-time home-run record in 1974. He held the record for 33 years.

Aaron grew up in Mobile and Toulminville, Alabama, with his seven siblings. When he was young, his family was too poor to buy baseball equipment, so Aaron used a stick and bottle cap for his bat and ball. After high school, Aaron signed with the Negro American League. Not long after, Aaron signed with the Braves and worked his way up through their farm teams. On 13 Apri 1954, he made his MLB debut.

Throughout his career, Hank Aaron faced many obstacles, including varying degrees of racism. He often couldn’t stay in the same hotels or eat in the same restaurants as his teammates. When he was about to break Babe Ruth’s home run record, he received death threats. But hatred didn’t stop Hank Aaron. He persevered and remains one of the most talented and beloved baseball players of all time.

Source: Mystic Stamps

Nippon Post Kabuki Series 1991-1992

NIPPON POST (Japan Post) between 1991–1992 issued a Kabuki series featuring famous traditional theatrical scenes and actors on commemorative postage stamps.

The First Day Covers shown here include:

28 June 1991 (1st Issue):  "Kagamijishi" (The Lion Dance) played by the 6th Onoe Kikugoro.

20 February 1992:  "Ichinotani Futaba Gunki" played by Nakamura Kichiemon.

30 June 1992: "Fujimusume" (The Wisteria Maiden) played by the 7th Onoe Baiko.

10 April 1992: "Ishikawa Goemon" at the gate played by Jitsukawa Enjaku

Republique Française Commemorative Stamp of Victor Hugo

REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE issued on 23 February 1985 a First Day Cover honouring Victor Hugo (1802–1885), author of "Les Misérables" and "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" and many other writings.  The stamp carried a face value of 2.10 + 0.50 featuring Hugo's portrait and signature of this famous French writer and poet Victor Hugo, postmarked in his birth city of Besançon. 

Republique Française Commemorative Stamp of Romain Rolland

REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE issued on 23 February 1985 a First Day Cover honouring the Nobel Prize-winning French author Romain Rolland (1866-1944). The stamp carried a face value of 1.70 + 0.40 French Francs and featured a sketched portrait of Rolland alongside his facsimile signature.

Romain Rolland won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1915, primarily for his massive 10-volume novel Jean-Christophe.  He was born on 29 January 1866, in Clamecy, France, which is the location marked on the special first day cancellation postmark.

He was a strong pacifist who wrote about international peace and corresponded with major figures including Maxim Gorki, Mahatma Ghandi, Rabindranath Tagore and Sigmund Freud. Hermann Hesse dedicated "Siddhartha" to Romain Rolland "my dear friend".

Deutsches Reich 1940 Spring Leipzig Trade Fair and Tyrolean Costumes Postcard

GERMAN antique chreomolithograph postcard depicts a traditional couple in Tyrolean folk costume (Tracht) from the Alpine region of Tyrol, Austria. The man's attire features green-embroidered lederhosen (leather shorts), green knitted wool socks (Loferl), a grey loden jacket, green vest, and a feather-accented green Tyrolean hat. The woman wears a layered ruffled skirt, a grey jacket over a red bodice, and a dark head covering with a patterned floral scarf.

The bottom caption is a traditional German/Austrian dialect verse relating to life and health in the mountains. A rough translation states, "Man, whatever you wish to accomplish, do it now while you still can and are healthy." The overall message is a poetic Alpine version of Carpe Diem ("seize the day"), reminding the reader to live fully, act on their dreams, and enjoy life while they have their strength and health in the mountains.

The reverse side of this philatelic postcard cover was mailed within Germany during World War II, specifically postmarked in Augsburg at 6pm, on 1 May 1940.

DEUTSCHES REICH issued this commemorative set for the 1940 Spring Leipzig Trade Fair (Leipziger Frühjahrsmesse), which took place in early 1940. Each stamp depicted stylised regional architecture and featured the distinctive "MM" logo (short for Mustermesse or Sample Fair).

Complete Commemorative Stamp Set: 

- 3 + 2 Pfennig (Bottom Left) Augsburg Cityscape (Lechviertel / Perlachturm view) Green

- 6 + 4 Pfennig (Middle Left) Leipzig View (Historical structures & new fair halls) Sepia / Brown

- 12 + 8 Pfennig (Top Left) Munich Architecture (München Propylaea) Carmine Red

- 25 + 15 Pfennig (Top Middle) Vienna Technical & Fair Grounds (Wien) Ultramarine Blue

Manchukuo 10th Anniversary of the Founding of the Manchukuo Empire

MANCHUKUO (the Japanese-controlled puppet state in Northeast China, 1932–1945) issued in 1942 (Kangde 9) a set of stamps marking the 10th Anniversary of the Founding of the Manchukuo Empire (慶祝建國十周年).

The stamps shown:

The green stamp (6 fen) features traditional dancers representing harmony among ethnic groups.

The orange/brown stamp (3 fen) depicts an agricultural or rural scene symbolizing development and prosperity.