Imperial Japan Military Stationary - 1936

IMPERIAL JAPAN WWII-era military/patriotic postal card (gunjū yūbin / egaki-hagaki) features a green postage stamp depicting Kusunoki Masashige on horseback (1.5 sen Kankō stamp) and an official Japanese pictorial postmark (fūkei-in) from the Ikoma Post Office (Ikoma-den, Nara prefecture) dated 23 April 1936  (Shōwa era).

The postcard was addressed in black calligraphy to a recipient in a military unit designation, likely 歩兵オムラ部隊 (Infantry Omura Unit) and 步兵砲隊 (Infantry Artillery Unit) who was stationed in 村瀬 銀蔵 (Murase Ginzou).

Murase Ginzou was a Japanese military medical/衛生 (sanitary) unit that served during the Second Sino-Japanese War, recorded in unit archives such as the 38th Division Sanitary Unit history (Dai-sanjūhachi Shidan Eiseitashi). Personnel like Murase Ginzou were tied to troop movements across China and Hong Kong operations following initial escalations that began with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria/Manchukuo.

At the bottom of the card is a handwritten message in red ink expressing prayers for good fortune in battle and safe return (buun chōkyū), visiting a local shrine (Kokufū/Ikutama shrine), signed by a sender from Gifu City (Miho Ota), alongside a colour print of a traditional Japanese court or deity figure holding a fan.

The reverse side of the postcard has two images: at the top, is a traditional stylised seal (Ten-sho) script; and at the bottom, a red commemorative stamp from Osaka railway Station (大阪駅) is dated 11. 4. 23 (23 April 1936 / Showa 11), overlaid on a stylised graphic design.

Postcards like this one were common in 1930s Japan as patriotic stationery sent to soldiers deployed in mainland Asia during the prelude to and during WWII.

DEUTSCHES REICH FLUGPOST 1919 and 1924

DEUTSCHES REICH FLUGPOST issued in 1919 a stylized flying horn emblem, which was the standard symbol for German airmail (Flugpost) at the time.

DEUTSCHES REICH FLUGPOST issued in 1919 a  40 Pfennig stamp, featuring a biplane and clouds.

These two stamps  were designed by Mathey and printed at the Government Printing Office in the Weimar Republic.

DEUTSCHES REICH FLUGPOST issued on 11th Jan 1924 a set of wood pigeon (IV) airmail stamps. 

Deutsches Reich First German Transport Exhibition 1925

DEUTSCHES REICH issued in 1925 official commemorative postal stationery (Ganzsache)  for the Deutsche Verkehrs-Ausstellung München 1925 (German Transport Exhibition in Munich). It was the first German Transport Exhibition, held at the Munich Theresienhöhe exhibition halls, which took place from 1 June till 12 October 1925,. It attracted nearly 3 million visitor. 

The stamp on the postcard featured a green 5-pfennig definitive stamp printed onto the card of the new imperial eagle ("Neuer Reichsadler"),  designed by Sigmund von Weech (1888–1982) who created prominent national symbols during the early Weimar Republic, succeeding the formal era of the German Empire. It was pre-printed or officially cancelled with an matching commemorative exhibition cachet stating "Deutsche Verkehrs-Ausstellung München".

It was marked in the bottom left corner as Karte VII (Card 7) published directly by the exhibition committee, meaning a series of cards were issued.

 The artwork on the front of the card was signed by the artist Max Eschle and featured a stylized Art Deco depiction of Hermes (Mercury) fastening his winged sandals. 

The postcard measured approximately 3.5" x 5.5" and was used to promote German transportation technology and engineering.

The First German Transport Exhibition (DVA)  was the first major exhibition in the German Reich after the First World War and drew nearly three million visitors, which was of enormous importance for German industry. In just five months in 1925, a huge number of export contracts were concluded for the supply of German steam locomotives and carriages, ships and automobiles, urban transport, cranes, and other equipment.

 It should be noted that without the industrial potential laid down in the 1920s, the German economic miracle of the mid-1930s would never have happened.

Deutsches Reich Eagles - 1924 and 1926

DEUTSCHES REICH issued these cover stamps from approximately 1924 through 1926: 

- In March and November 1924, definitive stamps were issued with a new imperial eagle ("Neuer Reichsadler") design by V. Weech. There seven One denominations/colours issued, of which one is shown here.

- On 1 April 1926, airmail stamps featured an eagle -- known as a "post-horn" or "flight" design -- created by Oskar Hermann Werner Hadank (O.H.W. Hadank) (1889–1965), an influential German graphic designer, trademark creator, and professor of commercial art in Berlin. Eight different eagle denotions/colours were issued, of which three are shown here.

This particular cover  was a registered letter (Einschreiben) sent from Munich (München) to Bedminster, New Jersey.

Magyar Posta "First Hungarian Philatelist Day" - 1924

MAGYAR POSTA initially issued on 4 April 1924 a set of four "Icarus" airmail stamps, depicting the mythical figure flying over Budapest. Two additional stamps with higher denominations were printed at a later date, on 16 June 1924.

The purple 3000 korona stamp features the Madonna and Child, consistent with the 1923 issue. The green 400 korona stamp shows the Budapest cityscape.

This particular postcard was franked with a variety of Magyar Kir. Posta (Royal Hungarian Post) stamps in denominations of 100, 400, 500, 1000, 2000, and 3000 Korona,  indicating it was sent shortly after the end of the Hungarian hyperinflation period, on 25 September 1924.

These stamps also appear to be cancelled in Esztergom, Hungary, with Légi Posta" (air mail) and "Par Avion" markings. 

This is a vintage 1924 postcard commemorated the "First Hungarian Philatelist Day" in Budapest. It featured an illustration of a seaplane flying over the city of Esztergom, Hungary.

Zone Francaise "Wappen" Stamps on "Glückwunsch Weihnachten" Postcard

ZONE FRANCAISE (Post-WWII French Occupation Zone of West Germany) issued between 1945 and 1947 the "Wappen" (coat of arms) series. The stamps depict the cost of arms for the German states of Baden, Württemberg and Rhinland Pfalz. This particular postcard bears a special postal cancellation dated 24 November 1947, from a "Weihnachtsmarkt" (Christmas Market) in Konstanz on Lake Constance (Bodensee). 

The illustration on the "Glückwunsch Weihnachten" (Christmas Greeting) postcard shows , "Engel in einer Gondel" (Angels Rowing about on a Gondola). The card likely portrayed a whimsical scene of angels rowing on Lake Constance, Baden, Germany. It was printed by Waldkirch, Göppert.

Ghana (Gold Coast) Independence 1958

GHANA formerly Gold Coast) issued on 26 March 1958 a First Day Cover from Ghana, commemorating the independence of Ghana. The envelope on this cover featured "The Talking Drums of Ghana" cachet and four Gold Coast QEII postage stamps overprinted with "GHANA INDEPENDENCE 6TH MARCH 1957".

Royal Mail Postcard of the 40th Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's Accession

 

This is a 1992 postal stationary postcard produced by the Royal Mail featuring a 24p stamp design.bThe stamp design commemorated the 40th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne. The artwork was part of a series of commemorative items issued for the accession anniversary.

USPS Rachel Carson

USPS issued in 1981 among its "Great Americans Series" a stamp featuring American conservationists Rachel Carson. She was among 15 women honoured in this series.

Regarded as the “mother of the modern environmental movement”, Rachel Carson was born on 27 May 1907, in Springdale, Pennsylvania.  After graduating from the Pennsylvania College for Women, she worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  There she wrote for radio and various publications.

As a marine biologist in the 1940s, Carson became aware of pesticides developed through government funds.  After years of research, she became concerned with their effects on the environment.  She left her job in 1952 to devote herself to writing.

On 27 September 1962, Carson published her most famous book, "Silent Spring", about the harmful effects of pesticides.  "Silent Spring" called attention to the overuse and misuse of pesticides, which were poisoning the food chain, and threatening life itself.  Her work received strong opposition from the companies who manufactured the pesticides, but in time her thorough research resulted in winning over public opinion.

The following year, Carson appeared before President Kennedy’s Science Advisory Committee, which agreed with her findings on the dangers of pesticides.  The same year, she received the Audubon Medal, the Cullum Medal (from the American Geographical Society), and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

"Silent Spring" and Carson’s other writings helped begin the environmental movement in America.  This led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the eventual ban of the pesticide DDT.  Decades later, Silent Spring was named one of the 25 greatest science books of all time.

Deutsche Post 600th anniversary of the University of Leipzig

DEUTSCHE POST commemorative stamp honouring the 600th anniversary of the University of Leipzig, which was issued around 2009.

Royal Mail Classic Sports Cars, Architects of the Air and Bell Rock Lighthouse

 

UK ROYAL MAIL issued in 1996 a set of stamps called "Classic Sports Cars", which featured amongst the series the front view of a white Morgan Plus 4 car.

UK ROYAL MAIL issued in 1997 a series of commemorative stamps entitled "Architects of the Air" , including the De Havilland Mosquito, a versatile combat aircraft designed by Ronald Eric Bishop.

UK ROYAL MAIL issued in 1998 a commemorative postage stamp  honouring the Bell Rock Lighthouse, the world's oldest surviving sea-washed lighthouse, is located off the coast of Angus, Scotland. It was built between 1807 and 1810 by Robert Stevenson. The stamp was designed by Dick Davis and printed using offset lithography by The House of Questa.

Ceylon (1938–1949) Pictorial Definitive Series

CEYLON (1938–1949) Pictorial Definitive Series showcased the island nation's rich heritage, agriculture and landscapes. 

The 14 basic denominations included:

- 2c Tapping Rubber (Black & Carmine)

- 3c Adam's Peak (Black & Light Blue)

- 5c Coconut Palms (Black & Green)

- 6c and 3c overwrite Colombo Harbour (Black & Blue)

- 10c Plucking Tea (Sage-Green & Orange)

- 15c Sigiriya / Lion Rock (Green & Red-Brown) 

- 20c River Scene (Black & Blue)

- 25c Temple of the Tooth, Kandy

- 30c Ancient Irrigation Tank

- 50c Wild Elephants (Black & Mauve)

- 1r Trincomalee

- 2r Ancient Guard-Stone, Anuradhapura

- 5r Ancient Guard-Stone, Anuradhapura

Art Postcard by Nakazawa Hiromitsu

This vintage Japanese postcard shows an artwork entitled "Mizu ni Chikai" (水に近き, "Near the Water"), which was created by the Japanese artist Nakazawa Hiromitsu. 

The image depicted was a popular medium for distributing reproductions of famous art exhibition entries during the early 20th century.

This particular piece was submitted to the 7th Ministry of Education Art Exhibition (Bunten).  It reflected Nakazawa's training in Western techniques, illustrating a figure in a soft, painterly style that blends traditional Japanese subjects with Western realism. 

Nakazawa Hiromitsu (1874–1964) was a prominent Western-style (yōga) painter and illustrator who graduated from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1900.