USPS American Indian Dances

 

USPS in 1996 issued a series of five stamps entitled "American Indian Dances". Shown here are each of the dances -- Fancy Dance, Butterfly Dance, Traditional Dance, Raven Dance and Hoop Dance -- on a mint souvenir sheet.

The Traditional, Fancy, and Hoop dances are attributed to many tribes across the United States and are primarily performed at pow-wows. A ceremonial dance, the Raven Dance is only performed in the Pacific Northwest, while the Butterfly is performed by Southwest Pueblo tribes.

United Nations Postal Administration To Unite Our Strength

UNITED NATIONS POSTAL ADMINISTRATION on 9 January 1976  issued a first day  cover stamp called "To Unite Our Strength". It depicted a colourful dove with olive branch, presumably to represent all of the national flags of the world. The FDC cachet shows the United Nations building in New York City. The postmark affixed over the block set of three cent stamps originated from United Nations headquarters in New York.

United Nations Postal Administration World Radio Day 2013

UNITED NATIONS POSTAL ADMINISTRATION on 13 February 2013 issued three pairs of stamps commemorating the launch of U.N. Radio on that day in 1946.  Each stamp design featured a different image that captured an aspect of radio communication throughout history.The stamps themselves boast an interactive feature allowing smart phone or tablet users to directly download and launch the U.N. Radio application.  Shown here is one of the sets postmarked Geneva.

The U.N. and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved the creation of World Radio Day in 2011 to raise awareness of the importance of radio, to facilitate access to information, and to enhance networking among broadcasters.  Radio continues to be the most cost-effective method of bringing information to the people on a widespread scale.  It plays a vital role in emergency communication and disaster relief and is well-suited to bring information to those most vulnerable.  Radio provides a public platform regardless of one’s background or education.

Royaume du Laos Centenary of the International Telecommunication Union

ROYAUME DU LAOS on 15 June 1965 issued a series of three first day cover stamps called "Centenary of the International Telecommunication Union". The stamps included a teletype machine, telephone, radio receiver and transmitter station. The colour cachet features a sphere and electric bolt to signify the Union of International Telecommunications.

Royaume du Laos Freedom from Hunger

ROYAUME DU LAOS on 21 March 1963 issued a series of four first day cover stamps entitled "Freedom from Hunger". The stamps feature the planting and harvesting of rice as well as fishing. The black & white cachet shows a farmer with a bundle of rice. On closer inspection a UN seal is displayed under the Vientiane, Laos postmark which indicates this campaign was likely sponsored by the UN.

Indeed, in year 1960, the UNO  adopted the "Freedom from Hunger" campaign under the control of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). The campaign had two goals: To present the problem of hunger that threatened world peace, to draw attention to the world and to establish national and international organisations to combat hunger. The Kingdom of Laos issued the following set to publicize the "Freedom from Hunger" campaign:

Planting Rice
Engraver: Jean Miermont.

 

Harvesting Rice
Engraver: Charles Mazelin.

 

Threshing Rice
Engraver: Jean Pheulpin.

 

Fishing
Engraver: Roger Fenneteaux.

Royaume du Laos Exposition for the Royal Society of Natural Sciences of Laos

ROYAUME DU LAOS  on 7 to 10 May 1964 issued a first day cover stamp entitled "Exposition for the Royal Society of  Natural Sciences of Laos" (Philatelic Section). Only one stamp of an elephant is featured. The postmark is a red crane with the exposition dates, whereas the cachet looks to be that of a panther in a jungle habitat. The envelope is rather large compared to those usually found in this period from Laos.

North Vietnam War-Front Art

NORTH VIETNAM issued in 1967 several stamps depicting life on the war-front during the Second Vietnam War. Shown here are six stamps from that year, although I hasten to add there were many more issued throughout the war.
 

Vietnam War artists from both the North and the South risked their lives to capture many different aspects and events of the War in various media including paintings, drawings, and sketches. Nguyễn Toan Thi, a guerrilla artist in the South, who after the War became the Director of Hô Chí Minh City Fine Arts Museum, recounts his experiences as follows:  “Art classes were held outside in the forest until our schools were bombed: classes were then held underground. Art teachers and students shared the same trenches. We fought and sketched together, to record spontaneous and realistic images of the battlefield and our life in the forest. Our headquarters were not like a mini-Pentagon. The administration, soldiers and artists lived in nylon and canvas tents under the forest trees … We moved camp every two or three days… As a guerrilla artist, I was fully engaged in the fighting. Unlike artists who were civilians…”  (Nguyễn Toan Thi, “Memories of a Guerrilla Artist”, in Buchanan 2008.

 Stamps:

4. (bottom left) - "Fight till the end". Silk painting. Artist: Cố Tấn Long Châu. Báo Ảnh Việt Nam, 1967

Pos Malaysia COVID-19 Frontliners

POS MALAYSIA on 10 September 2021 released a series of COVID-19 "Barisan Hadapan (Frontliners)" First Day Cover stamps which paid tribute to the brave frontliners who tirelessly put their own safety and health at risk while providing assistance, care and protection to everyone in Malaysia from the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

The stamps are designed by renowned mixed-media artist, Red Hong Yi by using over five thousand pieces of Setem Ku stamps to form collages of frontliners. Exclusively designed in the form of sketches, the set comprised four stamps with the theme ‘Barisan Hadapan Covid-19’ featuring frontliners from the Ministry of Health (MOH), Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM).

 

The special edition stamps also feature a special printing technique using red invisible ink, revealing the images of the Covid-19 virus when viewed under UV light.

 

 

La Poste Algerie 20th Anniversary of Algerian Revolution

LA POSTE ALGERIE in 1974 released a series of four stamps honouring the 20th anniversary of the Algerian Revolution that began in 1954 and which culminated in Algerian Independence from France in 1957.

Royaume du Laos Tourism in 1960

 

ROYAUME DU LAOS in 1960 issued a series of four first day cover stamps dedicated to pastoral tourism in Laos. 

The Stamps: 

Laotian Scene
Designer: Marc Leguay, Engraver: Roger Fenneteaux.

Pha Pheng Falls, Champasak Province
Designer: Chamnane Prisayane, Engraver: Jean Pheulpin.

 
Rural Laotian cart pulled by buffaloes
Designer: Marc Leguay, Engraver: Jean Miermont.

 

Plain of Jar, Xieng Khouang Province
Designer: Chamnane Prisayane, Engraver: Jean Pheulpin.

The Plain of Jars is a cultural historical site that contains thousands of stones jars. Archaeologists assume that the jars were used 2000 years ago as funeral urns or food storage by the Mon-Khmer. Local legend tells that King Khun Cheuang fought and defeated the cruel King named Khun Angka. King Cheuang ordered huge jars to be built to store rice wine for a victory celebration.

Israel Post 50th Anniversary of Radio Broadcasting

ISRAEL POST in 1986 issued a commemorative stamp marking the 50th anniversary of radio broadcasting in Israel (KOL).

India Post 150th Birth Anniversary of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore

 

INDIA POST, along with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, in 2011 issued a series of first day cover stamps marking the 150th birth anniversary of painter, poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Shown here is a souvenir sheet affixed to FDC envelope.

Rabindranath Tagore reshaped Bengali literature and music, as well as Indian art with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Author of the "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse" of "Gitanjali," he became in 1913 the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Tagore's poetic songs were viewed as spiritual and mercurial; however, his "elegant prose and magical poetry" remain largely unknown outside Bengal. He is sometimes referred to as "the Bard of Bengal". And indeed the national anthems of Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka were based on writings by Tagore. His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: India's "Jana Gana Mana" and Bangladesh's "Amar Shonar Bangla". The Sri Lankan national anthem was inspired by his work.

India Post Silver Jubilee of All India Radio

INDIA POST on 8th June 1961 issued a first day cover stamp commemorating the Silver Jubilee celebrations of All India Radio.

Broadcasting began in June 1923 during the British Raj with programs by the Bombay Presidency Radio Club and other radio clubs. According to an agreement on 23 July 1927, the private Indian Broadcasting Company Ltd (IBC) was authorised to operate two radio stations: the Bombay station which began on 23 July 1927, and the Calcutta station which followed on 26 August 1927. The company went into liquidation on 1 March 1930. The government took over the broadcasting facilities and began the Indian State Broadcasting Service (ISBS) on 1 April 1930 on an experimental basis for two years, and permanently in May 1932 it then went on to become All India Radio on 8 June 1936.

The emblem of AIR contains the Sanskrit word -- ākāśavānī -- "Message from the sky".

Danmark Post 25th Anniversary of Radio Broadcasting in Denmark

DANMARK POST in 1950 issued a first day cover stamp commemorating the 25th anniversary of Radio Broadcasting in Denmark. It was designed by Viggo Bang. Engraving was mastered by Bent Jacobsen. This red stamp featured 12¾  perforations. The first day of release was postmarked from Copenhagen.

La Poste France 50th Anniversary of the Battle at Dièn Bièn Phu

LA POSTE FRANCE in 2004 issued a first day cover stamp commemorating the  50th Anniversary of the Battle at Dièn Bièn Phu, IndoChina (Vietnam).  Design and layout was undertaken by Jean-Paul Véret-Lemarinier, who chose to show aircraft dropping paratrooperss, engineers and supplies onto the battlefield at Dièn Bièn Phu. Printing mode used was Heliogravure. Colour cachet is from an actual photo taken during an airdrop.

It seems odd La Poste France should release a stamp marking France's defeat and subsequent withdrawal from IndoChina. Nevertheless while the Battle of Dièn Bièn Phu was the decisive engagement in the first Indochina War (1946–54), the commemorative stamp is more of a  tribute to honour the combatants who fought and died there, not  just French but French Legionnaires, Algerians, Moroccans, Thai, Vietnamese, and American CIA and Air Force personnel (who flew aircraft and airdropped supplies and military equipment). Interestingly two American pilots were shot down and died during this battle.

A year before the battle, the Viet Minh, led by Ho Chi Minh, had seized virtually all of northern Vietnam, with the exception of the area around Hanoi. The Viet Minh also controlled territory in Laos and Cambodia. Fearing a larger Viet Minh offensive into Laos, French generals planned to build a base along the border to cut off the Viet Minh and draw its fighters onto open ground, where they could be destroyed by artillery and air power.

After French forces occupied the Dièn Bièn Phu valley in late 1953, Viet Minh commander Vo Nguyen Giap amassed troops and placed heavy artillery in caves of the mountains overlooking the French camp. Boosted by Chinese aid and military advisers, Giap mounted assaults on the opposition’s strong points beginning in March 1954, eliminating use of the French airfield.  Viet Minh forces overran the base in early May, prompting the French government to seek an end to the fighting with the signing of the Geneva Accords of 1954.

The battle was significant beyond the valleys of Điện Biên Phủ. Giáp's victory ended major French involvement in Indochina and led to the Geneva accords which partitioned Vietnam into North and South.

In the aftermath of the Battle of Dièn Bièn Phu (March 13-May 7, 1954) a French commission of inquiry, charged in 1955 to give an opinion on the conduct of the battle, concluded its report with the following text:

 "The commission would be failing in its duty if, at the end of its work, it did not pay fair and full tribute to the officers and troops of the land, sea and air forces who, directly or indirectly, defended Dièn Bièn Phu for 57 days and 57 nights, without their hearts failing.

"If their firmness, their spirit of sacrifice and their fidelity to honor and duty could not spare them a defeat whose causes exceeded them, their military virtues have, at least, placed the defense of Dièn Bièn Phu in the number of glorious and memorable actions of war, of which they have the right to be proud and for which the Nation must be grateful to them. History will tell of them that, placed in a desperate situation, they resisted until the last hour, that they did not bring the colors and that, if the position entrusted to them was overwhelmed, she did not surrender. All of these Combatants of the French Union should be honored and first of all to those of the garrison who led the fight step by step and without respite and whose survivors experienced the bitter ordeal of captivity, especially to the infantrymen belonging to the French or Vietnamese paratroopers, to the Foreign Legion, to the Algerian, Moroccan or Thai skirmishers, to the artillerymen who, at the cost of a third of their troops and firing openly, held out under enemy fire, tirelessly sappers in the breach , the tanks which were present in all the counter-attacks, the airmen who fought as infantry after the ban on the airstrip, the Health Service which did better than its duty, despite the technical difficulties beyond measure.

"Honor must also be paid to the air formations which deployed an activity beyond all admitted possibilities and, despite obstacles of all kinds, supported and supplied the entrenched camp, to the units of the Naval Aviation which made an exceptional effort to cooperate with the Forces of the air."

USPS T.S. Eliot

USPS in 1986 released a 22 cent first day cover stamp of poet and literary critic Thomas Stearns Eliot (T.S. Eliot). It was printed in copper red by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. A total of 131,700,000 stamps were printed. It featured 11 perforations. The first day of issue was 26 September 1986 and postmarked St. Louis, Missouri -- the birth date and birthplace of Eliot.

Eliot was born on 26 September 1888, in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended schools in St. Louis and Massachusetts before entering Harvard in 1906. After graduating, he worked at the school for a year as a philosophy assistant before heading to France and England to further study philosophy.

Eliot returned to Harvard to study Indian philosophy and Sanskrit, but was drawn back to England for study. He worked toward earning a Ph.D., but never took his final oral exam. Instead he married and worked in London as a teacher and then a bank clerk.

During this time, Eliot befriended poet Ezra Pound, who instantly recognized his poetic talent and encouraged him and helped to get his work published. Eliot published his first poem of this period in 1915 – “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Two years later he published his first book of poems, Prufrock and Other Observations. The success of this book helped establish Eliot as one of the world’s leading poets of the time. In addition to writing poems and working a regular job, Eliot also wrote literary criticism and reviews that were also well respected.

In 1922, Eliot published “The Waste Land,” a long and complex story of postwar disillusionment. “The Waste Land” was instantly recognized throughout the literary world and came to be seen as one of the most influential poems of the 20th century. Eliot was seen as a revolutionary, introducing new subject matter and techniques to poetry.

That same year Eliot founded the Criterion literary journal and worked as its editor for 17 years. In 1924 he left his bank job to work for the publishing house Faber and Faber. He would spend the rest of his life there encouraging young poets. Eliot also continued to write his own work. He only published two or three poems a year, demanding that they “should be perfect in their kind, so that each should be an event.”

Eliot became a British citizen in 1927 and converted to Anglicanism, which is reflected in his poem “Ash Wednesday.” During his career Eliot also wrote seven plays, including Murder in the Cathedral and The Cocktail Party. And the beloved play Cats was based on Eliot’s series of 14 poems, “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.” He also won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948.

Eliot died of emphysema on 4 January 1965, in London. He is often seen as one of the 20th century’s major poets.

Source: Mystic Stamps

La Poste France "Partout dans le monde, le Football c'est un jeu d'enfant"

LA POSTE FRANCE in 1998 released a series of first day cover envelopes with a World Cup 98 stamp. This series was entitled "Partout dans le monde, le Football c'est un jeu d'enfant!".  The stamp is actually part of the envelope, much like an aerogramme.

USPS Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra

USPS on 24 June 2021 released a commemorative stamp honouring Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. Little Falls, NJ was selected for a pictorial postmark of the First Day of Issue.  

Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp with original art by Charles Chaisson. The artist first sketched the image with graphite and pastel oil pencils. He then scanned the image and finished the portrait digitally by applying layers of color to add highlights and detail. Michael Doret designed and created the lettering for “Yogi Berra” in blue script under the image of the player.

Beloved by fans across the country, Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (1925-2015) was one of the best Major League Baseball players of his era. Berra won a record 10 World Series with the New York Yankees and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

During his career, Berra won three AL MVP awards and was an 18-time MLB All-Star. Considered the best catcher in the American League in the 1950s, he was also a feared hitter, averaging better than .300 four times — finishing with a .285 lifetime average — knocking in 100 runs five times and hitting 358 home runs.

Aside from his baseball prowess, Berra is fondly remembered for his many 'Yogisms" or malapropisms, i.e. "It ain't over till it's over".

 

USPS "Go For Broke" Japanese-American Soldiers of the 442nd Regiment

USPS on 3 June 2021 released a long overdo commemorative stamp honouring  the Japanese-American soldiers of the 442nd Regiment who fought primarily on the European front during WWII. The designated city for this postmarked stamp was Los Angeles. A commemorative book, also offered by the USPS, details the history of the 442nd and the effort to get this stamp developed and released.

This first day cover stamp was designed by Art Director Antonio Alcalá and is based on the photograph of a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team -- U.S. Army Private First Class Shiroku “Whitey” Yamamoto who was part of the 442nd Antitank Company.  The photograph was taken in 1944 at a railroad station in France. The stamp was printed in the intaglio print method. The colour scheme of the stamp is patriotic, and the type runs up the side in manner suggestive of the vertical style in which Japanese text was traditionally written.

For a time after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, these second generation Japanese-Americans were subjected to increased scrutiny and prejudice because of their heritage. Thousands were detained in internment camps in the United States. Known as nisei, these second generation Japanese-Americans eventually formed what became one of the most distinguished American fighting units of World War II: the all-Japanese-American 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team, whose motto was “Go for Broke.”

The Army also turned to the nisei to serve as translators, interpreters and interrogators in the Pacific theater for the Military Intelligence Service. Nearly a thousand nisei served in the 1399th Engineering Construction Battalion and more than 100 nisei women joined the Women’s Army Corp. Altogether, some 33,000 Japanese Americans served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Lastly, I would like to thank a high school classmate of Japanese-American heritage who alerted me to sign a petition in 2019 to have this commemorative stamp issued. I duly signed it. And I'm happy to see the USPS has finally honoured these American patriots who overcame so much hatred and discrimination to serve with distinction in WWII.

Wallis & Futuna Costumes and Traditions

WALLIS & FATUNA in 1978 issued a series of first day cover stamps related to cultural costumes and traditions, including "Costume Ornaments", "Honour Guard" and "Procession of Corpus Cristi". Each of these FDCs includes a serial number and cachet similar to the stamp.

 

Nippon Post "Gagaku" Classical Japanese Court Theatre

NIPPON POST in 1970 issued a series of first day cover stamps representing classical Japanese court entertainment or "Gagaku". The three stamps presented in the series included Ko-cho,.Gen-jo-raku, and Tai-hei-raku. Shown here are the stamps affixed to maxim cards.

 

Transkei Post the Diviners

TRANSKEI POST (South Africa presently) in 1990 issued a series of first day cover stamps called the "Diviners". Four stamps and a souvenir sheet was released at the time. The Artist/Designer of this series was  A.H. Barrnett.

 

Transkei Post Traditional Beadwork

TRANSKEI POST (South Africa) in 1987 issued a series of first day cover stamps featuring the beadwork of a Pondo Girl (16 cent stamp) Bomvana woman (20 cent stamp), Yessibi woman  (25 cent stamp), Xohsa man (30 cent stamp). These four stamps and a souvenir sheet were released at the time. The cachet of the Iwimengwe (leopard's tongue beading) is worn by a Xohsa man on his chest. The Artist/Designer of this series was  A.H. Barrnett.