Deutsche Bundespost & Deutsche Post Last Stamps from Berlin

DEUTSCHE BUNDESPOST AND DEUTSCHE POST on 31 December 1991 issued the last stamps from Berlin. The block sets depicted renowned landmarks in Berlin. The cachet carried the illustration of additional landmarks found in East and West Berlin.

Deutsche Bundespost Historical Airmail Transport

DEUTSCHE BUNDESPOST on 9 April 1991 issued a First Day Cover stamp marking the Historical Airmail Transport using airplanes and airships to deliver mail which at the time was a decisive advance dispatching mail. With technical developments, it became possible to transport mail over greater distances within hours. The map shows the airship LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin together with the flying boat Do X. Postmark cancellation originated from Friedrichshafen.

Photo: Archiv Franz Selinger, Acaluso

German maximum card Edition Maxiphil, Bund 38a/91, 9 April 1991

Pos Malaysia Quran Recital 1975

POS MALAYSIA on  22 September 1975 issued  First Day Cover setent stamp marking  Pertandingan Membaca Al-Quran (Quran Recital Competition Setenant Stamp). The setent stamp highlighted five mosques located in East and West Malaysia, including Masjid Ubadiah (Kuala Kangsar), Masjid Zahir (Alor Setar), Masjid Negara (Kuala Lumpur),  Masjid Sultan Abu Bakar (Johor Bahru) and Masjid Bahagian Kuching (Sarawak).The cachet FDC depicted the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur. This FDC was cancelled at Jalan Sultan Post Office in Petaling Jaya. Stadium Merdeka was the venue of the competition.

The International Quran Recital Competition has been held annually since 1961 in Malaysia. Tunku Abdul Rahman (the first Prime Minister of Malaysia) founded the International Quran Recital Competition. The event began on 9 March 1961 at Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur. Seven countries participated in this event including Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Sarawak and Malaya. In 1985, the competition was moved to the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC).

Vietnam Post Assorted Cover Stamps

VIETNAM POST in 1990 issued a series of stamps depicting the artwork of famous Western artists, among them being Vincent van Gogh's portrait of Madame Ginoux. Also shown on this cover is a1997 stamp showing the Imperial Pheasant Lophura.

Vietnam Cong Hoa Labor Day - 1967

VIETNAM CONG HOA (South Vietnam) on 1 May 1967 issued four First Day Cover stamps to mark Labor Day in South Vietnam. The stamps depict an ox cart, rice harvesting, and people carrying their produce. The cachet featured street hawkers selling  bananas and mangoes. Postmark cancellation originated from Saigon, South Vietnam.

Vietnam Post Áo Dài of Vietnamese Women

VIETNAM POST on 8 March 2012 issued a set of four First Day Cover stamps  showing the traditional Áo dài dress of Vietnamese women over different periods. The stamps featured specially designed postmarks. Four different maxim card designs were printed. The designer was Vũ Kim Liê. Printing involved an offset multicoloured process. Printer was Postal Stamps Printing Company (INTEVINA). Locations of issuance were Hà Nội and Hồ Chí Minh City.

Ao dai has long been a traditional costume and a cultural feature of the Vietnamese people. Through each period of historical development, ao dai has constantly changed but still ensures to honor the traditional gentle beauty of Vietnamese women.

Giao Linh Ao

The appearance of the Ao Dai originated from the Giao Linh Ao (1744) - the earliest style of the Vietnamese Ao Dai. The Giao Linh Ao Dai is also known as the Doi Linh Ao Dai, is sewn loosely, with slits on both sides, wide sleeves, and a long body reaching the heel. The body of the Ao Dai is sewn from 4 pieces of fabric combined with a colored belt and a black skirt. This is a cross-necked Ao Dai style similar to the Tu Than Ao Dai.

Le Pho Ao Dai

This is also a new combination of the four-panel dress, a variation of the Lemur ao dai by artist Le Pho, so it is called the Le Pho ao dai.

She shortened the size of the ao dai to fit the Vietnamese woman's body, pushed up the shoulders, lengthened the skirt to touch the ground, and introduced many new colors. 

Raglan Ao Dai

Raglan ao dai, also known as ao dai with a jac lang pattern, appeared in 1960 by Dung tailor shop in Dakao, Saigon.

The biggest difference of the Raglan Ao Dai is that the dress hugs the body more closely, the way the sleeves are connected from the neck down at a 45 degree angle helps the wearer to be more comfortable and flexible. The two panels are connected by a row of buttons on the side. This is the type of Ao Dai that contributed to shaping the style of the Vietnamese Ao Dai later on.

Source: Vietnam Women's Union

Vietnam Post 70th Victory Anniversary of Dien Bien Phu

VIETNAM POST on 5 May 2024 launched a set of four First Day Cover stamps to commemorate the 70th Victory Anniversary of Dien Bien Phu. The set, designed by artist Nguyen Du from the Vietnam Post Corporation, featured four stamps arranged in a panoramic layout. Each stamp measured 43 x 32 mm while the entire set measured 172 x 32 mm.

With a unique graphic design style, the content is concise, innovative, and does not repeat content that has been shown on previous stamp sets with the same theme, which have been periodically issued every 10 years since 1954.

Accordingly, four stamps have been arranged consecutively to create a visual story. The background throughout depicts the Dien Bien basin from the heroic past to the promise of a bright and developed Dien Bien province in future.

With four separate themes: 'Be sure to win before fighting'; 'The whole country goes to war'; 'A song not forgotten'; 'Prosperity and happiness'. The four stamp designs also have four different colour tones, but overall the stamp set was designed to transition from warm colours of brown and orange for war to green and blue colours for peace, hope and a bright future.

In addition, Thai ethnic motifs were arranged below as the background, contributing to honouring the cultural and indigenous diversity of the local people.

 

ADDITIONAL DIEN BIEN PHU STAMPS AND FIRST DAY COVERS

- Vietnam 30th Anniversary of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu

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

- Vietnam Post 50th Anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory

 

Vietnam Post "Tea Tree"

VIETNAM POST on 21 May 2024 issued a First Day Cover stamp set entitled the “Tea Tree”. The stamp set included 2 stamps (shown here) and 1 block (shown on the cover), priced at 4,000 VND, 12,000 VND and 15,000 VND respectively.

“Tea tree” is designed using graphic methods, 2 stamp designs describe the process of formation, growth from seeds, trees, flowers, fruits… and producing the unique Shan Tuyet tea product of Vietnam.

The stamp set was designed by artist Nguyen Du (Vietnam Post Corporation), with a stamp size of 32 x 43 (mm), block size of 90 x 80 (mm).

 

Vietnam Post Cover of Dien Bien Phu Victory & Revolutionary Communist Patriot

VIETNAM POST cover shown here includes one of the 70th Anniversary of Dien Bien Phu Victory stamps. Additionally, a 2012 stamp of Nguyen Van Cu, a Revolutionary Communist Patriot is affixed to the envelope. 

Interestingly, the philatelic seller posted this cover from the Central Post Office in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), an elegant French-colonial era building.

South Africa Voortrekker Monument Opning in 1949

SOUTH AFRICA’S POSTAL AUTHORITIES issued a set of three bilingual stamps in 1949 to commemorate the inauguration of the Voortrekker Monument, a project initiated by Afrikaner nationalist cultural organisations and supported by the political opposition but funded largely by the United Party government. Although it had Afrikaner leadership, the UP sought to accommodate the aspirations of all white citizens in its definition of South Africa.

The Monument commemorated the Great Trek, the name given to the emigration from the Cape Colony by groups of boers (farmers) that sought to escape British rule in the 1830s-40s. The narrative of the Great Trek invented a heroic past in which the Voortrekkers (pioneers) were honoured as a people called to fulfil God’s will as his chosen people, destined to bring civilisation and Christianity to the southern tip of Africa. Nationalist Afrikaners claimed direct descent from the Voortrekkers.

The blue stamp with a 3d. value has three panels that form a triptych comprising (from left to right): a Voortrekker woman and child giving thanks to the Almighty, a bible and a candle, and a Voortrekker horseman. The woman wears traditional attire, most notably the kappie (bonnet), which had become the standard signifier of the traditional Afrikaner woman by the 1920s. This image resonated with the volksmoeder (mother of the nation) discourse which linked the idealised Afrikaner woman with virtue and suffering but also with the strength and determination to triumph. The candlelight signifies the light of God’s word illuminating the darkness of Africa. The horseman suggests the traits of fortitude and perseverance shaped the Voortrekker men as frontiersmen who settled the land in the face of much adversity and the distrust of the indigenous peoples.

This  official First Day Cover from South Africa to the USA also featured (1d and 11/2d) stamps commemorating the inauguration of the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria. The postmark cancellation originated from Pretoria, South Africa.

Source: Baines, Gary. ‘‘Propagating Afrikaner Nationalism: The Voortrekker Stamps as Icons of an Ideology, 1934-48’, Nations & Nationalism, 1-17 (2023). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/nana.12938

Basutoland (Lesotho) 'Royal Visit' of King George VI and His Family in 1947

BASUTOLAND (later Lesotho) issued on 11 March 1947 a First Day Cover commemorating the 'Royal Visit' of King George VI and his family to Basutoland. A set of four stamps was released to mark the occasion. Serial number for this limited edition is 1,772.

Basutoland was a British Crown colony that existed from 1884 to 1966 in present-day Lesotho, bordered with the Cape Colony, Natal Colony and Orange River Colony until 1910 and completely surrounded by South Africa from 1910. Though the Basotho (then known as Basuto) and their territory had been under British control starting in 1868 (and ruled by Cape Colony from 1871), the Cape Colony was unpopular and unable to control the territory. As a result, Basutoland was brought under direct authority of Queen Victoria, via the High Commissioner. Basutoland gained its independence from the United Kingdom on 4 October 1966 and was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho.

Source: Wikipedia

Vietnam Post Centenary Birth of General Hoang The Thien

VIETNAM POST on 20 October 2022 issued a First Day Cover stamp marking the centenary birth of General Hoang The Thien, real name Luu Van Thi, who was born on 20 October 1922 in Hai Phong city.

He participated in revolutionary activities beginning in the 1940s and fought on many important battlefields. He made many outstanding contributions to the cause of liberating and unifying Vietnam, building and protecting the nation, and carrying out the cause of national liberation and reunification. He was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Medal by the Party and State, two First Class Military Merit Medals and many other noble orders and medals.

To express gratitude and honour the contributions of  Hoang The Thien, the Vietnam Ministry of Information and Communications issued the stamp set "Revolutionary Soldier Hoang The Thien (1922-1995)" which carried a face value of 4,000 VND:

- Stamp size: 43 x 32 (mm).
- FDC size: 190 x 110 (mm).
- Design artist: Vuong Anh Nguyet.

Nippon Post Pre-1964 Tokyo Olympics

NIPPON POST issued during 1961-1964 a series of Tokyo Olympic Games semi-postal stamps.  Six sets were issued, total 20 stamps, all were beautifully designed and engraved. The stamps were reissued in 1964 in six different souvenir sheets. 

Here are three of the sets in order of date of issue:

Summer Olympic Games, Tokyo, 1964, semi-postal stamps issued by Japan on 23 June 1962:

- Judo, designed by Saburo Watanabe, engraved by Katsuzo Oshikiri

- Water Polo, designed Hideo Hasabe, engraved by Fumio Watabe

- Gymnast, designed by Masaru Kimura, engraved by Tsuneo Kasano

 

Summer Olympic Games, Tokyo, 1964, semi-postal stamps issued by Japan on 10 October 1962:

- Rowing, designed by Hitoshi Otsuka, engraved by Katsuzo Oshikiri

- Fencing, designed Hideo Hasabe, engraved by Fumio Watabe

- Basketball, designed by Masaru Kimura, engraved by Tsuneo Kasano

 

Summer Olympic Games, Tokyo, 1964, semi-postal stamps issued by Japan on 11 November 1963:

- Cycling, designed by Hideo Hasabe, engraved by Senkichi Mizutani

- Jumping Equestrian, designed by Minoru Hisanu, engraved by Shichizo Kurihara

- Field Hockey, designed by Hitoshi Otsuka, engraved by Tsuneo Kasano

- Pistol Shooting, designed by Masaru Kimura, engraved by Hideo Hasegawa

North Vietnam Traditional Costumes of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups - 1960

NORTH VIETNAM on 6 January 1960 issued four stamps showing the Traditional Costumes of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups.

The stamps included:
  2 xu - Ede
10xu - Hmong
12 xu - Tay
12 xu - Tai

Vietnam Post Cover of Traditional Games, Modern Art and Lobster

VIETNAM POST on 1 June 2020  issued a special set of stamps on International Children’s Day (June 1) featuring traditional folk games.

The collection included an envelope depicting a tug of war game (not shown here) and single stamps showing four other games, namely 'o an quan' (mandarin square capturing), jump rope, ‘rong ran len may’ (the game of dragon and snake), and ‘bit mat bat de’ [(catching a goat while blindfolded) not shown here]. Each stamp measured 43 x 32mm each, with a face value of 4,000 VND, and the envelope is 90 by 60mm, with a face value of 19,000 VND.

The stamps were designed by acclaimed Vietnamese painter To Minh Trang of the Vietnam Post Corporation. They are in a range of bold colors evoking the Hang Trong folk painting style.

On the reverse side of the envelope, VIETNAM POST cover stamps of Vietnamese Art and Vietnamese Lobster are shown.

Source: Vietnam Ministry of Information and Communication 

 

Poste Tunis Tusian Horseman

POSTE TUNIS  on 1959 issued a First Day Cover stamp depicting a Tunisian horseman.

 

Postes Tunis Regional Costumes of Tunisia - 1962

POSTE TUNIS  on 25 July 1962 issued a set of First Day Cover stamps depicting three of the Regional Costumes of Tunisia. Jalel Ben Abdallah designed the stamps, using a Helio-engraving printing method.

The stamps included:
20 LSd - Traditional Costume from Hammamet
50 LSd – Traditional Costume from Mahdia
75 LSd - Traditional Costume from Gabes

Vietnam Post "Vietnamese Fairy Tale: The Hundred-knot Bamboo Tree

VIETNAM POST on 1 June 2024 issued a set of four First Day Cover stamps entitled "Vietnamese Fairy Tale: The Hundred-knot Bamboo Tree". One block stamp was also issued (not shown here). The face values were 4,000VND, 4,000VND, 6,000VND, 10,500 VND and 15,000 VND. Stamp size: 32 x 43 (mm).FDC size: 200 x 110 (mm). The designer was Ms. Le Khanh Vuong.

The Ministry of Information and Communications had the stamps created to spread the humanistic and educational message of Vietnamese fairy tales. The purpose was to promote hard work, honesty and fight injustice. 

ABOUT THE FAIRY TALE

Once upon a time, one poor, gentle and hard-working man worked as a servant for a rich landlord with the belief in the landlord's promise to let his daughter marry him 3 years later. When the time came, the landlord went back on his promise and asked the man to find a hundred-knot bamboo tree as a condition for the wedding. The man went to the forest in search for the tree but he couldn't find it, so he sat down and cried. The Buddha appeared and told him to cut one hundred knots of bamboo and taught him the spell "Stick together, stick together" to connect the knots and "Unstick, unstick" to separate them.

When the man returned to the village and found the landlord organizing a wedding for his daughter with another person, he showed the landlord the bamboo knots and recited the spell, making the landlord be also stuck to the bamboo tree. Only when the landlord agreed to keep his promise did the bay recite the spell to release the landlord, in the end, the poor man and the landlord's daughter lived together happily forever.

Source: Vietnam Post

Indian Postal Department Legendary Heroines in Indian Film

INDIAN POSTAL DEPARTMENT on 13 February 2011 issued six stamps to honour  the Legendary Heroines in Indian Film, chiefly Savithri, Meena Kumari, Nutan, Devika Rani, Leela Naidu and Kanan Devi.

This series of stamps was officially released  at Hotel Imperial in New Delhi. Noted actresses Vyjayanthimala Bali, Gurudas Kamat and Radhika Doraisamy were on dais when the stamps were being presented.

Vijayasamundeeswari, daughter of late Savithri was present along with her entire family including her husband, sons and grandson to receive the honour on behalf of her mother.  It may be mentioned here that the postal department had earlier issued stamps in honour of Nargis and Madhubala.

 

Source: Indian Postal Department 

Pos Malaysia National Rice Year Campaign 1969/70

POS MALAYSIA on 8 December 1969 issued two First Day Cover stamps to highlight the National Rice Year Campaign 1969/70. This commemorative postage stamp design was prepared especially for the occasion by Malaysia's foremost artist Hoessein Enas. The stamp depicted a young woman with her arms carrying golden sheaves of ripe padi (rice).  The  postage stamp with a silver border carried a face value of 15 cents whereas and the stamp with a gold border had a 75 cent denomination. Postmark cancellation on this FDC originated from Pulau Penang The FDC came with an informative leaflet about "Rice Year 1969", which was writtenn in Bahasa Malaysia and English.

Size: Rectangular with the following dimensions perforation to perforation in sheets of 100:
- 15 cents - Vertical - 42 mm, Horizontal - 33 mm.
- 75 cents - Vertical - 42 mm, Horizontal - 33 mm.
Printing Process: Photogravure
Colour: The two stamps were multi-coloured
Paper: PTM watermarked paper
Printed by: Messrs. Harrison & Sons Ltd. England.

Pos Malaysia Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB)

Pos Malaysia issued on 9 September 1999 a Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) mini souvenir sheet to mark the 50th Anniversary of national electrical power (1949-1999) in Malaysia. It carried a face value of RM1.00.

POS Malaysia First Malaysia Development Plan

POS MALAYSIA on 1 December 1966 issued five commemorative postage stamps, each with a face value of 15 cents, to mark the First Malaysia Development Plan. They were rectangular measuring (Horizontal) 36 mm by (Vertical) 25 mm. All the five stamps were multi-coloured on unwatermarked paper. The Government Printing Bureau of Japan printed the stamps using a photogravure method. The artist was Enche Ng Peng Nam. The cachet featured Malaysia's first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. The cancellation postmark for this First Day Cover originated from Kuala Lumpur.

The five stamps depicted the following themes:
- Agriculture
- Rural Health
- Communications
- Education
- Irrigation

This particular FDC was posted to a Mr. and Mrs. H. Kers, Oban Rubber Estate P.O. Box 236, Calabar, Eastern Nigeria.

Romania Cover of Stamps

 

ROMANIA POST in conjunction with The "Carol I" Central University Library partnered with the "Carol I" University Foundation organized the 5th edition of the Strada de C'Arte outdoor festival, which took place between  21 till 25 September 2016. Hence, this special First Day Cover and stamps were used to promote this annual cultural event.

Bucharest residents and visitors to the capital partook in cultural events, free of charge. Near the equestrian statue of Carol I, the largest open-air book fair was held, which brought  together the most important publishing houses in Romania as well as several other institutions. Additionally, the festival included exhibitions, vernissages, book launches, debates and conferences, film screenings, concerts and performances in the Jazz and Poetry Rampa, artistic workshops, etc.

Canada Post Cover Stamps

 

CANADA POST cover shown here features a variety of themes:

- Caribou definitive issued in 1956

- LaCrosse issued on 1968

- Census stamp issued on 1 June  1971

- Prairie Street issued in 1974

-  Four of five commemorative domestic  stamps issued in 2006 celebrating Opera performers who contributed to Canada's cultural tapestry and played pivotal roles on the world stage. 

ABOUT THE OPERA STAMPS

 Raoul Jobin and Paris opera house Palais Garnier feature prominently in one of the stamps in this release. Wherever Jobin appeared, the Québec-born tenor received an enthusiastic reception and praise from the critics. Among his most noted attributes was his ability to master the "French" style. The richness of his musical sound enraptured audiences in the Americas, Europe and North Africa.

Saskatchewan native Jon Vickers was acclaimed as the world's leading interpreter of the role Siegmund in Die Walkure. Vicker's talent, energy and intensity set in motion an unexpected operatic career that led him from his responsibilities as a hardware salesman to the grand halls of opera houses around the world. One of the most celebrated houses, La Scala, in Milan, Italy, accompanies Vickers' stamp portrait.

With his robust voice and passionate temperament, Edward Johnson was a leading tenor at New York's Metropolitan Opera Company throughout the early and mid-1900s. He was renowned for his performances as Canio in I Pagliacci, Roméo in Roméo et Juliette and Don José in Carmen. A portrait of Johnson and the Met appear on another of the stamps in this issue.

As a team, Léopold Simoneau and his wife Pierrette Alarie gained celebrity status in both Europe and North America, leaving an indelible mark at France's Opéra-Comique. The duo completes this quartet of stamps. On stage and in concert, Alarie's breathtakingly pure soprano voice delighted critics and music lovers alike. The eminent tenor Simoneau, from St. Flavien, Quebec, has been hailed as "the Mozart tenor of his generation."

The romantic multicoloured designs were created by Paul Haslip of Toronto's HM&E Design Communications using high-contrast photographic images, expressive line drawings and hand-drawn calligraphy framed in soft edging. These stamps were originally released to coincide with the 2006/2007 season premiere performance of the Canadian Opera Company.

Source: Canada Post

Postcard of San Francisco Cable Cars - 1940s

 

Antique linen postcard of San Francisco cable cars, circa 1930s-1940s. This was gifted to me when I purchased a First Day Cover from a stamp dealer.

Caption on reverse side of postcard states:

Looking down California Street toward Market, San Francisco, Calif. A San Francisco cable car ride is an experience! You sit on long seats facing the sidewalks and as you begin to climb impossible hills, the city seems to coast down upon you. You scale one height to find another before you, but finally arrive atop Nob Hill, location of the homes of early California millionaires. Today it is the location of Grace Cathedral, numerous magnificent apartment houses, exclusive clubs and famous hotels.

Publisher/Printer:

The postcard was published by the Stanley A. Piltz Company in San Francisco, California.

Date Issued: 1930-1955

Poste Italiane Cover of Assorted Stamps

 

Italian stamps shown in this cover were issued between 2000 till 2014; five of the eleven stamps were printed in 2013 and two in 2014.

The stamps included here:

- 40th Anniversary of the Piazza della Loggia Massacre in Rome

- Emilio Greco - Vittoria Olimpica

- 550th Anniversary of San Marino-Italy Borders 

- Classical Women in Italian Art

- Jubilee Celebrations, Life of Jesus (Baptism)

- 200th Birth Anniversary of Giuseppe Verdi 

- Rita Levi Montalcini, Italian Nobel Laureate in Medicine

- Juventus Football Champions of Italy

- 250th Anniversary of Italia Civita

Deutsche Post Braun T-1000 Shortwave Receiver by Dieter Rams

DEUTSCHE POST on 7 December 2018 issued a First Day Cover honouring industrial designer Dieter Rams and one of his iconic designs, the Braun T-1000 Shortwave Receiver. The stamp was printed using an offset lithography method.

BRAUN T1000 CD RADIO Dieter Rams, architect and designer who led the German functionalist design movement (“ Gute Form ”) in the 60s and 70s and head designer for the Braun company professed the motto “less, but better execution”.

One of his first works, in 1963, was the T1000 world receiver. It was distinguished from others by its simple and elegant design and its range: it had two separate receivers, one for FM and one for short, medium and long waves. It was an expensive product, but due to its different design and technology it soon became a desired piece for many people. From 1968 he designed the T1000CD model, like this one, and it began to be used in German embassies. Until the end of production in 1970, about 14,000 units were manufactured.

Vietnam Post 50th Anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory

VIETNAM POST on 4 May 2004 released a set of First Day Cover stamps to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory. Two stamps and a block stamp was issued; shown here is one of the stamps affixed to a maxim card. The designer was Vu Kim Lien. An offset printing method was used on standard paper with glue on the back of stamp. Postage Stamp Printing Company (Ho Chi Minh City) printed this issue. 

 

 

 

ADDITIONAL DIEN BIEN PHU STAMPS AND FIRST DAY COVERS

- Vietnam 30th Anniversary of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu

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

- Vietnam Post 70th Victory Anniversary of Dien Bien Phu