Australia and New Zealand 30th anniversary of the First Trans-TasmanFlight - 1958

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALND  on 27 August 1958 issued a First Day Cover stamp to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith's first Trans-Tasman flight with Charles T.P. Ulm as co pilot. The stamp featured the Southern Cross with the portrait of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and his aircraft.

The stamp was issued jointly by Australia and New Zealand. The designer was J E Lyle, Auckland. Australian Bank Note and Stamp Printer, Australia printed it using a recess  Intaglio method on Wiggins Teape 'Esparto', multiple NZ and star watermark The stamp remained on sale until 31 December 1958.

This Australia Post cover has multiple franking on the front and back of the envelope, both from Australia and New Zealand. The stamps were identical except for country stated on the stamp: "Australia" or New Zealand" and denomination.

Sir Charles Kingsford Smith was born on 9 February 1897 in Hamilton, Queensland, Australia.  He disappeared in 1935 with Australian Thomas Pethybridge after passing over Calcutta during a flight from London to Australia. The two were presumed lost.

Information included on this page sourced from The Postage Stamps of New Zealand published by the Royal Philatelic Society of NZ.    

Source: New Zealand Post

New Zealand Post Centennial of Hawke's Bay - 1958

NEW ZEALAND POST on 1958 issued three First Day Cover stamps commemorating the Centennial of Hawke's Bay. This set of stamps marked the 100th anniversary of the province of Hawke's Bay. The stamps depicted three significant features of the Province: The Maori legend of Pania, Cape Kidnappers Gannet Sanctuary and sheep shearing. They were designed by three different designers. The design of the 2d stamp was completed by M R Smith, the 3d by J Berry and the 8d by LC Mitchell.

The Stamps:

2d - Pania Statue - in recognition of the important part played by Maoris in the development of the Hawkes Bay.

3d - Gannet at Cape Kidnappers. In recognition of the awakening tourist industry in the Hawkes Bay Region.

8d - Sheep Shearer in recognition of the largest industry in the region.

Hawke's Bay (Māori: Heretaunga) is a region of New Zealand on the east coast of the North Island. It derives from Hawke Bay which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke who decisively defeated the French at the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759.

Source: New Zealand Post

USPS Vintage Black Cinema

USPS on 16 July 2008 issued a set of five First Day Cover stamps entitled  "Vintage Black Cinema". These commemorative stamps depicted movie posters from African-American films made in the 1920s through 1940s. Art director Carl Herrman's designed the set.

In the 1921 silent "The Sport of the Gods", the family of a wrongfully convicted man flees Virginia in disgrace only to face immorality and temptation in New York City. Based on a Paul Laurence Dunbar novel, the film was produced by the Reol Motion Picture Corp., which made several movies for black audiences.

Duke Ellington's first screen appearance in 1929's "Black and Tan" features three songs by him and his Cotton Club Orchestra. Playing himself, Ellington is in danger of having his piano repossessed. His fatally ill girlfriend dances at a nightclub and saves Ellington's music. She asks to hear his "Black and Tan Fantasy" on her deathbed.

One of only four movies to star American-born entertainer Josephine Baker, "Princess Tam-Tam" tells the story of a novelist who discovers a simple African woman, played by Baker, and presents her as a princess to Parisian society. Released in France in 1935, this French-language feature remains a rare film showcase for Baker's singing and dancing.

"Hallelujah" was one of the first major studio films to feature an all-black cast. This is a dramatic story of a field laborer seduced from his community by worldly temptations. Noted for its portrayal of the rural African-American religious experience, 1929's "Hallelujah" earned King Vidor a nomination for Best Director.

Highlighting the talents of singer, saxophonist, and "jump blues" bandleader Louis Jordan, the 1945 short "Caldonia" is often cited as a precursor of today's music videos. The film's four musical numbers also appeared as individual "soundies," or short films shown on video jukeboxes at nightclubs and restaurants during the 1940s.

Source: USPS 

Jordan Definitives and The Dome of the Rock - 1954

JORDAN on 2 September 1954 issued a set of definitive stamps depicting the landmarks of the country and King Hussein. Bradbury, Wilkinson & Co. Ltd used a recess printing method to print these stamps. Various stamps carried face values in Jordanian fils. 

Shown on this postcard is the Ed-Deir Temple in Petra (3 Jordanian Fils) and King Hussein (4 Jordanian Fils). The postcard shows The Dome of the Rock. It was postmarked Amman, Jordan and sent to a Dr. Bernard Zylberberg in Toronto, Canada. The card was printed in Lebanon.

This postcard appears to be an advertising technique used by Abbott Pharmaceutical to promote both its products and tourism overseas.  I have seen similar Abbott Pharmaceutical postcards advertising other products and tourist destinations which were posted to doctors. 

North Viet Nam Cultivated Flowers

NORTH VIETNAM block set of stamps from the cultivated flower (Pansy Cosmos Bipinnatus) series issued in 1978. Postmark cancellation originated from Hanoi, North Vietnam.

USPS 20th century American Comedians

USPS on 29 August 1991 issued a set of five stamps honouring 20th century American Comedians. These 29¢ First Class Mail Stamps featured the caricatures of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy; Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy; Jack Benny; Fanny Brice; and Bud Abbott and Lou Costello rendered by Albert Hirschfeld. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing printed 139,995,600 copies using lithographed and intaglio engraved method. FDC postmark cancellation originated from Hollywood, California.

Albert Hirschfeld was best known for his pencil drawing of Broadway plays that appeared in the New York Times newspaper for decades.  His familiar style was evident in these stamps picturing some of America’s greatest comedians.  

Postal rules and regulations fell by the wayside for his signature design.  Not only was the name of this famous caricaturist Albert Hirschfeld, prominently displayed on the cover of the stamp booklet, but the rule against secret marks in stamp artwork was waived for him, as well.  He was allowed to continue his practice of incorporating his daughter’s name, “Nina,” somewhere in each of his drawings.

The First Day of Issue ceremony was held at Mann’s Chinese Theatre, home of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in Hollywood, California.  Members of the comedians’ families made brief speeches during the ceremony. 

During the unveiling of these stamps, Postmaster General Anthony Frank said, “These comedians have made immeasurable contributions to American culture and, through the magic of radio and film, have brought laughter and joy to millions of people throughout the world.”  These stars of Vaudeville, Broadway, radio, and Hollywood were some of the nation’s brightest comedy stars of the 20th century.

Source: Mystic stamps

Pos Malaysia Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s 93rd Birthday

POS MALAYSIA on 10 July 2018 launched a limited edition  set of First Day Cover stamps celebrating Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s 93rd birthday and the historic moment he was sworn-in as the 7th Prime Minister; he is the only person to have served twice as prime minister of Malaysia (1981-2003 and 2018-2020), a cumulative total of 24 years, making him the country's longest-serving prime minister.

The cachet  featured a light-hearted moment between Dr Mahathir and his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali. The cancellation postmark originated from Kampung Baru (Kuala Lumpur). 

In 2025, Pos Malaysia will surely issue another set of stamps to commemorate the  centenary anniversary of his birth. 

Deutsche Bundespost Berlin Deutsche Lufthansa's Resumption of Munich to Vienna Flight

DEUTSCHE BUNDESPOST BERLIN on 23 April 1957 issued a First Day Cover stamp and cachet to mark the resumption of Deutsche Lufthansa's resumption of flight from Munich to Vienna. This was one of several cachets used to promote the airline's service to other cities. It showed the company's iconic crane-in-flight logo, Austrian national crest and St. Stephen's Chapel in Vienna which was captioned with the specific city of destination, in this case Vienna. Postmark cancellations of both Munich (front) and Vienna (reverse) can be seen on the envelope.

Initially, Deutsche Lufthansa (abbreviated DLH) was an airline serving as the flag carrier of East Germany from 1955 to 1963, and legal action against trademark violation were filed by Lufthanasa in West Germany. Ultimately  East Germany rebranded the air carrier to Interflug.

The design of the stamp was based on a monument dedicated to Prussian/German aviator Otto Lilienthal which featured a statue sculpted by Peter Breuer  and was dedicated in 1914, in Berlin, Germany.

Karl Wilhelm Otto Lilienthal (1848-1896) was a German pioneer of aviation who became known as the "flying man". He was the first person to make well-documented, repeated, successful flights with gliders, therefore making the idea of heavier-than-air aircraft a reality. Newspapers and magazines published photographs of Lilienthal gliding, favourably influencing public and scientific opinion about the possibility of flying machines becoming practical.

Lilienthal's work led to his developing the concept of the modern wing. His flight attempts in 1891 are seen as the beginning of human flight and the "Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat" is considered to be the first airplane in series production, making the Maschinenfabrik Otto Lilienthal in Berlin the first air plane production company in the world.

On 9 August 1896, Lilienthal’s glider stalled and he was unable to regain control. Falling from about 15 metres (49 ft), he broke his neck and died the next day.

Source: Wikipedia

Cuba Correos Ernesto Che Guevara 30th Anniversary of Revolutionary Communications / 80th Birth Anniversary

CUBA CORREOS in 1988 issued a commemorative First Day Cover stamp of Ernesto Che Guevara on the 30th anniversary of revolutionary communications in Cuba. This stamp later appeared on a 15 June 2008 maxim card to mark his 80th birth anniversary. It was designed to illustrate Cuba's history of radio and telecommunications. It should be noted that Che was instrumental in organising the operation of Radio Rebelde.

This radio station, as well as Radio Habana Cuba, occasionally has been received in Malaysia throughout the 2020s. The radio receiver in the background of the stamp is a 1954 Zenith Trans-Oceanic H-500. This American-made radio was one of the best in its day. I owned a similar Zenith H-500 in the early 1970s and I can vouch for its quality as a sensitive receiver.

Deutsche Bundespost 750th anniversary of Spandau-Berli Berlin

DEUTSCHE BUNDESPOST BERLIN on 7 March 1957 issued a First Day Cover stamp commemorating the 750th anniversary of Spandau-Berlin. The maxim card and stamp depict  Stresow in the old town of Spandau. In the foreground can be seen the shipbuilding site on the Stresow, to the left of the Stresow Bridge (later Charlottenbrücke), circa 1850. Special franking shows the crest of Spandau and was used to cancel the postage. 

Between 1962 and 1963, Deutsche Bundespost Berlin issued a series of stamps showing historical landmarks around Berlin, using this very same design format.

The history of Spandau begins in the 7th century or 8th century, when the Slav Heveller first settled in the area and later built a fortress there. It was conquered in 928 by the German King Henry I, but returned to Slavic rule after the rebellion of 983.

Fast-forward to World War II, Spandau had the infamous distinction to be the location of a subcamp of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, mostly for Polish and Hungarian women.

After World War II, it was part of the British sector of West Berlin. Spandau Prison, which had been rebuilt in 1876, was used to house Nazi war criminals given custodial sentences at the Nuremberg Trials. After the death of Spandau Prison's last inmate, Rudolf Hess, in 1987, it was completely demolished by the Allied powers and later replaced by a shopping mall.

Deutsche Bundespost 200th Anniversary of the Barrel Organ (Drehorgel)

DEUTSCHE BUNDESPOST on 3 May 1990 issued a First Day Cover stamp marking the 200th anniversary of the barrel organ or Drehorgel. Special postmark cancellation originated from Bonn.

The maxim card is an Italian reproduction of an advertisement for the Liebig Company's Fleisch-Extract. The card depicts a street musician with barrel organ playing to a family in an Italian village while a circus monkey sits on the barrel organ. 

USPS 200th Birth Anniversary of Edgar Allen Poe

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, there came a rapping at chamber door..."

USPS has done it again. On 16 January 2009, the US Postal Service issued its second commemorative stamp to mark the 200th birth anniversary of Edgar Allen Poe, who authored the above open lines of his most famous poem, "The Raven", published on 29 January 1845 to immediate critical acclaim and success. Edgar Allan Poe was previously honoured on a U.S. postage stamp on 7 October 1949 upon the 100th anniversary of Poe's death. The postmark cancellation originated from Richmond, Virginia. 

Edgar Allan Poe (1809 – 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely regarded as one of the central figures of Romanticism and Gothic fiction in the United States, and of early American literature.

Poe died in Baltimore in 1849, aged 40, under mysterious circumstances. The cause of his death remains unknown and has been attributed to many causes, including disease, alcoholism, substance abuse, and suicide. 

UAR (Egypt) Launch of Cairo Tower

U

UNITED ARAB REPUBLIC (EGYPT) on 11 April 1961 issued a commemorative First Day Cover  stamp of The Cairo Tower that was designed by architect Naoum Chebib and inaugurated on this date. 

It remains one of the modern icons of the Egyptian capital, with its stylised appearance and lattice covering intended to mimic the image of a lotus flower.  It was built with granite from Aswan, a material noted for its nobility and very symbolic in Egypt because it is the same material used in the construction of the pyramids.

It measures 187 meters and was for 10 years the tallest tower in all of Africa, until 1971 when it was surpassed by the Hillbrow Tower in South Africa.

Grossdeutsches Reich Generalgouvernement Semi-Postal Cultural Issue 1944

GROSSDEUTSCHES REICH  GENERALGOUVERNEMENT on 15 July 1944 issued  semi-postal issues include five stamps:

- 12+18 gr dark green - Konrad Celtis (1459- 1508), humanist and university teacher;

- 24 +26 gr red carmine - Andreas Schlutter (1664-1714), sculptor and architect:

- 30+30 gr dark lilac - Bonar (Bonner) (1463- 1523), Krakow merchant;

- 50+50 gr dark blue - King August II the Strong (1670-1733); and

- 1 PLN + 1 PLN red-brown - Jerzy Bogumił Pusch (1791-1846), geologist.

The stamps were designed by Prof. W. Dachauer , the engraving was made by Prof. F. Lorber. The stamps were printed in sheets containing two sectors of 50 stamps each. A sector was a sales sheet. Under the 41st stamp the number ("15" or "25") indicates the sector, under the 45th stamp the inscription "Entwurf: W. Dachauer" (facsimile), under the 46th - "Stich: Ferd. Lorber" (facsimile), under the 50th stamp "Staats/Druckerei/Wien/VI. 1944." The printing method entailed steel engraving by the State Printing House in Vienna.

The General Government — sometimes also referred to as General Governorate (Generalgouvernement in German, Generalne Gubernatorstwo in Polish, and Генеральна губернія in Ukrainian) — was a German zone of occupation established after the joint invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939 at the onset of World War II. The full title of the regime in Germany until July 1940 was the Generalgouvernement für die besetzten polnischen Gebiete, a name that is usually translated as “General Government for the Occupied Polish Territories”. On July 31, 1940, governor Hans Frank, on Hitler’s authority, shortened the name to just Generalgouvernement. A more literal translation of Generalgouvernement, which is a borrowing from French, would be General Governorate. The correct translation of the term “Gouvernement” is not government but actually governorate, which is a type of administrative division or territory. The area was also known colloquially as the Restpolen (“Remainder of Poland”).

Deutsches Reich Generalgouvernement Semi-Postal Cultural Issue 1942

DEUTSCHES REICH GENERALGOUVERNEMENT on 20 November 1942 on its 3rd anniversary issued five semi-postal stamps:

- 12+18 (gr) dark purple,  sculptor Veit Stoß (1445-1533);

- 24+26 (gr) brown-carmine - painter Hans Dürer (1490-ca. 1538), creator of the frescoes on Wawel Hill;

- 30+30 (gr) violet-purple-architect Jan Szuch (1752-1813), builder of the Łazienki Palace in Warsaw;

- 50+50 (gr) black and violet-blue-composer Józef Elsner (1769-1854), creator of operas and teacher of F. Chopin; and

- 1.00-1.00 PLN black and blue-green- Nicolaus Copernicus, astronomer (1473-1543)

The stamps were designed by Prof. Wilhelm Dachauer, engraved by Prof. Ferdinand Lorber. The stamps were printed in sheets covering two sales sectors of 50 stamps. On the margins of the 50-stamp sheets are the inscriptions: at the top - the German coat of arms and "Generalgouvernement. Deutsche Post Osten /50 Freimarken zu..." etc. On the side margin are the settlement numbers, at the bottom, in addition to the name of the designer and engraver and the name of the printing house, "3 Jahre Generalgouvernement". The printing method entailed retrograve engraving by the State Printing House in Vienna.

The General Government — sometimes also referred to as General Governorate (Generalgouvernement in German, Generalne Gubernatorstwo in Polish, and Генеральна губернія in Ukrainian) — was a German zone of occupation established after the joint invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939 at the onset of World War II. The full title of the regime in Germany until July 1940 was the Generalgouvernement für die besetzten polnischen Gebiete, a name that is usually translated as “General Government for the Occupied Polish Territories”. On July 31, 1940, governor Hans Frank, on Hitler’s authority, shortened the name to just Generalgouvernement. A more literal translation of Generalgouvernement, which is a borrowing from French, would be General Governorate. The correct translation of the term “Gouvernement” is not government but actually governorate, which is a type of administrative division or territory. The area was also known colloquially as the Restpolen (“Remainder of Poland”).

Deutsche Bundespost 150th anniversary of the Hambacher Festival.

DEUTSCHE BUNDESPOST on 27 May 1982 issued a First Day Cover stamps to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Hambacher Festival.

The Hambacher Festival was a German national democratic festival celebrated from 27 May to 30 May 1832 at Hambach Castle, near Neustadt an der Weinstraße, in present-day Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The event was disguised as a nonpolitical county fair.[clarification needed] It was one of the main public demonstrations in support of German unity, freedom and democracy during the Vormärz era.

The Festival confirmed the establishment of the combination of black, red and gold as a symbol of a democratic movement for a united Germany. The colours were later used by democratic revolutionaries in the Revolutions of 1848 as a symbol of German unity, but it was not achieved until 1871 and, even then, to Otto von Bismarck's specifications. After World War I, Black-Red-Gold were adopted by the Weimar Republic as the national colours of Germany and are used on the modern German flag.

USPS Assorted Stamp Cover

 

This USPS cover contains some of the 2024 Dungeon & Dragons stamps and 1960s commemorative issues including:

- 1960 - 4¢ Robert A. Taft

- 2024 - 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons featured  10 (five shown here) different designs that highlighted the characters, creatures and encounters familiar to players of the game.

- 1960 - 4¢ Champions of Liberty: Ignacy Paderewski, block set.

- 1960 - 4¢ 150th anniversary of Mexican Independence, block set.

- 1960 - 4¢ SEATO  (South East Asia Treaty Organization). 

- 1962 - 4¢ 25th anniversary of the US Apprenticeship Act that FDR signed into law in 1937.

Habib Jewels Limited Edition Tanah Airku Gold Wafer Stamp Collection

HABIB JEWELS Limited Edition Tanah Airku 999.9 Gold Wafer Stamp Collection consists of five regions in Malaysia: East Malaysia (Malaysia Borneo), East Coast, Central, Northern and Southern Malaysia.

Total weight of five wafer stamps:  1.00GS

tamp Dimension : 3.0cm (H) x 2.2cm (W)

Cover Dimension : 3.4cm (H) x 2.6cm (W)

Metal Type: 999/24K Yellow Gold

Fragile

Poste Italiane Assorted Stamp Cover

Poste Italiane Assorted Stamp Cover
 

India Post Assorted Stamp Cover

 

This INDIA POST cover features assorted stamps of notable Indian military, politicians and academics including:

-  2020 - 150th Birth Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo.

- 2023 -225th Anniversary of 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment (Indian Special Forces) 

- 2023 - General K. S. Thimayya 

- 2015 - 11 Definitive Series of notable Indians: Bhagat Singh, Deendayal Upadhyaya, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi.

 

Nederland Post Assorted Stamp Cover

Nederland Post assorted stamp cover
 

Pos Malaysia Centenary of the First Postage Stamps of Malaysia

POS MALAYSIA  on 2nd December, 1967 issued three First Day Cover stamps to mark the Centenary of the First Postage Stamps of Malaysia. These commemorative postage stamps were printed in denominations of 25 cents, 30 cents and 50 cents. They followed a Trapeziform with the following dimensions of perforation in sheets of 50: (a) Vertical - 30 mm, (b) Horizontal (at top) - 35 mm, (c) Horizontal (at bottom) - 42 mm. A photogravure printing method on unwatermarked paper was employed. The Government Printing Bureau of Japan printed these multicoloured stamps that were designed by Artist Ng Peng Nam. This postmark cancellation originated from Kuching, Sarawak and was posted to London, UK.

The three stamps depicted the following:

- 25 cents - showed the 1867 Straits Settlements 8c stamp and the current 25c Malaysia stamp, both in actual colours from the respective periods.

- 30 cents - featured the 1867 Straits Settlements 2c stamp and the current 30c Malaysia stamp, both in actual colours from the respective periods.

- 50 cents - contained the 1867 Straits Settlements 32c stamp and the current 50c Malaysia stamp, both in actual colours from the respective periods.

Another interesting fact about this  FDC is that it was sent by one Ungku Abu Bakar and received by an Ungku Suleiman Aziz. These are titles (Ungku) used by members of Malay royalty, although I cannot locate their family lineage. I suspect Johor.

Post Lebanese Proclamation of Independence - 1942

POST LEBANESE  on 18th September 1942 issued a set of six First Day Cover stamps with two different designs. The stamps depicted Emir Bechir Chehab and a plane flying over Mount Lebanon. The stamps were released one year after Lebanon's proclamation of independence. The designer was Paul Koroleff, whereas the engraver/printer was I.C. Beyrouth. The postmark cancellation on this FDC states 11.V.1942.

In 1941 turmoil in Europe raised the fear that Germany would gain control of Syria and Lebanon, leading French and British troops to occupy Lebanon. Under various political pressures from both inside and outside Lebanon, General Charles De Gaulle decided to recognise the independence of Lebanon. On 26 November 1941, General Georges Catroux announced that Lebanon would become independent under the authority of the Free French government. It was not until 22 November 1943 that the French government officially accepted the independent republic of Lebanon, but the country was not evacuated by French troops until 1946.

Emir Bechir Chehab was an Emir of Lebanon who ruled Lebanon in the first half of the 19th century and was one of the most important figures in the history of the country. Post Lebanese dedicated a set of 4 stamps with the denomination ranging from 0.50 Lebanese piasters to 15 Lebanese piasters.

The second set included two air mail stamps of 10 Lebanese piasters and 50 Lebanese piastres which depicted a plane flying over Mount Lebanon which is a national symbol. A follow-up issue on the second anniversary of independence featured various denominations and colours.

From the 1940s the term Liban started to be used, which is Lebanon's name in French. Today all stamps of Lebanon are marked simply Liban.

Deutsche Post Assort Cover Stamps: “Welt der Briefe” and "Bobi and Tina"

DEUTSCHE POST current definitive stamp series called “Welt der Briefe” (World of Letters). There are eight designs at different rates: 5, 32, 37, 45, 50, 70, 85 and 95 eurocents. A complete list may be found here; "Welt der Briefe" – Wikipedia. Additionally shown here is "Best friends go on adventures: Bobi and Tina", "The Brave Tailor at Work" and Blue Bells.