Jordanian Post Office "With Gaza”

JORDANIAN  POST OFFICE on 28 November 2024 issued a First Day Cover stamp called "With Gaza”. The selected work illustrated a gap of hope showing a Palestinian flag and doves in the midst of the destruction and devastation recorded in Gaza.

The new release included a stamp priced at JD1, a postcard available for JD1.30, and a first-day cover sold for JD1.50.

During the 27th session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Communications and Information on 18 January 2024 in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), the postal administrations of the Arab countries were invited to dedicate the common postage stamp, planned for the year 2024, to the expression of solidarity of the Arab countries with the Palestinian cause.

The project of this common postage stamp was the subject of a competition in which several Arab countries participated through proposals for models, at the end of which the creation of the Jordanian post office was selected to be reproduced in this common postage stamp, under the theme “With Gaza”. 

Its launch was originally scheduled to take place on 29 November 2024 on the occasion of the international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people. The first stamp of this series was already issued on 7 October 2024 by Syria. Jordan and Qatar released their stamp on 28.November 2024. The other countries including Algeria, Morocco, Oman and Tunisia released their respective stamps on the expected date. A few other countries including Egypt, Iraq, Libya and Palestine were supposed to participate as well, but as of this writing nothing has been release.

Malaya Definitives of Perak Sultan Yussuf Izzuddin Shah

MALAYA (Perak) on 17 August 1950 issued a set of definitive stamps depicting Perak Sultan Yussuf Izzuddin Shah. This cover shows five of the 21 stamps printed between 1950 until 1956 using a Typography method. To he stamps retained the same images, only the colours and denominations were different. The postmark cancellation originated from Taiping, Perak, dated 18 January 1952.

Sultan Yussuf Izzuddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Jalil Karamatullah Nasiruddin Mukhataram Shah Radziallah Hu'an-hu, KCMG OBE (1890–1963) was the 32nd Sultan of Perak, whilst it was a part of the Federation of Malaya.

Raja Yussuf was born at Bukit Chandan, Kuala Kangsar, Perak. He was the eldest son of Sultan Abdul Jalil Nasiruddin Mukhataram Shah. He was appointed Raja Di Hilir in 1919 and later in 1921, became Raja Bendahara.

In 1938, upon the death of his uncle, Sultan Iskandar Shah, he was appointed as Raja Muda. Raja Yusuf ascended the Perak throne in 1948 following the death of his cousin Sultan Abdul Aziz al-Mu’tasim Billah Shah.

Source: Wikipedia 

Deutsche Post 125th Birth Anniversary of Hermann Hesse

DEUTSCHE POST First Day Cover  for the 125th Anniversary on the birth of German writer, Hermann Hesse. It was postmarked from his birthplace in Calw, Baden-Württemberg and issued in 2002.

Postes Republic France cover

 

POSTES REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE issued the following stamps: 

- Caesar's Tower, Provins, a UNESCO World Heritage Sites, designed by Jean Pheulpin, on 13 June 1974.  

- François Michel Le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois  was the French Secretary of State for War during a significant part of the reign of Louis XIV. He, together with his father, Michel le Tellier, oversaw an increase in the numbers of the French Army, eventually reaching 340,000 soldiers – an army that would fight four wars between 1667 and 1713. A stamp in 1947 was issued to honour him.

- Europa 1967, issued on 5 February 1967, is a work by Belgian artist Oscar Bonnevalle. It illustrated the system that Posts and Telecommunications play in a modern economy: the large cogwheels symbolise European industrial power, guarantee of work, progress and prosperity, that have been set in motion thanks to the central wheel which represents the cooperation of the countries grouped within the CEPT and tending towards this essential goal which is and remains, through the tightening of the links between the different Administrations, the harmonisation of services in the very interest of several hundred million European users. 

North Borneo Definitives of King George VI - 1950-1952

NORTH BORNEO (later Sabah, East Malaysia) on 7 January 1950 issued a then-new definitive stamps of King George VI, which remained in circulation until 1952. They were later adapted for the reign of his daughter Queen Elizabeth II. Harrison & Sons Ltd printed the stamps using a Photoengrave method. 

Shown here is a cover with nine of the 12 stamps. It shows the postmark cancellation originated  from Labuan, on 17 June 1951 and was destined to a Mrs. P.A. Coxhead in Victoria, Australia. The sender (whose name is on the reverse side of the envelope) was her husband who was the Cemetery Supervisor in Labuan.

 

-   1c - Mount Kinabalu 

-   2c - Murut with Blowpipe
-   3c - Coconut Grove
-   4c - Hemp Drying
-   5c - Cattle at Kota Belud
-   8c - Map of North Borneo
- 10c - Timber Logging
- 15c - Native Prahu at Sandakan
- 20c - Bajau Chief
- 30c - Suluk Craft Lahad Datu (not shown)
- 50c - Clock Tower Jesselton (not shown)
-   $1 - Bajau Horsemen (not shown)

Sungei Ujong Postage Definitives 1891-1895

SUNGEI UJONG POSTAGE (British colonial era) issued 30 stamps from 1880 until 1895. The jumping tiger shown here was circulated between 1891 until 1894, whereas the tiger-head stamp first appeared in 1895. The other Straits Settlements  carried the same images on their postage stamps; only the caption of the state was different, i.e. Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak,  Selangor. The printing method was typically topographic. 

Sungei Ujong (or Sungai Ujong) was so named after a nearby river of the same name. Sungai Ujong was the old name for Seremban. Before that it was known as "Sening Ujong". While the town was renamed Seremban thereafter, the Sungai Ujong name most prominently persists as a street name for a road adjoining the southern side of town. 

Yemen Arab Republic Persian Art 1971

YEMEN ARAB REPUBLIC  on 15 October 1971 issued a set of six stamps depicting Persian art, using an offset lithography printing method. The stamps included  artwork from Muraqqaʿ-e Gulshan, Djami al Tawanіkn and Shanname de Baisonghor

Stamps shown:

- 2 Buqsha - Muraqqaʿ-e Gulshan

- 3 Buqsha - Djami al Tawanіkn

- 4 Buqsha- Shanname de Baisonghor

- 1/3 Buqsha - Shanname de Baisonghor

- 1/4 Buqsha - Muraqqaʿ-e Gulshan

- 1/2 Buqsha - Djami al Tawanіkn (1596) 

The Mutawakelite Kingdom ceased to exist after defeat in the North Yemen Civil War, between 1962 and 1970. Thenceforth, only Yemen Arab Republic issued stamps. 

Mutawakelite Kingdom Moorish Art of Spain 1967

THE MUTAWAKELITE KINGDOM of Yemen on 12 January 1967 issued a set of eight stamps depicting Moorish art in Spain, using an offset lithography printing method.

Moorish art in Spain is a style of art that developed in the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa around the 11th century. It is a type of Islamic art that combines the multiculturalism of medieval Spain with the artistic production of the Umayyad Caliphate. 

Stamps shown:

- 2 Buqsha - Hall of the Kings, Alhambre palace with a Moor slaying a knight

- 4 Buqsha - Sultans of Granada (Nasrid dynasty) - ceiling of the Hall of Kings of the Alhambra

- 6 Buqsha- Chess from Book of Games by the King Alfonso X the Wise of Castilla & Leon

- 10 Buqsha - Battle of the Reconquista

- 12 Buqsha - Christian slaves with their livestock

- 20 Buqsha - Mohammed I ibn Nasr, First Sultan of Granada, embraces his Castilian ally

- 22 Buqsha - Wedding bullfight in Plasencia

- 24 Buqsha - European and Islamic musicians

 

The Mutawakelite Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Yemen or, retrospectively, as North Yemen, was a state that existed between 1918 and 1962 in the northern part of what is now Yemen. Its capital was Sana'a until 1948, then Taiz. From 1962 to 1970, it maintained control over portions of Yemen until finally defeated in the North Yemen Civil War. Yemen was admitted to the United Nations on 30 September 1947.

 During the civil war in North Yemen between 1962 and 1970, both the Kingdom of Yemen and the Arab Republic of Yemen issued stamps. However,  the issues from the Kingdom of Yemen during this period have been disputed.

Australia Post Kalkadoon Dreams by Artist Chern’ee Sutton

AUSTRALIA POST on 15 October 2024 issued the beautiful set of four First Day Cover stamps based on the artwork  of acclaimed contemporary Kalkadoon (Kalkatungu) artist Chern’ee Sutton. The stamps represent the artist’s traditional Country in the Mount Isa region of Queensland.  The typography is by Jo Muré, Australia Post Design Studio. RA Printing printed the stamp susing Offset lithography. The postmark originated from Mount Isa QLD 4825.

The Stamps/Maxicards:-

$1.50 - Kalkadoon Bush Food and Medicine shows the importance of bush tucker and medicine, represented by a coolamon containing berries and other tucker. Edible and medicinal plants growing on Kalkadoon Country include the bloodwood apple, the conkerberry bush, kurrajong, bush banana and gidgee tree. The undulating lines that flow across all the stamps represent the journeys of the Kalkadoon across the land, as do the footprints. The circular motifs indicate gatherings of people.  

- $1.50 - Kalkadoon Community and Storytelling  highlights the importance of community and storytelling. Men, women and children gather together in a circle to share cultural stories. The boomerang symbolises a return to Country.  

- $1.50 - Kalkadoon Animals are of great importance to the Kalkadoon, and are the subject of the third stamp, which shows mammals, birds and fish – the inspiration for stories, dances and art, including rock art and petroglyphs. Chern’ee Sutton’s great-great-grandmother, Annie Connelly, was known as the Dancing Queen because of her skill in ceremonial dance. The emu is particularly important for the artist, as it is her personal totem.  

- $1.50 - Kalkadoon Landscape shows the artist’s Country, with its vital waterholes, rivers, rugged mountains, bushland and dry scrub. The radiant sun appears overhead, giving life and warmth to the world.  

The artist, Chern’ee Sutton, held her first exhibition at the age of 13, at Queensland’s Parliament House. She has since been recognised with a legion of awards and honours. These include National NAIDOC Youth of the Year, Queensland Pride of Australia Award, Queensland Tourism Industry Council Ambassador, Queensland Day Ambassador for the Arts, and Queensland Reconciliation Awards Ambassador.

Her work has been commissioned by numerous national sporting organisations, commercial brands and many government departments. Chern’ee Sutton’s artwork is held in national and international collections, including the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace, United Kingdom. 

Source: Australia Post

Postes Morocco Solidarity 1949

POSTES MOROCCO on 1 January  1950 issued a series of four stamps to promote Charitable Solidarity 1949. The stamps highlighted traditional Moroccan know-how: carpets, ceramics, book binding and copper work.

Postes AlgeriePictorial Cover 1936-1937

POSTES ALGERIE between 1936-41 issued a set of 31  pictorial stamps. Six of those stamps were affixed to this cover in 1937. The cover was sent to Cambridgeshire, England from Arzew Oran, Algeria.

- 50c red - Algeria - 1937 World Expo Paris. Issued in 1937.

- 20c dark green - Sidj Bon Medine Cemetery at Tiemcen. Issued in 1936.

- 40c brown violet - Kings' Tombs near Touggourt which is located next to an oasis in the Sahara. Issued in 1936. 

- 25c rose violet - El-Kebir Mosque, Algiers is the great Mosque of Algiers was built in 1097 CE. Issued in 1936.

- 10c green - Admiralty Building, Algiers. Issued in 1936

- 65c red - Centenary of Constantine in 1837. Issued in 1937.

Sarawak Early Charles and Vyner Brooke stamps - 1889-1918

SARAWK, in 1841, proved to be subject to piracy and lawlessness until British adventurer James Brooke helped to subdue the rebellion, for which the Sultan of Brunei ceded Sarawak to him to govern. The Brooke dynasty lasted until Sarawak became a British colony in 1946, gained independence in July 1963 and joined the Federation of Malaysia in September of that year

The first stamp for Sarawak was issued 1 March 1869 with a portrait of Sir James Brooke, posthumously, as he died 18 August  1868.

As Sir James Brooke never married, the second White Rajah in 1868 was Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke, his nephew and sister's son.

Sir Johnson Charles Brooke appeared on all Sarawak's stamp issues between 1871-1908. A  fourteen stamp typographed set was released between 1888-97 (four shown here).

The Kingdom of Sarawak became a British Protectorate in 1888, as did Brunei. North Borneo had already been a British protectorate since 1882.

With his passing in 1917, his son, Charles Vyner Brooke became the third (and last) White Rajah. Vyner appeared on Sarawak's stamps between 1918-1947.

The third "White Rajah", Charles Johnson's son, Sir Charles Vyner Brooke, was enthroned in 1917. An unwatermarked twenty-one stamp typographed issue for him was released between 1918-1923 (four early stamps are shown here).

Of interest the usual, shown here, 1c slate blue & rose (CV $2+) was also printed by mistake in slate blue & slate in 1918. This stamp colour combination was never released for use, but can be found in the philatelic marketplace.

Postes Republique Francaise Centre des Hautes Études sur l'Afrique et l'Asie Modernes

POSTES REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE on 14 April 1986 issued a First Day Cover stamp marking the 50th anniversary (1936-1986) of Centre des Hautes Études sur l'Afrique et l'Asie Modernes, or the Center for Advanced Studies on Modern Africa and Asia (CHEAM). This red, green and black stamp with a face value of 3 F 20 c was intended primarily for simple letters to foreign countries. A total of 5,744,816 stamps were printed using gravure. They were available for purchase until 31 July 1986. Rene Dessirier designed the stamp.

The Center for Advanced Studies on Modern Africa and Asia, created in 1936 by the Popular Front and abolished in 2000, was known until 1973 as the Center for Advanced Studies in Muslim Administration.

As its initial name suggests, it was initially an intelligence, resource and training service for French colonial officials (including the military).

Since its creation, CHEAM  evolved several times (in 1958, 1973 and 1996). After decolonisation, it notably organised training for French diplomats and businessmen .

USPS "Let's Dance/Bailemos

USPS on 17 September 2005 issued four First Day Cover stamps dedicated to Latin Dances: Mambo, Cha Cha, Salsa and Merengue. The series was called "Let's Dance/Bailemos". The stamps were initially issued  in Miami, Florida, and New York. Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland designed the stamps. 

 

Designer Ethel Kessler borrowed the dance-school convention of step patterns for the margins of the stamps. All descriptive texts and headers are in English and Spanish. Sennett Security Products printed 70 million stamps in panes of twenty in the gravure process..

 

Four Latino artists present their personal interpretations of the dances.

For the Merengue stamp, Rafael Lopez used a warm palette of colours, from red and orange to yellow and lime green, all suggesting the tropical sunlight and vegetation of the Caribbean islands  

 

Capturing motion in the billowing skirts of a salsa dancer, José Ortega used palm leaves to refer to salsa's tropical roots in the Caribbean, and a cityscape to suggest its New York City birthplace.

 

In creating his design for the Cha Cha stamp, Edel Rodriguez juxtaposed the warmth of the dancers' suntanned skin and the sinuous line formed by their bodies with the coolness suggested by their white clothing and waving palm fronds.

 

Sergio Baradat evoked elegance in his design for the Mambo stamp. The red of a woman's dress offsets the nighttime purple and gold hues of the ambient light, while a drum-shaped moon seems to join the orchestra's saxophone and timbales.

Latin-American dances developed from a mixture of native American, European and African cultures. The mambo, for instance, came from the French contre danse and the Spanish contradanza (country dance), brought to French and Spanish Caribbean colonies in the eighteenth century. In addition, African slaves on the islands contributed their rhythms to these  dances.

 

After World War II, the mambo became the rage in New York, coming north with Cuban musicians and tourists who had frequented Havana night spots. Dominican immigrants brought their national dance, the fast-paced merengue. People from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Haiti brought their music and dances as well.dances.

 

The cha cha, a version of mambo, became a favorite in night clubs during the 1950s. A faster and more dramatic style of Latin dancing, called salsa, started in the 1960s in Latin night clubs. The disc jockeys would call out, “Salsa, salsa!” (“Spice it up!”).

 

 

 Source: Smithsonian National Postal Museum and Mystic Stamps

 

Correos Cuba Folklore Artwork by Concepcion Ferrant

CORREOS CUBA on 26 January  2000 issued four First Day Cover stamps entitled Folklore. The stamps featured the artwork of Cuban artist Concepcion (Concha)  Ferrant.

The stamps included:

"Rumba Caliente." (shown on this maxim card) face value 10; 

"Cachumba." face value 15;

"En Casa de un Babalao." face value 65;

"Tata Cunengue." face value 75.

Concepcion (Concha)  Ferrant was born on 28 February 1882 and studied at the San Alejandro Academy. Over lifetime she won prizes, certificates, medals and proved that a woman could paint as well or even better than her male colleagues.

The themes of Concha's oil paintings were mainly Cuban and European landscapes and Afro-Cuban elements. 

She won a competition for a position as a professor of artistic anatomy at the Academy of San Alejandro. She lived with great simplicity, dedicated to teaching, transmitting her knowledge with exemplary modesty to all who approached her in search of advice or an authoritative opinion.

"Beloved Daughter of Guanabacoa", a work for which she was awarded in 1943, is the same town where she died at age 87, on 27 May 1969.