• Right Stamp: NIPPON 40 (40 Japanese Yen). It features the Great Purple Emperor (Sasakia charonda ), which is recognized as the national butterfly of Japan.
The antique postcard from French Somaliland (Côte Française des Somalis), now Djibouti, featured a scene labeled "12 - Martyre de Saint Pierre (à gauche) and de Saint-Paul (à droite)" (Martyrdom of Saint Peter on the left and Saint Paul on the right), flanked by the two aforementioned stamps from the territory. The illustration was credited to Cliché J. B.
• 1901 Le lave-linge: Commemorates the invention/spread of the washing machine.
• 1944 Le droit de vote des femmes commemorates women's right to vote in France.
• 1969 Le premier pas sur la lune commemorates the Apollo 11 moon landing.
• Les congés payés commemorates paid leave holidays.
• Vintage red emergency fire truck "Véhicule de premier secours".
• Comic book character Fantasio from Spirou et Fantasio, running with a megaphone/clock.
These were official, often free-of-charge stationery items issued to Imperial Japanese soldiers during WWII to write letters home to family members in Japan or occupied territories.
The Japanese woman featured on this postcard is Kinuyo Tanaka who was a powerhouse actress and a pioneering director whose career spanned over 50 years. She starred in Japan's very first talkie film, The Neighbor's Wife and Mine (Madamu to nyōbō), a 1931 Japanese comedy film, and frequently collaborated with legendary directors like Kenji Mizoguchi and Yasujirō Ozu.
During the WWII era, postcards featuring prominent film stars and theatre beauties were highly popular inclusions in wartime military mail packets to boost the morale of deployed soldiers.
Additionally, Kintoto Cosmetics (a pre-war Japanese cosmetics brand that produced items like face powders and hair oils) sponsored postcards like this one.
As for the illustration of the soldier, in the centre of the postcard, there is a caption or a morale-boosting poem designed to comfort soldiers serving in freezing northern regions (such as Manchuria or Northern China).
The poem reads In the freezing cold, even the cloak turns white. Protecting under the Orion constellation, it pierces the body, but holding the rifle, fighting spirit burns.
Lyrics to wartime Japanese songs
OPERATION PLUNDER was a massive World War II military operation launched on the night of 23 March 1945, to establish a major Allied foothold across the Rhine River into the German heartland. Planned and executed by the 21st Army Group under the command of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, it stood as one of the largest and most meticulously coordinated assault crossings of the war.
The operation went practically like clockwork, completely fracturing the German defense north of the industrial Ruhr region. Within four days, the Allies consolidated a bridgehead 35 miles wide and 20 miles deep, capturing over 30,000 German soldiers.
This successful breach shattered Nazi Germany's final hope of a prolonged western defense, prompting high-ranking officials like Joseph Goebbels to declare that the situation in the West had entered a "deadly phase". It directly paved the final path for the Allied "blitz" toward Berlin.
John Bauer's famous folklore and fairy tale illustrations shown here include:
- "Here is a piece of a troll herb which nobody else but me can find" (1912) — Depicting an enormous troll mother sitting near a small child in the forest.
- "Princess Tuvstarr gazing down into the dark waters of the forest tarn" (1913) — One of Bauer's most iconic works, showing the blonde princess sitting at the edge of a reflective woodland pool.
- "Leap the Elk and Little Princess Cottongrass" (1913) — Showing the massive moose ("Skutt") standing over the tiny princess resting on the moss.
- "En riddare red fram" ("A knight rode forth") (1915) — Featuring a small, shining knight riding a charging horse beneath a starry sky.
These scenes were originally published in the famous Swedish fairy tale anthology Bland tomtar och troll (Among Gnomes and Trolls).
The postcard highlights the "Piegans" (painted in 1918), depicting members of the Piegan Blackfeet band on horseback by Charles Marion Russell (1864–1926) who was famous for his depictions of the American Old West.
Nasu-no-Yoichi was one of the most prominent archers in feudal Japan. He was a samurai archer of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods (1169–1232), known for his exceptional skill with the bow.
Nasu no Yoichi is best known for his remarkable feat during the Battle of Yashima in 1184, part of the Genpei War between the Taira and Minamoto clans.
During the battle, the Taira forces placed a fan atop a pole on one of their ships, challenging the Minamoto to shoot it. Nasu no Yoichi, on horseback, stepped forward and, with great precision, shot the fan from the ship. This impressive display of archery skill and coirage is often depicted in Japanese art and literature.
NIPPON POST on 6 October 1992 issued a stamp commemorating The Heiji Monogatari Emaki (The Illustrated Tale of Heiji) is a masterpiece of Japanese narrative handscroll (emaki) painting created during the Kamakura period (13th century). It vividly depicts the brutal political and military clashes of the Heiji Rebellion of 1159, a brief but pivotal civil war that set the stage for the rise of samurai dominance in Japan.
- Top Left & Middle Right (62 yen): Features pears labeled "二十世紀梨・鳥取県" (20th Century Pear, Tottori Prefecture).
- Top Right (62 yen): Commemorates the 450th anniversary of Japan-Portugal relations (平成5年・1993, 日本・ポルトガル友好450年記念), showing a traditional lacquered box.
- (Middle Left (62 yen): Features a stylised character with glasses and a hat, labeled "めがね・福井県" (Glasses, Fukui Prefecture) from a regional/letter-writing collection.
- Bottom Left (62 yen): Commemorates the 100th Tenno Sho horse race (第100回天皇賞競走記念, Heisei 1 / 1989).
- Bottom Right (70 yen): Commemorates the Europalia Japan festival in 1989 (平成元年 1989, ユーロパリア日本祭記念), featuring a traditional performer with a fan.
The stamp on the left was issued in 1964, whereas the two on the right were first printed in 1956. The circular postmark stamped directly over the left-hand side of the postcard has a cancellation date of 27 September 1967.
The postcard shows a beautiful sunset (Magnifique coucher du soleil) in Tiva, Tahaa, French Polynesia.
The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, home of the Atlanta Braves baseball team.
Hank "Henry" Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021) was a professional baseball player who was part of Major League Baseball (MLB) for 23 seasons. He played from 1954 to 1976, with most of that time spent on the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (he spent two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers). Aaron played as a right fielder and designated hitter, becoming famous for breaking Babe Ruth’s long-time home-run record in 1974. He held the record for 33 years.
Aaron grew up in Mobile and Toulminville, Alabama, with his seven siblings. When he was young, his family was too poor to buy baseball equipment, so Aaron used a stick and bottle cap for his bat and ball. After high school, Aaron signed with the Negro American League. Not long after, Aaron signed with the Braves and worked his way up through their farm teams. On 13 Apri 1954, he made his MLB debut.
Throughout his career, Hank Aaron faced many obstacles, including varying degrees of racism. He often couldn’t stay in the same hotels or eat in the same restaurants as his teammates. When he was about to break Babe Ruth’s home run record, he received death threats. But hatred didn’t stop Hank Aaron. He persevered and remains one of the most talented and beloved baseball players of all time.
Source: Mystic Stamps
The bottom caption is a traditional German/Austrian dialect verse relating to life and health in the mountains. A rough translation states, "Man, whatever you wish to accomplish, do it now while you still can and are healthy." The overall message is a poetic Alpine version of Carpe Diem ("seize the day"), reminding the reader to live fully, act on their dreams, and enjoy life while they have their strength and health in the mountains.
The reverse side of this philatelic postcard cover was mailed within Germany during World War II, specifically postmarked in Augsburg at 6pm, on 1 May 1940.
Complete Commemorative Stamp Set:
- 3 + 2 Pfennig (Bottom Left) Augsburg Cityscape (Lechviertel / Perlachturm view) Green
- 6 + 4 Pfennig (Middle Left) Leipzig View (Historical structures & new fair halls) Sepia / Brown
- 12 + 8 Pfennig (Top Left) Munich Architecture (München Propylaea) Carmine Red
- 25 + 15 Pfennig (Top Middle) Vienna Technical & Fair Grounds (Wien) Ultramarine Blue
The stamps shown:
The green stamp (6 fen) features traditional dancers representing harmony among ethnic groups.
The orange/brown stamp (3 fen) depicts an agricultural or rural scene symbolizing development and prosperity.
Shown at the lower left of this postcard is a 1 1/2-sen Japanese postage stamp, which was one of four definitives, issued on 3 September 1921, to commemorate the return of Crown Prince Hirohito from his tour of Europe. It depicted two Japanese battleships, representing the warships Katori and Kashima used during the royal voyage.
The red 3-sen commemorative postage stamp on the right was issued in 1916 (Taishō 5) for the Enthronement of Crown Prince Hirohito (Rikkaiseirei), featuring a design with an imperial crown or ceremonial hat in red and yellow. It was one in a series issued.
The hand-stamped red postmark decorative circular cancellation markings reading Kyoto (京都) in traditional kanji. Whereas the hand-stamped purple postmark, with the same central motif of the Imperial Phoenix (Ho-o) paired with stylised clouds, was used to indicate a connection to an important Imperial or state ceremony.
The series was designed by the German graphic artist Heinz Schwabe (sometimes referenced as Alfred Goldammer in early provisional documentation).
Commissioned by the post-war magistrate of Berlin to replace Nazi-era imagery with new civic symbols, Schwabe designed the distinct motifs featured in this collection:
- The Berlin Bear depicted standalone on the 5, 8, and 20 Pfennig stamps.
- The Bear with a Shovel featured on the 6 Pfennig purple stamp, symbolizing the post-war clearance effort.
- The Bear with a Brick featured on the 10 Pfennig brown stamp, representing reconstruction.
- The Bear with a Beam featured on the 12 Pfennig red stamp, representing rebuilding structural frameworks.
- The Oak Sapling featured on the 30 Pfennig olive-green stamp, showing a new oak growing in front of the ruins of Belle-Alliance-Platz to symbolize the rebirth of the city
Following the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany in May 1945, the Allied powers divided the nation and its capital into occupation zones. The Soviet Union assumed administrative control over the eastern sector of Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg.
Under strict Soviet military supervision, the Berliner Staatsdruckerei (Berlin State Printing Office) was tasked with creating a new series of definitive postage stamps. The primary goal was thorough denazification. These stamps were designed to permanently replace any remaining Third Reich issues depicting Adolf Hitler or the swastika.
The early design drafts included Cyrillic lettering reading "ПОЧТА" (Post). However, Soviet authorities dropped this to make the stamps more palatable to the native German populace, inscribing them purely with "Stadt Berlin".
The uniform cancellations on this cover letter bears the postmark "BERLIN-LANKWITZ 1 / 10.11.45-19" (10 November 1945). This in itself creates a fascinating historical intersection. Lankwitz is a locality situated in the southwestern borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf. When the Allied sectors were formally drawn and occupied in July 1945, Lankwitz fell squarely under the American Occupation Zone, not the Soviet Zone.
Even though the "Stadt Berlin" bear stamps were printed and initiated by the Soviet sector administration, they were validated by the Inter-Allied Military Command (Magistrat) for use across all four sectors of Greater Berlin during the initial post-war months. This inter-zonal validity explains how a post office situated in the American sector (Lankwitz) was actively utilising Soviet-initiated stamps to process mail in late 1945.
In the ruined economy of late 1945, standard commercial mail was vastly suppressed, while inflation ran high. To preserve wealth or capitalise on the historic nature of denazified stamps, collectors and local post offices frequently produced "Satzbriefe" (complete set covers).
The perfectly aligned, uniform cancellations across the stamps indicate that this specific piece was processed as a philatelic favour or souvenir sheet to preserve a pristine, full run of the historic August 1945 issues right at the Lankwitz post office window.
The stamps themselves are highly likely to be genuine original 1945 prints, but the postmarks represent a classic, mass-produced philatelic souvenir/favour cancellation rather than standard post-office commercial mail.
The postcard was addressed in black calligraphy to a recipient in a military unit designation, likely 歩兵オムラ部隊 (Infantry Omura Unit) and 步兵砲隊 (Infantry Artillery Unit) who was stationed in 村瀬 銀蔵 (Murase Ginzou).
Murase Ginzou was a Japanese military medical/衛生 (sanitary) unit that served during the Second Sino-Japanese War, recorded in unit archives such as the 38th Division Sanitary Unit history (Dai-sanjūhachi Shidan Eiseitashi). Personnel like Murase Ginzou were tied to troop movements across China and Hong Kong operations following initial escalations that began with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria/Manchukuo.
At the bottom of the card is a handwritten message in red ink expressing prayers for good fortune in battle and safe return (buun chōkyū), visiting a local shrine (Kokufū/Ikutama shrine), signed by a sender from Gifu City (Miho Ota), alongside a colour print of a traditional Japanese court or deity figure holding a fan.
The reverse side of the postcard has two images: at the top, is a traditional stylised seal (Ten-sho) script; and at the bottom, a red commemorative stamp from Osaka railway Station (大阪駅) is dated 11. 4. 23 (23 April 1936 / Showa 11), overlaid on a stylised graphic design.
Postcards like this one were common in 1930s Japan as patriotic stationery sent to soldiers deployed in mainland Asia during the prelude to and during WWII.
The stamp on the postcard featured a green 5-pfennig definitive stamp printed onto the card of the new imperial eagle ("Neuer Reichsadler"), designed by Sigmund von Weech (1888–1982) who created prominent national symbols during the early Weimar Republic, succeeding the formal era of the German Empire. It was pre-printed or officially cancelled with an matching commemorative exhibition cachet stating "Deutsche Verkehrs-Ausstellung München".
The artwork on the front of the card was signed by the artist Max Eschle and featured a stylized Art Deco depiction of Hermes (Mercury) fastening his winged sandals.
The postcard measured approximately 3.5" x 5.5" and was used to promote German transportation technology and engineering.
The First German Transport Exhibition (DVA) was the first major exhibition in the German Reich after the First World War and drew nearly three million visitors, which was of enormous importance for German industry. In just five months in 1925, a huge number of export contracts were concluded for the supply of German steam locomotives and carriages, ships and automobiles, urban transport, cranes, and other equipment.
It should be noted that without the industrial potential laid down in the 1920s, the German economic miracle of the mid-1930s would never have happened.
