Tuesday, December 31, 2013

25th anniversary of reign of Queen Elizabeth II 13.6.1977


25th anniversary of reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

The 120-millieme stamp on the cover depicts a 1960 Cyprus stamp showing four coin devices of Cyprus. The Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II marked the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the thrones of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth realms.

The Silver Jubilee was celebrated with large-scale parties and parades throughout the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth throughout 1977, culminating in June with the official "Jubilee Days," held to coincide with the Queen's Official Birthday. The anniversary date itself was commemorated in church services across the land on 6 February 1977, and continued throughout the month. In March, preparations started for large parties in every major city of the United Kingdom, as well as for smaller ones for countless individual streets throughout the country.

Thank you Merja for this lovely first day cover.

Monday, December 30, 2013

Mackinac Bridge 25.6.1958

Completed in 1957, the Mackinac Straits Bridge is featured on U.S. 1958 3¢ Mackinac Bridge stamp released on25.6.1958 at the Mackinac Bridge, Michigan. The bridge connects the Upper and Lower Michigan peninsulas. The bridge is an engineering marvel that runs for seven miles across the Straits. In 2010, the Mackinac Straits Bridge was also pictured on another  U.S. stamp.

Mackinac Bridge, 150,000,000 Vehicles Later. The Mackinac Bridge towers 200 feet above the windswept waters of Lakes Huron and Michigan. “Mighty Mac” extends 5 miles across the Straits of Mackinac to link Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas.

Before the bridge opened in 1957, travelers waited in long lines to cross the channel by ferry or drove all the way around Lake Michigan and through Wisconsin to get to the other side. The Mackinac Bridge shortened the trip to a ten-minute drive and opened the Upper Peninsula to tourism – adding an estimated $100 million a year to Michigan’s tourist trade.

Bridge designers took special precautions for Michigan’s severe winter weather. Grated openings between the center lanes improve airflow and prevent the road deck from being pushed up by strong winds. During high winds, the road deck can also move up to 35 feet from side to side to keep the bridge from buckling.

Some drivers are uncomfortable crossing the Mighty Mac. Bridge personnel call these commuters “timmies,” because they are too timid to drive across. The bridge authority provides them with a chauffeur at no extra fee. On September 6, 2009, the 150 millionth vehicle crossed the Mackinac Bridge.

Thank you Merja.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Not Only a Bell, but on 11-12-13-14



This cover with the lovely minisheet was sent to me by my friend Dr. Avinash Jagtap from Switzerland. I will tell you more about the stamp in the following paragraphs. But, first look at the post mark. Yes, guys it is not just dated 11-12-13 but 11-12-13-14.  Remarkable really! Thank you Sir, for this wonderful cover.

Now, Stamp Day 2013 was celebrated  from 13 to 15 December under the umbrella of aarphila13 in the “bell town” of Aarau – definitely an appropriate venue for presenting stamps with a festive acoustic flavour in the run up to Christmas.

No, Aarau does not have more bells than any other town in Switzerland. It owes its “bell town” nickname to the bell-making industry that once flourished there. The oldest recorded bell made in Canton Aargau’s capital dates back to 1367 and still rings out from Fribourg’s cathedral steeple to this day. It was made where the the firm of H. Rüetschi AG, one of Switzer-land’s last and oldest bell foundries, now stands. Rüetschi bells do not just hang in countless Swiss steeples but peal all over the world. One of the most famous sets of bells made in Aarau now hangs in London where it was a Swiss Centre landmark in the 1980s. Late in 2011, this reno-vated carillon was installed as a free-standing structure advertising Switzerland on the city’s famed Leicester Square. But bells from Aarau continue to delight the ears of innumerable tourists at Berne’s Zytglogge clock tower day in, day out.


Has anybody ever wondered what a church bell weighing several tonnes has in common with a feather-weight stamp? Nothing visual, that’s for sure. Yet bells and stamps can be seen as soul mates. Both artistically combine aesthetics with accuracy. And both seemingly disparate elements are an acknowledged part of Switzerland’s cultural heritage. Reason enough, therefore, for Swiss Post to choose this motif for Stamp Day in Aarau and give bells pride of place on the specially designed postcard and miniature sheet. So collectors and stamp fans can look for- ward to a resonant philatelic event. The designer of this lovely mini sheet is Martin Eberhard.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Club Islander, Sentosa, Singapore on 28.10.2009.

The stamp launch for the Singapore-Indonesia Joint Issue was held at Club Islander, Sentosa, Singapore on 28.10.2009The theme of this stamp issue is tourist attractions. For Singapore, the selected attractions are the Merlion (65c) and Sentosa ($1.10). For Indonesia, the featured attractions are Singa Ambara Raja Statue (1st local) and Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (80c).
Singapore and Indonesia enjoy warm and friendly ties. Both countries are close neighbours and each other's major trading partners. Ministers and officials from both countries work closely together bilaterally, as well at international fora such as ASEAN to advance common interests. In this stamp issue, selected attractions of both countries are featured.

1ST LOCAL: Singa Ambara Raja Statue
Singa Ambara Raja statue is the landmark of Singaraja City on the northern part of Bali. Adapted from Buleleng regency symbol, this statue uniquely depicts a winged lion holding a big corn in one of its front leg. The statue was officially inaugurated on 30 March 1971 to signify the historical struggle of Singaraja people against Dutch colony.

65c: Merlion
The iconic Merlion is Singapore's most enduring symbol. The name of the half-lion, half-fish creature is a combination of both Singapore's ancient name "Temasek" (meaning "sea town") and original name "Singapura" (meaning "Lion City").

80c: Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Beautiful Indonesian Miniature Park)
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah or "Beautiful Indonesian Miniature Park" is a recreational spot with splendid cultural highlights of the grandeur of Indonesia. Officially opened on 20 April 1975, it covers nearly 250 acres of area at the eastern side of Jakarta. The park is a summary of Indonesian culture, with virtually all aspects of daily life of each provinces of Indonesia encapsulated in separate pavilions with collection of architectures, clothing, dances and traditions.

$1.10: Sentosa
Sentosa was a British military fortress until 1967 when it was handed back to the newly independent Singapore Government. In 1968, the Government decided to develop the island into a holiday resort for local visitors and tourists. The public was invited to suggest names for the island and "Sentosa" - meaning peace & tranquility in Malay - was eventually chosen for the island resort in 1972.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Totius

Jacob Daniël du Toit (21 February 1877 – 1 July 1953), better known by his pen name Totius, was an Afrikaner poet.
The poet D.J. Opperman (Awper-mun) compiled brief biographical notes in Afrikaans about Totius/du Toit. Du Toit began his education at the Huguenot Memorial School at Daljosafat in the Cape (1883–1885). He then moved to a German mission school named Morgensonne near Rustenburg from 1888 to 1890 before returning, between 1890 and 1894, to his original school at Daljosafat. Later he attended a theological college at Burgersdorp before becoming a military chaplain with the Boer Commandos during the Second Boer War. After the war, he studied at the FreeUniversity in Amsterdam and was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Theology. He became an ordained minister of the Reformed Church of South Africa and from 1911 he was a professor at the Theological College of this Reformed Church in Potchefstroom. As a mature man he travelled to the Netherlands and Palestine and his impressions of these visits to foreign lands are included in the collection Skemering (1948). (The word Skemering is a pun and difficult to translate. It can relate to "Twilight" but also to "faint recollection").
Du Toit was a deeply religious man and a conservative one in most senses. His small son died at a tender age of an infection and his young daughter, Wilhelmina, was killed by lightning, falling into his arms dead as she ran towards him. He recorded this calamity in the poem "O die pyn-gedagte" (literally "Oh the pain-thoughts").
Du Toit was responsible for much of the translation of the Bible into Afrikaans, finishing what his father Stephanus Jacobus du Toit had begun. He also put a huge amount of work into producing poetical versions of the Psalms in Afrikaans. His poetry was in the main lyrical and dealt, inter alia, with faith, nature, British imperialism and the Afrikaner nation. He left behind many collections of poems, including Trekkerswee (1915; “Trekkers' Grief”) and Passieblomme (1934; “Passion Flowers”).
Thank you Maria.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Seafaring Tradition 13.10.1975

Carl Schurz (1829–1906), a German-born U.S. senator during his speech on April 18, 1859, at Boston, Massachusetts said:

 “Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny”.

It was to celebrate this seafaring tradition that the USPS in 1975 issued this embossed 10c Seafaring Tradition Bicentennial Era Envelope.


Thank you Merja.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

1957 International Naval Review, which coincided with the 350th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown 10.6.1957

U.S. 3¢ International Naval Review stamp and this fine first day cover were issued to commemorate the 1957 International Naval Review, which coincided with the 350th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.  Jamestown was the first permanent white settlement in the U.S.

International Naval Review and the Founding of Jamestown. In 1957, Hampton Roads hosted America’s third International Naval Review, held in conjunction with the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown colony. The U.S. State Department invited member-nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, as well as countries considered to have special interest in the founding of Jamestown, to send their ships for the review. About 80 U.S. warships were joined by 30 ships from 17 other countries that attended the review. On June 12, 1957, Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson inspected the double line of ships from the guided missile cruiser U.S.S. Canberra.

Hampton Roads is the natural channel and harbour formed where the Nansemond, James, and Elizabeth rivers meet in Virginia. These three rivers flow through Hampton Roads and into the Chesapeake Bay. Newport News and Hampton lie on the northern shore of the channel, while Norfolk and Portsmouth are located on the southern shore.


Thank you Merja for this fine FDC.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

100th Anniversary of the first official airmail post in Germany 13.9.2012

The special stamp on this First Day Cover issued in Berlin on 13.9.2012 was to commemorate “Stamp Day”. Every year Deutche Post celebrates the "Day of the Stamp" with a special stamp. In 2012 the stamp issued was dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the first official airmail post in Germany.

The premiere of the official "Air Mail" was on May 19, 1912 commemorating the "Mannheimer flight day" celebrations. After the show pilots of the special flight went with their aircraft on an overland flight to Heidelberg, and two of them from Heidelberg landed on the racetrack.

On these flights between Mannheim and Heidelberg and back, post was delivered by the German Reich Post for the first time officially. There was an "official airmail card" for 20 Pfg that was only sent  when it had been handed to the flight crew, or posted in the city in a special mailbox. The card bore the special "Airmail Mannheim-Heidelberg 05/19/12 * 2-3 * N".

Thank you Marco for this interesting FDC.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Royal Agricultural Society of Natal 28.5.1976


In May 1851 the Natal and East African Society was launched, later shortened to the Natal Society, with a mission "to tell the truth" about conditions in the colonies. At the time thousands of British settlers were being lured to Africa by inflated promises of the good life to be had overseas, only to encounter hardship and struggle.
In 1851 the Society also organized the first in a series of annual agricultural shows and the Agricultural Society was born, becoming the Royal Agricultural Society in 1905.
This FDC was issued to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the Royal Agricultural Society of Natal.  The stamp featuring the President of the Society was issued at Pietermaritzburg on 26.5.1976.

Thank you Maria.

Sunday, December 22, 2013

100th anniversary of the American Chemical Society 6.4.1976

The 1976 13¢ Chemistry Centenary stamp was issued in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the American Chemical Society. It was issued on6.4.1976 at New York, NY.
 
The American Chemical Society was founded on April 6, 1876. Chemistry is the scientific study of substances, how they behave and change under different conditions, and how they interact. The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 163,000 members at all degree levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical engineering, and related fields. It is the world's largest scientific society and one of the leading sources of authoritative scientific information.
The ACS is a non-profit organization. The ACS holds national meetings twice a year covering the complete field of chemistry and also holds dozens of smaller conferences in specific fields. Its publications division produces dozens of scholarly journals including the prestigious Journal of the American Chemical Society. The primary source of income of the ACS is the Chemical Abstracts Service and 38 peer-reviewed publications. Chemical & Engineering News is the weekly news magazine published by the American Chemical Society and is sent to all members. The ACS membership is organized into 187 geographical Local Sections and 33 Technical Divisions.
Thank you Merja.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

International Geophysical Year 31.5.1958

This is a International Geophysical Year 1958 First Year Issue Stamp. It is postmarked May 31st, 1958 from Chicago, Illinois.

U.S. 1958 3¢ International Geophysical Year stamp design was based on a photograph of the Sun, taken during the International Geophysical Year, an international scientific project. During the 18 months of the project, the Sun gave off tremendous bursts of energy – an event that was observed by project members during the study. That was just one of the highlights during project’s time. Others included the launching of Sputnik I, the first man-made satellite sent into orbit around the Earth. The U.S. soon followed with the Explorer I satellite – the country’s first successful launch.

Also shown on this stamp is part of Michelangelo’s famous painting, “The Creation of Adam,” located on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The rest of the image shows God breathing life into Adam. The stamp shows the portion of the mural where God’s hand reaches out to touch Adam’s hand – with a tiny space in between. It was described by Ervine Metzl, the stamp’s designer, as an attempt to “picture man’s wonder at the unknown, together with his determination to understand it and his spiritual inspiration to further his knowledge.”

The International Geophysical Year (IGY) was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West had been seriously interrupted. Joseph Stalin's death in 1953 opened the way for this new era of collaboration. Sixty-seven countries participated in IGY projects, although one notable exception was mainland China, which was protesting against the participation of the Republic of China (Taiwan). East and West agreed to nominate the Belgian Marcel Nicolet as secretary general of the associated international organization. Other significant achievements of the IGY included the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts and the discovery of mid-ocean submarine ridges, an important confirmation of plate tectonics. Also detected was the rare occurrence of hard solar corpuscular radiation that could be highly dangerous for manned space flight.
The IGY encompassed eleven Earth sciences: aurora and airglow, cosmic rays, geomagnetism, gravity, ionosphericphysics, longitude and latitude determinations (precision mapping), meteorology, oceanography, seismology, and solar activity.
Thank you Merja.


Friday, December 20, 2013

Willy Brandt

Willy Brandt (born Herbert Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German statesman and politician, leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, or SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and chancellor of theFederal Republic of Germany from 1969 to 1974. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1971 for his efforts to achieve reconciliation betweenWest Germany and the countries of the Soviet bloc. He was the first Social Democrat chancellor since 1930.
Though controversial in West Germany, Brandt's policy of Ostpolitik can be considered his most significant legacy and it aimed at improving relations with East Germany, Poland, and the Soviet Union. Of similar importance, the Brandt Report became a recognised measure for describing the generalNorth-South divide in world economics and politics between an affluent North and a poor South.
Brandt resigned as Chancellor in 1974, after Günter Guillaume, one of his closest aides, was exposed as an agent of the Stasi, the East German secret service.
Thank you Marco for this nice FDC.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Wow What a Date 11 - 12 - 13 !


Thank you Dear Ella for this cover with the lovely stamps, and especially for the postmark with the memorable date. I suppose I'll have to wait a little over 90 years for another cover in the future with a postmark with this kind of sequentially numbered date :-)) 

GRA, the Society of True Afrikaners)


On 14 August 1875Du Toit and seven other Afrikaners had founded the Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners (GRA, the Society of True Afrikaners) in Paarl. Numerous Afrikaner Bond branches were formed across South Africa. This stamp on the FDC was issued to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of GRA in South Africa in 1875.
Seizing the initiative S.J. du Toit, an Afrikaans predikant in Paarl, proposed the formation of an Afrikaner Bond with the slogan of ‘Afrika voor de Afrikaners’ and with branches across South Africa. On 14 August 1875, Du Toit and seven other Afrikaners had founded the Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners (GRA, the Society of True Afrikaners) in Paarl. They decided that there was an urgent need to persuade the Dutch and Afrikaans-speaking white people to see themselves as a distinct community, calling themselves Afrikaners. The GRA’s prime target was the large section of Afrikaners who were not particularly affluent and had received limited education.
To spell out its message, the GRA launched its own newspaper, Die Afrikaanse Patriot, its first issue appearing on 15 January 1876. Its style was clear, crisp and concise, with simple sentences and very short words. A team effort with Du Toit as its main author produced a nationalist history entitled Die Geskiedenis van ons Land in die Taal van ons Volk (The History of our Land in the Language of our People). The Patriot played on the Afrikaners’ common resentment of free trade in goods and money, and of the wealth of merchants, bankers and other agents of British capitalism. A prime target was the Standard Bank, depicted as a ‘gigantic devil fish’ that fleeced the colonists and sent a large part of its dividends to its London head office.
The Afrikaner Bond benefited from the upsurge of nationalist emotion when the Transvaal burghers rose against British annexation (1880–1881). Numerous Afrikaner Bond branches were formed across South Africa. Hofmeyr became a member of the Bond and soon began to plot to moderate its aims. In 1883 a congress at Richmond approved the amalgamation of the Bond and the BBV. Hofmeyr became leader of the new Afrikaner Bond. His political skills were formidable, and Cecil John Rhodes considered him the most capable politician in South Africa.
The first black political association was the semi-political Native Educational Association, founded in 1879 in the eastern Cape to promote the ‘general welfare of the natives’. In 1882 the Imbumbe Yama Nyama was founded in Port Elizabeth to join blacks together in fighting for national rights.
Thank you Maria.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Mariner 10 space project 4.4.1975

This impressive stamp commemorates the Mariner 10 space project. Mariner 10 swung within 3,600 miles of Venus in 1974.  Afterward, it made the first near examination ever of Mercury, the smallest planet. The stamp was released on 4.5.1975 at Pasadena, California.
Mariner 10 was an American robotic space probe launched by NASA on November 3, 1973, to fly by the planets Mercury and Venus. Mariner 10 was launched approximately two years after Mariner 9 and was the last spacecraft in the Mariner program (Mariner 11 and 12 were allocated to the Voyager program and redesignated Voyager 1 and Voyager 2).
The mission objectives were to measure Mercury's environment, atmosphere, surface, and body characteristics and to make similar investigations of Venus. Secondary objectives were to perform experiments in the interplanetary medium and to obtain experience with a dual-planet gravity assist mission. Mariner 10's science team was led by Bruce C. Murray at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Thank you Merja.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Alexander Hamilton

U.S. 1957 3¢ Alexander Hamilton and Federal Hall stamp commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton was one of the key figures in the early days of the United States. He established most of the fiscal policies of the young nation and helped found the U.S. Mint. 

Hamilton was an influential player behind the scenes. With the help of John Jay and James Madison, he wrote the “Federalist Papers,” which were a series of 85 published essays supporting the proposed U.S. Constitution. They are still regarded as the primary source for interpretation of the Constitution. Hamilton’s influence extended to the Presidency, where he worked hard to influence the elections of 1796 and 1800, between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. 

The stamp also features an image of Federal Hall, located in New York City. It served as the first U.S. Capitol of the United States, and was where George Washington was sworn in as President. The Hall was also where the Bill of Rights was signed. 

When Congress moved to Philadelphia in 1790, Federal Hall once again housed the New York City government. The building was destroyed in 1812, and a replacement building was completed in 1842. That building served as the first U.S. Customs House. 

Statesman Alexander Hamilton Killed In Duel. Once an impoverished immigrant orphan, Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804) became George Washington’s most trusted aide, a lawyer, and the first Secretary of the Treasury. As Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton established the first Bank of the United States and proposed the seagoing branch of the military that eventually became the U.S. Coast Guard. He also played a crucial role in the passage of the Naval Act of 1794, which led to the creation of the U.S. Navy. 

Long-time acquaintances during the fight for independence, Hamilton and Vice President Aaron Burr later became bitter political rivals. When a Burr supporter insulted Hamilton’s father’s honor in 1801, 19-year-old Philip Hamilton challenged him to a duel. Philip Hamilton died of injuries he suffered during the duel, which was held in Weehawken, N.J. Three years later, Burr killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel in exactly the same location with the same pistol used to kill Hamilton’s son.

Thank you Merja.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Christmas stamps as a joint venture with the Vatican 8.11.2013

On 8 NovemberAland Post issued two Christmas stamps as a joint venture with the Vatican. Both motifs are very well suited for franking Christmas greetings posted from Aland as well as the Vatican.
The two Aland stamps feature the Nativity of Jesus. The first stamp features the infant Jesus lying on a felt with adoring Virgin Mary close by. Another stamp shows the Adoration of the Magi with one of the three wise men paying homage to infant Jesus in the arms of Virgin Mary.
The two masterpieces are on display in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. The frescos were created by the Italian painter Pinturicchio in the late 15th century. The Vatican State will be issuing two stamps with the exact same motifs.
Aland Post and Poste Vaticane are both members of SEPAC (Small European Postal Administrations’ Cooperation), which led to this unique joint venture. A joint presentation pack with both stamp issues is also planned.
New technology is also embedded in the stamps. A special application is planned to become available for download from both App Store and Google Play. By starting the application and scanning the stamps with a smartphone or tablet PC, a photo slideshow featuring specially composed Christmas music will open.
Thank you Ella for this wonderful set of stamps and fdc's from Aland.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Nativity Scene 7.11.2013

The minisheet was issued by Aland, and the FDC shown above were issued by the Vatican on 7th November 2013 as part of Christmas celebration there, and the stamps depict the Nativity scene in far away Babylon on that fateful day in the life of Man.
Thank you Ella.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Raphael’s Sistine Madonna celebrates a 500th birthday


This lovely minisheet was issued by Germany in August 2012 to commemorate the 500th Anniversary of the Sistine Madonna.
It’s not often that a major exhibition is dedicated to just one painting, but then it’s not every day that a work of the artistic calibre, historical interest and contemporary relevance of Raphael’s Sistine Madonna which celebrated its 500th birthday in 2012. One of only a handful of Raphaels found outside Italy, the extraordinary altarpiece is a high point of the wonderful Old Masters collection at the Staatliche Kunstammlungen Dresden (SKD).
In early 1754, an almost unknown altarpiece was removed from the Church of San Sisto in the small northern Italian city of Piacenza, carried over the Alps and presented at the court of August III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. Such a journey would normally be postponed until the arrival of spring, but negotiations for the purchase of the Sistine Madonna had been so fraught with difficulty that when the sale finally went through, even the driving rain and bitter cold of the Alps in winter couldn’t stop August III’s agent from dispatching his precious cargo.
By the beginning of the 19th century, says Henning, the work was “the most famous painting by Raphael in Europe”, but when the Sistine Madonna was first exhibited in Dresden in 1754, another Italian artist, Antonio di Correggio, was the flavour of the day in Germany. While everyone was aware of Raphael’s masterworks such as the Vatican ‘Stanze’ in Rome, the Sistine Madonna had languished out of the public eye in Piacenza for more than 200 years. Unlike Rome, Milan and Venice, Piacenza was not a Grand Tour destination, so no one except the Benedictine monks of San Sisto, for whom the work was commissioned in 1512, ever saw the painting. It was also barely written about: Giorgio Vasari, the great chronicler of the lives of Italian artists in the 16th century, wrote only one line about the painting, calling it “a truly rare and extraordinary work”.
The pair of winged cherubs at the base of the Sistine Madonna are an interesting story in themselves. Appearing first in paintings before being reproduced as prints and on porcelain, they had a life of their own from as early as the end of the 18th century. Now, of course, their little faces can be found on kitsch stationary and homeware the world over. “A lot of our visitors”, says Henning, “are surprised to see they’re small and only two of the angels in the painting”.
The Sistine Madonna: Raphael’s iconic painting turns 500 contains over 250 works of art and historical artefacts. Henning was very keen that the show have an international feel, so there are numerous examples of the work’s reception in different cultures and markets, from England to Russia. Given the painting’s significance worldwide today, it is extraordinary to consider the absolute obscurity of those early years as a humble altarpiece in Piacenza. Happy birthday Sistine Madonna.
The Sistine Madonna: Raphael’s iconic painting turns 500 is running at the Staatliche Kunstammlungen in Dresden, Germany until August 26, 2012.

Thank you my friend Holger for this fantastic miniature sheet. 

Friday, December 13, 2013

Peter Francisco the Virginia Giant 25.3.1975

Last in the Contributors to the Cause SeriesFrancisco is remembered for his incredible bravery and strength. He is said to have brandished a five-foot broadsword. He is shown on this stamp carrying a heavy cannon, weighing 1,000 pounds, at the Battle of Camden, where he saved the life of his commander. This stamp was issued at Greensboro, North Carolina on 25.3.1975.
Peter Francisco (c. 1760 – January 16, 1831), known variously as the "Virginia Giant" or the "Giant of the Revolution" (and occasionally as the "Virginia Hercules"), was an American patriot and soldier in the American Revolutionary War.
Peter was soon taken in by the judge Anthony Winston of Buckingham County, Virginia, an uncle of Patrick Henry. Francisco lived with Winston and his family until the beginning of the American Revolution and was tutored by them. When he was old enough to work, he was apprenticed as a blacksmith, a profession chosen because of his massive size and strength (he grew to be six foot 8, or 203 centimeters, and weighed some 260 pounds, or 118 kilograms, especially large at the time). He was well known as the Virginian Hercules or the Virginia Giant.
At the age of 16, Francisco joined the 10th Virginia Regiment in 1777, and soon gained notoriety for his size and strength. He fought with distinction at numerous engagements, including the Battle of Brandywine in September. He fought a few skirmishes under Colonel Morgan, before transferring to the regiment of Colonel Mayo of Powhatan. In October, Francisco rejoined his regiment and fought in the Battle of Germantown, and also appeared with the troops at Fort Mifflin on Port Island in the Delaware River. Francisco was hospitalized at Valley Forge for two weeks following these skirmishes. On June 28, 1778, he fought at Monmouth Court House, New Jersey, where a musket ball tore through his right thigh. He never fully recovered from this wound, but fought at Cowpens and other battles.
·         1975, Francisco was commemorated on a stamp by the US Postal Service in its "Contributors to the Cause" Bicentennial series.
·         A park in the Iron bound section of Newark, New Jersey, where most of the population is ethnic Portuguese, was named for him. The community also erected a monument to Francisco there.
·         His farmhouse, Locust Grove, still stands outside the town of Buckingham.
·         One of his swords (though not the special broadsword commissioned for him by General Washington) is displayed in the Buckingham County Historical Museum.
·         Peter Francisco Square, marked by a monument honouring his life and service, was named at the corner of Hill Street and Mill Street inNew Bedford, Massachusetts, which has a large ethnic Portuguese community. The monument includes a Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) medallion of honour.
·         The state of Virginia has named March 15 as Peter Francisco Day in his honour.

 Thank you Merja for this nice historical fdc.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Mineral Heritage of the United States13.6.1974

The 1974 “Mineral Heritage” se-tenant included the first stamps designed in a diamond shape in the U.S. postal history. Issued to commemorate the importance and abundance of mineral resources to the country, the four stamps were attached to also form a diamond-shaped se-tenant sheet. The stamps pictured petrified wood, tourmaline, amethyst, and rhodochrosite.

The stamps were issued on 13.6.1974 at Lincoln, Nebraska.

Thank you Merja for this wonderful FDC.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Devils Tower

This 1956 3¢ Devils Tower stamp commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Antiquities Act of 1906, a federal law that provided for America’s natural wonders. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt designated Devils Tower National Monument as the first such protected area. Devils Tower has an altitude of 5,112 feet above sea level, and rises over 1,200 feet over the surrounding area. Numerous Native American tribes consider it a sacred landmark.  

Theodore Roosevelt – The Conservation President. Roosevelt was an avid outdoorsman. After the death of his first wife in 1884, Roosevelt moved to the North Dakota Badlands where he set up a ranch. His appreciation for the nation’s natural splendors carried over to his time in office. As President, Roosevelt established five national parks – Crater Lake in Oregon, Wind Cave in South Dakota, Sullys Hill in North Dakota, Mesa Verde in Colorado, and Platt in Oklahoma. 

The Antiquities Act of 1906 gave Roosevelt another means to preserve America’s wonders. Originally set up to protect prehistoric Native American ruins and artifacts on federal lands, it also authorized Presidents to proclaim “historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest” as “national monuments.” 

Roosevelt used a reference in the Act to “objects of scientific interest.” He named Devils Tower as the first national monument three months after the Act was passed. Soon, he added the Petrified Forest in Arizona, El Morro in New Mexico, and Montezuma Castle in Arizona.

Thank you Merja.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Christmas 13.11.2013



The Cyprus Post, in an effort to appeal to younger age groups and to stimulate their attention in philately, is issuing three stamps, using drawings by children from elementary schools in Cyprus. These works of art are the result of a pancyprian competition organised by Cyprus Post.


Images of Christmas are probably best seen through children's eyes and, when we see them, we respond with a smile at the purity, the simplicity and the wholesomeness that are depicted - interpretations that relate completely to the meaning of this great Christian celebrations.

Thank you Merja.

Monday, December 9, 2013

The National Association for Retarded Citizens (NARC) 12.10.1974

The National Association for Retarded Citizens (NARC) was founded in 1950 to promote the welfare of mentally retarded persons of all ages and to prevent mental retardation. NARC played a major role in the passage of legislation concerned with developmental disabilities.

The stamp here on the cover was issued on 12.10.1974 at Arlington, Texas to help highlight the NARC and help these children through their difficult lives.

Thank you Merja

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Austria - EUROPA 4.5.1974

The theme for EUROPA stamps in 1974 was Sculptures. Accordingly the designers I Austria designed this Europa Cept stamp on this FDC in 1974 showing the statue of King Arthur, from the tomb of Maximilian I, Innsbruck, 1513 in Hofkirche, Innsbruck, Austria. The Hofkirche (Court Church) is a Gothic church located in the Altstadt (Old Town) section of Innsbruck, Austria. The church was built in 1553 by EmperorFerdinand I (1503–1564) as a memorial to his grandfather Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519), whose cenotaph within boasts a remarkable collection of German Renaissance sculpture.
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and his historical existence is debated and disputed by modern historians.
Thank you Maria.