Fidel Castro and Che Guevara honored on postage stamps

By Eurostamper — May 24, 2008
See more about: Indonesia | New issues | Cuba

Castro and Guevara, leaders of the Cuban revolution, will appear on special stamps to be issued in Indonesia honoring a visit that Castro made to the archipelago to meet with Prime Minister Sukarno in 1960.

Indonesia generally has had good relationships with Communist countries, and the government said that these latest stamps have been made possible thanks to the good relationship that still exists between the countries.

The stamps will be released toward the end of May 2008.

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How Austria put a 3-second video clip on a postage stamp

By Eurostamper — May 19, 2008
See more about: Austria | New issues | Soccer (football)

Andi Herzog’s still-talked-about goal against Sweden in 1997 brought such pride to Austria that eleven years later, the Austrian post office has created the most expensive postage stamp ever designed using footage of the goal.

Yes, footage — not a still picture but several sequential images printed using lenticular technology, which, as the stamp is tilted slightly, gives the illusion of motion. Just picking up an envelope with one of these stamps on it should tilt it enough to catch the eye with its apparent video motion.

Lenticular printing is not new. It was designed in the 1940’s, and continues to be refined. This latest application is Austria’s way of honoring the UEFA EURO 2008.

The process of printing such a stamp is extremely complex, with several intricate steps needed to get the effect working right. The Herzog stamp uses a total of 48 images, or about three seconds of “video”.

The stamp is pricey: its face value is a whopping €5.45. It’s big, too, at 2.55″ X 1.85″. They are available from post.at, Austria’s official postal website.

See soccer-related stamps from all countries here.

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Royal Mail of the U.K. issues stamps honoring cathedrals

By Eurostamper — May 17, 2008
See more about: Great Britain | New issues | cathedrals

Released this month (May 2008), a new series of stamps will honor famous cathedrals located throughout the United Kingdom.

The full list:
Belfast Cathedral (Northern Ireland) (48p)
Gloucester Cathedral (50p)
St. David’s Cathedral (Pembrokeshire, Wales) (56p)
Westminster Cathedral (72p)
St. Magus Cathedral (Orkney) (81p)
Lichfield (Staffordshire) (1st class)

In addition, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London features on a special sheet of four stamps, which together give a view inside the structure, photographed from under the famous dome. The St. Paul’s sheet contains two 1st class stamps and two 81p stamps.

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UK stamps to honor 100th anniversary of the SOS distress signal

By Eurostamper — May 15, 2008
See more about: Great Britain | New issues

The Royal Mail is releasing a set of six new stamps under the banner “Mayday - Rescue At Sea” to honor the men and women who risk their lives to save people on the high seas, and to commemorate the still-used “S.O.S.” signal’s 100th anniversary.

S.O.S. was chosen because it is easy to send in Morse code - S is three dots, O is three dashes.

The stamps will feature action shots taken from actual rescues over the years, as well as the three dots/three dashes/three dots around the border.

The issues are indeed exciting, and hopefully the stamps will shed some light on the difficult conditions faced by rescuers.

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Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley battle for public’s love via postage stamps

By Eurostamper — May 14, 2008
See more about: New issues | Elvis Presley | Frank Sinatra

Elvis Presley is the leader in commemorative stamp issues, which befits his role as leader of merchandising in general.

But the likeness of Sinatra is appearing all over new stamps issued in America, and some fans of the King fear that Sinatra will supplant their hero. Stamps can be issued ten years after a person’s death (one year for presidents). Sinatra died in 1998.

Elvis fans needn’t worry. Sinatra fans are, by and large, older and from a different, less materialistic time. The stamps may be popular but Elvis will continue to rule the nation’s envelopes.

Do you agree? Will Elvis contiinue to be the postage stamp leader? Let us know in our comments section…

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What stamps are being released in Switzerland on March 4, 2008?

By Eurostamper — February 29, 2008
See more about: Maximum cards | New issues | Switzerland | 2008

On March 4, Swiss Post is releasing a handful of new stamps. The stamps commemorate events this year in Switzerland, Europe, and internationally, as well as pay tribute to notables from in country and abroad. Here is the list, with descriptions and pictures (click to enlarge).

CHF = Swiss franc (1 franc = 100 Rappen)

 
Euro 2008
CHF 1.00
To commemorate the UEFA Euro 2008 football (soccer) championship, which will be held jointly in Austria and Switzerland in June 2008. This is only the second time in history that the tournament will be in two different countries; the first was 2000, in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Shop for other European football (soccer) stamps here.

 
Active football
CHF 1.00
A tribute to football (soccer).

 
100th Anniversary of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)
CHF 1.00 (Maximum card: CHF 1.50)
To honor the 100th anniversary of the founding of Europe’s IIHF, which is based in Zurich, and of which Switzerland has been a part since its inception.
Shop for European ice hockey stamps here.

 
International Year of the Potato
CHF .85
Commemorates the United Nations’ declaration of 2008 as the Int’l Year of the Potato, which aims to spread awareness about one of the world’s most ubiquitous staple foods.

 
Horse Foundation
CHF .85
To honor the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Horse Foundation, located in the Swiss canton of Jura. The issue is actually a sheet of three stamps, each with a value of CHF .85. Each stamp focuses on a different section of a single scene:
1. Horses graze in front of a setting sun.
2. A rutted track winds through a field where horses are gathered.
3. Horses relax in front of Maison Rouge, the newest of the Foundation’s three homes.
Each stamp features the name of the foundation in a different language: German (Stiftung Für Das Pferd), French (Fondation Pour Le Cheval), and Italian (Fondazione Per Il Cavallo). The Horse Foundation aims to give older horses a place to relax in dignity and peaceful splendor during their final years.

 
Little Polar Bear Booklet (10 stamps x 0.85)
CHF 8.50 (Maximum card: CHF 1.35)
This stamp depicts Hans de Beer’s popular animated character Lars, “the Little Polar Bear”.
Shop for Little Polar Bear merchandise here.

 
Music
CHF 0.85 (violin)
CHF 1.00 (accordion)
CHF 1.30 (guitar)
CHF 1.80 (saxophone)
Honoring four different styles of music (the instruments represent classical, folk, rock, and jazz, respectively).

 
300th Anniversary of Albrecht von Haller’s Birth
CHF 0.85
Honoring the 18th century naturalist, poet and groundbreaking anatomist born in Berne, Switzerland. The stamp’s efficient, clever design subtly and effectively pays tribute to these three attributes of one of Switzerland’s most famous sons.

 
Shop for all Switzerland stamps here.

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Decades too late come stamps honoring James Bond creator Ian Fleming

By Eurostamper — January 10, 2008
See more about: Great Britain | New issues

The Royal Mail in England has issued a series of twenty-four sharp-looking stamps honoring the birth of Ian Fleming. Decades after James Bond became a worldwide superman-cum-ambassador for Britain, these issues honor six different Bond stories with four stamps each:

• Dr. No

• From Russia With Love

• Casino Royale

• Diamonds Are Forever

• For Your Eyes Only

• Goldfinger

But it’s been quite a delay for the Royal Mail, who have honoured past hometown heroes like the Beatles after similar delays (six Beatles stamps were issued in January 2007; the Beatles’ first LP was released in 1963, after the first James Bond movie was released).

With all the good will and attention that international phenomena like the Beatles, James Bond, Michael Caine, and others have brought to Britain over the years, it seems that commemorative stamps would be more generously forthcoming. Maybe it’s bureaucracy; maybe it’s a lack of resources, or a lack of concern.

Whatever the reason, it is good to see Fleming and Bond get their due from the Royal Mail. The stamps are available now for collectors, and full sets are quite cheap on places like eBay for easy purchase worldwide (less than $20 at the time of writing).

(See pictures and get your own James Bond stamps here. If you aren’t a member of eBay, don’t worry; you can register first here; it’s easy and free.)

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