ARMENIA — 100th Anniversary of First Armenian Stamp
The first postage stamp of Armenia was issued in 1919 – the stamp, an overprint of a Russian definitive stamp (Scott type A14), exists both perforated and imperforate. One hundred years later, on November 11, 2019, Armenia celebrated the anniversary with a new issue, upon which the first stamp is shown nicely cancelled and with broad borders, a choice specimen. The stamp has a number of varieties, as shown, with periods after the first K and the denomination ’60’; there are types without periods in the overprint, both perf and imperf. Armenia issued only overprinted Russian stamps until 1921. In 1922, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan formed the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, which was one of the republics to sign the treaty establishing the Soviet Union that year. Armenia remained part of the Soviet Union until the breakup of the USSR in 1991. More information about Armenia’s first stamp, including purchasing details, is available at: https://www.stamps.am/stamp/1215
ESTONIA-RUSSIA — Antarctic Discovery 200th Anniversary — Joint Issue
On January 28, 2020, Estonia and Russia released a joint issue to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the continent of Antarctica, completed during the 1819-1821 voyage of the sloops Vostok and Mirnyi. Only the language and denominations on these stamps vary – both issues depict the sloop captains, Faddei Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev with crew members, a sloop, and penguins against an icy coastal background. The stamps were issued on the date of Antarctica’s discovery, January 28. For more information visit the Estonian Post or Russian Post websites at: https://aps.buzz/EstoniaMay20 and https://aps.buzz/RussiaMay20.
GERMANY — Heroes of Childhood
Continuing its “Heroes of Childhood” series, Deutschepost issued two stamps on December 5, 2019, featuring Heidi and Pippi Longstocking. Issued in sheets of 10, these moisture activated stamps show Heidi in front of an alpine scene with a goat, while Pippi hoists her horse into the air. One of the best known books in Swiss literature, Heidi was written in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri and is the story of a young girl living with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. Pippi Longstocking is the super-strong heroine of a series of books first written by Swedish author Astrid Lingren in 1945. These stamps and others of the series are available from: https://aps.buzz/GermanyMay20
ISLE OF MAN — One Giant Leap
Neil Armstrong’s quote as he stepped from the Apollo 11 lunar module, “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” is the inspiration for the name of this set from Manx post, issued on February 26, 2020. Each of the eight stamps features the names of the crew members, a quote, and GPS coordinates of the locations from which the photos were taken. The two 1st class stamps depict the Apollo Mission Control Room (Apollo XIII), and Alan Shepherd on the surface (Apollo XIV). The two EU Value stamps show James Irwin and the Lunar Rover (Apollo XV), and Charles Duke next to “House Rock” (Apollo XVI). Geologist Harrison Schmitt next to a huge lunar rock (Apollo XVII) and the orbiting Skylab are shown on the Large value stamps. The two Rest of World (ROW) stamps feature a view of Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station as seen from Atlantis. These stamps are available online from: https://www.iompost.com/stamps-coins/product/
MONACO — International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo 2020
Monaco has issued an annual philatelic tribute to the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo since 1974. In 2020, the tradition was continued with the 44th festival, commemorated on January 6 by a single stamp depicting performing circus horses. H.S.H. Princess Stéphanie, the event president, presented Gold Clown awards to the best performers. The stamps were issued in mini-sheets of 10 and can be found online at: https://aps.buzz/MonacoMay20
~~~
New worldwide stamps are presented for information and are not necessarily shown at the correct scale. The quality of images available at the time of release varies widely and we resize to achieve the best possible reproduction.
~~~
Editor's Note: The article "New World Issues" was published in the May 2020 issue of The American Philatelist, available exclusively to members of the American Philatelic Society. Click here to view the full issue.