AUSTRIA – 90 Years of LEGO
Austria Post issued a single €1.20 stamp on September 14 to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the LEGO company. Founded in 1932 in a carpenter’s workshop in Billund, Denmark, it is presently the home of the LEGO Group office as well as a Legoland Theme Park built in 1968. The LEGO factory is on the outskirts of town and manufactures 90 percent of the company’s products. Plastic LEGO Bricks were first released from the factory in 1949. Designed by Chris Booth, the stamp image is of a giant Ferris wheel, shown built with LEGO bricks, and flanked by LEGO trees and a LEGO figure, at the Prater in Vienna. Issued in sheets of 10, the stamp is available from here.
CANADA – Truth and Reconciliation
Canada Post stated “this stamp issue is the first in a series showcasing the artistic visions of Inuit, Métis and First Nations artists for the future of truth and reconciliation.” The top left image was designed by First Nation artist Jackie Traverse and represents seeds of change. Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona, Inuit, designed the top right image of a woman lighting a traditional Inuit stone lamp to signify caretaking. The bottom left stamp by Blair Thomson features hands representing both settlers and Indigenous survivors. “An Indigenous child looks out from behind the hands to reinforce the message that we must never look away again.” The final image is by Kim Gullion Stewart, Métis, whose flowers “remind people to live in a symbiotic way with land, waterways, ecosystems and one another.” The booklet of eight Permanent domestic rate stamps issued September 29, is available from here.
DENMARK – Danish Theater 300th Anniversary
Three hundred years of Danish Theater are commemorated on a four-stamp mini-sheet that can be rotated and viewed properly from either direction. Issued September 21, the stamps show four collages based on the history of Danish theater and art forms. The images feature theater interiors and exteriors, performers and programs. The Danish Theater began to prosper in the 18th century with the plays of Ludvig Holberg, famous for his satirical comedies and considered the founder of the Danish Theater. It continues to thrive today with theaters in the large cities Århus, Copenhagen, Odense and Aalborg. The souvenir sheet is available from here.
ESTONIA – Siberian Flying Squirrel
Continuing its series of Estonian Fauna, the postal service on September 9 issued a single €0.90 domestic rate stamp depicting the rare Siberian flying squirrel . The skin flaps on either side of its body allows it to glide up to several dozen meters from tree to tree. The rodent is endangered mainly due to the reduction of old growth forests, primarily their preferred habitats in old hollow aspen and spruce trees and is today only found in the northeast portion of Estonia and part of Finland. A stylized version of the squirrel is on the logo of the Estonian Nature Fund. The stamp is available from here.
GERMANY – Black Panther
Now part of the Marvel superhero team The Avengers, Black Panther made his first appearance in 1966 in Fantastic Four No. 52, and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He is known as T’Challa, son of King T’Chaka, of the technologically advanced African kingdom of Wakanda. The second in a series of Superhero stamps issued by Deutsche Post, the €0.85 stamp was issued on October 6, and shows Black Panther in action wearing his Vibranium-equipped suit. Already starring in a number of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, his next appearance was in the autumn the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Deutsche Post has announced it will release two Superhero stamps each year as the series progresses. The stamp comes in panes of 10 with an EAN code placed on all four edge pieces of the narrow sheet of stamps and is available from here.
GREAT BRITAIN – In Memoriam of Queen Elizabeth II
In memory of Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), Great Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, Royal Mail issued a set of four special black-and-white stamps on November 10 in four denominations. The images depict the Queen in various stages of her reign. The 2nd Class stamp features a Dorothy Wilding photograph taken in 1952 to mark the queen’s accession and coronation. A First Class stamp has a photograph by Cecil Beaton showing Elizabeth II in her admiral’s cloak in 1968. The photograph on the £1.85 stamp was taken in 1984 by Yousuf Karsh and the photograph on the £2.55 rate stamp was taken by Tim Graham in 1996 at Prague Castle. Printed by Cartor Security Printers, in sheets of 50, by lithography, the stamps are available from here.
LUXEMBOURG – 10th Royal Wedding Anniversary
A stamp commemorating the 10th anniversary of the wedding of Prince Guillaume and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy features the couple. For their anniversary they attended ceremonies and a reception at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg. The couple first met in 2004 at a social gathering in Germany but did not start dating until a second meeting in 2009. Their religious wedding took place on October 20, 2012, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg. The royal couple have a son, Prince Charles, born 2020 and are expecting a second child in 2023. Issued on October 20, the €1,00 stamp’s photo was taken by Sophie Margue and issued in sheets of 10 with decorated edges. The stamp is available from here.
NETHERLANDS - 70th Anniversary of Donald Duck in The Netherlands
Though not issued by PostNL, the stamps can be used on mail up to 20 grams to a destination within the country. The proceeds of the €0.48 surcharge go to the projects of the independent Stichting Kinderpostzegels, a children’s foundation. The stamp sheet for 2022 has five different stamps with the value designation of Netherlands 1. The stamps depict such familiar characters from Donald Duck magazine as Huey (Kiwk), Dewey (Kwek), Louie (Kwak), May (Juultje), Uncle Scrooge (Oom Dagobert) and Chip ’n’ Dale (Knabble and Babbel). The stamps are sold by students from September 29 to October 6. After that, as long as stocks last, the stamps are available via https://aps.buzz/NethDDuck and on the Stichting Kinderpostzegels website .
NEW ZEALAND – Black Ferns
New Zealand’s world-leading women’s rugby team, the Black Ferns boast one of the best winning percentages in international rugby, having won nearly 90 percent of their matches since the team’s inception. These wins include five Rugby Cups, the most recent being in 2017.
“That same year ended with a landmark moment for women’s rugby when the Black Ferns became the first-ever women’s team to be named the World Rugby Team of the Year.” The mini-sheet of six was issued on October 5 and feature the team logo and six players along with the club motto, Me Ara Ake (Let me rise upwards). The stamps are available at here.