ARMENIA – Architecture of Armenia
Architecture of Armenia is the theme of three stamps issued on December 22. With a nominal value of 500 drams, each stamp features a government building design by Rem Saakyan and printed by Cartor, France. The drawings show the government building of the Republic of Armenia, known as Government House 1, located on Republic Square, Yerevan. It is the official residence of the prime minister. In the center is the building of the National Assembly, informally known as the Parliament. On the right is the residence of the president of Armenia, so designated in 1992 after the establishment of the Second Armenian Republic. Printed in sheets of eight, the stamps are available from here.
GERMANY – Sights in Germany
Deutsche Post started the new year with a pair of stamps issued January 1 in the Sights of Germany series. Both stamps feature an EAN code. The €0.85 domestic rate shows Mainau Island in Lake Constance which is “maintained as a garden island and a model of excellent environmental practices.” The €1.10 value depicts the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex a large former industrial site in the city of Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia. According to the Zollverein website “The first coal mine on the premises was founded in 1847 and mining activities took place from 1851 until December 23, 1986.” Issued in sheets of 10 the stamps are available from here.
GREAT BRITAIN – Iron Maiden
Royal Mail issued a set of eight stamps on January 12 to celebrate heavy metal rock band Iron Maiden. The designs by Royal Mail Group Ltd. feature iconic Iron Maiden performances across four decades of live tours on four 1st Class and four £1.85 stamps. The 1st Class stamps show Steve Harris performing in Canada in June 2010; Bruce Dickinson performing in London, May 1983; Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Harris performing in Spain in 1988; and Nicko McBrain performing in Ecuador in 2009. The four £1.85 values feature: Murray, Dickinson and Janick Gers performing in 2001 in Argentina; Smith and Harris performing in 2018 in Finland; the band performing in London in July 2008; and Dickinson sword fighting with Eddie in Birmingham in 2018. The stamps are printed by Cartor Security Printers and are available from here.
GUINEA-BISSAU – Tribute to Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born on October 23, 1940 in Brazil. Known by his nickname, Pelé, he became a professional footballer and was eventually labelled by FIFA and many others as “The Greatest” soccer player of all time. He started playing at age 15 and was on the Brazilian national team by 16. By 1970 he had become the only soccer player in history to win three FIFA World Cups. He retired in 1977 to become worldwide ambassador for football. Pelé was Brazil’s first minister of sports, serving from 1995 to 1998. He died December 29, 2022 at the age of 82, due to multiple organ failure. Guinea-Bissau issued a sheetlet of five with a label and a souvenir sheet of one with a label on January 12. The stamps are available perforated and imperforate from here.
ISLE OF MAN – Triskelion
One of the oldest continually used national symbols in the world, the three-legged triskelion of Isle of Man is represented in four forms with the cypher of King Charles III, Lord of Mann on the first Isle of Man stamp issue of 2023. Derived from an ancient Celtic sun symbol, the triskel had various meanings for the early pagans including triadic gods, the domains of land, seas and sky, as well as the cycles of life and the modern three divisions of the Manx Parliament: the House of Keys, Legislative Council and Tynwald. The Manx legs were shown bare when first introduced by Scotland’s King Alexander III in 1265 but by the 14th century were clothed in spurs and armour. The stamps are available from here.
LIECHTENSTEIN – Year of the Rabbit
A die-cut souvenir sheet of a filigree silhouette in the shape of a rabbit is the last in a series of 12 zodiac signs that have been issued annually by Liechtenstein. The CHF 8.40 Year of the Rabbit was issued on November 14 (though the actual dates are January 22 to February 9, 2024), symbolizing the creature’s speed, agility and fertility. Enhanced with gold foil stamping, designed by Stefan Erne, Triesen and printed 1-color offset, gold hot-foil stamping, laser cutting by Gutenberg AG, Schaan, a single stamp or souvenir sheet are available from here.
MONACO – 10th New Generation
Young Circus performers come together in a competition known as New Generation Circus. The 10th such circus was commemorated on January 9 by Monaco Post with a single €1.16 stamp featuring a large decorated cake. It is unique as the only circus competition for young performers in a true circus ring. The organizing committee of the Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo has Princess Stephanie as the honorary president and her daughter, Pauline Ducruet, as the president of the international jury. The 2023 event is the first time that the festival and the New Generation came together to celebrate the Grand Jubilee Show. The stamp is available online from here.
NEW ZEALAND – Avatar: The Way of Water
New Zealand Post on March 1 issued a set of stamps and souvenir sheets commemorating the filming in New Zealand of Avatar: The Way of Water. Set more than a decade after the events of the first Avatar film, Avatar: The Way of Water “begins to tell the story of the Sully family, the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive and the tragedies they endure,” New Zealand Post said. Individual stamps show a tulkun, a large whale-like creature that is highly intelligent; Jake Sully, the leader of the Omatikaya riding a skimwing; Banshee, a large aerial predator native to Pandora; Ilu, a sleek, aquatic, plesiosaur-like creature; Neytiri, one of the most fierce and powerful warriors of the Omatikaya Clan; and Neytiri flying thousands of miles to seek shelter and safe harbor in the distant atolls of Pandora. The stamps and accompanying souvenir sheets were designed and illustrated by Chris Jones, Graphetti, Wellington New Zealand. The stamps and other products are available from here.
SLOVAK REPUBLIC – 30th Anniversary of the Slovak Republic
A member of the honor guard of the president of the Slovak Republic proudly stands before the presidential palace in Bratislava in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Slovak Republic. Issued on January 2, the image of the 19th-century uniform depicted was designed by Adrian Ferda and printed by Tiskárna Hradištko. The former socialist state of Czechoslovakia was divided into the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic on January 1, 1993, an event known as the Velvet Divorce. The two states have maintained a close relationship since. The stamp is available from here.