ARUBA – Fishing Techniques
Aruba issued a block of four stamps designed by Elvis Trump featuring paintings by Aruban artist Rhona Lemminga. The stamps issued March 12 show fishing methods used on the island. The 100c depicts a man casting a circular net with a weighted edge known as “tira tarai,” a device used for thousands of years. The 130c stamps shows a custom-made wooden boat usually used with other boats that encircle baitballs (small schools gathered tightly) of small fish. On the 420c are rockfishers on the north shore of Aruba using a rod and reel challenging the large waves and sharp rocks. Deep sea fishing off the coast of Venezuela is depicted on the 500c and includes big game fish such as white and blue marlin, tuna, sailfish, mahi, and wahoo. The stamps are available online here.
CANADA – Calla
A booklet of 10 permanent domestic rate stamps was issued March 1 featuring two depictions of the calla with five white and five pink flowers. The white calla has green leaves on a pink background and the pink calla is shown was green leaves on a burgundy background. Popular for weddings, remembrances and celebrations due to their longevity as cut flowers, they are native to southern areas of Africa where they were often used for medicinal purposes. The self adhesive booklet is available from here.
FRANCE – Séraphine Louis
A priority letter rate stamp (2.86 €) was issued by La Poste on February 28 in tribute to Séraphine Louis, a watchmaker’s daughter born in 1864 in Arsy-sur-Oise, France. She lived in a convent from 1882 to 1902 and when the self-taught artist started painting in 1905, her works reflected her exalted piety. The image on the stamp is titled “The Tree of Paradise” (“L’arbre du paradis”) and was created between 1928 and 1930. The large oil currently resides at the Museum of Art and Archeology of Senlis. The colors are the result of a complex technique of mixing with Ripolin, a brand of industrial paint. The colorful and luminescent foliage of the tree surrounds an eye, a recurring element in Louis’ works. The stamp, issued in sheets of nine, is available from here.
GERMANY – Benjamin Blümchen
Benjamin Blümchen appeared as a friendly elephant cartoon character in 1987 and in starred in the live action and computer animated film in German theaters. The €0.85 stamp was issued in sheets of 10 on March 1. It shows Benjamin against a background of flowers and his signature sound “Törööö!” Scanning the matrix code on the right side of the stamp in the Post & DHL app will enable the collector to find the title song of the popular radio play and the lyrics to sing along. Benjamin resides in the Neustadt Zoo, where he goes on exciting and humorous adventures with his best friend, Otto, zookeeper Karl and director Mr. Tierlieb. Originally conceived by Austrian author Elfie Donnelly in the 1970s, the character evolved in a German radio play series to a popular cartoon character. The stamp can be purchased online from here.
HONG KONG – Bay Area Development
An 11-stamp souvenir sheet was issued February 18 with a mission to promote development in the greater bay area of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. The megalopolis (population 71.2 million) plans to “develop an international first-class bay area ideal for living, working and travelling,” according to a formal news release from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Designed by Tang Weipeng and printed on paper mixed with anti-counterfeiting fibers, the stamps depict structures planned for the area. The bottom border has a map showing where the developments are planned. The logo of the development is on the left.. The stamps and other products can be found on the Hong Kong website here.
GREAT BRITAIN – The FA Cup, 150 Years
Royal Mail on March 8 issued a set of 10 stamps with several products to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Football Association (FA) Challenge Cup. Every men’s team in 10 levels of organized soccer is eligible to compete in the knockout competition. “Just 12 teams took part in the inaugural 1871-72 season, and while they might not have had much else in common with the 729 taking part in 2021-22, they shared the same dream: glory,” Royal Mail said in a news release. This year’s championship was scheduled for May 14. Competition was not held for 11 seasons during the world wars. (A Women’s FA Cup started in 1970, but is not shown in this stamp issue.) Six stamps feature highlights from championship match play and four show souvenirs. The stamps are available from here.
IRELAND – Ulysses 100th Anniversary
The centenary of the first publication as a complete volume of James Joyce’s “Ulysses” was marked on January 27 with a pair of stamps from An Post. The story takes place on a single day, June 16, 1904, in the lives of the main characters, Stephen Dedalus, Leopold and Molly Bloom in Dublin. This piece of Modernistic literature was originally published in an American journal as a series of stories and appeared as a complete novel on Joyce’s 40th birthday, February 2, 1922. The stamp design features a number of people on the streets of Dublin and is “intentionally unorthodox, challenging, and unexpected, as well as modernist,” said An Post. The stamps are available in sheetlets of 16 from here.
SAINT-PIERRE ET MIQUELON – The Spotted Knight
A single stamp issued on January 15 with the 20-gram rate of 1,43€ depicts the spotted knight, also known as the spotted sandpiper. Found in most areas of Canada and the United States these birds migrate south to the southern states, South America and the Caribbean. Due to high breeding rates – including hybrid breeding with their sister species, the common sandpiper – and their ability to adapt to changing environments, these birds are widespread. Issued in sheets of 25, the stamps are only valid from St. Pierre to the overseas departments and mainland France. The stamp is available from here.
SLOVAKIA – Beijing Olympics
In a tribute to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, Slovakia issued a se-tenant pair of 0,75€ stamps on January 19. An additional salute to the Year of the Tiger was placed in the center of the pair. Also, the old name for the Chinese capitol, “Peking,” is inscribed at the top of each stamp. The image on the Paralympics stamp on the left is of a hockey player while the Olympics stamp features a bobsled with the logo of the Slovakia Olympic organization. The pair can be found here.
UKRAINE - Trident
The Cyrillic letters making up the Ukrainian word Воля (freedom) form the trident derived from the seal-trident of Volodymyr, the first Grand Prince of Kyiv with “the “В” on the left, the “о” and “л” in the center, and the “я” on the right.” Denominated “V” for a non-priority domestic letter, the stamp was issued on January 21, prior to the Russian invasion and is symbolic of Ukraine’s desire for liberty. It’s unclear if sales are currently available, but before the war, the stamp could be obtained here.
New worldwide stamps images 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.