BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – Architecture
The two buildings shown on a pair of stamps issued by Croatian Post Ltd. Mostar were destroyed in the Homeland War (1991-95). The Episcopal Ordinariate was reconstructed just as it was when first built in 1906 and the Cathedral of Mary Mother of the Church (blessed in 1872) was rebuilt in 2005 with the addition of a bell tower in a combination of modern and traditional architecture. The 2,70 stamps were issued on July 1, 2021, in sheets of 8 and can be found online here.
BRAZIL - International Year Ending Child Labor
Brazil issued a single stamp in booklet form to publicize the fight against chid labor and the United Nation’s International Year Ending Child Labor. The worldwide symbol for the fight is the colorful five-pointed pinwheel shown on the left side of the stamp. On the right are ten children representing the diversity of the problem. Though child labor has decreased over the last decade by 38 percent, it still affects 152 million children worldwide, half of whom reside in Africa doing agricultural work. Most of the remainder live in Asia and the Pacific. The stamp is available from here.
CANADA – Stan Rogers
Canada Post issued a booklet of 10 Permanent rate domestic stamps on July 21, 2021, commemorating the musical legacy of folksinger, Stanley Allison Rogers. Born into a musical family in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1949, Rogers taught himself guitar at the age of five. The summers of his early life spent in Nova Scotia “inspired his love of maritime life and music.” According to Canada Post he was “known for his lively stage performances and rich baritone voice.” Likened to Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, he was “one of the most talented singer-songwriters in North America.” Rogers perished in a plane fire in 1983, aged 33. The stamps and other collectibles are available from here.
FRANCE – Jewelry
The Postal Union for the Mediterranean (PUMed) consists of 23 members whose 2021 commitment is to issue a stamp featuring traditional jewels from the Mediterranean. France’s offering features a Maltese Cross on a “coulas” bracelet from the Museon Arlaten on a 1,50 € stamp. The insignia of the Knights of Malta has inspired the décor of numerous pieces of Arles jewelry. The gold coulas shown on the stamp was originally in the personal collection of Mme Frédéric Mistral who obtained it in 1912 and bequeathed it to the museum in 1943. The stamp is available from here.
GERMANY – Young Wild Animals
Germany issued a pair of stamps in sheets of 10 on June 10, 2021, in the continuing series of young wild animals. The 60 € depicts a young European hamster (Cricetus cricetus) which is now threatened with extinction due to intensive agriculture despite having once populated the land in large numbers. The 95 € value shows a pair of young Alpine Ibex or Steinbock (Capra ibex) a species that faced extinction in the 19th century but since being placed under protection in 1821 has rebounded to 45,000 animals, well adapted to life in the Alpine Mountains. The stamps can be found online here.
GREAT BRITAIN – Wild Coasts
Ten first class stamps in se-tenant strips of five were issued by Royal Mail depicting various species found along Britain’s coasts. The square stamps show a Northern Gannet perched on a rock face; a Common Cuttlefish drifting along the sea bottom; a Grey Seal on an ice flow; a Bottlenose Dolphin surfacing for air; a Spiny Spider Crab on the sea floor; a Long-Snouted Seahorse drifting amongst vegetation; an Orca about to breach; a Fried-egg Anemone displaying its tentacles; a Cuckoo Wrasse over a rocky sea floor; and a Cold-water Coral Reef found on the seabed off Scotland. The stamps in strips, sheets, booklets, post cards and presentation packs can be found here.
ISLE OF MAN – 125th Anniversary of the Summer Olympic Games
The 125th anniversary of the Summer Olympic Games was commemorated by the Manx Post Office with a set of 12 stamps “commemorating the great achievements of six Island trained Manx Men and Women as well as six non-Manx competitors to represent the outstanding achievements of Team GB.” The choice of designs was inspired by the British Olympic Association. To quote Paul Ellis, Head of Retail and Licensing Team Great Britain, “we are delighted to showcase this illustrated collection and re-tell some of the classic stories from our history.” The 12 stamps will be available as a set, sheet, presentation pack, and prestige booklet from here.
ISRAEL - Nostalgia - Professions
Israel has begun a series of stamps under the “Bygone Professions, which are no more” heading. The stamps are issued as se-tenants in a strip of three with labels on the bottom of the sheet continuing the image of the stamp. The first on the left depicts a photographer standing on a bustling street corner offering to take pictures of passersby. Next is the ice seller, carrying a block of ice to put in the icebox that was needed in homes before the invention of refrigerators. The milkman is depicted on the right stamp coming to the front door with a six pack of bottles from his truck parked in the background. The stamps can be found here.
NEW ZEALAND – 20th Anniversary of filming The Lord of the Rings
It has been 20 years since the filming of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the first released film of Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings trilogy. Released on September 1, 2021, the six souvenir sheets feature original hand-painted artwork by New Zealand artist Sacha Lees showing scenes from the movie: $1.50 The Journey Begins, $1.50 Hiding from the Black Rider, $1.50 The Prancing Pony, $2.80 Flight to the Ford, $3.60 The Bridge of Khazad-dûm and $4.10 The Gates of Argonath. The epic films produced an unexpected boost to New Zealand’s economy and tourist industry. The miniature sheets comprise the 10th series of stamps released by New Zealand to commemorate films based on Tolkien’s works. The stamps are available from here.
SLOVAKIA – 1900th Anniversary of the Birth of Marcus Aurelius
The rule of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180) was marked primarily by the Marcomanni Wars, which took place in present day Slovakia. On April 26, 2021, a stamp was issued marking the birth of the man also known as the philosopher on the throne. He was the “last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace and stability for the Roman Empire.” The design on the 1,55 € stamp shows “a bronze ancient equestrian statue depicting this Roman emperor with his hand outstretched in a salute.” The statue is located at the Capitoline Museum in Rome. Find them at here.