Month: July 2018

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Sweden, the King makes a fairy tale come true for the Queen on her birthday

Back when Kings really ruled, dreams could become reality. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

Todays stamp is not very well printed. It is somewhat a surprise since this is a modern stamp from an advanced country. That the subject matter is so good, the Chinese Pavilion is what earned the site UNESCO heritage status, is a further letdown.

The stamp today is issue A204, a 2 Krona stamp issued by the Kingdom of Sweden on August 28th, 1970. It was a single stamp issue celebrating a year late the 200th anniversary of the Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm Palace Park. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents used despite it’s high for the time denomination.

King Adolf Fredrick planned a surprise for his Queen Louisa Ulrika on her birthday in 1753. A Chinese style Pavilion was designed off site and quickly assembled of logs on site. A walk through the Gardens on her birthday culminated in the new addition to the Palace grounds. 7 year old Crown Prince Gustav, dressed in the garb of a Chinese Mandarin Scholar presented his mother with a golden key to the new structure. Queen Louisa Ulrika wrote her mother in Prussia that it was like walking into a fairy tale.

The log structure proved to be unable to cope with the Swedish climate and within 10 years it was badly rotted. A new much larger pavilion was built of stone. That has lasted and what appears on the stamp. The Pavilion also inspired neighboring Kantongaten that housed small lace manufacturers and silk weavers. At the end of the street was a another small Chinese style house. This is where a later Prince kept his ballet dancing mistress, Sophie Hagman. According to Swedish poet Bellman, Her entire being was a feast for the eyes. So I can see why it would be good to keep her handy.

The palace is still used by the Royals today. In 2010, the Chinese Pavilion was broken into and the collection of priceless Chinese artifacts stolen. The thieves were in and out in 6 minutes and escaped on a moped and the police think by boat. No artifacts were recovered and no arrest was made.

Well my drink is empty and so I will open the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

 

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Communist Yugoslavia in 1950 sells off the now invalid exile stamps

Midway through World War II, the Allies shifted their support from the former Royal government of Yugoslavia to the Socialist force that was having such success resisting the German occupation. This left the Royals in exile out in the cold, and their stamp offerings. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

Exile agreed with the stamp issues. The Royal government in exile was out of London. Therefore the printing of their stamps moved to London, which had simply better printers. A while back we did another questionable stamp issue printed in Vienna on behalf Indonesian independence fighters. See https://the-philatelist.com/2017/11/24/well-we-think-we-are-independant-we-have-a-constitution-a-flag-and-austrian-stamps/. In both cases, the iffy stamps are of far higher quality that what was printed locally in less trying times.

Todays stamp is considered an invalid overprint of issue 1K8 that was issued by the Royal government of Yugoslavia in exile in London. The unoverstamped version is considered legitimate even though they were not sold or used in Yugoslavia at all. The postal system in Yugoslavia was using stamps issued by their German occupiers and their collaborators. What makes the exile stamps legitimate was that they were valid for postage on Yugoslav Navy ships at sea. One can only imagine the infinitesimal number of the stamps used that way but that makes it a recognized stamp. With the change of affiliation of the Allies the recognized socialist government of Tito came into possession of the stock of already printed stamps. They overprinted the 1945 you see on my copy and eventually sold off the stock to stamp dealers in 1950. They were not valid for postage in Yugoslavia at all and so go unrecognized by the catalogs today. According to the Scott catalog, the 1K8 issue is worth $1.60 mint. My stamp, who knows? but less…

King Peter II briefly took the thrown at age 17 in 1941 after his father was forced to abdicate. He had signed an unacceptable alliance with Germany. The Germans invaded a few weeks later and the government offered little resistance and went into exile in London. Given his age, Peter was not taken seriously as a leader for Yugoslavia by the allied leaders. There were separate partisan operations actively resisting the Axis in Yugoslavia, a socialist one and a royalist one. The socialist one was much larger and more effective. In fact the Germans had the most trouble in Yugoslavia than in any of the other countries occupied. In many occupied countries the resistance was dominated by the tiny Jewish minority. After the Tehran conference in 1943, Allied help flowed to Tito and his partisans. When Tito cleared the Nazis out, Yugoslavia was quickly declared a People’s Republic and the Royals were stripped of their titles, property, and even their citizenship. King Peter refused to abdicate and moved to the USA leaving his son behind in England to be raised by a grandmother. Peter drank himself to death. His son Alexander, was Crown Prince for a few months as a baby in 1945 has now had Serbian citizenship restored and is allowed to reside in the old palace in Belgrade. In 2013, King Peter’s remains were returned to Serbia and placed in the Royal Tombs. Alexander still lobbies for his return to the Serbian Throne of his ancestors. Things were great under his great grandfather, so says Alexander…

Todays stamp features Vuk Karadzic, a Serbian linguist from the 19th century. He was born a peasant but was educated and transcribed for the first time Serbian folk songs and poems. There is a rich tradition in Slav countries of the peasant song and poetry recited and sung with great feeling at night around the campfire. The transcription lead to the songs becoming better known around Europe where they were quite a hit. Vuk later worked on reforming Serbian writing to bring it more inline with what was spoken. This lead to increased literacy. He also translated the New Testament into Serbian. Interestingly much of his work was banned in Serbia in his day even though it was not political. It was feared that the songs would stir up patriotic feelings of Serbs at a time when they were still pledged to the Ottoman Empire.

Well my drink is empty and I am faced with another fake stamp. Fake stamps though still have a story to tell. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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Latvia 1923, We have gotten rid of the Russians and the Germans, but can we get along with each other

A people has desired independence and chaos and defeat in Russia and Germany has allowed it. Now comes the hard part of building a country. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

A new countries first stamps often displays the new flag or in this case the new coat of arms. It is a way to say things are different now before any positive results are achieved. It is also a patriotic appeal for people to work together to make the new endeavor work. The first stamp of Latvia after independence from Russia in 1991 was a slightly modified rendering of this same coat of arms.

Todays stamp is issue A11, a 10 Lat stamp issued by the republic of Latvia in 1923. It was part of a 6 stamp issue in various denominations that show new Latvia’s coat of arms. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $6 used.

Latvia had achieved it’s long standing goal of being broken away from Russia by the Germans during World War I. A few weeks before the end of the war in 1918 the German Kaiser declared the Baltic states free but under the allegiance of a German Count appointed by him. Naturally this is not what the Latvians had in mind but there were a number of German ethnics in the landowning class. The German Count did not last post war but the German Army in the area was still intact and ready to fight. It refashioned itself the Baltic Landeswher and along with the new Polish state helped fight when the Red Army invaded to bring Latvia and the other Baltic states back into the fold. Western countries were slow to recognize Latvian independence. They hoped that the troubles in Russia would end with a pro western democracy that would grant Latvia a measure of self rule within Russia.

The Red Army invasion did succeed in capturing the capital Riga and their puppet government set out executing many of the German ethnic landowning class. This was also happening on a wide scale in Russia itself. The Landeswher and its allies managed a successful counterattack and drove the Red Army from much of the Baltics. Now it was the ethnic Russians turn to flee. The west became concerned that a German army was still fighting after World War I was over and pressured defeated Germany to withdraw the army from the Baltics. When Germany procrastinated, a British general was appointed commander of the Baltic Landeswher and set about disbanding it. The soldiers then aligned themselves with a White Russian force that hoped to march to Moscow and install a pro German Russian government. This force was defeated by the Red Army 6 months later.

The Soviets signed a treaty recognizing Latvian independence and western recognition followed quickly thereafter. The leaving of Russian and German ethnics left Latvia with a population that had dropped in half but a least what remained was mainly Latvian. The democracy that was set up featured numerous small parties and weak ever changing coalitions. Elections were every two years so there was very little political stability with governments on average lasting barely a year. The new country was obliged to spend a great deal on defense as the borders were shaky and argued about.

There were however achievements. Land reform went well with the old German dominated manor system broken up. This was done in a way that increased peasant land ownership and greatly enhanced farm output. The German landowners were allowed to keep 50 acres around the manor house but most quickly sold and moved to Germany. A new currency was successfully floated and the economy did well, at least in the 1920s.

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast the Latvians for being able to pull together a new country. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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Ugo Foscolo, Greek/Venetian wearied citizen poet turned secular Italian Saint

Both in Germany and in Italy there was a movement to put aside city states and unite the people. Poets like Foscolo provide the inspiration if not the means. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

The stamp today aims to do what stamp issuance is all about. The issue was put together by the Dante Alighieri Society to honor and celebrate important Italian cultural figures. The society had outposts around the world and of course stamp issues get around the world as well. The higher denominations even had a surcharge that went to the society. Post war, with the end of Italian Royalty, the various chapters were untethered from Italy itself but allowed to continue promoting Italian culture. This lessens the impetus behind them but also better separates them from politics.

Todays stamp is issue A126, 30 Centesimi stamp issued by the Kingdom of Italy on March 14, 1932. It was part of a 12 stamp issue in various denominations that honor Italian cultural figures from the past. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $1.60 used. The used version of the 10 +2.5 Lira stamp featuring Dante himself is worth $450.

Ugo Foscolo was born in 1778 to a Greek mother and a threadbare Venetian nobleman working as a Doctor in the Greek Isles. Upon his fathers death at age 10, the family moved back to Venice and Ugo’s knowledge of ancient and modern Greek allowed Ugo to receive a first rate literary education.

In 1797, Venice, then a city state republic fell to Napoleon. Ugo was in favor of this as he hoped that Napoleon could unite Italy. He even volunteered to fight for Napoleon. At the same time he began writing poetry that described the noble but fruitless struggles of Italians to unite their people. His work was very popular and was strongly influenced by the ancient Greeks and also fellow traveler Goethe in Germany.

After being captured in battle fighting for Napoleon he began traveling to Milan where he came into contact with other Italian literary figures. He also was involved with a memorandum to Napoleon that suggested a form for a united Italian government. The memorandum was ignored. In this period he wrote “Dei Sepolcri”, his masterpiece. It told the story of literary greats from the past rising from their tombs to do battle for their countries in the present.

After the fall of Napoleon in 1815, Ugo made his way to London where he was vetted by high society for his previous work. He became somewhat sloppy with money and personal relations, then spent time in debtor’s prison. This reduced his stature much and upon release he ended up teaching Italian at a girl’s boarding school. He never married but ended up with one English daughter as a result of his many affairs. He died in England at age 50.

His status rose a great deal in the 1870s. The newly united Italian kingdom under King Victor Emmanuel sought to use the fame of Italian cultural figures to convince the Italian people to be loyal to the new Italian state. This was somewhat at odds with the Catholic Church and the efforts can be seen as creating an alternate line of secular Italian Saints. Ugo Foscolo’s remains were returned to Italy in 1871 with pomp and circumstance and placed beside such notables as Machiavelli, Galileo, and Michelangelo.

Well my drink is empty so I will open the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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El Salvador, A new poor country tries to start a University

A new country has to start from square one. That mean institution building. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

The stamp today offers a formal portrait of an early leader of the first university in El Salvador. From it one does not get a sense of what an undertaking it was. That is understandable. As the national university, it is important to provide a sense of a rich academic history. Even if that is not the case.

Todays stamp is issue A154, a one Centavo stamp issued by El Salvador in 1947. It features Isidiro Menendez, and early leader of the University of El Salvador. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents used.

Initially the central American states formed a federation after independence from Spain. They were trying to stem the ambitions of Mexico and Gran Columbia on their territory. The federation was short lived, Latin America was breaking apart due to the petty squabbles of politicians and military men. The new countries were not working fast enough to make life better for their people so it was easy to stir up a mob to throw the bums out.

With the end of the federation of central America, it became necessary for the individual countries to try to set up institutions that a country processes. In El Salvador, the first President Juan Lindo tried to improve the educational situation. He ordered that every village over a hundred and fifty people set up a school that mandated attendance. To try to make this actually happen, he imposed fines on local officials that did not comply.  Notice I have made no mention of a system to produce quality teachers. He also founded the first university in the capital of San Salvador. He appointed Isidro Menendez as it President. It should be noted that Lindo was himself Honduran and both him and Menendez were themselves educated in Guatemala. These tiny countries really had no tradition of education outside the ruling class and the Church.

Lindo went later to serve as President of his native Honduras and in cahoots with his successors in El Salvador launched a disastrous war with Guatemala. He and is El Salvador ally were forced to leave office but unlike his El Salvadoran ally, he was allowed to retire and not assassinated.

With the poverty and tumult, it is understandable that the University of El Salvador is more known as a hotbed of politics than an educational institution. Despite being founded by a right wing leader with much Church cooperation. The university quickly became a center of left wing agitation. This is understandable. The people in the school would be mainly from the better families. Those without an automatic opportunity upon graduation would find the education offered lacking and the opportunities opened up by the education lacking. This situation is common throughout the third world. Why wouldn’t the students blame the government?

Isidiro Menendez has another claim to fame beside his postage stamp. His name graces a soccer team to this day in El Salvador.

Well my drink is empty so I will open the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

 

 

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Malta 1922, Melita stops leaning on Britannia

Nineteenth century great power divisions start looking iffy once the twentieth century is under way and the great powers are discredited by World War I. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

The visuals on this stamp are interesting. The depiction of the Latin personification of the island and it’s people  is more a 19th century thing than a 20th century thing. Remember the predominance of a classical education of the educated class back then. So what better way to acknowledge the independent thinking of the people of the then still Crown Colony of Malta. Britain would have been in charge of stamp issuance and previous issues almost always were a depiction of the British Monarch. This was good for Britons far from home but may not mean so much for the local population. Britain did one little thing on the much rarer high denominations of this stamp issue. On those Melita is leaning against Britannia, the female Latin personification of Great Britain. It is fun to ponder what was meant by that.

Todays stamp is issue A20, a quarter Penny/one Farthing stamp issued by the Crown Colony of Malta in 1922. The Stamps depict Melita, the female Latin personification of the Maltese land and people. It was part of a 17 stamp issue in various denominations. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 70 cents used. The used one pound stamp from this issue is worth $500.

Malta was awarded to Britain in the treaty that ended the Napoleonic War in 1815. The local people on the island are mainly of Italian decent. Malta’s place in the central Mediterranean makes it a valuable port to control in terms of shipping lanes to the Suez Canal and keeping a check on Italian naval power.

The deprivations of World War I were felt hard on Malta despite there not being fighting there. It became hard to import food and the result was much inflation that left the bulk of the people unable to adequately provide for themselves. Playing into this frustration was a new generation of leaders that saw themselves more as Italian than British in terms of their loyalties. Enrico Mizzi formed a political party that sought independence. They were behind a series of riots in Valetta in 1921 that targeted public edifices where the British flag was displayed. Flags were taken or pulled down but the riots brought out British troops that shot 4 of the Maltese rioters.

Britain tried to soothe the situation by providing a new constitution that granted more self rule. This unfortunately lead to Malta being retained as a colony through World War II. During this war Malta was the subject  of much Italian and German bombing. This targeted the British military presence but hid hard on the civilian population. My English father served in the Royal Air Force and during the war and passed through Valetta. A picture of a British ship burning in the harbor was one of his mementos.

Post war Malta quickly became self governing. Mizzi even briefly served as Prime Minister. Melita was seen as recently as the year 2000 on Maltese bank notes. They now use the Euro.

Well my drink is empty and so I will open the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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Debret is celebrated for his Brazil street scenes, not what he came to do

Many years after the artist Jean-Baptiste Debret is celebrated not for the fine art that he loved and taught, but for the sketching of street scenes. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

Todays stamp depicts street scenes from the early days of Brazil’s independence. This of course is completely understandable. The artists mission in Brazil had been much grander but less successful and less remembered.

The stamp today is issue A626, a 30 Centavo stamp issued by Brazil on May 19th, 1970. It displays the Brazilian work of French artist Jean-Baptiste Debret. It was part of a two stamp issue. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $1.25 in its cancelled state.

Debret was born in Paris in 1768. He was trained as a neoclassical painter and trained in France and Italy. He was a Bonapartist and after Napoleon’s final defeat he took part in an artist mission to Brazil. Brazil was in the process of breaking away from Portugal and the mission of French artist were tasked with setting up school of fine arts and creating a local art scene in Rio.

The fact that Brazil early governments were Imperial lead to a different tact than one might expect in a newly independent country. Instead of training local artists to capture better the local situation, the school more saw itself as bringing European civilization to a back ward colony. The new school taught how to do portraits and how to make copies of the masters. The French teachers sought to eke out a little extra money by painting portraits of the Emperors Court.

There was really very little demand for this in Brazil and the Emperors of Brazil were very parsimonious with their support. The French in Brazil were also enemies as they resented the ties to discredited Bonapartism. Soon after the last Emperor left power, the fine art school was absorbed by the local university.

Debret was related to a better known French artist named Jacques-Louis David. He sent his relative some sketches of street scenes from Rio of the period. Many featured Africans in the days of slavery in Brazil. David encouraged Debret to paint more and passed them around the art scene in Paris. There were very few artists doing street scenes in Rio and over time they became a valuable record of everyday life at the time.

Debret eventually gave up on Brazil, returning to Paris. He was quite poor and returned to his neoclassical style. He was a member of the French Academy and published a 3 volume book of his time in Brazil. The work however was not successful and he resorted to doing lithographs of his better known relatives work.

I can see why the fine art school failed in nineteenth century Brazil. There are only a few in the upper class that appreciate it. However a more populist government in Brazil would have probably offered no support whatever for the arts. It is a very common thing for a newly independent place to try to find a local school of art. Most do not work out but as I do more stamps we may find more places where some success was achieved. Postage stamps are a great way to scout out the local art scene.

Well my drink is empty and so I will open the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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1898 Portugal gives up it’s claims in Africa and the people give up on the Monarchy

Long ago explorers made large claims for the homeland. Sometimes the nation can’t hold on and the people are disappointed. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

Todays stamp harks back to a time of great advances and adventure. However it was issued in a time of austerity and humiliation. That does detract and the fact that the stamp just continued long after the anniversary with many overprints representing changes just makes it come across as sad.

The stamp today is issue CD23, a 25 Reis stamp issued by the Kingdom of Portugal in 1898 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the voyage of Vasco da Gama. There are many denominations of this stamp and it was also issued in many of the colonies of Portugal. There were also later overprints that reflected the overthrow of the monarchy and a change in currency. This is the original version and according to the Scott Catalog is worth 50 cents used.

Vasco da Gama sailed in 1498 and was the first person to make it around the world, proving the earth is round. Along the way there were many stops and claims were made on the land on behalf of Portugal. Among the stops were in Angola on the west African southern coast and Mozambique on the east African southern coast. The claim was understood at the time to include all the land between the two outposts though Portuguese activity centered in the coastal trading posts.

In 1890, British empire builder Cecil Rhodes was colonizing and minerally exploiting the areas north of the British colonies in South Africa. There was also thought of connecting Egypt and South Africa by railroad. The British desires conflicted with traditional ally Portugal’s long standing claims. It is worth noting that neither side seems to be paying any attention to the views of the native population.

An ultimatum was issued demanding Portugal give up it’s claims to modern day Zambia and Malawi. Given the marginal military capabilities of Portugal and its chronic lack of funds, King Carlos I felt he had no choice. He gave in to Great Britain. This made the government appear weak and feckless and greatly strengthened Republican forces in Portugal. In 1908 King Carlos I and the crown prince were assassinated while riding in an open carriage. After a short regency of Carlos younger son Manuel II the monarchy was overthrown in 1910.

Interestingly there is a side note to the end of the monarchy in Portugal. A female child was born in 1907 out of wedlock in Spain with King Carlos listed as the farther on the Baptismal record. The tradition at the time was that the Church would only put the name of an unmarried father on the record at his request, not merely at the request of the mother. The girl, Maria Pia her whole life claimed to be the daughter of Carlos and thereby the Queen of Portugal if the Monarchy is restored. She claimed that the year before his death the King decreed that she was to be treated as a full child of him and in the Royal succession. Maria Pia had no evidence of this and the King did not have the power to make such a decree. Maria Pia fashioned herself as the HRH Duchess of Burganza and lived a jet set life of a writer and a journalist. Her three marriages to commoners, including one  to someone 45 years her junior, would not be allowed if she were truly royal. Her many court cases went nowhere as her proof was suspect having been issued 30 years later after the original records destroyed.

Maria Pia

She later adopted an adult Italian businessman named Rosario Poidimani. She also issued a modification of the 1837 Portugal Royal Succession law to allow her claim to the Portuguese throne to pass to him. He also now calls himself HRH the Duke of Burganza. He was arrested and convicted of selling fake Portuguese diplomatic passports that he claimed he was within his rights to do as the head of Portugal.

Rosario Poidimani

Well my drink is empty and so I will open the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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A Swiss Airport in France

Basel is an important city and needed a bigger airport. Why not build it in another country then. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

Todays stamp is attractive with vivid colors. It is a little strange though that Swiss stamp would have the tail of a Air France jet to go with Swissair tail. I also like that the Swiss included the name of this stamps designer, Heinz Burgin. It is not often we get to see on a stamp who the designer was. Switzerland started this practice on commemorative in the late 30s and has continued till the present day.

Todays stamp is issue A278, an 80 Rappen/ Centimes stamp issued by Switzerland on February 21st, 1979. It was part of a four stamp issue in various denominations celebrating Swiss engineering achievements. This stamp celebrates the then recent expansion of the Basel Mulhouse International airport, as it was then known. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $1 used.

In the 1930s the Swiss developed an aviation plan that called for 5 cities to have major airports, among them Basel. Basel already had a small airport but it had no way for it to be expanded to the proper size. The idea was arrived at to build the new airport on the other side of the border in France. Negotiations for this were halted during World War II, but got going again soon after wars end. A deal was struck that the resulting airport would be jointly administered by the French and the Swiss. The land for the airport was provided at no cost by the French and the Swiss Canton of Basel-Stadt was to provide the entire construction budget.

So anxious were the Swiss to get the project moving that the airport was built and operating  in 1946 two years before the treaty that governs how the Airport operates was ratified. The Airport actually has three different airport codes depending on whether you think you are going to Basel, the French City of Mulhouse or the nearby German city of Freiburg.

A road was set up from the terminal to Basil that provided a way to get there without going through French customs. Passport control is jointly manned by the French and the Swiss and your passport can receive a different stamp depending on which agent you walk up to.

The Swissair plane would not be seen at Basel any more. Swissair went through bankruptcy and the smaller successor was soon acquired by Lufthansa, the German flag carrier. The planes still have the Swiss livery. The decision was taken to stop flying to Basel because of the many low cost airlines that operate out of it, most notably Easy Jet. It is still possible to fly Air France to Paris from Basel.

This stamp celebrates the expansion of the airport. This expansion has been almost continual since it opened in 1946. This expansion has been necessary. At the time of this stamp in 1979 annual traffic through the airport was about 700,000 a year. Last year it was more than 10 times that amount.

Well my drink is empty and so I will pour another to celebrate the Canton for being so quick to get the airport operating. I don’t see how such a thing could happen today, perhaps China excepted. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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Paraguay 1903, trying to stand again after a horrible war

Paraguay in the 1860s had fought a war that ended in total defeat and occupation. So for a while, the national lion as seen on todays stamp was badly wounded. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

The question might be what does a national coat of arms mean anymore after a war where half the country died. The lion lifts it’s right paw ready to strike for peace and justice. The country is broke and in debt and resorting to selling off large pieces of land in the much shrunken country. Perhaps the coat of arms is supposed to give hope that Paraguay will again rise. This was true in that the people overthrew this government the next year after this stamp.

Todays stamp is issue O51, a 3 Centavo Official stamp issued by the Republic of Paraguay in 1903. There were many variations of this stamp over many years. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 35 cents used. In this case the overprint does not add much value to the stamp. The version without the official overprint is worth 30 cents. Official means the stamp was intended for government use.

In 1863. Paraguay President Lopez was nervous that Brazil was intervening in the internal workings of Uruguay. He believed that after Uruguay, Brazil would turn their military attentions to Paraguay. This was not an unreasonable deduction. Lopez than attacked neighboring Brazil crossing successfully the border. When Argentina refused to allow Lopez to attack Brazil  through Argentina, he declared war on Argentina. Paraguay had a fairly large army but now Lopez’s Paraguay with a population of 450,000 faced an allied force of over 11 million. Brazil’s army was small but it’s National Guard was huge. By 1870 Paraguay was conquered and divided up with the small remainder occupied by Brazil. President Lopez fell in the last battle.

Paraguayan politics became a rivalry between left wingers with behind the scenes support of Argentina and right wingers with behind the scenes support  from Brazil. Since Brazil had done most of the fighting they were most dominant in the occupation. It was also their party the Colorado party, that held power. Both sides relied on veterans from the Lopez era.

What the Colorado party did not have the power to do was quickly turn things around. Some land was reclaimed from Bolivia thanks to an international conference chaired by former American President Rutherford Hayes. Still the government had to sell off large blocks of land to keep the revenue coming in. There was really not much choice in the matter but it ending up concentrating land ownership in just a few hands. Some of whom of course were high government officials, which decreased the legitimacy of the government. Liberals in 1904 sailed from Argentina  up river to Paraguay, and Paraguay with no navy and only a tiny army was unable to stop them. The negotiation to end the rule of President Escurra, the last Colorado party President was handled between Brazil and Argentina.

Well my drink is empty and I am left to ponder what should happen when a country is destroyed and is not humanly possible to put thing right except over long periods of time. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.