Month: November 2019

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Poland claims Nicolaus Copernicus

Sometimes it is very important for a new or in Poland’s case a reconstituted country to be able to reach back into history to promote important figures. This adds to legitimacy and gives young Poles someone to emulate. 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 shows how much of the Polish character survived into the communist era. From the style of this stamp, I assumed it to be an interwar issue and the denomination seems low for the 1950s. Coperinicus’ birth and death dates are not much help. The stamp celebrates the 480th anniversary of his birth, a strange number. The painting on the stamp is where the communist influence shows. Originally titled “Conversations with God” they seem to have retitled it “Copernicus Watching Heavens”. The painting is currently at the University of Krakow.

Todays stamp is issue A222, a 20 Groszy stamp issued by Poland on May 22nd 1953. It was a two stamp issue in different denominations. According to the Scott Catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents used.

I mentioned in the title that Poland claims Copernicus as a son of Poland. Germany does not formally make a claim to him but there is also a case.  given the crosscurrents of what was going on there on the ground. Copernicus was born into a wealthy family in Torun, a Henseatic city. At the time, 1473, the area was contested by the Kingdom of Poland and the Teutonic Order of Knights. The Henseatic cities treasured their special status as trading cities and when the Polish King offered to respect this status, the cities affiliated with Poland, despite the German tongue spoken by the residents. The area was known by the not very Polish sounding Royal Prussia. For a much later version of this rivalry see this Danzig stamp  https://the-philatelist.com/2018/09/19/danzig-1923-a-very-early-airmail-stamp-from-a-german-city-that-suddenly-found-itself-outside-germany/    . Copernicus studied in the Polish then capital of Krakow, spoke Polish and German and published his scientific work in Latin. Copernicus went on to serve in the court of his uncle, the Bishop Prince of Warmia.

His uncle financed Copernicus to continue ecclesiastical training in Italy His studies went on and on since he was also receiving instruction in astronomy on the side. There is debate today whether Copernicus was ever ordained as a priest. The Catholics say yes and the scientific community disagrees. Late in life he was a candidate for his now late uncle’s old job as Bishop Prince of Warmia, a post that requires ordination. He never married but had a close relationship with a housekeeper. During Copernicus’s lifetime, the German Teutonic Order of Knights converted to Lutheran and became the Dutchy of Prussia. Copernicus did not convert.

Copernicus in Italy made his great discovery. By mapping the position of planets over time he was able to determine that the sun was the center of the solar system rather than the Earth as was believed. Pope Clement was briefed on the discovery but took no action against Copernicus. Copernicus was very worried over the reaction to his discovery and only sent manuscript copies of Commentaries to friends and colleagues. Lutherans were more initially opposed. They described Copernicus as an absurd Sarmatian astronomer who moved the Earth and stopped the sun. Soon after Copernicus’s death, his charts were republished as Prussian Tables and widely accepted. Catholics eventually got around to banning his work from 1591-1885. Copernicus also wrote poetry, wrote treatise on economics and practiced medicine. In 1973 on the 500th anniversary of his birth, Poland, West Germany, and East Germany honored Copernicus with stamps. The German ones only described him as an astronomer, not a Polish astronomer. In 2008, his remains were confirmed in the Cathedral at Torun.

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast Copernicus the classic Henseatic. I will know when I have had enough when the Earth spinning becomes all to obvious. Come again tomorrow for another that can be learned from stamp collecting.

 

 

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East Germany 1971, reforming a German Army

Germany on both sides of the East-West divide were divided on reforming a new German Army. In East Germany, that meant it was all volunteer until later when the army became the only Warsaw Pact force to allow for conscientious objection. 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.

What I like most about this 15th anniversary of the East German Army stamp is the close up shot of a regular soldiers face. Reminding Germans who may not be thrilled with the politics that the regular soldier was still one of you. A wider shot would just be uniform details and get bogged down in how the East German uniforms more resembled the old while the West German Army uniform looked more American.

Todays stamp is issue A400, a 20 Pfennig stamp issued by East Germany on March 1st, 1971. It was a single stamp issue. According to the Scott Catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents cancelled to order.

As early as 1948, East Germany was accepting volunteers in what became known as the Kasernierte Volkspolzei. These troops were trained in a military fashion but lacked heavy weapons. Most were recruited from captured by Soviet Union World War Two German soldiers. It should be remembered that Germany contained many with communist sympathies even among those serving the Third Reich.

In 1956, West Germany formed the conscript Bundeswher. Six months later East Germany formed the all volunteer National Peoples Army. Both armies started with about 75 percent of the officers being veterans of the old Wehrmacht. It was more than 10 years later and the veterans were serving in much higher capacities. After the Berlin crisis of the early 60s, the army added conscription and doubled in size to about 150,000 men.  Interesting very few aristocrats served, the Prussian military tradition was no more. In 1968, the 7th Panzer Division deployed to Czechoslovakia in a non combat role. This was the first post war German deployment outside Germany. Some may remember an earlier 7th Panzer Division lead the 1940 invasion of France under General Erwin Rommel.

At the time of reunification, the East German Army was mostly disbanded. Only 3200 of the 36,000 officers and NCOs were retained, no Coronels or Generals. Those that remained were reduced one rank. The West German Army was itself shrinking with the end of the cold war.  The over 2 million German males that served in the East German Army were not treated well. Their pensions were only token  and their employment records listed the time  as serving in a foreign military. They were also not to allowed to use their military titles in retirement as was customary even for SS officers. 15 years later a court case finally restored some of what was owed.

Well my drink is empty and so I will pour another to toast the veterans and active duty members of all the worlds armed forces. Come again tomorrow when there will be another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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New Zealand 1998, Lemon & Paeroa subtracts Paeroa and adds Coke

Sometimes town icons outlast what they are celebrating. Or even the town. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, or perhaps this once a Lemon & Paeroa soft drink, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.

This is really a story of how towns rise and fall. Yes the drink from there still exists but not from Paeroa. The gold is gone, the railway is gone, the river is no longer navigable so the port is gone. The icon of the towns former signature product is still there and this is a stamp set of town icons. Not of thriving towns.

Todays stamp is issue A442, a 40 cent stamp issued by New Zealand on October 7th, 1998. It was a 10 stamp issue of town icons all in the same denomination. It was also available as a souvenir sheet. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 45 cents. The souvenir sheet is worth $4.50.

The towns area was occupied by Maori tribes when it was first explored by Captain James Heard while in the employ of the for profit New Zealand Company in 1826. Around 1870, the area saw a gold rush and prospectors bought the land from the Maori. Captain Beard had also bought the land from the Maori but I guess the natives attitude was use it or lose it. The height of the towns prosperity came when the Bank of New Zealand set up a gold refinery. It was never a big town but even the railway came.

The Lemon & Paeroa drink was a soft drink consisting of lemon juice and the local carbonated mineral water beginning in 1907. The ad slogan was “World Famous,… in New Zealand”. The drink is a common mixer in New Zealand pubs with the American whiskey based liqueur, Southern Comfort. Around the time of the stamp there was a ad campaign showing the bottle statue on the stamp with a homespun rendering of the local population.

The town is now ready for a new boost. The gold ran out, the refinery closed and the trainline shuttered. Lemon & Paeroa sold out to Coca Cola and is now bottled at their bottlers no longer using the local water. The town’s population is below 4000 and heavily Maori. Perhaps if a new use for the area is proposed, the Maori will again entertain offers.

Well my soft drink is empty and I am curious to try that Southern Comfort concoction my next time in New Zealand. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.

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Australia 1985, Hard to pry Honours from the Queen

The Dominions are so far from the UK. So honouring people locally makes some sense, especially as part of a strategy of gradually breaking away. 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.

This stamp shows the badge worn by Queen Elizabeth when she hands out the Order of Australia. So much for the award being a part of the breaking away. However this stamp was issued as a the traditional Queen’s birthday stamp in a year with a lefty government so there probably a subtle message there.

Todays stamp is issue A353, a 33 cent stamp issued by Australia on April 22nd, 1985. It was a single stamp issue. The same stamp was re-issued in 2013 with a new date but the same now low denomination, I suspect backdoor sneering by a new lefty government. Mine is the original. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 35 cents used.

In the early 1970s, Australia had a new left Labour government under Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. He had won office by trying to expand Labour’s constituency from its traditional support among the trade union movement to the more centrist suburban voter. He won a slight majority but it left Whitlam with opposition on the left as well as the right. One of his tasks was the establishment of the Order Of Australia. He modeled it on the Order of Canada, see https://the-philatelist.com/2019/04/01/canada-creates-an-order-of-canada-to-further-seperate-from-the-british-queen-but-has-her-hand-it-out/   . As with that, the Queen quickly acquiesced to the new award but then made sure the annual Honours list passed through her Governor General and so was handed out under her auspices. The Governor General at the time John Kerr soon proved controversial.

John Kerr, appointed at the advise of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, had a similar background. He was a young Labour activist who worked in a shipyard before going to law School and becoming a QC, a senior barrister. As he aged he too saw Labour needed to expand and his politics gradually moved right. The opposition had enough power in the Senate to block spending bills and began doing so in 1975. They hoped to force an early election while the Whitlam’s government was beset by scandals. Instead Whitlam proposed to dismiss a few Senators and have new elections only in those constituencies. To do this he had to propose this ceremonially to John Kerr, as the Queen’s representative in Australia. This was thought to be a rubber stamp but Kerr thought this wrong. After consulting the Chief Justice to confirm he had the power, Kerr dissolved Whitlam’s Labour government and appointed the Liberal party leader as a caretaker Prime Minister until there could be full elections. The Liberal Party then won in a landslide.

Governor General Sir John Kerr

Labour activists saw this as a coup and hounded John Kerr relentlessly. He resigned early as Governor General and moved to London. There he spent most days at Gentlemen’s clubs looking ever the worse for wear. He died in 1981 of a brain tumor but his death wasn’t announced until after he was buried to allow for an undisturbed funeral.

Later left wing governments have tried to make the award more Australian. For example they have discontinued naming people Knight or Dame. They also have expanded the criteria to include not just those who served Australia but mankind generally.  It is a staple of Australian comedy to mock counterjumper’s efforts to receive the Order of Australia. That in itself though sounds quite British.

Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast the Queen on her many birthdays. She is now quite old and her official birthday and actual birthday are separate, so she gets two a year. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting

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Finland 1963, It might be time for a new airmail stamp, the DC-6 modern airliner is now old fashioned

Stamps sure can last along time. When this stamp was new in 1950, the DC6 was the new, fast, almost intercontinental airliner. By this version of the stamp in 1963, the DC-6 was out of date and just serving low cost charter Finnish airlines. 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.

Some might argue that an attractive image of an airplane over a winter wonderland is timeless. That the aircraft was old and not in domestic service only matters to plane nerds. To which I would point out that the stamp required two redrawings over the years to account for currency changes. Finland did not make this mistake on their next airmail issue. Instead the mistake was never making another airmail stamp.

Todays stamp is issue AP5, a 3 Markka stamp issued by Finland on October 10th, 1963. There are two versions of the this last version of this stamp with either 13 or 16 tiny lines through the zero number. My eyesight, even with magnification cannot tell which mine is. Thus there is mystery as to whether according to the Scott catalog my stamp is worth 30 or 40 cents used.

The DC-6 was launched in 1946 as the next development of the smaller DC-4. The plane could fly 300 mph, carried about 60 passengers, and introduced pressurization to enhance passenger comfort. It was almost intercontinental. It could fly nonstop from the east coast of the United States to Europe. From Europe to the USA facing head on the Atlantic’s westerly winds, required a fuel stop.

An early option was a sleeper version, where the daytime seats fold and a bed comes out where the overhead compartments would be. This version can be picked out by a few small circular windows at a higher level. The plane does not have that and may be of the longer freighter version. Some of those had passenger windows like the plane on the stamp, some did not. By 1960, most of the 704 DC-6s built were operating as cargo planes in the third world or in the USA as a firefighting water bombers.

You might notice that the DC-6 on the stamp has no livery. The model was not in service with the Finnish Air Force or Finnair, then known as Aero O/Y. It is not unusual for mail bags to go on foreign airlines, but not something you want to brag about on your stamps. This lack of DC-6s in Finland was rectified in 1961 when two now defunct vacation charter airlines, Karair and Finlantic took used passenger examples. Finland is still not done with the DC-6. A nose section of a plane formally in Canadian service has been restored in Finland and put on static display. Colorado has Finland beat, it was after all an American plane. One is used there statically as a kindergarden classroom.

Well my drink is empty and so I will wait till tomorrow when there is another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.