What do you think is the most beautiful stamp in the world?
It could be a beautiful because of its artistic design or beautiful engraving. It could be beautiful because it commemorates a special event. It could be beautiful because it has special meaning to you.
Yup, that's the plan - make it tough so that everyone will have to think about it!
I'm hoping everyone who comes to the board will put their two cents worth in about what they think is the most beautiful stamp in the world. And if you guys can't think of just one - well, post several times and put in however many you want to make up your idea of the most beautiful stamp(s).
Hi everyone. I would have to say Canada's Royal Canadian Mounted Police souvenir sheet - Scott #1737b. A close second would be the Canadian Year of the Horse souvenir sheet. But....I'm Canadian and love our stamps
Well, looks like its taken about 6 weeks to made a decision.
After changing my mind many times. I cannot get Scott #759 out of my mind.
It's an engraved replica of the Prater Ferris wheel released in 1966 commorating the opening of the Prater(park)Vienna, to the public by Emperor Joseph II, celebrating the 200th anniversay.
You have to see the stamp in the real to enjoy its beauty. Scott catalog does it no justice. The engraving is so neat to touch.
The detail is excellent. I can feel the motion of the wheel as it travels around the axis, feel the soft gentle breeze on my face. Here the sound of the crowd from below. It is most definitely is a mini artpiece.
I think the most beautiful U.S. Stamp can be catagorized by half century. I believe the second half of the nineteenth century is probably the Vanguard( Cattle in a Storm) from a painting by MacWhirter. The first half of the twentieth century is, I believe Discovery of the Bay of San Francisco by C.F. Matthews. The second half of the 20th century I think is the Princess Grace Commenorative. So far in the 21st century I think it is the Louis and Clark comemorative , not the portraits but the picture of the explorers with the background of area they found.
I think the most beautiful U.S. Stamp can be catigoized by half century. I believe the second half of the nineteenth century is probably the Vanguard( Cattle in a Storm) from a painting by MacWhirter. The first half of the twentieth century is, I believe Discovery of the Bay of San Francisco by C.F. Matthews. The second half of the 20th century I think is the Princess Grace Commenorative. So far in the 21st century I think it is the Louis and Clark comemorative , not the portraits but the picture of the explorers with the background of area they found.
Robert Charles Judson and Bob Ingraham obviously see the world in the same light. Of all the stamps in the world, the one I would most like to have is "Cattle in a Storm":
I've even considered trying to save enough money to buy a decent copy, but I'm not sure I'll live that long. The 2004 classic lists a mint, hinged copy at US $1250, and a used copy at US $600. A mint never-hinged copy catalogues at US $3,000.
Dear Bob, In a weak mommentseveral years ago I purchased `Cattle in a storm'. I have never regretted it. I also bought 400, in a weak momment. These two stamps are the most beautiful in my collection. A couple of years ago I received a check for $1500 and purchased the Zeplins. But the other two stamps are still my favorite. I started collectin when I was six but because I could not afford a loose leaf album, I lost interest when I was about 14. When I could afford it, I contacted my mother to get my old album. Unfortunatly she had given it away. It broke my heart and for the next almost 30 years, I mourned it. One day I got the urge to buy an album so I would not have to start again. I found one the had been `raped' of its good stamps. I started again about 7 years ago. Even started a Stamp Club that went for three years and then evaporated. I have forgiven my mother at last for I have an album far supperior to the one I had dreamed of in my youth. I have discovered that the key to collecting is to collect what you like and let the devil take the rest. Good talking with you. Bert.
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. Mahatma Gandhi. 03 Jul 2013 05:03:05am
re: The Most Beautiful Stamp In The World!
Hi everyone!
When reading through your comments, it seems like there is no real "most beautiful" stamp in the world; I would say "there are many extremely beautiful" stamps around the world and everyone of us has its favorite one depending on ones taste for any topics represented on the stamps.
Daniel.
They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin 03 Jul 2013 10:15:18am
re: The Most Beautiful Stamp In The World!
This has always been my Favorite, wish I could find one at a reasonable price
New South Wales Scott #B2
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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. -Edmund Burke"
Well - I have another opinion for what is it worth, and it is the 1st United States Waterfowl Stamp, the Mallards by J.N. "Ding" Darling - RW1, issued in 1934. This issue energized a whole new spectrum of stamp collecting which flooded over into all of the States and many foreign countries. There are literally thousands of stamps that have been generated as a result. They encompass a whole spectrum of wildlife stamps from ducks, turkeys, bear, woodcock, to deer and many more. Ding's insight was amazing and carries on today, 79 years later. The RW1 ranges in price from $50 to $500 depending on condition, but the are many other wildlife stamps that range in the $1,000's. I am not sure there is any other stamp that generated such a revolution of stamps. The 1934 stamp is quite plain in perspective of today's issues, but for what it represents, it is beautiful, and I would vote for it to be the ultimate winner in this debate. Here it is !!!!!
A Service Dog gives a person with a disability independence. Never approach, distract or pet a working dog, especially when (s)he is in harness. Never be afraid to ask questions to the handler (parent). 03 Jul 2013 10:08:21pm
re: The Most Beautiful Stamp In The World!
Wow - it's so good to see this thread still alive after all these years. I had forgotten I posted this. Makes me nostalgic for a few people who are no longer here at SOR.
Let's hear from some others - what are your favourites?
Kelly
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"Let's find a cure for Still's Disease, Breast Cancer and Canine Addison's Disease. We CAN find a cure and save lives!!"
The U.S. Overrun Nations set (Scott 909-921). My favorite is the Czechoslovakia stamp (Sc 910) because I collect Czech related material but, really, any of them are magnificent.
Astrophilatelist- Space Cover Collector 04 Jul 2013 01:49:00pm
re: The Most Beautiful Stamp In The World!
Due to the fact I collect space covers and autographs, I think the United States Scott C-76 is a great stamp as the printing plates which printed the stamps were made from a master die which flew to the moon.
Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy.. 04 Jul 2013 10:58:26pm
re: The Most Beautiful Stamp In The World!
I'd love to be able to choose one of the nearly 500 color/value different Machins, but that would be like favoring one child over another.
I do love this Hawaiian issue, both for the years I spent at sea and the time I was stationed on the Friendly Hawaiian Islands.
But close seconds are these two Norwegian issues for Spitsbergen that evoke the desolate spirit of the Arctic so well, much like the almost mystic words of Robert W. Service;
" .... There are strange things done 'neath the midnight sun,
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their tales
That can make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
When I cremated Sam McGee. ....".
Again reminding me of the year I lived above the Arctic Circle, where is only snows once a year, three weeks in the late Fall, after which there is no more moisture in the air.
Then here is this recent busy Aussie favorite that brings back memories of the VW Transporter deluxe that I modified in 1963 for comfortable camping and the trips I took both in that Gray Ghost and
later adventures with my wife and later the first of out children, in two other Red VW campers,
at the beach.
Picking just one stampis impossible
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".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
Silence in the face of adversity is the father of complicity and collusion, the first cousins of conspiracy.. 05 Jul 2013 03:38:28pm
re: The Most Beautiful Stamp In The World!
Unless that engine is going in a push configuration, the propeller blade is curved wrong.
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".... You may think you understood what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you think you heard is not what I thought I meant. .... "
A stamp publication (now gone, I think) used to have a column/page on "errors in stamp design". This one would have been perfeck for that. (We had/have a children's book "Nobody's Perfeck". Great concept for kids struggling with not fitting in.)
Retired Ap. Book Mod, Pres Golden Gate Stamp Club, Hi Tech Consultant 06 Jul 2013 01:13:07pm
re: The Most Beautiful Stamp In The World!
I agree that picking the most beautiful stamp is meaningless, and very personal. So I will just say that I have always been partial to this stamp, as much for its simple design beauty as for the fact that it was a gift from my father. France C15.
rrr...
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"E. Rutherford: All science is either physics or stamp collecting."
I agree that choosing a favorite stamp is like choosing your favorite child, but usually my favorite stamp is whichever one that I am looking at when going through the albums. Shown here is one of the most colorful of stamps, that ranks high on my list, the rare Payette issue from KUT, thought to be the only one ever scanned.
Mike
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"It's been three years now, since I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven't met yet..."
After doing some serious consideration I ended up on either this stamp. It is from French Southern and Antarctic Territories, issued in 1979 and commemorates the Challenger Expedition´s visit to Crozet and Kerguelen Islands.
Else it must be this from the same area, issued in 1985 to commemorate the visit of the frigate "La Novara" at St. Paul (after J. Noel).
I could not agree more about the Bluenose being #1. It has been rated as such in Canada. My kids have been working on the Bluenose project as a Scout Fundraiser for some time. Pictures are available here, including the work in progress and site visits:
http://s796.photobucket.com/user/penny-auction-stamps/library/Scout%20Bluenose%20Fundraiser
At the risk of repeating myself (this appeared on another website last year, under another of my aliases), may I tell this story, which certainly warrants 'most beautiful stamp' for its subject, which is this one:
Around twenty years ago, my new girlfriend innocently asked to borrow my 'favourite stamp'. I had no idea what she was getting at, and after very little thought offered the above. A couple of weeks later it was my birthday and, amid candles in a darkened room, I was confronted by the most splendid and substantial birthday cake, on which was illustrated in beautiful detail and colour this very stamp!
There were no digital cameras in those days and I have no picture, alas. It seemed a shame to cut into such a wonderful object, but the cake was all too soon gone. The girlfriend, I am happy to say, remains after all these years. Truly the most beautiful stamp!
Sorry, Ernieinjax, you aren't allowed to ask that question. Several years ago I took out a patent on it, "What in God's name is Princess Elizabeth holding!?" (I bet you didn't know that questions could be patented. Now you do! )
Seriously, I have wondered about that object since I first purchased a copy of the stamp years and years ago. I even asked the Queen if she knew. I had been an official photographer for the Royal Visit to Prince George, BC, in 1994. I made an enlargement of this photo...
and sent it to her, along with a letter asking if she knew what she had been holding in the portrait used for the stamp. I doubt that the Queen ever saw the photograph or the letter, but I did get a nice reply from the the Assistant to the Keeper of the Royal Philatelic Collection, who said that he would make enquiries about the stamp. That was the last I heard about it. Since then, I've thought about some serious research on the subject, but, well, I haven't! Perhaps someone in Stamporama would be interested in pursuing the answer.
I've looked at the stamp in detail, and my best guess is that Princess Elizabeth is holding her favourite zucchini squash.
A Service Dog gives a person with a disability independence. Never approach, distract or pet a working dog, especially when (s)he is in harness. Never be afraid to ask questions to the handler (parent). 04 Jun 2015 11:14:51pm
re: The Most Beautiful Stamp In The World!
I'm still amazed that this thread is still growing 13 years after I posted the question
And my response remains the same - I think I originally posted my copy of Nova Scotia 1 pence Queen Victoria that Perry posted but since it's no longer on the board here, I'll have to scan it again and put my copy up. Although you guys also know I'm rather partial to the Nova Scotia shilling stamp - the holy grail of any Nova Scotia collection
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"Let's find a cure for Still's Disease, Breast Cancer and Canine Addison's Disease. We CAN find a cure and save lives!!"
To me the most beautiful stamp in the world is a stamp that is not intricately engraved or full of minute details. Some may even say it is a mundane stamp but for me it is very special.
1. it is an ambiguous design. Officially called "flying dove" I cannot help but see an angry bat in it as well.
2. It is a nice example of Jugendstil / Art Deco design by a remarkable designer called Chris Lebeau, who also made beautiful vases, stained glass windows etc.
3. this is one of the first stamps from my collection. I remember finding envelopes with this stamps at my grandparents' attic when I was about 8 or 9 years old and had just started collecting stamps. Together with my grandfather I soaked them off and it did not matter there were fifty of them. They were in my collection and I was proud to have them.
Much later I found out about the designer who was a very intriguing guy. He was an anarchist and refused to design stamps with the queen on them. He was also responsible for the famous dove before star of david stamp that created a diplomatic row with Hitler's third Reich. The flying dove stamps were used during the war to replace the existing definitives with the queen, which was ironic given the designer's anti-German position. In 1943 he was arrested for helping Jewish people hide and he tragically died just one month before the end of the war in Dachau.
@Tim, I found the portrait the Newfoundland Elizabeth stamp is based on. I showed it to a couple friends without mentioning my own opinion, and we all agree about what it looks like she's holding, though we do think it could just be pareidolia. I won't share what we think until you've looked for yourself.
They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin 05 Jun 2015 07:54:25am
re: The Most Beautiful Stamp In The World!
Looks like an out-of-focus animal of sorts. Maybe a dog or cat? Perhaps an animal of the stuffed variety?
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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. -Edmund Burke"
They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin 05 Jun 2015 08:40:13am
re: The Most Beautiful Stamp In The World!
OK. So who (or what) is Pookie? and Charlotte? A little clarity please for us poor colonials without a clue. (still looks like a dog to me)
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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. -Edmund Burke"
According to the research of
Thomas F. Nemec, Ph.D. (Professor Thomas F. Nemec, Ph.d served as secretary of the St. John's Philatelic Society for twelve years)
From a photograph of “H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth of York†at age six years (later Queen Elizabeth II), holding a teddy bear. This was the first likeness of the Princess on any postage stamp. Robson Lowe, the philatelist, says “this was for some years one of the most popular stamps in the worldâ€
I saw that note, but believe it to be incorrect. I'm still waiting for Tim and don't want to influence his guess, but when I first saw it I thought of a specific kind of thing. When I asked others what they saw, without mentioning what I thought it was, they all said the same thing. There is a big clue showing from between her fingers. Subsequently, I found another contemporary picture of HRH with one of these things and it was very clearly one of these things, and the thing in the second picture was named Charlotte. The two photographs were taken by the same photographer, though that may not mean much since he was the royal photographer and probably took every early picture of her.
Just a note about that 1s Nova Scotia stamp. Did you kow there is a watermark variety listed in Scott (6i) that is even rarer than the stamp itself? I believe the watermark says T. H. Saunders
I still say the US Revenue Persian Rugs (Ross provided an example a few years ago) are the best multicolor engraved stamps. For monochromatic engraved stamps, the Bluenose and the Trans-Mississippi issues are good. As far a best modern in US stamps, I will go with the Exploring Space press sheet.
Lars
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"Expanding your knowledge faster than your collection can save you a few bucks."
Member ACCC (Australian Commonwealth Collectors Club of NSW) 08 Jun 2015 06:18:22am
re: The Most Beautiful Stamp In The World!
I have many stamps that I consider beautiful, but the one stamp that comes to mind of being beautiful is the young head of Queen Victoria on the Penny Black of 1840; here is one of 2 I have in my collection.
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"Specialised Collector of Australian Pre-Decimal & Decimal Stamps"
Apologies if you know this already, but just in case, here is the lowdown on the 'SOE forgery' referred to above. It is a quotation from the source mentioned at the end.
22. The Dutch ‘Seagull’ Forgery
The British also counterfeited the stamps of the occupied Netherlands. I first wrote about this operation in ‘Those Doughty Dutch Decoys,’ The American Philatelist, October 1970.
The British forgery of the Netherlands 1935 1½ cent slate ‘seagull’ stamp was produced in sheets of 20 (5x4). The round head and point eye of the seagull (really a carrier pigeon) and the short height of the letters are similar to those in the redesigned series of 1941 (Mi.380-391), which does not contain a 1½ cent item.
The time of production of this forgery is not definitely known, but is surely between April and November 1941: the redesigned series of Dutch stamps did not come into existence until April, and the quality of the work is too poor to attribute it to PWE’s Ellic Howe, who began his work in November. The most probable originator is Section D. A.J. Pekelharing, whose article ‘British ‘propaganda’ forgery of World War II - The 1½ cent ‘Lebeau’’, is translated in The Cinderella Philatelist, October 1986, page 78, speculates that the British assumed that the 1½ cent would also be reissued in the new design, and mistakenly adopted the new design.
from Herbert A. Friedman, Propaganda and Espionage Philately - an extended article available in its entirety on the inter,s entirety on the internet at www.psywar.co.uk/stamps
Thank you Guthrum for explaining the SOE forgery to those who did not know about it. A few remarks though:
the bird on the design is a dove and is known as such ("vliegende duif" = flying dove) in the Netherlands. Michel also calls it a dove, but in the American philatelic world they call it a seagull. Probably the confusion is caused by the fact that Lebeau made a series of airmail stamps in 1921 that did show seagulls. At some point this ended up in the Scott catalogue and ever since then this error is repeated.
Some have suggested that the forgery was intentionally wrong and poorly made because of the socalled "Englandspiel", a controversial and complex game of deception at which the English secret service used the amateurish Dutch intelligence service to feed the Germans false information. An operation that meant many Dutch spies were purposely handed over to German Gestapo / SD and executed when their usefulness ended. Part of that plan was that the "spies" were ill-prepared and given things that would easily give them away once they were dropped in occupied territory. For instance, they had silver dimes with them, that had been withdrawn and replaced with zinc coins. The same might be the case with stamps. The 1 1/2 cents grey was out of print in 1941, and were never issued in sheetlets of 5 x 4, so anyone carrying such stamps would have drawn some attention...
Hmmm...I don't know. Could it have something to do with St Stephen maybe?
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stampmanjack APS Life Member 01 Aug 2015 02:12:55am
re: The Most Beautiful Stamp In The World!
The most beautiful stamp in the world is the last one I added to my collection and therefore changes daily and even , on occasion, every minute or so.
Jack