Olympics

 

1924: Olympic Games (Design - E Becker; Engraver - E Dausay)

I think this is the oldest Olympic Games stamp I possess, issued for the 1924 games in Paris. The stamp shows Notre Dame and Pont Neuf in the background.  I'm guessing the woman is Marianne holding a statue of winged victory.  Paris will host the Olympics for the third time in 2024.

1953: Sports ( Design - Andre Jacquemin; Engraver - Charles-Paul Dufreone)

 

 

I always start off watching the swimming but soon get bored but I do like swimming stamps. The link with the previous stamp is Johnny Weissmuller won 3 swimming gold medals and a bronze for water polo in 1924 but went on to be more famous as Tarzan. He was at his best when the plot demanded he jump in the water and swim.

1960: Winter Olympics (Design - J Vertel)

The era of the winter and spring games being held in the same year. 1960 saw them in snowy Squaw Valley, USA.

1960: Summer Olympics (Design - Sandor Legrady; Engraver - Janos Zsigmond)

Hungary went classical with the Summer Games in Rome.

The stamp designer Sandor Legrady (1906-1987) worked for the Hungarian Post for 50 years, he liked the theatrical and historic

so the symbol of the Eternal City also appeared in this set of stamps.

Sunday Stamps II theme this week is - Sports - run over to See It On A Postcard
   
 

Scandinavian Kings

 

2017: 450th Anniversary - City of Fredrikstad (Design Magnus Rakeng)

 

The statue of Frederik II of Denmark and Norway (1534-1588) stands in the city he founded - Fredrikstad.

2017: Maximum Card 1 of 1. (Card Illustration - Annikan Riiser)

I  acquired this Maxi Card when buying something else and at first sight had an irresistible urge to add to my basket. So we have the city of Fredrikstad personified and named after Frederik II'  Like father like son

2000: Oslo 1000 Years

Christian IV of Denmark and Norway (1577-1648) rebuilt the town of Oslo after a fire and renamed it Christiana. He came to the throne aged only 11 and is considered a renaissance king who brought prosperity to his nations.  The statue was erected in 1888 and the city reclaimed its name of Oslo in 1925.

Lastly is a king that lives on through the sagas. This is King Olaf II or Olaf Haralsson, King of Norway (the Faroe Islands were part of the Kingdom of Norway at this time).

1995: St Olaf (Design and Engraver - Martin Morck)

King Olaf died at the battle of Stiklestad in 1030.  He was later canonised and became St Olaf and is the patron saint of Norway.  The Faroe Islands National Day of 29th July is his saints day although they celebrate for 2 days, and why not it is high summer.  The stamp shows the wooden sculpture from Sund Chuch, Aland with a map of 1570. This was a joint issue between Aland and the Faroes on the Millinery of his birth. 

There are many churches today that bear his name and indeed we have one locally in the valley of Wasdale where the Vikings settled.. St Olaf is England's smallest church, near its deepest lake and its highest mountain.  There have been earlier churches on the site but the present one is though to date from the 16th Century.

St Olaf surrounded by Yew trees with the appropriately named Kirk Fell in the background.   

Sunday Stamps II theme this week is statues or monuments - See It On A Postcard.

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Air Travel

 

Time to take an imaginary trip on an Airbus A300 jet liner.  The stamp celebrates Olympic Airways 50th Anniversary. My first ever air flight was with Olympic to Corfu which I saw briefly out of the taxi window as we travelled to the ferry and on to the mainland. Another taxi for a hair-raising trip at high speed round hairpin bends by sea cliffs while our driver scrabbled around on the car floor for the little ball that kept falling off the end of his gear lever. The car I think can best be described in sales parlance as a 'good little runner'.

1982: Anniversaries and Events - 25th Anniversary of Olympic Airways

The cover is flimsy airmail paper, hence that crinkly appearance, and inside there is an attractive sheet with Olympic Airways milestone and the datelines of its growth, ending with the year 1982 when they are were now "flying to 27 destinations in Greece, 28 cities abroad and represented in 65 countries".

1989: 50th Anniversary of Guernsey Airport

Another anniversary but this time of Guernsey Airport

I haven't been on an aircraft for years but I would make an exception if I had the opportunity of flying on a sea plane, here a Supermarine Southampton II flying boat.  Of course most importantly next is a Mail Van and  Guernsey Airways De Havilland Dragon Express.

Take off for the Short S.25 Sunderland Mk 5 flying boat and a BEA De Havilland Rapide

An Avro Shackleton MR3 and the short haul Air UK British Aerospace BAe 146 by the control tower.

1958: Airmail

Coming into land or taking off over a city is always fascinating so I'll finish with a view of Budapest and the chain bridge on one of their airmail (legiposta) stamps.

Sunday Stamps II theme this week is - Air Travel - journey to a safe landing at See It On A Postcard

Happy Easter

 

2021: Lets Take Care (Design - Riku Ounaslehto)

I thought this was an Easter stamp  I received from Eeva but it was actually issued for Friendship Day and of course the bunny can combine both greetings.  The theme of the set was various animals caring for each other and the planet. The whole lovely set can be seen here.

1990: Definitive - Provincial Plants and flowers ( Design P Huovinen)

Spring brings the beautiful little wood anemone carpeting the woodland floor.

2016: SEPAC - Seasons (Photo - Chris George; Design - Bridget Yabsley)

and then the more spectacular bluebell zinging its colour and heady scent.  Apparently half of the world's bluebells are found in the UK.  What a treasure.

2009: Shepherd - Stained Glass Window

 Sunday Stamps II theme - Easter, flowers, Spring - enjoy at See It On A Postcard