Royal mail issues stamps on Crown Jewels….

 

Date of Issue : 23 August 2011

Royal Mail is celebrating some of the world’s most beautiful artifacts in a spectacular collection of eight stamps featuring the Crown Jewels, the regalia of the British monarchy.New stamp set issued on August 23,  features some of the most important and iconic pieces from the priceless collection.

This year marks the 350th anniversary of the making of many of the items shown, for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661 shortly after the Restoration of the monarchy. Their predecessors had been melted down, and their jewels sold off, during the Commonwealth period under the direction of Oliver Cromwell.

The Restoration of the Monarchy Coin Cover

It features a Restoration of the Monarchy £5 crown from 2010 and all eight Crown Jewels stamps. Inside the insert card tells the story of the restoration of King Charles II. Jointly issued by Royal Mail and the Royal Mint.

Over the years the Crown Jewels have been augmented and remodelled for various monarchs and royal occasions, but they remain housed in the Tower of London, as they were when the initial collection was established in 1303.Stephen Agar of Royal Mail said: ‘The Crown Jewels contain some of the world’s most famous and dazzling diamonds. We wanted to produce stamps which showcase just how stunning this collection is.’

1st Class – The Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross

Originally fashioned in 1661 and so called because it is surmounted by a cross. In 1905, it was redesigned to incorporate the Great Star of Africa, the second largest cut diamond in the world. During the coronation, the monarch bears the Sceptre with Cross in the right hand.

1st Class – St Edward’s Crown

The Crown originally made in 1661 has 444 precious stones and is the one with which monarchs are crowned when they ascend the throne. It is reputed to have been made with gold recovered from the crown of Alfred the Great.

68p – Rod and Sceptre with Doves

The Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove was made in 1661. The Dove symbolises the Holy Ghost. During the coronation, the monarch bears this sceptre in the left hand. The smaller rod, where the dove’s wings are closed, is used by the consort.

68p – Queen Mary’s Crown

Queen Mary’s Crown was the consort crown of Mary of Teck, Queen Consort of King George V. It was manufactured for the coronation of George and Mary in 1911. Since Queen Mary’s death on 24 March 1953, her crown has remained unworn.

76p – The Sovereign’s Orb

The Orb was created for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661. It is a hollow gold sphere weighing 42 ounces. The Orb is a religious symbol; it represents the Monarch's role as Defender of the Faith and as Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

76p – Jewelled Sword of Offering

The Jewelled Sword of Offering was made for the Coronation of King George IV. It is the only sword actually presented to the Sovereign during the Coronation (by the Archbishop of Canterbury, to signify that the royal power is at the service of the church).

£1.10 – Imperial State Crown

The Imperial State Crown was made in 1937 for King George VI. Among the stones are several famous ones, including the Black Prince’s Ruby and the Cullinan II diamond, also known as the Lesser Star of Africa. The crown is worn after the conclusion of the coronation ceremony when the monarch leaves Westminster Abbey and at the annual State Opening of Parliament.

£1.10 – Coronation Spoon

Dating from the 12th century the spoon was the only part of the medieval regalia to escape destruction by Cromwell. At the coronation ceremony it is used to anoint the sovereign with holy oil.

 

Club News

India  Post will release a commemorative stamp today in Pt Santanam's memory.

Press Clippings

Govt to honour man who bared truth of Jallianwala massacre
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 23
Little is known of Pandit K. Santanam, the man who first bared the horrors of Jallianwala Bagh massacre to the world and who, despite being a conservative Iyengar from Tamil Nadu, left his native place and made Lahore his permanent home. This August 25, the Department of Posts will release a commemorative stamp in Santanam’s memory, 62 years after he passed away.

Much of the man’s contribution was made to Punjab, which he toured in the aftermath of the Jallianwala tragedy to reveal the truth. The government-appointed Hunter’s Committee had buried the facts which resulted in the Indian National Congress appointing its own committee to probe the tragedy.

Santanam, as secretary of this committee which comprised Mahatma Gandhi among others, helped compile a two-volume report on the massacre after recording the evidence of 1,700 survivors in times when the British had clamped martial law in the region, and blacked it out from the world.

“The volume came in 1920 and remains, to date, the most authentic record of the massacre. My father had a special love for Punjab, especially Lahore, where he lived until the Partition. Unfortunately, we were unable to carry back documents that contained references to him. All we had for record were the references to him contained in the works of Gandhiji and Nehruji. I am glad his work is being finally recognised,” Madhuri Sondhi, the lone surviving daughter out of the four that Santanam had, told The Tribune today.

She recalled the association her father had with The Tribune and how his house briefly hosted the newspaper during its clandestine publication from Lahore. The Tribune for its part elaborately covered the unusual inter-caste marriage Santanam, a Brahmin from Kumbakonam, had with Krishna, daughter of Arya Samaj leader Pandit Atma Ram Vedi, in 1916. “It was an unusual wedding for those days,” recalls Madhuri, widow of eminent parliamentarian and IFS topper, the late M L Sondhi.

She added that the Jallianwala tragedy was not just about April 13, 1919; it was equally about the brutal reign of terror the British unleashed after the massacre in their attempt to thwart legitimate protests.

“It was then that the British embroiled top leaders for waging a war against the government. My father represented them, being a barrister with the Lahore High Court,” she says.

Santanam was defence counsel in what came to be called as the Lahore Leaders Case. To seek its transfer out of Lahore and ensure an impartial probe, he undertook a dramatic journey to summer capital Simla, just to inform the Indian member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council of the goings-on in Punjab and the horrors of Martial Law.

“He hid under a bunk in a railway carriage where an Englishman had seated himself. He could not get the case transferred but he did bring the facts before the rest of India which didn’t have a clue to what was happening in Punjab post Jallianwala,” Madhuri says.

Also treasurer of the association set up for the defence of Bhagat Singh, Santanam, in 1924, became Managing Director of Lakshmi Insurance Company, which was later called the LIC of India. “That was at the behest of Lala Lajpat Rai, his close friend,” his daughter recalls. The man’s last assignment was as member of the advisory committee to the Ministry of Relief and Rehabilitation which rehabilitated the Partition victims.

: Vipan Kumar Thakur, Chandigarh

 

My Covers

Cover from Greece

Spyros, Crete Chania

Thanks Spyros for your letter and this beautiful card. Difficult to find Maxim Card on your theme but can send you cover. Would you like to receive it.  Please  email me !!

International Homeless Animals' Day

August 20,  marks the  International Homeless Animals Day. It is an effort to raise awareness about the extreme overpopulation affecting animal shelters, The International Society for Animal Rights (ISAR) will hold events and candlelight vigils across the world in honor of those animals that have lost their lives due to overpopulation.

            

 

In 1992, ISAR introduced International Homeless Animals’ Day as an innovative educational vehicle with a purpose of informing society of the global tragedy that overwhelms animal shelters each year – pet overpopulation. Since the conception of International Homeless Animals’ Day, ISAR has reserved the third Saturday of August, commemorating the Day annually, to promote new campaigns, programs, and ideas on the solution to the pet overpopulation epidemic: spay/neuter.

Every year more than 4.5 million dogs and cats die in local animal shelters due to a lack of space. For the past 19 years,  ISAR has promoted new ideas and efforts to maintain the pet population with spay and neuter programs.

Event Schedule for International Homeless Animals' Day: August 20, 2011

Last year, the U.S. Postal Service released this pane of 10 special stamps entitled "Animal Rescue: Adopt A Shelter Pet". The stamps received a boost from talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, a well-known advocate for pet adoption - and Halo, a pet food company she co-owns. After introducing the stamps on the Ellen DeGeneres Show last March, USPS and Halo launched a "Stamps to the Rescue" campaign. Halo set a goal of feeding 1 million shelter dogs and cats by the end of 2010 - and delivered on its promise. Halo has donated food to more than 100 shelters throughout the United States.

The stamps feature photographs of five cats and five dogs taken by veteran stamp photographer Sally Andersen-Bruce. All ten animals were adopted from a shelter in New Milford, CT.

 

This special stamp issue seeks to raise awareness of responsible dog ownership and support the dedicated work of organisations re-homing lost and abandoned dogs. The stamps were  issued by Australia Post  in 2010 .

The UK  released a series of stamps celebrating the 150th anniversary of animal rescue organization Battersea Dogs and Cats Home.  The postage feature seven dogs and three cats who used to reside in the home, but who now are living it up in their new forever homes. 

Love and Care for animals

These stamps were issued by Australia Post in  October 2010 to draw attention to the importance of Australian wildlife carers and their ability to return animals to their native habitat after injury or illness.

New Stamps on Birds…

 

Date of Issue : 7 September 2011

On 7 September 2011, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) will issue a set of 12 stamps depicting endangered species. These will be the nineteenth set of stamps in UNPA’s multi-year series Endangered Species.

Date of  issue : 16 September 2011

Royal Mail highlights the diverse birdlife to be found around the UK’s coastline for the fourth and final issue of its Birds of Britain Post & Go pictorial stamps.

To be issued on 16 September, this issue of Birds of Britain features six birds active around the UK coastline, from the diminutive puffin and ringed plover, to larger seabirds like the gannet and cormorant.

Birds on other recent  wildlife stamp sets

 

Souvenir sheet showing a Wandering Albatross in flight

South Georgia - Frozen Planet Stamp Issue

This spectacular South Georgia stamp issue, Frozen Planet, released ahead of the BBC's Frozen Planet TV series, is due for release on 15th September 2011.

The theme of these stamps, like the series they represent, is the extreme seasonality that occurs in the Polar Regions.

Produced by the BBC's Natural History Unit, Frozen Planet is the most ambitious series on the Polar Regions ever undertaken.

60p - Southern Elephant Seals
70p - Wandering Albatross
95p - Blonde Fur Seal Pup
£1.15p - King Penguin

£2.50p - souvenir sheet showing a Wandering Albatross in flight against the South Georgia backdrop

Frozen Planet broadcasts on BBC One in autumn 2011. The series is presented by Sir David Attenborough, who himself first visited South Georgia in 1982 while filming for the television series, Living Planet.

Biodiversity featured on new Irish stamps

An Post's, latest definitive stamp series features eight species found on this island and its surrounding waters. The series attempts to raise public awareness of the importance of conserving and cherishing biodiversity. Biodiversity is defined as the variety of life and natural processes on Earth. The latest issue is the second phase of An Post's Biodiversity series.

The species featured on these stamps are: the Beadlet Anemone, the Squat Lobster, the Cuckoo Wrasse, the Common Frog, the Green Huntsman, the Elephant Hawk-moth, the Goldfinch and the Red Deer.

 

Last 2012 Olympic set from Royal Mail…..

 

Royal Mail  will issue last Olympic set of 10 stamps on July 27 featuring   different  sports. This  series of stamps is very popular with lovers of Sports philately all over the world.

 

Club News

 

Rabindranath Tagore immortalized in philatelics and  embroidery

By   Sankalita Shome/ Special to Daily News Egypt
July 12, 2011, 4:59 pm

Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian Nobel Laureate in Literature, is no stranger to Egypt; he was great friends with renowned Egyptian poet Ahmed Shawqi and the words that he penned for Egypt seem almost prophetic in the aftermath of the January 25 Revolution.

He said of Egypt that it is “the land where the head is (now) held high and the mind is (now) without fear.”

The Maulana Azad Cultural Center in Cairo is organizing year-long celebrations to commemorate Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary. As part of these celebrations, two exhibitions have made it to the shores of Egypt; the first is “A Philatelic Exhibition on Tagore” and the second is an exhibition of kantha embroidered panels.

The word philately refers to the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. “A person graduates from being a mere collector of stamps into a philatelist when he delves into the postal history relating to the stamps; it is then that stamp collection morphs into a science,” Sekhar Chakrabarti, curator for the philatelic exhibition, told Daily News Egypt.

Tagore’s famous play “Dak Ghar” portrayed the post office as a symbolic messenger of hope and deliverance. The exhibition, which consists of 20 panels of commemorative stamps and other rare philatelic objects, thus seems an apt tribute to the Nobel Laureate, who was a poet, novelist, musician and painter.

Chakrabarti has a simple explanation for his interest in Tagore: “I am a Bengali and anyone who is a Bengali cannot but be inspired by him,” he said. But Tagore’s fame extended beyond the shores of India.

Tagore was a native of Bengal, which in his day was composed of both the Indian state of West Bengal as well as the modern independent nation-state of Bangladesh. Tagore was the first non-European to be awarded the Noble Prize for Literature in 1913 and was an avid traveller, having visited 30 countries on five continents during this lifetime; spurred by his curiosity to know more about the cultures and the people of the world.

The postal departments of around 20 countries have issued stamps on him and the first to bestow this honor was the erstwhile USSR, in 1961, on the occasion of Tagore’s birth centenary. Brazil, Romania, Vietnam, Bulgaria and others followed suit, with the latest addition being the one issued by Uruguay, earlier this year, to celebrate the Bengali Bard’s 150th birth anniversary.
Some of the items on display are more than a century old and belong to private collectors in India. The postal departments all over the world may be losing their functional relevance with the arrival of the electronic mail but their commemorative stamps are an important part of the history of a country.

During India’s freedom struggle against the British colonial authority, many items of patriotic postal stationery were printed and featured Tagore, who was an iconic figure in the Nationalist Movement. On display is a postcard from the year 1905 that was in circulation during the partition of the state of Bengal by the British and a symbol of the resistance and boycott of the partition by the nationalists.

The Indian Postal Department released the first stamp on Tagore in 1952, as part of a set of six stamps on leading poets and saints of India. These stamps were the first to be printed, using the photogravure technology in place of the lithographic one. Among other noteworthy exhibits is the stamp designed by Satyajit Ray, India’s most celebrated filmmaker, the design of which is based on a photograph taken during Tagore’s visit to Milan in 1926.

At the age of 60, Tagore took up painting, inspired by the beauty of a nude image he saw at an exhibition in Paris. One of the many meticulously labelled exhibits by Chakrabarti gives an insight into this aspect of Tagore’s personality and includes the display of a Rupee one denomination stamp, issued by the Postal Department of India in the year 1978, featuring an oval pensive face painted by Tagore.

An enduring art from Bengal, to which Tagore belongs, is the embroidery work known as kantha, characterized by running stitch motifs. From its humble beginnings, when the women in Bengal used old saris and cloth and layered them with kantha stitch to make quilts, it is now blazing a fashion trail, both in India and elsewhere.

The other part of the exhibition at the El Bab gallery in the Cairo Opera House complex showcases a number of panels done in kantha embroidery, telling tales from Tagore’s works and life. A total of 13 panels illustrate Tagore’s short stories, songs, poems and dance dramas and have been conceptualized by Shamlu Dudeja who has worked for over 25 years for the revival of kantha work.

A personal favorite is one that depicts the story of Kabuliwala, a poignant tale by Tagore that has also been immortalized on celluloid. It is the story of a fruit seller, Rahmet, from Afghanistan who visits Calcutta, the capital of Bengal, to sell his wares and befriends a small girl, Minnie, who reminds him of his own daughter back in Afghanistan.

The rural women, who worked on these panels, have used their imagination to conceive important scenes from the story and have painstakingly stitched them, using interesting color palettes.

The philatelic exhibition may showcase a personality who belonged to the last century and the kantha embroidered panels may depict stories, poems and plays that were written almost a century ago; but the man and his stories are relevant even today — 150 years after his birth, the legend of Tagore lives on.
The exhibition runs until July 17 at El-Bab, Cairo Opera House Complex.

Daily News Egypt 

India Post inaugurates  National Philatelic Museum

New Delhi, July 11 (IANS) The Department of Posts (DoP) Monday inaugurated the National Philatelic Museum which will exhibit rare postage stamps from across the world and also provide a platform to philatelists to exhibit their collections.

‘The museum will provide enhanced and interactive platform for promoting philately and will stimulate interest for stamp collection among children,’ Radhika Doraiswamy, secretary Department of Posts, told reporters here.

The museum will be open Mondays to Fridays — it will also be open on Saturdays for school groups on request. It will have an entry fee but the amount has yet not been decided. ‘There will be a nominal entry fee,’ said Doraiswamy.

The museum has bays dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi and the prime ministers of India, along with freedom fighters. It also has stamps on several themes such as science and technology, transport and wildlife.

There are stamps from abroad, and displays from the Army Postal Service and India Security Press, Nashik.

The museum also has an amphitheatre for talk shows and presentations along with a reference library. In the artists corner, the department has showcased the actual designing of a stamp and also plans to invite artists from time to time to give live demonstrations.

Centenary of First UK Airmail to be celebrated by Royal Mail…

 

To be issued on 9 September 2011

 

Royal Mail is issuing a miniature stamp sheet and prestige stamp book on 9 September 2011, as a tribute to the pioneering aviators who made philatelic history through the UK’s first aerial post service a century ago.

Gustav Hamel’s 15-minute flight from Hendon Aerodrome to Windsor Castle on 9 September 1911 was part of the celebrations of the coronation of King George V.  It was the first of 16 aerial post flights carrying commemorative postage to mark the coronation.  The flights took place until 26 September 1911 and are recognised as the world’s first scheduled airmail service.

Now exactly 100 years on, Royal Mail marks the event with a miniature sheet, featuring a border that replicates the design of an original publicity poster for the inaugural flight.  The four-pane prestige stamp book written by Peter Lister, President of the British Air Mail Society includes a pane comprising four 50p Windsor Castle stamps, re-issued from the 2005 set of high-value definitives stamps printed by intaglio.

The Aerial Post Miniature Sheet tells the story of this historic flight; featuring original photography of key events from the day; from Hamel receiving the first mail bag (1^st Class), sitting in the cockpit of his Blériot XI monoplane at Hendon Aerodrome (68p), and his arrival in the grounds of Windsor Castle (£1.10). The fourth £1 stamp features Clement Greswell, another of the pilots who helped deliver the UK’s first aerial post.

 

Stamps on Orchids from Thailand and Jersey…

 Date of Issue : 2 June 2011

Hi ! In today’s Post, some lovely orchids, featured recently on stamps. “Orchids on Stamps” are very popular with collectors all over the world.The reason is “The orchids are so beautiful to see”. Here are the new stamps issued by Thailand Post and Jersey Post featuring different varieties of orchids . The stamps are wonderful and sure to be liked by all lovers of flowers and thematic collectors.

In the second part of this Post, I am pleased to share a Press Clipping from Times of India that has given a coverage to Rainbow Stamp News. I thank all my readers and contributors who made it popular worldwide !! This is all for Today….Till next Post…Have a Great Time !!

Orchids on Jersey Stamps

Date of Issue : 17 May 2011

The orchids which feature on the six stamps are: Paphiopedilum La Garenne (Saint John), Odontioda Les Brayes (Pontac), Phragmipedium Don Wimber Kriegerara Kemp Tower (Trinity), Angulocaste Noirmont (Isle of Jersey), Calanthe Beresford (Victoria Village) and Miltonia Point des Pas (Jersey).The stamps in the set range in price from 37p for the Paphiopedilum La Garenne to £3 for the Miltonia Point des Pas with a miniature sheet.

Orchids

There are many interesting facts about these popular plants. Orchids are differentiated not only by their flowers but also from the leaves and roots. Grammatophyllum speciosum is the largest and Bulbophyllum globuliforme is the smallest orchid plant in the world.

Orchids are preferably grown on slopes to let the excess amount of water to flow off. This provides the orchids with the favourable conditions to grow in. Instead of just by ‘hybriding’ using the advanced technology, orchids can be resulted from the pollination by bees or butterflies too. Some orchid hybrids are extremely beautiful, while there are also many species with flowers which are unusual, bizarre or downright ugly.

Do you know ?

The vanilla flavouring comes from the pods of a leafy climbing orchid named Vanilla Planifolia.

Though orchids sometimes grow on trees/other plants, they are not parasites. They only use the trees for support. They do not take nutrients from them. Orchids are found on every continent except Antarctica and found in almost every color except black. Orchid leaves are thick and fleshy, giving them the impression that they can withstand drought well like cacti.

Club News

Press Clippings..

Coverage of Rainbow Stamp News by Times of India

News from UK…..

WW2 code breaking Tunny machine commemorative stamp and cover issued…

6 June 2011

To mark the opening of the new Tunny Gallery at The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park Post Office issued a commemorative cover and ‘Smiler’. The cover features 1940s photographs of the original Tunny machines, a map of World War II German “Fish” communications network, a Lorenz SZ42 encipher machine and explanatory text.

The Tunny machine was vital in World War II code breaking and was a British re-engineering of the Lorenz SZ42 cipher machine used in radio teleprinter communications amongst German High Command. It produced the final decrypts and provided key intelligence for D-day, Kursk and in ousting the Axis forces from Italy and France. The rebuilt Tunny machine is now on display in the museum and features on the ‘Smiler’.

The cover bears a Bletchley Park Post Office CDS for 26 May when the new Tunny Gallery opened in the presence of four surviving veterans associated with the Tunny machine. Amongst them was Gil Hayward who helped build the first Tunny machine. Each veteran was presented with a limited edition cover.

The National Museum of Computing commissioned the limited edition of 250 covers as a tribute to the war-time code breakers. The issue price is £12.50 each.

The 20 stamp ‘Smilers’ featuring the rebuilt Tunny machine are a limited edition of 50 at £40 each. The issue will contribute to the Museum’s fund raising drive

The stamps and covers are available, while stocks last, from The National Museum of Computing or Bletchley Park Post Office. They can be viewed at www.bletchleycovers.com.

- Terry Mitchell, UK

Final set of London 2012 by Royal Mail..

 

To be issued on 27 July 2011

Royal Mail’s largest stamp commission since the Millennium series will be completed on 27 July 2011, with the launch of the final set of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games stamps – issued exactly one year before the opening ceremony.

To mark the countdown to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and its role as an official licensee of the Games, Royal Mail commissioned 30 UK artists and image makers to take part in this three-year project. The 30 stamps created to mark the 30^th Olympiad and London 2012 Paralympic Games each champion an Olympic or Paralympic sport. They have been issued in three sets of ten stamps to mark the annual countdown in July 2009, 2010 and finally 2011.

The third and final set in this exciting series, subtitled ‘Get Ready for 2012’, contains a new set of ten dynamic sporting images printed in two sheets, each bearing se-tenant strips of five 1^st Class stamps. These include established Olympic sports such as fencing, handball and wrestling, and more recent additions including sailing, triathlon and wheelchair rugby.All stamps in the series feature either the London 2012 Olympic Games or Paralympic Games logo.

Second Set issued in 2010

First Set issued in 2009