The Treasures of Hungarian Museums…

 

Date of Issue : 18 May 2011 

The Magyar Posta issued a set of two stamps on 18 May 2011 featuring famous items from famous Hungarian Museums.

The Rákóczi Museum operates as an affiliate of the Hungarian National Museum in Sárospatak. The castle of the Rákóczi family is today the most significant Rákóczi-linked location in Hungary, more than one hundred thousand people visit it every year. The permanent exhibition of the "golden age of the Rákóczi family" is the most detailed and the richest collection in the subject with regards to artefacts. Among the permanent exhibitions it is important to mention the exhibition on grape growing and wine making.

The  objects and motifs of the Rákóczi Museum in Sárospatak appear on the HUF 280 stamp, from left to right: a stove tile made by the Haban potters settled in town quarter known as Héce by György Rákóczi I (17^th c.); the building of the Rákóczi castle: the inner castle courtyard with the red Tower (16^th c.) and the Lorántffy lodge; Head of the angel from the north gate of the Old Palace (16^th c.); a product from the glassworks established by Ferenc Rákóczi II, a thread-decorated glass jug (19^th c.); a shark-decorated glass with the coat of arms of the Mikes family (1682) and also from the glassworks established by Ferenc Rákóczi II a glassworks glass (18^th c.)

The Hungarian Chemistry Museum was established in 1963 by the Ministry of Heavy Industry with the purpose of collecting the Hungarian memories of the chemical industry and the science of chemistry, to keep them safe and make them accessible for the generations to come. It has been in operation in the Thury castle since 1969. Since being established it has retained its curiosity and operates as Central Europe's only independent museum of chemistry.

The order of the motifs forming the stamp image of the Várpalota Museum of Chemistry on the HUF 385 stamp are, from left to right: the certificate of Lajos Ilosvay (1851-1936) a prominent figure in Hungarian education in chemistry and medicine; the museum building, Thury castle; János Bánffy-Hunyady (1578-1646) Hungarian alchemist living in London; pharmacy vessels from the end of the 19^th and beginning of the 20^th centuries and a mercury air pump from the bequest of Károly Than.

News from our Readers..

Special Covers from Andhra Pradesh

a special cover was released by Numismatic and Philatelic Society of East Godvari, Andhra Pradesh with the famous Annavaram Temple with the cancellation of the Temple Structure. This was released on the occasion of the East Godavari Numismatic and Philatelic Exhibition held in 2009.

 

Date of Issue : 26 June 2011

Annavaram village is situated on the banks of the Pampa River in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh in India.Annavaram is located at a distance of 125 KM from Visakhapatnam and 80 KM from Rajahmundry. National Highway number 5 passes through Annavaram. The bypass road (NH - 5) goes straight and to visit the temple take right turn in the junction near the Annavaram. It takes two and half hours from Visakhapatnam and from Rajahmundry side it will take 2 hours. Separate pooja halls are available for offering special pujas.

Annavaram Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy Temple
The most distinctive feature of Annavaram is the shrine to Lord Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy on the hill top. The name of the Goddess is Ananta-lakshmi Satyavathi Ammavaru.
National Highway (NH)-5 pass via Annavaram. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) operates regular bus services from Kakinada to Tuni, Rajahmundry to Tuni, and Yele-swaram to Tuni via Annavaram. Important trains links of the South Central Railways (SCR) passing through are the Vijayawada-Vishakapatnam Ratnachal superfast express, the Chennai-Howrah Mail, Kolkata-Chennai halt at Annavaram, which is the nearest railway station about 2 miles from the temple. The temple, situated on the hill top is about four furlongs away from its base. It can be reached either by steps covered with canopy, via ghat road or trekked through a rusty stone paved trail road.

 

The popularity and importance of the temple is gaining among the pilgrims and this place is considered as second only to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. Festivals are celebrated round the year at this temple with great pomp and show. Some of the popular festivals celebrated are the Kalyanam festival in May, Devi Navaratri festival in September, the Swayamvara Vardhanti of Sraavana Suddha Ekadashi Day, Srirama Kalyana, Kanakadurga Yatra, Prabha Utsavam, Teppa Utsavam and Jalatoranam.
The serene atmosphere of the temple and its surroundings captivate devotees of Lord Veera Venkata Satya-narayana Swamy. The prasadam offered to the devotees has a wonderful taste that cannot be replicated.
Etymology of Annavaram
Anna means whatever you say or you desire and varam means boon, hence whatever you desire will be given as boon by the deity.
Ratnagiri rupaya Ramasatyadevaya Mahashakthi yantraya Bakthakalpavrukshaya

 

:  Cdr G.Sriramarao, I.N (Retd), Vishakhapatnam

2 Different Khadi Stamps

Here is a set of 2 different Khadi stamps with totally different portrait Of "Mahatma Gandhi". Left side looks normal but on Right side, the portrait is stretched vertically and the stretch is also visible on Charka.

- Er.Hemant KumarJain, Civil Lines,Mandla (M.P.)

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Fruits and Butterflies on new Hungarian Stamps…

Date of Issue : 6 May 2011

Hi ! I In this Post some nice stamps featuring fruits and Butterflies…Well this is the time of fruits…..Magyar Posta issued a set of two stamps on 6 May 2011 featuring fruits from Hungary.The HUF 145 stamp shows the domesticated apple and the HUF 310 stamp depicts the cat’s head pear. Another set features beautiful butterflies and Moths with a nice MS. Both the sets are colorful and very attractive and sure to be liked by all stamp lovers !! This is all for this evening ….Till Next Post …Have a Nice Time !!

Domesticated apple

Its origin is uncertain but it was certainly grown in the 16th century in France. In Hungary it is still grown in small gardens and vineyards on the Great Plain. It ripens in August. Its 240-300 g fruit is a flattened ball with a whitish yellow flesh and stripy skin, and there is also a single colour clone version. Its flesh is hard and highly acid with little flavour. It is favoured for its size and is widely used in cooking. The tree has a large crown with big leaves and remarkably small buds. It starts producing late but then produces well, albeit in phases. The species tolerates a va-riety of growing locations but it likes alkaline soil the least. The tree is excellent for old fashioned gardens and requires minimal care. The fruit can be kept until the end of September in a cool larder.

Cat’s head pear

Already cultivated in 1590 in the Bamberg nursery, it became known in French areas as well as West Hungary. Its fruit is large, about 9-9.5 cm in diameter. Its stem is thick and strong and does not drop easily. Hard skin and yellow flesh are typical with a reddish-brown skin on the sunny side. Its flesh is crispy and coarse but not stony. Sweet, but a little tart, it is the typical kitchen type. It used to be popular for stewed fruit and jelly. In France it was also fermented to make perry. During November and December after-ripening is finished but it can be kept until spring.

Moths and Butterflies from Hungary

Date of Issue : 6 May 2011

Insects with scale covered wings (Lepidoptera) include moths and butterflies, which are thought to be the last order to have evolved among arthropods. To date about 150,000 species of moths have been identified, and 3,500 are known to have occurred in the Carpathian Basin. Insects belonging to the Lepidoptera order are commonly described in Hungarian by a number of words, which can be summarised in English as moth and butterfly. Most of the species representing 40 moth families living in Hungary are small and fragile, but there are some which are large and fat, and they usually fly at night. The ones that are nocturnal are called moths in everyday speech. The word butterfly is mainly used for the splendid dainty species with beautiful coloration, which are on the wing during the day. All butterflies belong to one family only, which is represented by 4 species in Hungary. These, compared to their wonderful rela-tives living in the tropics, are elegant but modest in appearance.

The stamps of the set show, in order of ascending face value, on a white background Freyer’s Purple Emperor (Apatura metis), which is characteristic in the Danube’s catchment area, Esper’s Marbled White (Melanargia russiae), which used to live in our forest steppe areas but has now disappeared, Garden Tiger Moth (Arctia caja), now a less frequent visitor to our gardens, and the Willowherb Hawk-moth (Proserpinus proserpina), still quite common in wet meadows. In the border and the stamp design of the numbered block the splendid Large Copper with its original coloration is repeated in a delicate drawing, imparting a special rhythm. This butterfly occurs in marshland in Hungarian areas. Butterfly motifs are likewise repeated in the design of the first day cover and the special postmark.

: Magyar Posta

Wolfgang Beyer, Germany

David Jastrzbski, Dijon - France

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INDIPEX 2011 – News and Pics..

 

 

President of India Mrs. Pratibha Patil launching a Khadi stamp on Mahatma Gandhi at the World Philatelic Exhibition, in New Delhi on February 12, 2011. Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology Kapil Sibal, and Ministers of State Sachin Pilot and Gurudas Kamat are also seen.

President of India, Mrs. Pratibha Patil inaugurated the World Philatelic Exhibition, INDIPEX 2011, here today by releasing a special limited edition Khadi stamp on Mahatma Gandhi.

"Stamps are usually printed on paper. For the first time in history, a special Khadi stamp is being issued which is on Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of non-violence," she said.

Ms Patil noted that there had been a decline in letters by post. "While technological advancements may have provided many faster modes of communication, the intimacy of the letter and the legend of the stamp cannot be matched," she said.

Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology Kapil Sibal said that India Post is also celebrating the centenary of the world’s first official airmail flight.

On 18th February 1911, a French pilot, Henri Pequet flew a small Sommer biplane carrying 6,500 letters from Allahabad to Naini. The journey was brief and lasted just thirteen minutes. To commemorate the occasion a set of stamps on aero philately is being issued at Allahabad today. The historic flight is also being re-enacted, courtesy Indian Air Force, he added.

Referring to "My Stamp", the exciting offer at INDIPEX 2011, he said this customized and personalized stamp is being introduced by India Post for the first time. One can have photographs of oneself on a stamp sheet which can be used to send out greetings or preserved as a unique philatelic memento.

The Minister said that, to commemorate INDIPEX 2011, India Post had brought out two sets of stamps in 2010, one on Heritage Post Offices and one on old pre- Independence era stamps of Indian States. A set of six stamps on six legendary actresses of Indian cinema will also be issued during this exhibition.

Later, Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology Gurudas Kamat presented a gold plated ingot with various stamps embossed on it to the President. The other Minister of State Sachin Pilot presented the first sheet of "My Stamp" to the President.

The aim of the exhibition is to promote philately and provide a forum for interaction between philatelic stakeholders such as collectors, dealers, stamp designers and printers and postal administrations. The exhibition will showcase some of the best collections of stamps, stationery and philatelic literature from all over the world in different categories. There are 595 collectors from 70 countries who will be participating in the exhibition, apart from 28 philatelic dealers and 31 postal administrations.

Among the rare stamps on display is the most expensive Indian stamp, the "Inverted Head Four Annas" issued in 1854.

INDIPEX 2011 has been organized by India Post at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 12 to 18 February after a gap of thirteen years. It is being organized in collaboration with the Philatelic Congress of India under the auspices of the Federation Internationale de Philatelie and the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately. This is the sixth time that such an exhibition is being held in India. India first held such an exhibition in 1954 and the last one was in 1997.

: NetIndian 

The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil releasing the Khadi Stamp at the inauguration of World Philatelic Exhibition, INDIPEX 2011 in New Delhi on February 12, 2011. Also seen are the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, the Minister of States for Communications and Information Technology, Shri Gurudas Kamat and Shri Sachin Pilot.

Khadi stamp on Mahatma Gandhi huge crowdpuller at postal expo

New Delhi: A special postage stamp on Mahatma Gandhi created from khadi turned out to be the most sought-after at the World Philatelic Exhibition that began here today.

The stamp, a collector's delight priced at Rs 250 for a premium limited edition in a miniature sheet format, was a coveted item for enthusiasts who queued up to buy it at the India Post counter at Pragati Maidan the venue of Indipex 2011, that was inaugurated by President Pratibha Patil.

"India has never issued any stamp on any material other than on paper. In other countries, materials like silk, gold and diamonds have been used to make stamps. We thought to experiment with khadi and Gandhiji was a natural choice since he advocated the use of handspun khadi," said Harpreet Singh, Director, Indipex.

"We knew the stamp would generate a good response but this is overwhelming," he said when there was a brief stoppage around noon in the sale of stamps at the venue due to lack of stock. However, the sale resumed after fresh stock was brought half an hour later.

Umesh Karkari, a philatelist at the venue said, "This is a very rare stamp and I was the first to obtain a copy. Gandhi theme is the most popular for stamp collectors and I am proud to own this khadi stamp."

The stamp made out of khadi is also being sold online at the Indipex 2011 website where an individual can order upto a maximum of 10 stamps.

There was a long queue even for the online bookings during the first day of the exhibition.

An India Post official said, "We had printed one lakh special khadi stamps especially for Indipex 2011 and we think we might have to order some more units going by the huge demand."

One of the other events at the exhibition which drew crowds, especially children, was the "My Stamp" section. The initiative introduced by India Post for the first time offered visitors a chance to customise and personalise a stamp with their own photographs.

On Sunday, February 13, a set of stamps on six legendary actresses of Indian cinema, namely, Meena Kumari, Nutan, Kanan Devi, Devika Rani, Leela Naidu and Savitri will be released.

A total of 595 collectors from 70 countries are participating in the exhibition organised in collaboration with the Philatelic Congress of India under the auspices of the Federation Internationale de Philatelie and the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately.

: Sify News

Khadi Stamp

MS of  Rs100  Khadi stamp, issued today !

 

100 Years of Airmail

: Ashwani dubey from New Delhi 

Today’s Stamp

Great Personalities : Book publisher

 

Date of Issue – 4 February 2011

Centenary of the birth of Sandor Puski (4 Feb 1911 - 2 Aug 2009), a Hungarian book publisher. 

The stamp design marking the centenary shows books with a portrait of Sándor Püski on their spines. The cover of one of the books features the emblem of the Püski Publishing House and is in-scribed “Sándor Püski was born 100 years ago”. On the first day cover there is likewise a row of books, which bears the inscription “Sándor Püski 1911-2009”. The graphic design of the special postmark employs a stylised drawing of the em-blem of the Püski Publishing House.

Wonderful design to feature a Book publisher  – Great idea !!

 Club News

Stamps on Hockey

www.hockeyonstamps.com

Philatelists’ views ….

http://www.livemint.com/2011/02/11195442/Extreme-philatelia.html?h=A3

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Best EUROPA stamp of 2010…

 

 

Hi Here is the best stamp  of this year’s Europa Theme selected through an online competition. It is a lovely stamp issued by Magyar Posta. This Year’s EUROPA theme is Children’s Books. It was selected out of various stamps issued by different European Postal administrations. I received some nice covers with special date 10.10.10 from Prof VS Yalvigi, Ashwani Dubey & Mr Atul Jain. Many thanks to all of you for posting me cover on this very special date. This is all for Today…Till Next Post….Have a Nice Time !!

Best EUROPA Stamp

PostEurop has announced the winning stamp to be the entry from Magyar Posta (Hungary Post) which featured the storybook illustrations of the Hungarian Kossuth Prize winning graphic designer Karoly Reich. The designs of the stamps, the border and the first day cover captured moments from the infamous story of the little bear much loved by Hungarian readers, Vackor.

The close first-runner of the EUROPA Stamp competition went to Posta Slovenije, postal operator from Slovenia and finally, the second-runner up of the EUROPA Stamp competition went to Hrvatska posta (Croatia).

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My recent Covers with 10.10 10

 

Prof V.S. Yalvigi, Bangalore

 

Ashwani Dubey, Gorakhpur

Atul Jain. Bilaspur

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