The most UNUSUAL stamps in the world

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 04 Jun 2011 05:02

With new innovations in printing, there are many out of the ordinary, in fact, very unusual stamps which have been printed by various countries in recent times. This thread will show stamps printed on many different types of material other than paper, and others which are really unusual, such as those with different "stuff" affixed or attached to them.

The thread will now show the thousands of stamps and S/S in various shapes which have issued in recent years as there is already another thread showing these, and with so many now issued, they cannot really be classified as "unusual" any more.

First shown are examples of stamps with different types of "stuff" attached/affixed to them.

STAMPS WITH ROCK, SAND AND POWDER AFFIXED

This 2002 strip from Gibraltar has limestone affixed to it.

This 2003 S/S from Russia has real clay affixed to the tennis court (as does a larger souvenir sheet showing the same design).

This 2003 set from Thailand has clay affixed to the pottery (as does the perf and imperf souvenir sheets containing the same stamps).

This 2005 strip from Brazil has gravel affixed to the road.

This 2006 S/S from Austria has meteorite dust affixed to it.

This 2007 set from Thailand has little pieces of rock affixed to each stamp (as does a large souvenir sheet containing the same set of stamps).

This 2008 stamp from Aland has little pieces of rock attached to it.

This 2009 set of stamps from Guernsey has little pieces of granite affixed to the bottom tabs.

This 2009 set from Norway has meteorite dust inside the small capsule affixed to each stamp (as does the souvenir sheet containing both stamps).

This large 2009 S/S from France has little pieces of stone affixed to it (in the gray section)

This 2009 Portugal stamp has stone (or something similar) affixed to the file, so when rubbed, it makes a scraping sound.

This 2010 S/S from South Africa has limestone affixed to it in different places.

This 2010 strip from Russia has sand affixed to it.

This 2010 set from Iceland has volcanic ash affixed to each stamp.

This 2010 S/S from Argentina has sand and dust affixed to each stamp.

This 2010 stamp from Portugal has marble dust affixed to it (as does the S/S showing similar design)

This 2010 S/S from Croatia has some type of stone/powder affixed to the stamp at the bottom.

This 2010 S/S from Morocco has sand from the Sahara desert affixed to each stamp and the bottom of the sheet.

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 04 Jun 2011 05:04

STAMPS WITH GEMSTONES, PEARLS AND CRYSTALS ATTACHED

This 1972 gold foil stamp from Guinea may be one of the most expensive stamps ever to be printed, with two little rubies attached to it.

This 2003 booklet pane from New Caledonia has nickel affixed to the beak of each bird.

This 2004 S/S from Austria has Swarovski crystals affixed to each stamp.

This 2005 strip (taken from S/S) from United Arab Emirates has a little pearl affixed to each stamp.

These 3 x S/S (one issued by Austria, one issued by Hong Kong and then one issued jointly) have small crystals embedded in the fireworks.

This 2008 S/S from Austria has Swarovski crystals affixed.

This scarce 2009 stamp issued by Austria has a pearl affixed.

This 2010 S/S from Thailand has crystals affixed to each stamp (an imperf proof version also exists).

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 04 Jun 2011 05:05

STAMPS WITH GLITTER AFFIXED

Brazil 2006 Christmas

France 2009 S/S

Switzerland 2009 fairy

Thailand 2010 fireworks set (and S/S)

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 04 Jun 2011 05:06

STAMPS WITH FABRIC AFFIXED

2009 Australia - flock filigree work attached (to the blue stamps)

2009 Singpore S/S - embroidery work affixed

2009 Armenia New Year - felt affixed (all the green sections)

2010 Austria - embroidery work affixed

2010 Thailand - silk sections in middle attached to each stamp (these were also issued in sheetlets of 4 for each stamp, plus sheetlet containing all 4 stamps, plus imperf proof sheetlet containing all 4 stamps and also a very expensive version - sheetlet of 4 overprinted and issued for stampshow)

2010 Thailand S/S - embroidery work affixed (also issued is a proof sheet, and a sheet overprinted for stampshow - very expensive version)

2011 India S/S for Indipex - the stamp has khadi fabric attached (similar to the cloth worn by Gandhi).

2010 Argentina S/S - the tennis ball has affixed to it the same material as tennis balls are made of ! It feels like a tennis ball.

aethelwulf · Post by **aethelwulf** » 04 Jun 2011 06:26

Wow!

When the Iceland set for the Elajfkladfjkadflr (my spelling is close enough you get the idea

) volcano was issued, I had the idea of starting a collection of just such issues, stamps with 'stuff' attached. I never realized there's been so many of them (the only other one I've seen is the Thailand issue with the crystals).

There was a M/S from China that had real porcelain affixed; apparently it was some sort of limited edition issue and sells for a few hundred USD now.

Maybe I shouldn't start up such a collection, I have too many side-lines like that going already.

Would you also include 'smellling' stamps in your collection, or are 'stuff' and 'smells' just 'oddities' like apples and oranges are just fruits?

iomoon · Post by **iomoon** » 04 Jun 2011 07:26

aethulwulf,

it's quite easy really,though the news media kept giving the wrong name.

EyjafjallajÃ¶kull refers to the glacier under which the volcano erupted.

EyjafjÃ¶ll is the name of the volcano.

JÃ¶kull means ice or, in its broader sense, glacier.

ey, meaning eyot or island, and the plural word fjÃ¶ll, meaning fells or mountains.

Brummie · Post by **Brummie** » 04 Jun 2011 08:58

I really enjoyed your collection tonga2 as I hadn't seen those before. Do you have to store them differently than normal stamps?

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 04 Jun 2011 09:38

Thanks Brummie - no, I just store them in hagner type sheets - apart from a couple of them which need more protection - I am still looking for the rare Morocco sheet with ceremic attached - but that one would need to sit in its own box I think, otherwise the ceremic section would break easily.

]

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 04 Jun 2011 09:41

STAMPS WITH SEEDS AFFIXED

2007 Netherlands S/S (and accompanying booklet) - a seed is affixed to each stamp.

2010 Belgium S/S - seed affixed in margin at bottom left corner.

2010 Morocco - seed affixed

2010 Thailand - piece of rice attached to each stamp (same for larger sheetlet of 10 and imperf proof)

2011 France - seed on each of 5 stamps

2011 Morocco - seed on stamp at right in the S/S

muruk · Post by **muruk** » 04 Jun 2011 13:06

What an interesting thematic collection.

There really are sand dune issues.

Maybe Australia Post could re-issue the Map and Kangaroo series with dried kangaroo droppings and desert sand attached.

Seriously, by any chance, did Germany produce a stamp with bits of the Berlin Wall attached?

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 04 Jun 2011 13:14

STAMPS WITH VARIOUS MATERIALS AFFIXED

1989 Paraguay S/S which has a large transparent gramophone record attached to the front of it !

2005 Trafalgar omnibus issue - 12 countries issued a stamp with little pieces of wood affixed to the ship (supposedly taken from Nelson's ship) - the stamp with wood on it was part of a set, but the other stamps in the set did not have anything affixed to them.

2008 Singapore S/S - the stamp in the sheet has little beads affixed to the whole stamp

2008 Morocco S/S - this rare sheet printed in China has ceramic affixed (the white pottery section)

Post by **gavin-h** » 04 Jun 2011 21:30

Tonga2, what an interesting thread - and a fascinating and well-research theme that you collect 8)

I would imagine that "postally" used (as opposed to FDC or "philatelic" used) examples of these stamps are quite hard to find...

...and more valuable

aethelwulf · Post by **aethelwulf** » 05 Jun 2011 03:16

muruk wrote:did Germany produce a stamp with bits of the Berlin Wall attached?

Hmm, that could become a UNESCO nightmare...China grinds up bricks from the Great Wall, Egypt adds Pyramid dust.

The people who produce all the Dagestan/Abkhazia et al thematic wallpaper will soon print stamps claiming to be from Vatican City with pieces of the True Cross embedded.

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 05 Jun 2011 04:41

Thanks gavin-h - glad you liked the collection.

I am trying to find postally used letters showing usage, and as you say, it is not so easy.

Wolfgang · Post by **Wolfgang** » 05 Jun 2011 04:46

tonga2,
thanks for showing us your interesting collection.
I was not aware, that so many different stamps from so many countries with "stuff" do exist!

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 05 Jun 2011 19:15

Thanks Wolfgang - I wasn't aware either how many sets had been issued with something attached to them until I started collecting them! And I am sure there will be more from other countries in the future.

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 06 Jun 2011 19:03

STAMPS PRINTED ON CORK

In 2007 Portugal issued a self-adhesive stamp printed on cork in sheets of 32 stamps.

The stamps were printed on very thinly sliced cork (0.35 mm) and show a stylized image of a cork tree sitting atop a hill to commemorate Portugal's cork industry. Cork is a material that will not let liquid pass through it. Most cork tissue that is harvested for commercial use comes from the Cork Oak Tree, which is found in southwest Europe and northwest Africa. It is used in a variety of products, the most common of which is for wine stoppers. Portugal produces approximately 30% of cork harvested annually worldwide.

Amorim the large Portugese cork company had its own cork personalized stamp.

Examples used on mail:-

In 2011 Portugal issued a prestamped postal stationery postcard made entirely from cork to commemorate International Year of Forests 2011 with the text "Floresta para Todos" (The Forest is for Everyone).

Then in 2009, Ecuador also issued a cork stamp to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of Ecuador's first declaration of independence from Spain showing an ink feather quill to depict the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

And some were used on letters:-

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 06 Jun 2011 22:50

STAMPS PRINTED ON WOOD

Gabon 1982 - the world's first S/S printed on wood - commemorating 22nd Anniversary of Independence - shows an Okoumé tree which represents a symbol of forest wealth in Gabon. It singly constitutes the bulk of the wealth from the Gabonese forest - issued perf and imperf

Djibouti 1983 - 50th Anniversary of Air France - issued perf and imperf

Gabon 1984 - 19th UPU Congress - issued perf and imperf

Djibouti 1985 - Bicentennial of the birth of Jean-Jacques Audubon - issued perf and imperf

Paraguay 1986 - Issued to promote the Paraguay cedar industry - shows Dürer’s Virgin and Child - printed on cedar wood and issued perf only

Djibouti 1987 - Fight against Leprosy - issued perf and imperf

Djibouti 1994 Imperial Marriage - S/S issued perf only

Gabon 2001 - Two S/S issued perf commemorating Gabon and China co-operation.

Switzerland 2004 - single stamp issued made from 120-year-old fir trees from Swiss forests - most stamps have slightly different colour and grain.

First day cancel showed tree rings

Used on cover

Italy 2007 - single stamp showing a sketch of the façade of the Basilica of San Vincenzo in Galliano, Cantù, a church dating from the early middle ages and consecrated in 1007. The stamp is self-adhesive and printed on a wooden sheet faced with birch measuring 0.3 mm in thickness - issued in sheets of 15

The grain of the wood makes each stamp unique - see the different grain in three stamps from the same sheet position

Used on cover

Niger 2013 - S/S issued perf and imperf showing Mao Tse-Tung

Niger 2013 - S/S issued perf and imperf showing a painting of Peng LiYuan first lady of China

Malaysia 2015 Year of the Goat - S/S containing self-adhesive stamp

Australia March 2015 - Australian Trees - issued in folder containing sheetlet of 10 stamps printed on wood and in Nov 2015 a second different folder with reprint was made

Colour of the wood varies

Used on cover

Post by **gavin-h** » 06 Jun 2011 23:04

tonga2 wrote:STAMPS PRINTED ON WOOD

There must be an ever-present danger of splinters in the tongue when licking these

You certainly have some interesting and off-beat collecting areas, tonga2 8)

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 06 Jun 2011 23:14

It's actually quite a challenge to find out exactly what exists with these unusual type stamps, and then an even greater challenge to find some of them used on cover.

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 07 Jun 2011 18:05

PRINTED ON TIN

To to date, Bolivia is the only country in the world to have issued stamps printed on tin foil and there were only six of these, all souvenir sheets, and all issued by Bolivia in 1986.

.

maturin · Post by **maturin** » 18 Jun 2011 19:43

With the stamps with stuff stuck on them I think I understand how to print the ones with fine powder (meteorite dust, sand). They just mix it with the ink. But pearls and crystal chunks? They made a machine to apply glue and glitter?

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 19 Jun 2011 03:32

EMBROIDERED STAMPS

This large stamp made from St Gallen lace was issued by Switzerland in 2000 - the world's first 'Embroidery' stamp commemorated the "Swiss National Philatelic Exhibition, NABA-2000" with a denomination of 5 euros which was the 2001 rate for a domestic registered letter. The stamp was designed by Mr. Peter Hostettler of Bischoff Textile AG of St. Gallen, Switzerland. For the embroidery work a glossy Satin Polyester fabric was used and the embroidery work is in two shades of blue.

In contrast to stamps printed on paper, the design of this stamp is embroidered using a polyester thread on a high-quality, satin-weave polyester base. The embroidery process produces a true three-dimensional stamp. Bischoff Textil AG, who manufactured the stamp, had the thread for the whole run specially made and dyed in two tones of blue used for the design. The material made was used exclusively for the manufacture of the stamp. To produce the stamps the satin was cut into sheets 9.4 m long. Two of the Satin base were mounted on the 10 m wide SAURER Pentamat (2040) embroidery machine. 340 stamps were embroidered across the width of the satin at a speed of over 200 revolutions per minute (the needle moving forwards and then backwards). The stamps were produced row by row until a total of 20 rows had been embroidered. The light blue background was created first and then a second needle added the dark blue text, the value and the border. A total of 340 needles worked simultaneously across a width of 9.3 m. Since embroidery machines inevitably 'pull' the base material slightly the latter was stretched taut and the stamps were kept in the correct position with clips. Once the embroidery was finished all the linking threads were mechanically removed. As in the case of any piece of embroidery, minimal differences occurred owing to the number of different manufacturing processes involved. This is quite common in textile technology and means that each stamp is in fact totally unique. Almost no errors occurred thanks to continuous supervision by Bischoff's staff. Unlike normal postage stamps, small differences in appearance among the embroidery stamps cannot be termed faults or give rise to different varieties. Once this stage was complete, the rows of stamps were checked and the self-adhesive backing was added in a series of processes using a technique developed specially for this stamp. Finally, the individual stamps were electronically cut.

Usage on cover

It was also issued as a sheetlet of four

And some people even used the S/S on letters:-

.

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 19 Jun 2011 16:50

EMBROIDERED STAMPS

In 2003 five different countries issued a single stamp stamp plus a sheetlet of 4 showing teddy bears commemorating the 100th anniversary of the teddy bear.

.

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 19 Jun 2011 18:44

EMBROIDERED STAMPS

In 2004, Italy issued an embroidered stamp in sheets of 15 commemorating "the Art of Lace".

The stamps were self-adhesive, peeling off the backing paper

The stamp was also issued in a small plastic holder the size of a credit card

Usage on cover

In 2005 Austria issued a single stamp made of threads embroidered into the design of the Edelweiss, an alpine flower. The embroidery edge mimics stamp perforation. The stamp commemorated the Austrian embroidery industry, which dates back to the eighteenth century. The stamp has a self-adhesive backing, and was made in Lustenau, the metropolis of the Vorarlberg embroidery industry.

And again in 2007 Austria issued another stamp made of threads embroidered into the design of the Clusius Gentian, another alpine flower. The stamp is a product of the Austrian embroiderers Hammerle & Vogel and commemorates embroidery and alpine plants. The thread and the colour follow the natural shape of the Clusius Gentian (Gentiana Clusii), discovered around 100 BC by King Gentius of Illyria. The embroidery edge mimics stamp perforation.

In 2010, Brazil issued a fabric stamp with embroidery commemorating the centenary of the Corinthian soccer club. This stamp, printed on synthetic fabric, was issued on 1st September 2010. Brazil Post used plain fabric, embroidered with the application of fluorescent luminescent invisible ink, luminescent under UV light.

The stamps were issued in blocks of 4, and there are two types.

Type 1 stamps were issued with fabric in between the four self-adhesive stamps

Type 2 stamps were issued without fabric in between the stamps

I asked a stamp dealer from Brazil why two different types were issued and his reply was "Once in a while the Brazilian post makes a mess with our postal issues. The production of this one was given to a third party , a backyard company and for the confection of the second lot , some employee understood that should remove the fabric between the stamps . This is not all ,some has the paper wrinkled and stamps may drop off.
Our Postal service should have refused the second shipment and required to correct production, but they accept it and made us swallow down our throats their errors. Monopoly gives it, is not it? Stamps with full fabric is the correct issue, the other is due to a manufacturer mistake."

In 2011 Micronesia issued a nice looking embroidered stamp for Year of the Dragon.

In Aug 2013 The Gambia issued an embroidered stamp for the Diamond Anniversary of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth

And in Nov 2013 The Gambia issued an embroidered stamp for Year of the Horse

In Jan 2014 Grenada issued an embroidered stamp for Year of the Horse

And at the same time Grenada issued an embroidered stamp for the Diamond Anniversary of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth

In Sept 2016 Austria issued the worlds first silhouette embroidered self adhesive stamp of a dirndl. A dirndl is a traditional women’s dress worn in Austria, South Tyrol and Bavaria based on the traditional clothing of Alps peasants.

Each dirndl stamp, made by Hammerle & Vogel, used three thread colours: red, green and white, forming the embroidered silhouette. The blouse is made in off-white thread while the apron was done in the same colour but using a different stitch.

The country name “Austria” is stitched in red down the right side of the stamp, starting at the bottom of the green bow. Like the bow on the apron, the 6.30 denomination was stitched with eye-catching green threads.

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 21 Jun 2011 19:50

STAMPS WITH REAL GOLD AFFIXED

There have been hundreds of stamps printed on paper with gold foil affixed and these are not classed as unusual any more, but a much smaller number have had real gold affixed.

Pakistan 1976 - 23/24 carat gold

Bhutan 1996 - 22 carat gold

Guyana 1997 - 22 carat gold

Hong Kong 2000 - 22 carat gold

Jersey 2000 - 22 carat gold

Egypt 2004 - 22 carat gold

Thailand 2006 - 22 carat gold

Austria 2007 - 22 carat gold

Netherlands 2007 - 22 carat gold

Thailand 2011 - 22 carat gold

Bhutan 2011 - 24 carat gold

Bhutan 2015 - 22 carat gold

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 21 Jun 2011 23:11

CD-ROM "stamps"

In 2008 Bhutan issued the world's first CD-Rom stamps - these can be played on a computer. The CD-Rom's are inside a protective envelope which is actually the stamp containing the denomination.

The first is titled "Bhutan: 100 Years of Monarchy" and celebrates the history of the nation and its rulers. Monarchy was established in 1907 in Bhutan with Ugyen Wangchuck (1861-1926) the First King. Four kings have followed: Jigme Wangchuck (1902-1952), Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (1929-1972), Jigme Singye Wangchuck (1955-) and finally Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (1980), officially crowned on 6 November 2008. The CD-ROM pictures a portrait of each king with his name and the dates of his reign. The CD-ROM contains a video that tells the story of monarchy in Bhutan

The second CD-ROM is called "Bhutan: In Harmony with Nature" and highlights Bhutan's environmental efforts.

The protective envelope (which is the actual stamp) is affixed with glue to the letter being mailed, so that the CD-ROM inside is not damaged during transit.

Bhutan issued another set of two CD Rom stamps on 21st February 2009 which was the 29th Birthday of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the 5th Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan. When inserted into a computer, the CD-Roms each play an 8-minute video.

The first CD-Rom entitled "Voting for Happiness" shows the country's peaceful transition from heredity monarchy to constitutional democracy.

The second CD-Rom entitled "Bhutan: Coronation 2008" documents the coronation of Bhutan's new king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

And again, some were actually used on letters and reached their destination without being stolen along the way.

crosscrescent · Post by **crosscrescent** » 21 Jun 2011 23:42

Tonga2, Thanks for the scans on this fascinating thematic collection of yours.
It would make a wonderful article in a Stamp Journal

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 24 Jun 2011 18:24

Crosscrescent, I agree - they would make a great article for a club journal - If you want to, you are quite welcome to use any of the information including the pictures from above.

crosscrescent · Post by **crosscrescent** » 25 Jun 2011 00:42

Tonga2,

Thank you for your permission.
If I use any of these I will of course get your official permission, i.e.
your name will appear and you stand to get a free copy of the Journal too.

Cheers
Andrew

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 25 Jun 2011 10:18

Thanks Andrew - Ã'd love to see the article if you do one - most interested to see how it turns out.

mrboggler · Post by **mrboggler** » 25 Jun 2011 11:55

What a fantastic lot of Stamps ,,,some I have heard of but many I have not,

BUT a couple raise a question,and they are the ones with seeds attached.

I know Australian CUSTOMS are deadly on people bring seeds into the country,so I just wonder how do these ones escape, or are the seeds on the approved listing for entry into many countries,

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 25 Jun 2011 21:15

Mrboggler - I wondered exactly the same thing when I purchased them on Delcampe - whether they would get caught by Customs and burned! Maybe they have been treated in some way that makes them OK to bring in. That was the only thing I can think of.

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 25 Jun 2011 21:20

DVD STAMPS

In Jan 2009 North Korea issued the world's first and only (to date) DVD stamps to commemorate the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The two DVD's in the set were issued in a small cream coloured envelope with text on the front and can be played in a DVD-ROM player. They show Korean song and dance. Three different types of each set exist. I was told that the first two issues were basically trials, but were issued and sold for usage on mail.

First issue - North Korea catalogue #4505-A,B(a)
By way of a trial run, a small number of the DVD stamps were produced first - these had the stamp section printed separately and then STUCK on the discs. The envelope has the text on the front "The First Digital Versatile Disk Stamp of the World" and the discs were 8 sided.

Second issue - North Korea catalogue #4505-A,B(c)
In a reissue, the discs were round and the stamp sections were PRINTED on the disks. The text on the envelope is now different - it reads "The first Compact Disc video stamp of the world"

The third issue - North Korea catalogue #4505-A,B(b)
After the above two issues, it was decided to reissue the eight sided stamps, this time with the labels PRINTED on the discs. The text on the envelope is the same as used for the second issue.

According to a North Korean specialist whom I asked, they are indeed real stamps and could be used on letters and have been given the catalogue numbers mentioned above in the North Korean stamp catalogue.

Lambinator · Post by **Lambinator** » 25 Jun 2011 22:39

To add to Tonga2's selection above, here's another stamp incorporating gold foil. It commemorates the 60th year of the King of Thailand's reign.

stampchris · Post by **stampchris** » 26 Jun 2011 15:27

tonga2 wrote:Mrboggler - I wondered exactly the same thing when I purchased them on Delcampe - whether they would get caught by Customs and burned! Maybe they have been treated in some way that makes them OK to bring in. That was the only thing I can think of.

My experience is the same as tonga2's. It appears that if they are inside an envelope they appear to go unnoticed. Used on a cover, and its another story as I discovered when I used the Dutch flower stamps on a parcel home. Customs carefully cut the stamps from the parcel and destroyed them.

mrboggler · Post by **mrboggler** » 26 Jun 2011 20:26

stampchris wrote:
tonga2 wrote:Mrboggler - I wondered exactly the same thing when I purchased them on Delcampe - whether they would get caught by Customs and burned! Maybe they have been treated in some way that makes them OK to bring in. That was the only thing I can think of.
My experience is the same as tonga2's. It appears that if they are inside an envelope they appear to go unnoticed. Used on a cover, and its another story as I discovered when I used the Dutch flower stamps on a parcel home. Customs carefully cut the stamps from the parcel and destroyed them.

Well at least I hope you kept the envelope,with the Customs Dept explanation of why it was done.

stampchris · Post by **stampchris** » 26 Jun 2011 20:36

Certainly did keep the envelope - nice hole cut out from the middle! Customs actually examined every article I sent from the Netherlands - all six of them, even though only one had the seed stamps on the cover.

If tonga2 doesn't mind I would like to mention some of these stamps in an article for a club journal. Will scan in the cover and documentation for the article, and post it here too.

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 27 Jun 2011 10:51

Chris - fine with me - go ahead and use any of the information and pictures above to write an article for your club journal - glad the collection is of interest.
Greg

mrboggler · Post by **mrboggler** » 27 Jun 2011 11:25

stampchris wrote:Certainly did keep the envelope - nice hole cut out from the middle! Customs actually examined every article I sent from the Netherlands - all six of them, even though only one had the seed stamps on the cover.

If tonga2 doesn't mind I would like to mention some of these stamps in an article for a club journal. Will scan in the cover and documentation for the article, and post it here too.

Postal Historians in the future will thank you Chris.

as we do now as well.BUT if this was not written about NOW it could get lost forever,even if someone has already noted something
a little bit here, a little bit there,and slowly the puzzle gets finished.

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 27 Jun 2011 20:02

STAMPS PRINTED ON DIFFERENT TYPES OF FABRIC

Poland 1958 - silk

1963 East Germany - feels a bit like silk, but is actually printed on dederon (polyamide)

Bhutan 1969 - silk - imperf self-adhesive set plus perf and imperf S/S

Grenada 1971 Miss World - silk

Grenada 1972 Interpex Stamp Show - overprinted

Mongolia 1982 World Cup football - artificial silk - 6 stamps and 6 S/S - the stamps are the same as those shown inside the S/S

The 6 stamps and 6 S/S were later overprinted "Italy Champion" when Italy won the World Cup

Italy 2001 - silk

Afghanistan 2005 - artificial silk

China 2006 The Four Treasures - artificial silk

Mongolia 2006 - artificial silk - issued perf and imperf

China 2007 - artificial silk

China 2008 - artificial silk

Morocco 2008 - artificial silk

Poland 2008 - 500th Anniversary Polish Post - silk

China 2009 - artificial silk

China 2010 - artificial silk

China 2011 - artificial silk

Hong Kong 2012 - Year of the Dragon - silk

Hong Kong 2013 - Year of the Snake - silk

China 2013 - artificial silk

Morocco 2013 - silk

Portugal 2013 - silk

aethelwulf · Post by **aethelwulf** » 28 Jun 2011 00:42

tonga2 wrote:The cheaper "stuff"on stamps includes GLITTER which is found affixed on:-

Thailand 2010 fireworks set (and S/S)

2010 Thailand - piece of rice attached to each stamp (same for larger sheetlet of 10 and imperf proof)

Just returned today from a holiday in Bangkok, which included a trip to the philatelic museum (disappointingly small) and the GPO, where I did a pretty much "6 of each" purchase of everything at the philatelic counter (1 single and 1 plate block for my collection, and 1 copy to use on a parcel home to get a used example).

Ending up sending 2 boxes of shopping home. The "problem" with using commems on a parcel is that 3/4 of issues are domestic face value, 3baht (0.10 USD). A few are 5b, a few more 9b. I had only a medium-sized box, and it was 600 baht postage.

I used sheets of the stamp with rice attached. Interestingly what I bought at the post office was panes of 10; they didn't have the pane of 4 as you display. Maybe that's a M/S type format?

Also used many sheets of the fireworks stamps. The Philas youth stamp group in Sydney to whom I send kiloware now and again will be getting enough copies of these issues for everyone to have one.

Regarding the seed, I'd say that its probably been 'treated' in such a way that its 'dead' ("biologically inert"?). Zap the seeds with some sort of radiation and then they're 'a shell of their former selves'. The interesting thing will be to see if, and how many, survive the trip through the mail. Is the glue bonding the seed to the stamp strong?

Finally the lace stamps, I bought the panes of 4 of each of those. Face value is a relatively-high 25 baht each (note that the special gold-foil stamps for Royal anniversaries are usually 100b face, and defin issues go as high as astronomical 500b, or $16.50USD, where minimum wage for labourers is about 200b a day, and of course the domestic rate is 3b.).

Mailing a parcel at the airport post office (and rushing to make final call at the gate) I discovered one issue to be rose-scented...and discovered only when I gave the sheet a lick.

aethelwulf · Post by **aethelwulf** » 28 Jun 2011 02:48

Thailand has its problems, but they interestingly seem to be pretty innovative with stamp designs.

The scans here don't really capture the 'special effects' added to the stamps.

One of the 4 sheetlets for the silk stamp:

The central peacock design is what has been woven with silk. It has a tactile feel to it, while the portrait frame is in metallic ink. Very eye-catching.

These ones for the 150th anniversary of the Thai mint have embossing on the coin to create a more realistic effect, not to mention the coins themselves being printed with foil (image cropped from the M/S):

A set of stamps for ancient sculptures have been given strong embossing on the artworks, so that they have a, well, sculptural quality to them (I've only scanned 1 value of the set, I didn't want to clog the post with too many images and can't find my set of singles):

And finally, coming back to 'stuff' on stamps, a set depicting local fruits has had the images of the fruits coated with some sort of high-gloss finish, so that they shine and 'jump out' from the stamp unlike a normal printed design, something eye-catching.

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 28 Jun 2011 08:57

Aethelwulf, sounds like you had fun in Thailand. Yes, Thailand is one of the countries which has issued many types of unusual stamps. Especially scented stamps, Thailand has issued several different scented stamps. One which smells like a rose and actually FEELS like a rose - printed on flock paper which has a velvet feel to it - I will be showing this in my other thread about UNUSUAL STAMPS shortly - http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=28256

Yes, the block of 4 with rice attached was issued as a small M/S.

I agree with you - I am sure the seeds affixed to stamps have been treated so they are "dead" and should therefore be OK with customs. I have had letters sent to me with seeds on stamps from Belgium, United Arab Republic, France and Morocco, and all have arrived safely with seeds intact. Must be some sort of glue that holds them to the stamp. I was most worried about the stamp with rice affixed. I asked someone in Thailand to make me a nice cover with a strip of five of the stamps on it, and I was hoping it would not get confiscated, but thankfully it arrived safely.

aethelwulf · Post by **aethelwulf** » 28 Jun 2011 14:53

Back in January, Hong Kong Post did a set of stamps on fabric. They were for Chinese New Year, this was the second series, which collected up the images from the current and previous 3 years of zodiac animals (4 years ago was the first such set). The post office calls them "the flock stamps" (ie. flock of animals); 'fuzzy stamps' I call them.

In the case of these HK stamps (I have a sheet at home I can scan), the face of the stamp has an all-over fuzziness, so that would could as 'printed on'? The stamps are rather thick, it seems the cloth has been applied to a thin card backing? The PO website is no help in this, the most technical description they give is to call it "flock paper" the stamps are on.

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 28 Jun 2011 16:33

I'll list the Hong Kong flock stamps next - some other countries also issued flock stamps.

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 28 Jun 2011 19:55

PRINTED ON FLOCK PAPER

Flock paper has a velvet feel to it

Hong Kong 2003

Russia 2003

Singapore 2004

Finland 2004

Thailand 2005 - these are also scented, so the stamps both feel and smell like roses

Hong Kong 2007

Hong Kong 2011

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 14 Jul 2011 12:36

STAMPS PRINTED ON POLYMER

Polymer feels like leather and is used to make footballs for the European Championships.

Austria issued a stamp made from polymer in 2008 - evidently on the first day of issue only, the stamps were issued in sheets of ten with polymer filling the gaps between each round stamp - after the first day, just the round stamps themselves were sold. Two types have been found:-

1. White on reverse - had to be glued on letters - these were on sale for the first few months

First day only - issued in blocks of 10

After first day, issued as singles only with white on back

Cover from first printing

2. Self-adhesive with brown backing paper on reverse - these may very well be a 2nd printing as they came on sale at some later date. These came in sheets of ten.

Initially sold in blocks

Later sold only as singles

Cover from second printing:-

tonga2 · Post by **tonga2** » 27 Jul 2011 08:57

STAMPS THAT LOOK LIKE BASEBALL CARDS

Some countries have issued stamps that look like playing cards and baseball cards. I have not seen any used on cover, but understand you would need glue to stick them onto a letter.

St Vincent issued this set in 1992 - and they have been given Scott numbers! (Sc 1693-1704)

They were issued in a card pack

Then in 1993, not to be outdone, Guyana issued a set of 52 (!) stamps (same number as are in a pack of playing cards) showing Disney movie posters - issued in a pack like a pack of cards - IF you can find this set, it will set you back $150.00 !

And again - in 1995, Guyana issued a set of stamps like baseball cards for Babe Ruth - these have been given Scott no. 2913

The pack

And again in 1995, Guyana issued a similar set for Nolan Ryan, baseball player:-

Brummie · Post by **Brummie** » 27 Jul 2011 09:12

tonga2 are they cards that look like stamps or stamps that can be used as postage?