
A dip in the big blue Ocean: Fish, marine & sea life stamps
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- petercollects0
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A dip in the big blue Ocean: Fish, marine & sea life stamps
Some nice shells from Samoa...


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Hey Kimberley,
These Cocos Keeling sea life covers are a riot of colour and that souvenir sheet is something that is really cheerful, vibrant and invigorating. Was very tempted to order one from the Australian Post Office when it was offered for sale but hesitated. But it is good to see a good scan of it here.
Cheers and Selamat Malam
These Cocos Keeling sea life covers are a riot of colour and that souvenir sheet is something that is really cheerful, vibrant and invigorating. Was very tempted to order one from the Australian Post Office when it was offered for sale but hesitated. But it is good to see a good scan of it here.
Cheers and Selamat Malam
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Here's a trivia question for all you fishy philatelists: What was the first stamp to feature (a) a fish theme? and (b) the first fish of any kind (because I'll bet there's some 19th century issue with a coat of arms with a fish sybol somewhere)?
(I dunno the answers, but somebody on this board probably does!
(I dunno the answers, but somebody on this board probably does!
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Re:
While supposedly concentrating on reducing images I noticed that this question had received almost no response.OttawaMike wrote:Here's a trivia question for all you fishy philatelists: What was the first stamp to feature (a) a fish theme? and (b) the first fish of any kind (because I'll bet there's some 19th century issue with a coat of arms with a fish sybol somewhere)?
(I dunno the answers, but somebody on this board probably does!
I have not done any research but immediately thought of Newfoundland, a fishing community if ever there was one. So my nomination is the Newfoundland 2c green of 1866. Can anyone beat that


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Re: A dip in the blue ocean - sea life images
I don't know of any featuring fish earlier than
Here's an earlier issue with marine life - a conch shell :
Newfoundland continued to show cod, seals, and salmon ---









Here's an earlier issue with marine life - a conch shell :

Newfoundland continued to show cod, seals, and salmon ---



















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Re: A dip in the blue ocean - sea life images
Well done - if I had even one of those in my collection I would be happy.
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Re: A dip in the blue ocean - sea life images
Not to spread alarm and despondency among the collectors of shells on stamps, but ... Travancore featured a conch shell on all but a couple of its stamps, and used a conch as its watermark for good measure.
Sometimes it was the main feature of the design:

SG 6
and sometimes it was squeezed into a corner. Here it sits just above the Maharaja's head:

SG 60
Fortunately, a representative simplified collection would be cheap, if not that easy to put together.
Cochin also featured a conch on all but two of its sets (or one on a simplified basis). It wasn't quite as prominent as it was on Travancore stamps, but it was always there. Here is a larger specimen:

SG 9
and here is how it always appeared in later years, in the northeast corner above the Maharaja's portrait:

SG 26
And finally, Travancore-Cochin for the most part used overprinted stamps of Travancore and Cochin, which showed the conch. The one new issue for the combined state also featured the conch, both large and small:

SG 12-13
I have a few spare specimens to give away from all three states: email me if you're interested.
Sometimes it was the main feature of the design:

SG 6
and sometimes it was squeezed into a corner. Here it sits just above the Maharaja's head:

SG 60
Fortunately, a representative simplified collection would be cheap, if not that easy to put together.
Cochin also featured a conch on all but two of its sets (or one on a simplified basis). It wasn't quite as prominent as it was on Travancore stamps, but it was always there. Here is a larger specimen:

SG 9
and here is how it always appeared in later years, in the northeast corner above the Maharaja's portrait:

SG 26
And finally, Travancore-Cochin for the most part used overprinted stamps of Travancore and Cochin, which showed the conch. The one new issue for the combined state also featured the conch, both large and small:

SG 12-13
I have a few spare specimens to give away from all three states: email me if you're interested.
de Selby lives, and will return
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Re: A dip in the blue ocean - sea life images
Very nice - and the last couple aren't even 'ugly'
A geography lesson please. Where precisely are these two 'states' and why does the conch feature so well


A geography lesson please. Where precisely are these two 'states' and why does the conch feature so well

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Re: A dip in the blue ocean - sea
Kevin, those last two are - if you'll pardon the expression - the Ugly Ducklings of the Uglies. They were issued on the 24 October 1950 and so were also the last of the Uglies. When that Post Office closed down in 1951, the Uglies era ended
Travancore and Cochin, were on the Southwest tip of India; they form the great bulk of the modern Indian state of Kerala. As to the significance of the conch, this is what good ol' Wikipedia has to say:
"A Shankha shell (the shell of a Turbinella pyrum, a species in the gastropod family Turbinellidae) is often referred to in the West as a conch shell, or a chank shell. This shell is used as an important ritual object in Hinduism. The shell is used as a ceremonial trumpet, as part of religious practices, for example puja. The chank trumpet is sounded during worship at specific points, accompanied by ceremonial bells and singing.
In the story of Dhruva the divine conch plays a special part. The warriors of ancient India blew conch shells to announce battle, as is described in the beginning of the war of Kurukshetra, in the Mahabharata, the famous Hindu epic.
The god of Preservation, Vishnu, is said to hold a special conch, Panchajanya, that represents life, as it has come out of life-giving waters.
As it is an auspicious instrument,it is often played in a Lakshmi puja in temple or at home."
There will be religious and/or historical reasons why the ruling houses of Travancore and Cochin adopted the conch in particular as a symbol, but I don't know them - and Indian religion and history tend to be dangerous waters for the outsider to swim in, so I think I'd prefer to stay safely on the beach

Travancore and Cochin, were on the Southwest tip of India; they form the great bulk of the modern Indian state of Kerala. As to the significance of the conch, this is what good ol' Wikipedia has to say:
"A Shankha shell (the shell of a Turbinella pyrum, a species in the gastropod family Turbinellidae) is often referred to in the West as a conch shell, or a chank shell. This shell is used as an important ritual object in Hinduism. The shell is used as a ceremonial trumpet, as part of religious practices, for example puja. The chank trumpet is sounded during worship at specific points, accompanied by ceremonial bells and singing.
In the story of Dhruva the divine conch plays a special part. The warriors of ancient India blew conch shells to announce battle, as is described in the beginning of the war of Kurukshetra, in the Mahabharata, the famous Hindu epic.
The god of Preservation, Vishnu, is said to hold a special conch, Panchajanya, that represents life, as it has come out of life-giving waters.
As it is an auspicious instrument,it is often played in a Lakshmi puja in temple or at home."
There will be religious and/or historical reasons why the ruling houses of Travancore and Cochin adopted the conch in particular as a symbol, but I don't know them - and Indian religion and history tend to be dangerous waters for the outsider to swim in, so I think I'd prefer to stay safely on the beach

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Re: A dip in the blue ocean - sea life images
Here's a sheet I bought called Kelp Forest.
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