Sunday Stamps - Women on Stamps: Italy, Greece

 When I saw the 'Women in Art' series on Italian stamps I  realised there was a similarity between them all.

Italy - 2 January 2002

The head is from an Etruscan coin. However I had found another woman as the stamp designer was Christina Bruscaglia.

I now have to check the names shown in the bottom right hand corner of each stamp.

I would like to find a stamp that shows the American Lucille Ball but settled in the end for the lady once known as the Greek Lucille Ball.

Greece - 30 November 2011

This is the actress Rena Vlahopoulou in the series commemorating Greek actors. She died in 2004.

For more ladies you can do no better than visiting and following the links at The dressing table at Sunday Stamps,

Kings and Queens - Sunday Stamps II

I tried to get a link between the Kings and Queens I am showing. Let me know what you think.

Victor Emmanuel III - 21 April 1929

He was King of Italy from 28 July 1900 until he abdicated on 8 May 1946 in favour of his son Umberto II. Umberto was the last King of Italy but only from 9 May to 12 June 1946. Italy then became a republic.

Victor Emmanuel also claimed the thrones of Ethiopia and Albania as Emperor of Ethiopia (1936-1941) and King of Albania (1939-1943)

King Paul I of Greece

This stamp was issued on 6 May 1964 as a memorial to King Paul, King from 1 April 1947 to 6 March 1964. He was the last but one King of Greece before the country became a republic in 1973.

Queen Juliana of the Netherlands 1954

Juliana was Queen from 1948 until she abdicated in 1980. Her daughter  Beatrix succeeded  her as Queen; she abdicated in 2013 to be followed by her son, King Willem - Alexander

For more Kings and Queens visit Sunday-Stamps-II 124.

Winter sports - Sunday Stamps II

There's a Nordic slant to my stamps this week once you've been to winter sports at Bariloche in

Argentina - 17 June 1971

and to see a bobsleigh team for 

San Marino - 15 December 1955

at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

In Norway you could partake in ski sports at Hjemland

Norway - 15 Jan 1975

I don't remember seeing a skier dressed like that!

I only remember the football World Cup in 1966 so would not have been aware of the World Speed Skating Championships held in Gothenburg that year.

Sweden - 18 Feb 1966

I've managed to find four different winter sport disciplines so check out Sunday-Stamps-II-109. to enjoy others.

Oddities - Sunday Stamps II

Recently I was given an old album in which were two stamps (both the same) from a country whose stamps I had never seen before.

The odd shape would catch anyone's attention and the fact that Sierra Leone is the 'Land of Iron and Diamonds' was also new to me.

Sierra Leone -17 December 1965

The stamp is in the shape of the kola nut. The nut from the kola tree is a source of caffeine used in beverages and is the source of the word 'cola'.

I thought that my second 'oddity' had been over printed; it appears to show part of Italy too despite the stamp being from - 

Switzerland - 12 September 1968

It comes from a 'Celebrations' theme and the event concerned appears to be the 25th anniversary of land planning (Landesplanung). I'm guessing there was cooperation between the two countries even although WWII was still in progress in 1943 - Italy surrendered to the Allies on October 13 that year.

For other oddities cross over to Sunday-Stamps-II-63.

Castles and Palaces - Sunday Stamps II

As my first stamp will show,I've learnt not to make assumptions this week.

Tunisia

I thought this was an impressive castle until I discovered it wasn't a castle at all.

The Skifa Kahla is the ancient gate to the coastal city of Mahdia, the old part of which corresponds to the Roman city of Aphrodisium.

My next stamp is of a place where international conferences are held.

France 1980

In 1999 the Chateau of Rambouillet hosted the NATO peace conference on Kosovo. The rejection of the proposal by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia lead to the war in Kosovo.

The Greek island of Rhodes is the site of the palace on my last stamp this week.

Greece 2006 - Medieval Castle

This castle also called Kastello was once the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes.

The 7th century Byzantine citadel was converted by the Knights Hospitaller into their administrative centre and the palace of their Grand Master.

The Ottoman Empire used it as a command centre and fortress. Under Italian rule it became a holiday residence for the King of Italy and for Benito Mussolini, the Fascist dictator. Under the 1947 Peace Treaty with Italy, Rhodes and the Dodecanes islands were transferred to Greece.

Palace of the Grand Master sounds a more impressive title.

To see what other castles and palaces have been found on stamps please follow the links at Violet;s Sunday-Stamps-II-56.

People at Work - Sunday Stamps II

People in Europe and Africa appear as my workers today.

Hungary 

It's fairly easy to see the work connection for her. Not so for the first of my workers in Italy on stamps from 1950.

Italy

I had to google 'La Sciabica' to find out that this depicted a man on work on a trawler.

I made a better guess at the next.

Italy

IL Tornio = the lathe, in Tuscany. It looks more like a potter's wheel to me.

In 1961 Nigeria issued this stamp of a carver at work.

Nigeria

Oyo is a state in the south-west Nigeria with the capital of Ibadan.

To ponder over others hard at work visit Sunday-stamps-ii-17.

Post - Sunday Stamps

On a previous postal theme I put up this stamp from Iceland.

Iceland - Universal Postal Union 

I must have been blind at the time, not to see the stamp right next to it.

Iceland - UPU centenary 1974

I have also discovered some Italian stamps of a design that seem to be issued every year in different denominations.

Italy (2009 issues)

I like the way the design gives the illusion of post 'speeding' on its way.

Italy - Priority Post

I wonder whether this helps to get them there quicker.

For more post and postcard related stamps just follow the links at Sunday-stamps-162.

Going to the dogs again - Sunday Stamps

I was going to post something quite different this week, until I came across these stamps on my favourite market stall.

Poland

The poodle and the Airedale terrier were immediately recognisable but not the bulldog.

I had some trouble with the next set too.

San Marino

The Pointer (top left) and the Boxer (btm right) were easy enough. I've seen several Salukis which are also known as  Italian Greyhounds (top middle) and this matches up with the English Greyhound (btm left). Knowing that San Marino is a republic in Central Italy helped with the 3 lire stamp.

My pocket sized dog book tells me that Maremma is a region by the Tyrrhenian Sea and that there is a breed called Maremaner Herder dogs. The picture in the book can only be the same type of dog as on the 3 lire stamp (top right) where it is identified as Pasture Maremmano. So I'll settle for describing it as a large sheep dog.

As you could post whatever you wished this week you should check out others' choices at Viridian's Sunday Stamps-62

Sporting Sunday Stamps

I was spoilt for choice this week and could have easily got carried away. So I decided to start with a sport I could never attempt to play.

Sweden - Ice Hockey

I played field hockey for years but could not stand up on skates. But staying with the cold how about these?

Iceland - Wrestling and Swimming

I captained the boxing team at school have never wrestled with anything other than a problem nor was I ever much of a swimmer. I haven't tried this seriously either.

Italy - Cycling

Racquet sports I've played a lot.

Great Britain - Lawn and Table Tennis

Great Britain - Squash

 

 

But the sport that I still play but not as well as this fellow who is two years older than me well past three score years and ten.

South Africa - Golf

I guess that now I will never have a score lower than my age. To console myself I'm off to see other sports at

Viridian's Sunday Stamps 44.