One Planet One Ocean

The United Nations Postal Administration issued six se-tenant mini-sheets of four stamps each (for a total of 24 commemorative stamps) on the theme “One Planet, One Ocean”, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the International Oceanographic Commission (IOC).

Oceans and their adjacent seas cover more than two thirds of the surface of the Earth. The living and non-living resources they contain are a necessary element for the survival of life on the planet. It is the oceans that make life on Earth uniquely sustainable within the solar system. The sustainability of the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the climate in which we live is dependent upon the oceans.

The oceans also provide for the cultural, social and economic well-being of the majority of the world’s population. Sustainable development is highly dependent on the wise management of the oceans and coasts based on scientific knowledge.

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO was founded in 1960 to promote international cooperation and to coordinate programmes in research, services and capacity-building, in order to learn more about the nature and resources of the ocean and coastal areas and to apply the knowledge gained to the improved management, sustainable development and protection of the marine environment, and to assist the decision making processes of its 136 member States. At the basis of the establishment of IOC was the recognition that:

“the oceans, covering some seventy percent of the earth’s surface, exert a profound influence on mankind and even on all forms of life on Earth … In order to properly interpret the full value of the oceans to mankind, they must be studied from many points of view. While pioneering research and new ideas usually come from individuals and small groups, many aspects of oceanic investigations present far too formidable a task to be undertaken by any one nation or even a few nations.”

Title: One Planet One Ocean
Date of Issue: 6 May 2010
Country: United Nations
Denominations: US $0.44, US $0.98, € 0.65, € 0.55, F.s. 1.00, F.s. 0.85

350 Years of Maria Taferl

The village of Maria Taferl is located in the Lower Austrian Nibelungengau on a hill above the Danube and is, alongside Mariazell, doubtlessly the most famous place of pilgrimage in Austria. The market at Maria Taferl is on the Taferlberg, while the other parts of the village are distributed around the surrounding uplands. The huge baroque pilgrimage church is visible from far around, and it is a painting of this church by the Lower Austrian painter Franz Knapp (1916 – 2007).

Title: 350 Years of Maria Taferl
Date of Issue: 16 May 2010
Country: Austria
Denominations: 0.55 EUR

Postal Heritage Buildings of India

India Post issued a set of postage stamps to commemorate INDIPEX 2011-World Philatelic Exhibition to be held in New Delhi from 12th to 18th Feb.2011.

Lucknow GPO-Lucknow GPO is an example of relatively more contemporary engineering and architecture. Constructed with red brick and lime stone, iron was not used in its construction.A stone embedded on the main gate of the GPO dates the buildings as 1929-1932.

Shimla GPO-Shimla GPO on the Mall,established in 1883 on the site of a house known and as \”Cony Lodge\”, is one of the oldest Post Office Buildings in the Country.During the British Raj, Shimla was the summer capital.

Delhi GPO-Delhi GPO is among the very few buildings of India Post which has been given the status of Heritage Building by the Archaeological Survey of India and is is in close proximity to the historical Red Fort and Chandni Chowk.

Nagpur GPO-Nagpur GPO considered the mother institution in the Postal Circle of the Central Province, is housed in a majestic Victorian building, once the seat of erstwhile Postmaster General Of CP & Berar.

Cooch Behar HPO-Cooch Behar HPO in 1875 the Post & Telegraph Office Of the Cooch Behar state is learnt to have been introduced under the administrative control of Rangpur Postal Division.

Udagamandalam HPO-Udagmandalam HPO The first Post Office at Udagamandalam was opened in 1826 with an establishment of a writer and two delivery peons.There are no records as to where the office originally was.

Title: Postal Heritage Buildings of India
Date of Issue: 13 May 2010
Country: India
Denominations: 500p x 6

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI visits to Portugal

Portugal post issued a postage stamp honoring His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

Title: His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI visits to Portugal
Date of Issue: 10 May 2010
Country: Portugal
Denominations: 0.68 €

Stanley Gibbons Acquire Britain’s Rarest Stamp

Stanley Gibbons recently acquired the mythological 1904 6d Pale Dull Purple (I.R. Official) which is on display on their stand (Number 79) at the London 2010 International Stamp Exhibition at the Business Design Centre, London until Saturday 15th May.

Issued on 14 May 1904, the Edward VII 6d purple, overprinted I.R. Official, has earned the handle “Britain’s rarest stamp” due to the fact that it was issued on the very day that an official order came into effect withdrawing all official stamps from use.

The only known examples of this stamp in existence today belong to the Royal Collection and one or two museums such as the National Postal Museum.

‘Examples of this rarity just don’t come on to the open market’ said Stanley Gibbons Director of Great Britain Stamps, Vince Cordell.

This wonderful philatelic treasure is the key stamp for any collector hoping to build a complete collection of Great Britain.

‘This is an extraordinary opportunity to acquire one of the rarest and most coveted stamps in the world’ said Mr Cordell.

This stamp is the only known example to have been in private hands, which came from a collection in Switzerland in the 1950s and has been passed from one private collection to another before being offered to Stanley Gibbons earlier this year.

For these reasons, the 6d I.R. Official has become known as a ‘mythological’ stamp. Collectors from around the world, visiting the London 2010 International Stamp exhibition have been fascinated by this rarity on the Stanley Gibbons stand.

‘It’s great to see people’s eyes widen when they see we have the 6d I.R. Official here on the stand. They can see that it really is here and we do have it for sale’ said Stanley Gibbons Director of Group Sales and Marketing, Keith Heddle.

So far no one has parted with the £375,000 needed to own Britain’s rarest stamp but collectors around the world are enjoying the spectacle of seeing this rare philatelic treasure for themselves.