Currency Today : Pakistan 04

The series of Pakistani banknotes contintue with 50 rupees.
As in all Pakistani notes, 

50 rupees-note of Pakistan

some of the notes 2013-2017

On the 2012, 13 and 14-notes we see signature 1 in the above picture,
on the 2015, 16 and 17-notes we see signature 2 in the above picture
In the newest note of 2018, another signature appears :

new signature from 2018 on

At the back side, we see K2 peak in Karakorum Mountains, between Pakistan and China.

50 rupees - reverse side

For a long time, this mountain had no real name, as it was out of sight for the local habitants of the region. When Colonel Thomas George Montgomerie measured the area in 1856, he numbered the mountains as he discovered them.

The K stands for Karakoram area, the 2 for the second mountain he discovered/measured.

Montgomerie’s , numbering K1, K2, … was later on replaced by real names:

K1 : Masherbrum

K2 : remained K2

K3 : Broad Peak

K4 : Gasherbrum II

K5 : Gasherbrum I

For those who need good questions for a quiz event, K2 is known as : Mount Godwin-Austen, Lamba Pahar (Long Mountain in Urdu), Qogir  Feng or even Chogori Dapsang.

In Balti language, the mountain is named ‘Ketu’, which is the local way to say K2.

The fact that K2 is also the second hightest mountain in the world, is rather a coincidence.
K2 is considered as the most difficult mountain to conquer, and has a death rate of 25%.

K2 - mountain

Currency Today : Pakistan 03

The second note in the Pakistani banknotes (the 5 note not counted) is a 20 rupees-note.
It represents 12 euro cents or 14 dollar cents...

This note was introduced in 2005 and reissued in 2007.

20 rupees - 2 versions

different dates on 20 rupees

Above the first issue. It can be dated 2005, 2006 or 2007.
The note below is dated 2007 to now. There re therefore 2 issues in 2007.

In uncirculated condition, the notes of the first issue are the better ones.
From the new issue, only the first 3 years are better priced than the later ones.

Looking at the signatures, I found the following:

Signature 15 - on 2005 and 2006 notes

Signature 16 - on 2009 and 2010 notes

Signature 17 (?) - on 2010 notes

Although the note was issued in 2010, the 2018 Krause catalogue (Pick-numbering), does not mention this signature. Therefore, I wrote a question mark.
Following signatures aren't mentionned in the catalogue either, but that's because they are too recent.

Signature 18 (?) - on 2017 notes (here on a 100 rupees - note)

Signature 19 (?) - on 2017 and 2018 notes

On the back side of the banknote, the archaeological site of Mohenjo-Daro, in the province of Sindh in Pakistan. This site was one of the first and largest cities in the world and was built around 2500BC.
It was destroyed and rebuilt for many times, and then abandonned around 1800BC.
In 1920 it was rediscovered. Now it is on the Unesco World Heritage list, but due to improper restoration and erosion it is currently severely threatened.

Mohenjo-Daro on the back of 20 rupees

Mohenjo-Daro archaeological site

to be continued ...

Currency Today : Pakistan 02

In my previous post, I introduced a 5 rupee - note, which is part of the current series, but not in use anymore.
Converted, 5 rupees represent 3.1 euro cent or 3.5 dollar cent...

The first note is use is a 10 Rupee-note.
The notes were issued in 2006 and reissued every year till now.
For UNC notes, 2006, 2007 and 2008 are rated a bit higher than the later issues.

10 Rupees - 2018

3 different signatures

I posted the signatures in my previous post already.
Here we can see siganture 15 (1 - 2008), signature 16 (2 - 2009) and a new signature (3 - 2018).

signature 18 (Pakistan)

different dates on 10 rupees

At the reverse side of the note, we see a picture of a gate.

reverse side of 10 rupees

It is a gate in Peshawar region, known as the Khyber-gate. It is know as the entrance gate on Jamrud Road. The road itself is a mountain road which lead to the border with Afghanistan.

Khyber-gate in Pakistan

to be continued ...

Currency Today : Pakistan 01

There are few countries that keep their banknote designs for so long as Pakistan.
For over 10 years, the look of the Pakistani notes haven't changed much.
Nevertheless there are some differences to find, if you like to extend your collection.

At first I like to start with a note that is NOT in circulation anymore.
But since it's in the style of the rest of the notes, I like to add it to this post.

The only changess to most notes is the date of issue (1) and the signature (2).

On the obverse side, all notes have the image of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, (25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948).
He was a lawyer, politician and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until Pakistan's independence on 14 August 1947, and then as Pakistan's first Governor-General until his death. He is known in Pakistan as Quaid-i-Azam ("Great Leader") and Baba-i-Qaum, "Father of the Nation"). His birthday is considered a national holiday in Pakistan.

The dates on the notes of this series start in 2006 until now.
Almost every year, a note was issued (except for the 5 Rupees, that only was issued in 2008, 2009 and 2010).

Some of the signatures that appear on the notes :

signatures 11 to 16

For the 5 rupees - note above, signature 15 is used.

Signature 15 on 5 rupees of Pakistan

The 2009/10-notes have signature 16.
The reverse side of the note shows the Gwadar Sea Port.

detail of reverse side of the 5 rupee note

Gwadar Sea Port

Gwadar is a port city on the southwestern coast of Balochistan, Pakistan. The city is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea opposite to Oman.

to be continued ...

Odd stamps : 03h 3D stamps (moving)

Fans of Star Wars have been spoiled with special issues on this topic.
I posted already a set of stamps with the main characters. All in lenticular printing.

The set is completed with a souvenir sheet, showing a space ship. The miniature sheet has the oulines of the vessel on the top side.

The Millennium Falcon

The depicted space craft is the Millennium Falcon, (type YT-1300f Light Freighter) which appears in all episodes starting from III. It's the personal vessel of Rey and Chewbacca.

In the sheet, also a stamp is included.
Since the sheet is printed in a kind of plastic, the stamp needs to be cut out of the sheet in order to be used.
The sheet is not gummed, nore auto-adhesive.

When tilt, the sheetlet reveils extra information on the space ship, and the 'stamp' switches images.
We see the character of Han Solo in one image.

Han Solo - solo

On the second image, we see Han Solo and Chewbacca. He is the 234 year old Wookiee co-piloot of the Millennium Falcon.

Han Solo and Chewbacca

Odd stamps : 02d Silver / golden stamps

It has been a while since I posted silver and gold stamps. But today I can present you a new item from the Netherlands.

The stamp depicts Dirk Kuyt, a former Dutch football player.
Kuyt has a foundation to support G-sports (sports for mentally or physically disable people) in the Netherlands. For people with mental of physical limitations don't always find the ways to sportclubs.
The foundation helps and supports over 100 sport events as G-football, wheelchair tennis and even billiard for people with Parkinson.

Dirk Kuyt at a sport event (foto: dirkkuytfoundation.nl)

The issued 'stamp' is a silver stamp, that can be used for registered mail (aangetekend).
The postal rates are currently around € 8 for registered mail, but the stamp is officially sold for € 25.

Since silver is sensitive to oxygen, the stamp is packed in a plastic cover, to prevent colour shift.
A used stamp will be hard to find, especially while it would turn black after been exposed to air.
At the time the stamp was sold in 2017, there was a limited sale of 2 'stamps' per person.

Dirk Kuyt as a Feyenoord player

Dirk Kuyt played 104 matches for the Dutch national football team
More info on the foundation : www.dirkkuytfoundation.nl (site is in Dutch).

Theme : Esperanto 11

It has been a while since I posted some Esperanto theme related things;
Going through my Israel collection, I remembered that this country issued a stamp in 2006 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the language Esperanto (in 2007).
In 2007 it was also the 90th anniversary to the death of L.L. Zamenhof.

Stamp with tab - Israel 2006 / 2007

On the stamp, with the mandatory tab, the portrait of Zamenhof is made up of Esperanto text.

detail

“Zamenhof naskiĝis en la Ulica Zielona 6 en [Biali]stoko (tiam en la Rusa Imperio de la caroj, nun en Pollando). Lia naski tago estis la [3-a] de decembro la* la julia kalendaro, la 15-a de cecembro la gregoria kalendaro kaj la 19-a de kislew la* la juda….”
* The double 'la' should be 'de la' or 'en la', not 'la la' 
  
Translated it means : Zamenhof was born (naskiĝis = past tense of naskiĝi: to be born) in 'Zielona street nr 6' in Bialystok (at that time in the Russian Imperium of the tzars, now in Poland).
His birthday was the 3rd of December in the Julian calendar, the 15th of December in the Gregorian calendar and the 19th of kislew, in the Jewish (calendar).


In the mid 19th century, the Russian Empire still used the Julian calendar.
That's why the October Revolution was actually in November.
Since Zamenhof was Jewish - and this stamp is issued by Israel, also the Jewish calendar is mentionned.

All Israeli stamps are issued with a 'tab', often they contain extra information, a logo, or the image continues on the tab.
Not all stamps in a sheet have this tab, so there are less 'tabbed' stamps than stamps without tabs.
The catalogues mentionnes both stamps, but stamps with tab are more sought and more worth.

In this case, the tab does give some extras:
the image continues through tab and stamp and on the tab we also see the Esperanto flag, known as 'la verda stelo' (the green star). 

tab on Israeli Esperanto stamp (detail)

"Sur la tuta tero estis unu lingvo kaj unu parolmaniero... Genezo 11.1"
On the whole world, there was one language and one way of speaking .... Genesis 11.1

Green stands for hope, and 'Esperanto' means 'hoping', but I wonder if Zamenhof got this idea from the street where he was born, 'Ulica zielona' (Polish) = green street' ...  

Zamenhof, Esperanto flag and 'peace in the world'

 

Odd stamps : 06 m Stamps on cotton / silk

Canada surprised us with a giant stamp in 2017 (100 x 72 mm - 3.9 x 2.9 inch).  Hockey is a very popular sport in Canada, and in 2017 the Toronto Maple Leafs®, celebrated their 100th anniversary. As a tribute to the team's captain Ted "Teeder" Kennedy, who played during the 1949-1950 season, a reproduction was made from the sweater he wore.
The stamp was issued in a special folder, with a plastic case to protect the odd stamp.

Toronto Maple Leafs shirt as a stamp

The reproduction of the sweater, has in the middle a blue and white maple leaf, made out of flock tissue. Because it sticks out of the stamp, the whole sheetlet has a plastic container to protect it.The stamp itself constists of nearly the full sheet.

Maple leaf logo in flock tissue

In 1947, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the invincible Montreal Canadians, when Ted Kennedy scored the winning goal in the 6the game. The team won the title in 1948 and 1949 as well. Ted Kennedy died at the age of 84 in 2009.

Ted Kennedy

Odd stamps : 06 l Stamps on cotton / silk

Is it innovation, creativity or just another way to make collectors pay a lot for stamps that are not really stamps, or at least not meant to be used as postal stamps...
Some countries tend to be specialised in one or more 'special' stamps each year.

Two stamps made out of woven tissue, were issued by the Austrian postal services to honour the tradional clothing of Styria (Steiermark).

Coat of arms of Styria (Steiermark)

Steiermark is a region that is mainly in Austria, but also partly in Slovenia.
Historically seen, the Dutchy of Styria, was part of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1806 it became part of the Austrian-Hungarian empire, till the end of world war I.
The treaty of Saint Germain, named after a village near Paris, where this treaty was signed in 1919, devided Styria in an Austrian part and a Yougoslavian part.
Since the split up of Yougoslavia, and Slovenia's independence in 1991, the southern part of Styria is now in Slovenia.

A typical, tradional hat in Styria, is the Styrian hat.
The colour also refers to the colours in the coat of arms.

woven stamp 'Styrian hat'

This Austrian stamp is made out of woven cloth, at the back it was made self adhesive, so it can be used as a postal stamp. The perforation is also created by the structure of the weaving.

A second 'stamp' emitted by Austria, also shows a piece of tradional clothing, although this is not exclusively an Austrian piece of clothing.
It is called - as in German - a lederhosen.
This specific type of pants is still used, especially for folkloric use. Besides in Austria, it's is also well know in Southern Germany, like Bavaria for example.

stamp made out of suede

Lederhosen were worn for hard physical work, they were more durable then a fabric garment. Traditional lederhosen are hand made of tanned deer leather, which makes the pants soft and light. The hat stamp mentionnes the country name in English, and the lederhosen-stamp does it in German.

There's only a very small chance you will find these stamps postally used. and if so, don't expect to see a nice cancel on the 'stamp'.

Lederhosen boys with (Styrian) hat

Currency Today : Venezuela 14

In this post, I present the last two Venezolan notes (at this moment).

200 BsS and 500 BsS

Again 2 new designs were used.
The 500 note has Simón Bolívar on the front side, but now he is depicted from the right hand side.

The back side of the notes puts two more vulnerable animals in the picture.

reverse side of 200  BsS and 500 BsS

The parrot on the 200 BsS note, is a large parrot or small macaw.
The bird is not that uncommon in captivity, and often found as pet. However in the wild, the Guacamayo is vulnerable.
Although the picture on the banknote is only one colour, the Guacamayo/Papagayo Militar/Verde is known for its colourful, but predominal green plumage, resembling a military uniform

Guacamayo on 200 BsS/VeS

Guacamayo or Papagayo Militar or Verde

The last note in the 2018 set, is a 500 Boliváres Soberanos note (equivalent of 50,000,000 Boliváres fuertes).
As it is the highest denomination (for now), it shows the national hero Simón Bolívar on the front side.
At the back, an endemic bird is depicted. This is the only animal on the banknotes that is not endangered of vulnerable.

Venezuelan Turpial

The Venezuelan Turpial or Tourpial is the national bird of Venezuela.

Venezuelan T(o)urpial

In 2015, there was an international beauty contest in Tokio, Japan.
Each miss represented her country in a dress that referred to her country.
Edymar Martínez did this in a 'turpial' dress. I don't know if the dress made any difference, but she won the 2015 Miss International competition.

Miss (Turpial) Venezuela - Miss International 2015

Edymar Martinez representing Venezuela poses in a national dress during the 55th Miss International Beauty Pageant in Tokyo, Japan, November 5, 2015. Photo: Reuters