To complete the zodiac set of 12 coins, San Marino issued the last 3 coins in 2021.
The last set consists of the Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces -coins.
Each of the 2021 coins has a mintage of 16000 brass coins.
The Capricorn-coin (It: capricorno)
 |
| Capricorn - coin 2021 RSM |
The Aquarius-coin (It: acquario)
 |
| Aquarius - coin 2021 RSM |
The Pisces-coin (It: pesci)
 |
| Pisces - coin 2021 RSM |
With these 3 coins, the set is of western zodiac sign coins is completed.
to be continued...
The set of Zodiac coins of San Marino, coninued in 2020 with 3 additional coins: Libra, Scorpio and Saggitarius. Each of the 2020 coins has a mintage of 16000 brass pieces
The first coin dated 2020, is the Libra-coin (It: bilancia).
 |
| 2020 Libra - coin RSM |
The second coin, is the Scorpio-coin (It: scoprione)
 |
| 2020 Scorpio - coin RSM |
The third and last coin for 2020 is the Sagittarius-coin (It: sagittario)
 |
| 2020 Sagittarius - coin RSM |
At the moment of wrinting this article, the 2020-coins, were still available on the website of the San Marino post, at the price of the face value. Each of the coins were delivered in a hard plastic holder.
The 2019 and 2018 coins were already sold out.
to be continued...
In 2019, 4 coins were added to the set: Gemini, Cancer, Leo and Virgo.
Similar to the 2018 coins, is the obverse side, with the sun, all zodiac symbols and the country's name.
 |
| Gemini - coin 2019 RSM |
 |
| Cancer - coin 2019 RSM |
 |
| Leo - coin 2019 RSM |
 |
| Virgo - coin 2019 RSM |
to be continued ....
When paying in Europe with cash, the chance of spending or receiving a commemorative € 2 - coin, is not that uncommon. Till 2023, about 610 (!) different € 2 coins, other than the regular ones, are in use.
Also higher denominations are minted, but those coins are never seen in circulation.
First of all because they are printed in very limited numbers, or sold at a higher price than the nominal value.
One specific set of coins drew my attention. The set consists of 12 coins, issued over 4 years (in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021). 12 coins, that sounds familiar ... indeed these 12 coins are dedicated to the 12 western zodiac signs.
In 2018, the first two coins were issued.
Each coin has a face value of € 5 and the reverse side is common to all 12 coins.
 |
| reverse side of the coins |
On the front side of the first coin, the Aries (It: ariete) or Ram is shown
 |
| Aries issue 2018 |
The second coin of 2018 depicts the Taurus (It: toro) or Bull.
 |
| Taurus issue 2018 |
The set of 2018 coins have a mintage of 15000 coins (brass).
They are sold out on the official website of the San Marino postal services.
to be continued...
Issued on May 1, 1840, changed the whole postal system in use at that time.
No
longer the one who received the mail had to pay, but the sender could
buy a 'stamp' to pay for sending a message over mail to another person.
The first stamp did not bear any name of country, as it was issued in the UK only.
This
privilege is still valid until today, as the United Kingdom, is the
only country in the world, that has no country name mentioned on it's
stamps.
 |
| 1840 Black Penny |
The first stamp came in sheets of 240 stamps. 24 rows of 12 stamps. Nowadays, stamps are often printed in sheets of 100 or an equivalent of 100's. But in 1840, the British were not using the decimal system yet.
A 'pound' (£) used to be the value of a pound of silver (= 0.45359237 kg).
1 pound was devided into 20 shillings, and one shilling devided into 12 pence each.
Although the decimal system is more logical (we have 10 fingers), this predecimal system had many advantages too, as 240 can be divided by 2,3,4,5,6,8,10,15,16,20,24,30,40,60, 80 and 120, where '100' only can be divided by 2,4,5,10,20,25 and 50.
The sheet of 240 stamps of this black penny, have letters in the lower corners. Each combination depends on the position on the sheet.
Each row of 12 makes one shilling, twenty rows of 1 shilling, make one pound.
position of black pennies in a sheet
The letter left on the stamp, indicates the row, and the one right the column.
The stamp shown above (B J) is therefore in position 22.
Although each stamp on the sheet has the same value, the ones in with double letters, i.e. AA, BB, CC, ... are sought. Stamps in the border of the sheet, often have better margins, some even with extra information.
From this issue, 286,670 sheets were printed, good for over 68,8 million black pennies. Estimated is, that about 1,3 million of them survived time.
This 'first issue' is a special one.
 |
| Nepal 1885 |
What is on the cover?
The stamps on the cover are genuine (Michel nrs 1Bc (light blue) - 2B (dull lilac) and 3B (yellowish green). The stamps were issued in 1881 on European paper. The cancels are genuine as well.
But the back side has handwritten text speaks of 1885.
We are talking about a registered mail with stamps from the 1st issue of Nepal (1881), and there are 3 different stamps on the cover, used in 1885...
This is what the experts say (CH - October 2022):
"The stamps are stuck at the bottom of an envelope with a handwritten departure stamp Parewadada March 12, 1885 on the back, and an entry registration of March 24, 1885. They do not belong on this cover and are intended to simulate an extraordinarily rare registered postage from the first edition."
Were the stamps added later on, to make it more valuable?
Never the less, the three stamps are real and postally used, which makes it a rare document in my collection.
 |
| Nepal 1Bc (blue) and 2B (lilac) according Michel |
 |
| Nepal 3B (green) according Michel |
to be continued...
Zodiac signs will always be a popular topic on stamps.
There are 12 (originally 13) zodiac signs in a year, according western astrology, and 12 animal signs in a 12-year cycle, according the eastern astrology.
In 2023, Mongolia issued two sheetlets, with one stamp each.
One is dedicated to western astrology, showing the 12 signs, around a circular stamp.
 |
| 1st sheet - 12 western zodiac signs |
In the middle of the circle with the 12 western zodiac signs, we find a round stamp, where the symbol for each sign is placed under the according picture above.
 |
| round shaped stamp with 12 zodiac symbols |
 |
| detail gemini |
The second sheetlet shows the 12 animals in the easter zodiac circle.
 |
| 2nd sheet - 12 asian zodiac signs |
Here we find the more older symbols, that described someone's personalty based on the year of birth (starting around 4 February each 'western' year).
The word 'zodiac' is derived from the ancient Greek : zōdiakòs kýklos (ζῳδιακός κύκλος), which literally means 'circle of animals'.
This circle is binary composed, as each year is alternately male or female.
The 'male' years are Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Horse, Monkey and Dog, where the 'female' years are Ox, Hare (Rabbit), Snake, Sheep, Hen (Rooster) and Pig.
In the middle, we find a round shaped stamp.
Each of the twelve animals surround the central stamp. The animals are depicted as human forms, with the head of an animal.
 |
| sheet detail : Rabbit - Dragon and Snake |
For the next years, here are the 12 zodiac signs, after that, the cycle restarts.
| Jan 22 2023–Feb 09 2024 | Rabbit |
| Feb 10 2024–Jan 28 2025 | Dragon |
| Jan 29 2025–Feb 16 2026 | Snake |
| Feb 17 2026–Feb 05 2027 | Horse |
| Feb 06 2027–Jan 25 2028 | Goat |
| Jan 26 2028–Feb 12 2029 | Monkey |
| Feb 13 2029–Feb 02 2030 | Rooster |
| Feb 03 2030–Jan 22 2031 | Dog |
| Jan 23 2031–Feb 10 2032 | Pig |
| Feb 11 2032–Jan 30 2033 | Rat |
| Jan 31 2033–Feb 18 2034 | Ox |
| Feb 19 2034–Feb 07 2035 | Tiger |
5000 bef
It was in 1982, when a new 5000 belgian francs banknote was issued.
The fourth note in the 1978-1992 series.
On the note, the portrait of the flemish (dutch part of Belgium) poet Guido Gezelle is depicted.
Born and raised in Bruges in 1830, a few months before Belgium declared its independence.
 |
| Birth house of Gezelle, now museum |
 |
| photograph of Guido Gezelle |
Gezelle mainly wrote about nature, friendship, religion and death.
He was rebelous and at times also controversial.
For a while he taught as poetry teacher in Kortrijk (B), where he wrote the poem 'dien Avond en die Rooze' (the Evening and the Rose) for his barely 18 year old pupil Eugeen van Oye.
Because of the controversial way of teaching, he was asked to leave Kortrijk in 1860. He retured to Bruges, where he stayed till 1872, when again his position became disputed.
He returned to Kortrijk, where he worked as a priest till he got ill in 1899.
His most known poem, 'het Schrijverke' (the Writer) from 1857, is not about a real writer, but about an insect, the Gyrinus Substratius (according Gezelle himself : Gryinus Natans).
O krinklende winklende waterding
Met 't zwarte kabotseken aan,
Wat zien ik toch geren uw kopke flink
Al schrijven op 't waterke gaan!
Gij leeft en gij roert en gij loopt zoo snel,
Al zie 'k u noch arrem noch been;
Gij wendt en gij weet uwen weg zoo wel,
Al zie 'k u geen ooge, geen één.
Wat waart, of wat zijt, of wat zult gij zijn?
Verklaar het en zeg het mij, toe!
Wat zijt gij toch, blinkende knopke fijn,
Dat nimmer van schrijven zijt moe?
Gij loopt over 't spegelend water klaar,
En 't water niet méér en verroert
Dan of het een gladdige windtje waar,
Dat stille over 't waterke voert.
O schrijverkes, schrijverkes zegt mij dan, -
Met twintigen zijt gij en meer,
En is er geen een die 't mij zeggen kan: -
Wat schrijft en wat schrijft gij zoo zeer?
Gij schrijft, en 't en staat in het water niet,
Gij schrijft, en 't is uit en 't is weg;
Geen Christen en weet er wat dat bediedt:
Och, schrijverke, zeg het mij, zeg!
Zijn 't visselkes daar ge van schrijven moet?
Zijn 't kruidekes daar ge van schrijft?
Zijn 't keikes of bladtjes of blomkes zoet,
Of 't water, waarop dat ge drijft?
Zijn 't vogelkes, kwietlende klachtgepiep,
Of is 'et het blauwe gewelf,
Dat onder en boven u blinkt, zoo diep,
Of is het u, schrijverken, zelf?
En 't krinklende winklende waterding,
Met 't zwarte kapoteken aan,
Het stelde en het rechtte zijne oorkes flink,
En 't bleef daar een stondeke staan:
‘Wij schrijven.’ zoo sprak het, ‘al krinklen af
Het gene onze Meester, weleer,
Ons makend en leerend, te schrijven gaf,
Eén lesse, niet min nochte meer;
Wij schrijven, en kunt gij die lesse toch
Niet lezen, en zijt gij zoo bot?
Wij schrijven, herschrijven en schrijven nog,
Den heiligen Name van God!’
Guido Gezelle, 1857
 |
| the 'writer' : Gyrinus substratius |
 |
| front side of 5000 belgian francs Gezelle and stylised view of Bruges |
 |
| reverse side of 5000 belgian francs dragon fly, leaf and feather |
1000 bef
The third note in the 1978-1992 series is a 1000 belgian frank note (€ 24.79).
On this note we see the image of André Ernest Modeste Gretry (1741-1813).
At the time of his birth (and death), Belgium was not yet created. He was born in Liège, currently Belgium, but at the era of life and work of Gretry, part of the French empire.
Although he was born in 'Belgium', he spent most of his life in France. He was burried at Père-Lachaise (Paris) but according his last testemony, his heart was returned to Liège.
 |
| André Ernest Modeste Gretry |
Gretry wrote not less than (comic) operas, of which L'amant Jaloux (the jealous lover), Richard Coeur de Lion (Richard Lionheart), Zémire et Azor (Zémire and Azor), are the most important.
Being a contemporary of Mozart, and working in the same business, was probably not easy.
His first opera, 'the Samnite weddings' (written in 1768, and reviewed in 1776) was no success at all, nevertheless, the great master himself, Mozart, took one aria out of this opera and wrote 8 variations on it.
see: 8 Variations on "Dieu d'amour", K. 352/374c : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73dMs1vOu6o
The 1000 belgian franc note, with french on the front side this time, shows the composer at a younger age.
 |
| 1000 belgian francs - 1982 Gretry |
 |
| 1000 belgian francs back - 1982 |
to be continued...
500 bef
The second banknote in the 1978-1992 series of belgian notes, depicts Constantin Meunier.
Meunier started his carreer as painter. At first his mayor topics were religious paintings and drawings.
When he was asked to make some illustrations of the life and work of the labourers in and around the belgian coal mines.
He was quite impressed by the hard work of the workers, in such a way that his art became more realistic. The upcoming social movement, to improve the life of the many workers at the end of the 19th century, brought him back to making sculptures.
 |
| the 'miner' by C. Meunier |
On the 500 bef-note, now with French on the front side, and Dutch on the reverse side, we see Constantin Meunier with the mine conveyor tower in his back.
The note exists, just like the 100 bef - note, with 2 different sets of signatures.
 |
| 500 bef - Meunier - 1978 |
At the back side of the note, 5 circular ornaments are depicted.
 | |
| reverse side of 500 bef - 1978 |
In 1957, a stamp of 3 bef was issued, with Constantin Meunier and Constant Permeke next to each other.
Permeke was the painter on the later 1000 bef note, see : http://rainbowstampsandcoins.blogspot.com/2021/01/belgian-notes-pre-euro-01d-series-1994.html .
 |
| 1957 - Meunier and Permeke |
to be continued...
