Odd stamps : 09f hologram stamps

Another - small - contribution to the hologram stamps, goes back to 1999.
The Netherlands issued 2 stamps to honour or promote stamps and stamp collecting.

Set of two stamps of the Netherlands

2 stamps were issued on the topic 'I love stamps' and 'Stamps love me'.
Twice is the word 'LOVE' replaced by a hologram that alternates the words 'LOVE' with heart symbols.

LOVE alternated with ♥♥♥♥

The colours are red, white and blue. And although the stamps look very 'American' to me, they are also the colours of the Dutch flag.

more to follow...

Odd stamps : 09e hologram stamps

Stamps with holograms aren't issued that often, but Finland issued twice such a set within a couple of years.
The first set I present, was issued in 1992 and represents 3 stamps on technology ande research, european cooperation and Finnish patents.

The background of the stamp's design is rather dull, wires, lines and a machine.
The hologram on the stamp (identical on the three stamps) shows a group of trees, a river and some buildings on the background. Also the letters K.K. apear in the hologram.

Hologram

A second set of hologram stamps were also issued in Finland, but in 1995.
A booklet of 8 stamps to promote letter writing.

cover of the booklet

The stamps show scenes of letter writing, or postal delivery, through funny animals.
Each of the 8 stamps has a different hologram, showing an animal in a heart shaped background.

booklet of 8 stamps with holograms

stamp 1 - 4

stamp 5 - 8

one of the 8 holograms

Again a nice addition to my collection, and a reason more to start (or continuing) collecting.

Odd stamps : 09d hologram stamps

I was going through my collection and I found this hologram stamp.
It's a a Canadian stamp (actually a pair of stamps) with a holograpic image of the Space Shuttle.
Yeah... that's history by now.

The first stamp (without hologram) is a picture of Earth, and a sattelite in orbit.
The shields of the sattelite are in silverfoil print.
The other, smaller stamp shows a holograpic image of Earth, with the Space Shuttle.
Two fine stamps, designed by Debby Adams and issued by Canadian post.

two stamps, with one hologram

holographic image of Earth and Space Shuttle

I'm looking for more...

Odd stamps : 09c hologram stamps

One of my favourite countries to collect is surely Thailand.
Fair priced face value, high quality stamps and beautiful designs.

No wonder Thai Post emitted also holograpic stamps.

If you consider the hologram as the "grand cru" of printing, then only the highest is good enough to be depicted on the stamps.
For some countries this means "spacial" items, but for Thai, it can only be H.R.H. King Bhumibol (Rama IX).

In several series dedicated to the life and work of the Thai king, a special holograpic stamp is included in each set.

Thailand, the life of King Bhumibol

Thailand 1991 - detail hologram stamp

So far, only the King has been depicted on hologram stamps. So also with the next beautiful issue:

Although this sheet isn't really depicting the Thai king for a royal event, the king appears again on all stamps.
The sheet was issued in 2008, to commemorate 125 years fo Thai Postal Services.
As it was founded under Rama V (King Chulalongkorn), he is depicted on old stamps.
In the middle of the sheet, a hologram of the king.

Thailand full sheet 2008

Thailand detail hologram

Third and last item today, is again a sheet in honour of the life and work of King Bhumibol.
It's the second sheet in a series of stamps issued to celebrate the king's 80th birthday.

This sheet is seen in many Thai shops, on walls in private houses, ... in order to pay respect to the Thai king.
Respect also for the Thai postal services for the beautiful sheet.

Thailand full sheet 2007

Thailand detail hologram stamp + gold print

And there are more hologram stamps...

Odd stamps : 09b hologram stamps

There aren't many countries that have issued holographic stamps or stamps with holograms.
But with a little bit of research, you can still find lots of great stamps for your collection.

In this second post, some more holograms:

First item is a sheet from Finland.
The sheet has 3 stamps and a hologram.
Infact the hologram itself isn't a stamp, but if the sheet was used completely on a letter, it can be found as an postally used philatelic item.

What's more special albout this sheet, is that it is cut like a "tangram" a game with 7 geometric shapes, put together as a square. Each of the single shapes can be formed by putting the other shapes in a certain order.
Also other forms can be made by putting each piece in another place.
A nice game and major brain-breaker.

Finland sheet with hologram

Finland - detail of the hologram

Another European country that has used holograms on stamps, is Germany.
In this set, dedicated to scientific discoveries, several stamps were decorated with holograms.

Two German semi-postal stamps on space science

Jupiter encountered by a comet

map of the sky, seen under gammalight

Science doesn't have to be boring as you see...

Odd stamps : 09a hologram stamps

Time for some new odd stamps.
You see it often in banknotes and certificates, holograms are used as a security mark
Official software is secured with holograms, but in stamps it's not that common.

Holograms used in euro money

There are not many holographic stamps or stamps with a hologram.

Such a security mark is not really necessary for stamps and mostly the value of a stamp is too low to invest in such a marks.
The only reason for holograms on stamps, is to "show off", to have a "special issue"...
Briefly, to make collectors pay extra.
But it's a given fact, holograms are attractive.

A hologram is a word with greek roots : holograph : hólos (the whole) and graphein (to write, to draw).
So it's a way to write print a whole image.

What is a hologram in fact?
It's not easy to describe it in an easy way, but let's try.

When looking through a window, all waves coming from the window to the retina in your eye. The combination of those waves make us see a 3D image.
Using certain optical (and physical) techniques, a 'photograph' can be made of a certain moment in this cyclus of waves. The image itself is not 3D, but with the use of light (or laserlight) the 'idea' of waves can be reconstructed.
When waves comes from different directions, the 3D image becomes more realistic and 'deeper';
In a hologram, the natural light is reconstructed and gives us the 3D view again.
The larger the holgram is, the bettter the 3D effect and the 'deeper' the view becomes.

The Hungarian scientist Dennis Gabor discovered the basic idea for holograms in 1948, but it lastet till 1960 until the first hologram was made, by the Americas Upatnieks and Leith. Gabor received the Nobelprice for his discovery, in 1971.

So far the theory, now the stamps ...

First sheet is from Poland, a sheet with 2 stamps, one with a hologram of a butterfly.

Poland holographic butterfly

Poland detail hologram

Secondly Bhutan, a lot can be said about Bhutani stamps, but they have been a pioneer in emitting special stamps. This is a sheet to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Man' first step on the Moon.

Bhutan 2 hologram in one sheet

Bhutan detail hologram

There are more holographic stamps to follow