Currency today : the Netherlands 01

The Netherlands...

long time ago, two countries, Belgium and the current 'Netherlands'.
A country with a turbulent history of monarchs, from popluar, to extremely unpopular and back to very popular...

A small overview of the Kings and Queens who were ruling the Netherlands since 1815.

Willem I

Wilhelmina van Pruisen

Willem II

Anna Paulowna

Emma

Willem III

Sophia

Wilhelmina

Hendrik

Willem

Maurits

Alexander

Juliana

Bernhard

Beatrix

Claus

Willem-Alexander

Máxima

Amalia

Alexia

Ariane

There is something special about the coins and the stamps...

First King Willem I (Guillaume I):

Willem I (facing right) - not in my collection

King Willem II

Willem II (facing left) - not in my collection

King Willem III

Willem III (facing right) - not in my collection

Queen (regent) Emma

She wasn't really Queen, her title was Queen-regent until her daughter Wilhelmina succeeded the throne.
There are no circulation coins with Queen (-regent) Emma.

Queen Wilhelmina

Queen Wilhemina - facing left

Queen Juliana

Queen Juliana - facing right

Queen Beatrix

Guilder coin Beatrix (facing left)

Euro coin Beatrix (facing left)

(soon) King Willem-Alexander (Willem IV)

King Willem - Alexander will be the new monarch on the Dutch coins... guess what side he will be facing...

Odd stamps : 06 h Stamps on cotton / silk

The number of odd stamps that were issued in the last months, and those who are about to be emitted in the near future is enormous.

I'm trying to keep up with all new issues, and I also try to buy them, so that I can present it on this blog.
The item of today is again a very special issue.

This stamp was issued to celebrate the year of the Dragon (2012).
It is printed on 100% silk.

It is also printed on gummed paper, so it's not an auto-adhesive stamp.
It was issued by the Hong Kong, China authorities and is a truly beautiful stamp.

Along with the sheet, a certificate of authenticy was given to each buyer.
I got mine as well of course.

I'm looking forward on receiving such a stamp (sheet) on a postally used letter.
I do hope to get such a copy one day.

Odd stamps : 08 Stamps with special cuts - 01 i

Round stamps are still my favourite stamps.

Turkey issued a set of 4 round stamps, depicting 4 common birds.

Turkey 2011 - full sheet

The first stamp shows us a common Northern Pintale (Duck)

Northern pintale

Nothern pintale (male and female)

On the second stamp, we find a turtle dove

European Turtle Dove

Turtle dove in action

The two higher values are wildlife birds:

First we see a Pheasant

Pheasant

Pheasant

The last stamp is depicting a partridge

Partridge

partridge

Such stamps don't stick together in a sheet without at least a more square or rectangled shape to support them.
For that reason a pic of the back side of the sheet.
It's truly a festival of lines and curves.

back side of the sheet - lines and curves

Odd stamps : 05 d Stamps in braille

After Belgium and Brazil, we go to Sweden for our next stamp (sheet) on odd stamps.
We saw already some fine examples of stamps with braille print.
The sheet I'm presenting today was issued in 2009.

full sheet - Sweden 2009

On top of the sheet, we see the alphabet, writtin both in latin letters as in braille.
In the Swedish writing system, also the letters å, ä and ö are used.

detail with å, ä and ö

The sheet shows us two almost identical stamps, both with the same text in braille.
One stamp is in hot pink colour, the other one more bluish pink.

two, almost identical stamps

The text on the stamps is written in braille and in Swedish: "Se med andra ögon" (see with other eyes).

also the word : Brev (letter) is written

Currency Today : Bangladesh 02

We continue our collection of Bengali notes, with the 20 taka-note.

I received 2 different notes, but as far as the website of the Bangladesh Bank concerns, there's only one note.
However, the first note (and the one on the website) is monochorme green.

The second version of the note, varies from yellow to green, and the decoration on the right hand side, is red.

On the back side, the differences are less clear, but still you see a more yellowis.
Both notes are for the rest identical (year, signature, topic).

reverse - Shat Gombuz Maszid of Bagerhat district

reverse (2) - Shat Gombuz Maszid of Bagerhat district

This notes, shows the Shat Gombuz Maszid (the Mosque with Sixty Domes) of Bagerhat district.
This mosque is the largest in Bangladesh build in the sultanat period. It is said to be the most impressive Muslim monument of the whole Indian subcontinent.

the Mosque with Sixty Domes

the Mosque with Sixty Domes

The same monument can be found on this set of Bangladesh stamps :

As an extra, when I was having a closer look at the banknotes of 20 taka, I found this rather spooky creature on the front.
I guess it was just ment as an ornament, but while examinating it, I found it also on the 10 taka note.
For those who have the banknotes ... find the spooky decoration ...

spooky 10

spooky 20

Currency Today : Bangladesh 01

For my next item on banknotes, I got a set of notes from my contact in Bangladesh.

The new series of banknotes are very nice.
We start the set with the 2 taka note.
The 1 taka note existed too, but is replaced by a coin.
On the 1 taka note, the coin was depicted.
The 1 and 2 taka notes are actually issued by the Ministry of Finance and not by the National Bank.
In fact they are mint notes, not banknotes.

Although the 2 taka note is still in use, it soon will be replaced by coins too.

The older 2 taka notes had the national bird : Doyel (or Oriental Magpie Robin) on the front.

2010 2 Taka note

The new notes show Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; Bengali politician and founder of Bangladesh.
He was also the first president and later became Prime Minister.
He can be found on all further notes.

On the back side of the 2 taka note, you will see the Shaheed Minar, a national monument, erected to commemorate those who died during the Bengali Language Movement Demonstrations in 1952.

2 taka note (front)

2 taka note (back)

The second note, and the first 'bank' note, issued by the Bangladesh Bank, is a 5 taka -note.
From here on, all notes have the same front (obverse) style.
The back (reverse) side is more interesting for us.

Reverse - Photograph of the Kusumba Mosque of Naogaon.

The next note, 10 taka, is a very modest picture of the National Mosque.
The lines are very straight. But the note is still beautiful, thanks to the vibrant violet colour.

Reverse - Photographs of the National Mosque

On each note, you will see also the National Monument. it's printed in the colours of the individual banknotes, and can be found in the middle of the front side of each note.

National Monument (here on the 10 taka note)

more notes in my next post...

Odd stamps : 01b Perfumed stamps

On of the first articles ever, and the first topic on 'odd stamps' was about perfumed stamps.

I didn't continue with that topic, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything more to say about it.
Today, another smelly stamp (block) for you.

full sheet of chocolate stamps

The sheet promotes the export of Liberian products.
I suppose they export cacao beans and not the finished chocolates as shown on the sheet.

One problem with scentened sheets / stamps is that the fragrance is lost after a while and only a duff chocolate odour is left.

one of the stamps in detail

the first article was listed under : Odd stamps : 01a Perfumed stamps

Odd stamps : 08 Stamps with special cuts - 08 b

A more recent issue of octagonal stamps, comes from the Asian country Bangladesh.
The stamps, six in total, show us bird nest of Bangladesh.

The stamps were issued as six single stamps (issued perforated) and as a non-perforated block.

6 individual stamps, showing bird's nests

one stamp in detail - 20 taka

The printing hasn't always been very accurate, but still a nice emission.

The same stamps get repeted on the sheet.
Face value of each stamp is 20 taka, but the sheet was sold for 150 taka.

block bird nests of Bangladesh

And to show you that I don't only get those items mint; a postally used example :

cover from Bangladesh with set of octagonal stamps

Odd stamps : 08 Stamps with special cuts - 08 a

We have arrived at the 8th odd shape (see square, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal stamps before).
This time, I'll bring the octagonal stamps to you.

Octagonal stamps, have 8 sides.
So far, all odd stamps are relatively new (from the 70's of the 20th century till now).
The following stamps however are dated 1898 !

10 paras

20 paras

The stamps were issued in 1898.
Turkey was occupying Thessaly (now Greece) from 1897 till June 1898.
At that time, the following octagonal stamps were in use.

1 piastre

2 piastres

5 piastres

A lot of those stamps were cancelled to order (CTO), as well as forgeries.

As you see, odd stamps aren't 'new', as these stamps show.

And there are many more ...

Theme : 1st issues : 04 Brazil

I have left you all waiting for a long time, but here it is, the 1st post of 2013.
No better way to celebrate a 1st post then with a 1st issue.

3 years after the first stamp ever was issued, Brazil was the second country to emit stamps.
In 1843, the first Brazilian stamp set (30, 60 and 90 réis) was issued.
Because of the shape of the design, it didn't take long before people started to call the set : the bull's eyes.
And that's the name the first stamp(s) of Brazil still bare.

Brazil N° 1 -  bull's eye

Similar to the first stamp in Great Brittain, this stamp does not bare the name of the country.
As there were only 2 countries at that time that issued stamps, it wasn't very hard to know whether the stamp was from Brazil or Great Brittain.
Besides, there wasn't many postal traffic either.
It lasted till 1866, then Brazil (and all other countries, except Great Brittain) put the name of the country on its stamps.

The name 'bull's eye' refers to the big oval shaped design, that looks like a bull's eye.
In Portuguese, the language of Brazil, they are called olho(s)-de-boi.
In German (also often spoken in South America) they are 'Ochsenauge(n)'.

This first issue of Brazil was printed on 1,148,994 copies.

more under 'Brazil'