JULY—AUGUST 2018 Issue # 446JULY—AUGUST 2018 446-5 MONTENEGRO 1v + ss of 1v (shown). The stamp within the ss is identical to the single stamp. Issue date 9 May 2018 One of the

JULY—AUGUST 2018 Issue # 446

OMG!! The Mizen Head Footbridge — see page 2

Who is this? — see page 16

JULY—AUGUST 2018 446-2

New Issues Europa 2018 "Bridges"

IRELAND 2v self-adhesive

Issue date 3 May 2018

The Mizen Head

Footbridge

is a reinforced

concrete through-

arch structure

which provides

access to a light-

house at the tip of

Mizen Head in the

south west of

County Cork. The

current bridge

was constructed

during 2009 and

2010 to replace

an older bridge

which had existed

for almost a cen-

tury. It is virtually identical to the original, but a

bit wider. This allowed using the original bridge

as “falsework” during construction of the new

one. — from “Bridges of Dublin”

The Boyne Via-

duct

is a 30-meter-high (98 ft) railway bridge that

crosses the River Boyne in Drogheda, carrying the

main Dublin–Belfast railway line. Completed in

1855, it was the seventh bridge of its kind in the

world when built, and considered one of the

wonders of the age. It comprises twelve stone

arches on south side, and a further three on the

north. It was re-furbished in the 1930s and was

considered to be of great strategic importance

during WWII. — from Wikipedia

ISLE OF MAN 1v from a set of 6v celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the Manx Electric Railway Issue date 30 June 2018

From the Isle of Man Post Office:

“A set of six stamps chosen from an open photo-

graphic competition, in collaboration with Isle of

Man Railways, to showcase images which enthu-

siasts felt best represented the Manx Electric Rail-

way (MER).

“The unique 3ft (914mm) gauge MER is a pio-

neering inter-urban tramway, operating a fleet of

vintage 500 volt DC tramcars. The oldest passen-

ger tramcars date from 1893 and the newest

from 1906. They operate a scenic 17 ¾ mile (28.5

km) route up the Island's rugged east coast from

the capital Douglas to Ramsey Town in the north

of the Island.

“Today, the MER is still reliant on the tourist

trade. A lot of money has been spent over the

last couple of decade on the MER with major roll-

ing stock, track and infrastructure renewals to

bring the system up to modern standards. De-

spite these changes, a ride on the MER today is

like stepping back in time to a Victorian age,

when the horse was the king of the road, and the

pace of life much slower.”

The EU value is a photograph of No 9 Crossing

Ballure Viaduct. Ballure Halt is an intermediate

stopping place on the northern section of

the MER.


New Issues sepac 2018

“Spectacular Views”

GREENLAND 1v


A mountainous region in East Greenland, seen in shallow darkness, with the spectacular lights of aurora seen in the sky above.

MONACO 1v

Issue date 7 June 2018

The motif is “Monaco under

the snow.” Really.

LIECHTENSTEIN 1v

from a set of 4v


This set of

four is the

second in a

series titled

“Summit

Crosses”.

Per Philatelie Liechtenstein:

“The folded layers of rock at “Kläusli” (CHF 1.50)

present a fascinating sight. The stamp also serves

as Liechtenstein’s SEPAC stamp this year.”


FRANCE 1v


“Bridge on Both Banks”

The Deux Rives footbridge over the Rhine is sus-

pended from two protruding columns, allowing

the two pedestrian and bicycle aprons to meet at

the center of the river. This is where in 2009

NATO leaders chose to meet for a handshake

celebrating the 60th anniversary of the alliance,

testifying to the symbolic power of the place.

A four-sided and two-side high-deck metal

bridge, its sober and efficient architecture is the

physical manifestation of the spirit of the Euro-

pean Coal and Steel Community. — excerpted from La Poste

French ANDORRA 1v


Tosca Bridge An old arched bridge located at Escaldes-

Engordany and allowing the passage of the old

parish road over the last stretch of the Madriu

River. Completed in 1820, it is a stone bridge, in

the Romanesque tradition, supported by an arch

in the center, taking direct support on the rock

of both banks. — excerpted from La Poste



ESTONIA 2v

Issue date 3 May 2018 Arched Bridge in Tartu Stone Bridge in Tartu

The Arched Bridge (Kaarsild), is a pedestrian

walkway that spans the Emajõgi river from the

Town Hall Square to Atlantis nightclub. The arch

itself is considered to be a challenge to walk on,

and is usually attempted by younger people on a

dare.

Beneath the surface of the river remain the stone

foundations of the Stone Bridge (Kivisild), an ear-

lier structure that existed on the same spot. When

the Stone Bridge was opened in 1784, it was seen

as a catalyst for Tartu’s development. It was built

by order of Empress Catherine II, who dispatched

25,000 rubles to the city to help it recover from

the devastating fire of 1775. The handsome struc-

ture featured two heavy stone arches supporting

two towers, with a central drawbridge to allow

river barges to pass.

The Stone Bridge stood until 1941, when the re-

treating Soviet army blew it up. Their dynamiting

efforts destroyed only half of the bridge, yet the

remaining portion was obliterated in 1944 by the

retreating Nazis. The Arched Bridge was built in

its place in 1959. Today one historical society is

pushing for the removal of the Arched Bridge and

the resurrection of the Stone Bridge. — from InYourPocket.com

LATVIA 2v

Issue date 20 April 2018

For 2018, Latvia chose images of two iron railroad

bridges. The first is the bridge over Lake Jugla, in

Riga. The high value depicts the Gauja River Rail-

way Bridge, which crosses the Gauja River in

Ūdriņi, Latvia as part of the Riga–Valka–

Pskov railway line. It was opened around 1889. — from Shutterstock and Wikipedia

Jugla railway bridge Bridge over the Gauja

LITHUANIA 2v


Trakai Castle Bridge (left) - a pedestrian bridge

on Lake Galvė leading to one of the larger islands

- Castle Island in Trakai. The bridge connecting

the city with the castle consists of two parts,

among which is the Karaim or Cowan Island. — from PostEurop

Castle Bridge (right) - a “lifting bridge” across the

Dane River in Klaipėda. First built in 1826, primari-

ly as a wooden bridge, it was reconstructed over

the years with metal. The bridge design was

unique - it was not welded, but reinforced with

rivets. It is currently undergoing extensive mod-

ernization. — from Wikipedia


MONTENEGRO 1v + ss of 1v (shown). The stamp within the ss is identical to the single stamp.


One of the oldest bridges in Montenegro is the

Bridge on Moštanica in Nikšić, also known as the

Roman Bridge. It was built by the Romans in the

3rd century AD. and is made of hewn stone.

Declared a cultural monument in 1947, conserva-

tion works are now in progress, as this is a very

interesting site – also due to the fact that there is

an medieval graveyard in the vicinity. — from “Living in Montenegro”


ITALY 2v self-adhesive Issue date 9 May 2018

The bridge over the

Metauro di Fermi-

gnano with the adja-

cent medieval tower.

The Tower appears to be a typical medieval fac-

tory, perhaps resting on supposedly Roman

foundations. Bridge and tower are closely related

and constitute a single, monumental complex of

fundamental strategic importance in the context

of medieval roads. At the foot of the tower is the

public fountain called "Mask," built in 1886. — from YAMGU Social Travelling

The Verona Stone

Bridge on the Adige

river.

The Ponte Pietra (Italian for "Stone Bridge"), is

a Roman arch bridge completed in 100 BC. It is

the oldest bridge in Verona. The arch nearest to

the right bank of the Adige was rebuilt in 1298

by Alberto I della Scala. Four arches of the bridge

were blown up by retreating German troops

in World War II, but rebuilt in 1957 with original

materials. — from Wikipedia

LUXEMBOURG 2v


“Like every other year, POST Luxembourg has

organised a drawing contest for primary school

children in the 3rd and 4th grades, and adoles-

cents in secondary school. The young artists il-

lustrated “bridges” - the theme, which was estab-

lished this year for the EUROPE series by the joint

publication of European postal administrations.

More than 800 students participated in this com-

petition. The respective winners in both age

groups, who will receive a prize of €1,000 each

are Lola Kirsch and Gaia Vetere. Their motifs will

be published as postage stamps.” — from Luxembourg Post

The designs are fascinating. The high value in

particular really drew me in. —ed.



GREECE 2v se-tenant. Also in a horizontal strip

of 4 sold in booklets (2 sets/booklet)


The Rio–Antirrio Bridge is the world's third-

longest multi-span cable-stayed bridge and

longest of the fully suspended type. It crosses

the Gulf of Corinth near Patras, linking the town

of Rio on the Peloponnese peninsula

to Antirrio on mainland Greece by road. It

opened in August 2004. The 2,880-meter-long

(9,449 ft) bridge (approximately 1.8 miles) dra-

matically improves access to and from

the Peloponnese, which could previously be

reached only by ferry or via the isthmus of Cor-

inth in the east.

Plaka Bridge is a 19th-century stone one-arch

bridge in Greece. The bridge was built upon the

order of Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz and was

completed in 1866. Although it survived German

bombing during WWII, it finally collapsed during

the floods of February 2015. Experts have as-

sessed the damage and declared restoration to

be technically feasible. — from Wikipedia

POLAND 1v


Old Railway

Bridge in Tczew

Built between 1851 and 1857 as a road and rail

bridge, this was the longest bridge in Europe at

the time and one of the largest in the world at

837m (2750 ft) long. It was supported on seven

pillars, and had ten towers and two gates with

beautiful portals. Today only four of the charac-

teristic towers remain.

Only 30m (98 ft) away a second bridge was built

between 1888 and 1891. This one was solely a

railway bridge so the older one was converted to

a road bridge. The bridge, from the middle of the

19th century, was added to an international list of

historic civil engineering monuments — from Polish Tourism Organization

The Rio – Antirrio Bridge The Plaka Bridge

Next year’s common theme will be

National Birds.

The following is excerpted from the

PostEurop press release:

“ … the world is facing many ecological

challenges when it comes to protecting and

preserving wildlife for a sustainable future.

Birds are not only amazing creatures that

graze the sky; they also play an important

role in monitoring our planet's ecosys-

tem. [The EUROPA theme] will also help to

promote the European Ornithology which

reflects the magnificent biodiversity that we

have throughout Europe."

No word on whether this will tie in with

BirdLife International, WWF, or any other

such organization.

The theme for 2020 is tentatively Ancient

Postal Routes.

What’s left:

UKRAINE just issued a pair of stamps on

27 June. This will be covered in our next

issue.

Also still to go:

Albania

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Kazakhstan



BULGARIA 2v separately, and in a ss of 2v, as shown. Also issued in a ms of 4 se-tenant sets plus center label, and in 2 booklet panes with B&W illustrations (shown below the ss). Also an item of postal stationery.


The top stamp (0.95 lev) shows the Lovech Cov-

ered Bridge (north center of the country), a

wooden bridge housing numerous stalls, built on

the Osam River between 1872 and 1874. This

type of bridge is unique in this region of the Bal-

kans and only 3 other similar bridges exist in Eu-

rope (Lucerne, Florence and Erfurt). This bridge

(106 meters long) was rebuilt in 1931 following a

fire in 1925 and replaced in 1981-1982 by the

current bridge, which is a faithful replica of the

original.

The vignette in the center of the ss and on the

labels between the se-tenant sets shows Old

Belenski Bridge, built between 1865 and 1867 on

the Yantra River near the city of Byala (north of

the country). This bridge (14 arches, 276 meters

long) is considered as one of the most beautiful

examples of architecture of the period of the

Bulgarian National Renewal, and is the work of

the famous architect of the time, Kolyu Ficheto

(1800-1881).

The bottom stamp (2.00 leva) shows Kadin Most,

built in the 15th century on the Struma River in

Nevestino (south-west of the country). This

bridge was built around 1470 on the order of

Ishak Pasha during the reign of Ottoman sultan

Mehmed II.

The First Day cancellation (illustrated below)

shows still another bridge, this time modern. It

depicts the “Danube Bridge 2” inaugurated in

2012 between Vidin (northwestern Bulgaria) and

Calafat in Romania.

The postal stationery item uses the design of the

0.95 lev stamp, but with a face value of 0.65 lev. — from timbredujura.blogspot.com



BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA (Muslim) 2v se-tenant, plus a ss of 2 (shown) with stamps of identical design. Also issued in booklets of 6 stamps (3 sets) with some straight edges.


Šeher-Cehajina ćuprija, located in Miljacki in the

historical center of Sarajevo, is today a national

monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first

bridge built in the Ottoman period, it was proba-

bly built on the site of an older medieval river

crossing.

The Roman Bridge (Rimski Most) is a building of

a striking look, built in Plandia near Ilidza . This

bridge is one of four preserved old stone bridges

in Sarajevo. Numerous archaeological finds from

the 25th and 26th centuries BC are near the

bridge. — from BH Post and Wikipedia

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA (Serb Post) 2v each issued in ms of 8 stamps plus label, and in a booklet pane se-tenant (shown)


The Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge of Višegrad,

across the Drina River, was built at the end of the

16th century. The 179.5 m long (589 ft) bridge is a

representative masterpiece of Sinan, one of the

greatest architects and engineers of the classical

Ottoman period and a contemporary of the Ital-

ian Renaissance. The bridge was severely dam-

aged during both World Wars and, after tempo-

rary repairs, reconstructed in stone in the early

1950s. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

— from UNESCO.org

Trebinje's Arslanagić Bridge is a unique double-

backed structure built in 1574 under the direction

of Grand Visier Mehmet Paša Sokolović, who was

also behind the Višegrad bridge, though this one

was named for the toll collector. It was originally

10km further upstream from its present location

but in 1965 disappeared beneath the rising wa-

ters of the Gorica reservoir. Rescued stone by

stone, it took six years before it was finally reas-

sembled in Trebinje. — from Lonely Planet

Bridge in Visegrad Bridge in Trebinje

sheet booklet



MACEDONIA 2v + ms of 4 +ss


73 MKD: The Old Bridge of the Babuna river

near Veles

80 MKD: Old Stone Bridge, village of Zovik - Mar-

iovo; one of the most beautiful architectural

works in the village, the bridge was built in 1950

to replace an old wooden bridge that was narrow

and dangerous.

The ss (above) shows the Gorenica Bridge on the Radika River, near Debar, dismantled due to the construction of the reservoir Spilje The MS is sold as a booklet. Two of the designs

are the same as the single stamps but with dif-

ferent denominations. The other designs are as

follows:

Upper left: Gorenica Bridge on the Radika River,

near Debar, similar to what is shown on the ss.

Lower right: Bridge "Elenski skok" near the vil-

lage Mogorche

PostEurop’s annual contest for best design of 2018 is now underway. One email = one vote. Click on this link posteurop.org/europa2018 or the picture at right to enter. The contest runs until 9 September 2018. Make your opinion heard. (See back page for the ESU poll results).

http://www.posteurop.org/europa2018

http://www.posteurop.org/europa2018


KOSOVO 2v + ss of 1v Issue date 9 May 2018

No additional design information at press time.


Turkish CYPRUS 2v issued in a ms of 2 sets


Old bridge at

Kythrea

Old bridge at

Ortaköy

Kythrea (Degirmenlik in Turkish) is a small town

northeast of Nicosia. Built over the ruins of an-

other ancient city, it has seen its share of up-

heaval.

Ortaköy (Turkish for "middle village") is

a northern suburb of Nicosia. It is under the de

facto control of Northern Cyprus. — from Wikipedia et al.

TURKEY 2v


Çifte Bridge

is the name for two

small adjacent his-

toric bridges in the

Artvin Province,

northeastern Turkey.

They are located perpendicular to each other,

spanning two small rivers. Scholars have esti-

mated that they were built during the 18th cen-

tury, during the Ottoman Empire. — from Wikipedia

Uzunköprü (aka

Long Bridge),

is located approxi-

mately 60 km

south from the

modern city center

of Edirne in north-

western Turkey. A UNESCO World Heritage site,

it was completed in 1443 and is still the longest

stone bridge in the world. It served as a transi-

tion point between the Balkans and Anatolia. — from UNESCO.org



PORTUGAL 1v + ss PORTUGAL –Azores 1v + ss PORTUGAL –Madeira 1v + ss


No design details as of press time

GEORGIA 2v issued in ms of 10 each


The Besleti Bridge, also known as the Queen

Tamar Bridge, is a medieval arched stone

bridge at Sukhumi, Georgia’s breakaway republic

of Abkhazia.

Dating back to the late 12th century, this single-

arch bridge is one of the most illustrative exam-

ples of the medieval bridge design popular dur-

ing the reign of Tamar of Georgia (r. 1184-1213)

who is traditionally credited to have commis-

sioned the construction of the bridge. In the vi-

cinity of the bridge are the ruins of medieval

combat towers, a testimony to strategic im-

portance of the locale.

The Bridge of Besleti has been given the status

of national importance monument.

The Freedom Bridge, aka Bridge of Peace, is a

bow-shaped pedestrian bridge over the Kura

River in downtown Tbilisi, capital of Georgia. It

was officially opened in 2010.

The bridge, whose design reminds one of a ma-

rine animal, has a curvy steel and glass canopy

top which shimmers with an interactive light dis-

play at night, generated by thousands of

white LEDs. — from Wikipedia

Besleti Bridge Freedom Bridge


New Issues Norden 2018

“Fishes”

GREENLAND ss of 2v (shown), each of which is also issued singly


More than 260 species of fish are found in the

waters of Greenland, so picking out just two was

a challenge. The two selected species were the

Mackerel and the Herring, as these are both an

important factor in the fishing industry, which

plays a large role in Greenland, both in economic

terms, and in terms of survival in the extreme

Arctic winters. — from Stampworld

SWEDEN 1v from a set of 6v


Three-spined

Stickleback

The stickleback is very common in northern wa-

ters, but it is also of great interest to scientists

because of its adaptability and hardiness. Most

populations are anadromous (they live in sea-

water but breed in fresh or brackish water) and

very tolerant of changes in salinity,

This is the only stamp of the set showing the

posthorn. It is issued in coil form. The other

stamps of the set are issued in booklet form, The

booklet features the Cuckoo wrasse, Lumpfish,

Two-spotted goby, Rock gunnel and Short-

spined sea scorpion. — from postnord

FINLAND 2v issued se-tenant in booklets of 5 sets


“Two delicious fish dishes”

“Graphic designer Erik Bruun, chose two popular

Finnish fish. ‘I pictured the characters as a flock,

and if more characters are put horizontally in se-

quence, they make up an endless mullet’, Bruun

reveals. Designing fish soup marks was a good

job for Erik Bruun. Fried dumplings are Bruun's

greatest delicacy and fishing has been a loving

hobby since childhood.” — Finland posti provided the above cryptic description

FWIW Dept: There is a children’s

candy, similar to Gummi bears,

called Swedish Fish. Salted Her-

ring flavor is available in Sweden.


New Issues European Anniversaries and Events

FRANCE ss


European Capitals Series: Talinn

The city of Tallinn, whose origins date back to

the 13th century, has preserved magnificent evi-

dence of its medieval past. Surrounded by beau-

tifully preserved walls, topped by Toompea Cas-

tle, which became the country's parliament, Alex-

ander Nevsky Cathedral is an architectural mas-

terpiece. The interior is lined with mosaics and

beautiful icons. An undeniable center of the old

town, the town hall square, surrounded by re-

fined merchants' houses, makes it a very attrac-

tive place for tourists. — from la Poste

BULGARIA 1v


Bulgarian Presidency of the

Council of the EU

The presidency of the Council rotates among the

EU member states every 6 months. During this

period, the presidency chairs meetings at every

level in the Council, helping to ensure the conti-

nuity of the EU's work in the Council.

Member states holding the presidency work to-

gether in groups of three, called 'trios'. This sys-

tem was introduced by the Lisbon Treaty in 2009.

The trio sets long-term goals and prepares a

common agenda determining the topics and

major issues that will be addressed by the Coun-

cil over an 18 month period. On the basis of this

program, each of the three countries prepares its

own more detailed 6-month program.

The current trio (i.e., January through June) is

made up of Estonia, Bulgaria and Austria. — from the European Council website

MACEDONIA 2v


Macedonia in the EU: European Capitals Series

Bulgaria:

St. Nedelya Church is

an Eastern Orthodox

church in Sofia, a ca-

thedral of the Sofia

bishopric of the Bul-

garian Patriarchate

Austria:

Schönbrunn Palace

former imperial

summer residence

located in Vienna,

Don Smith reports that the last auction (#138)

was the most active auction we have had in a

long while. 70% of the auction had bids; there

were many lots with 3+ bids and several with 5

& 6. One seller had 40 lots in the auction and

all were sold. So, don’t miss out.

The auction included with this issue has some

nice unusual items. Actually, a lot. I highlighted

many of them but finally decided that I was

highlighting most of the auction! Pay attention

to some especially nice items that Scott over-

looked (but Michel didn’t).


New Issues European Anniversaries and Events

ICELAND 1v self adhesive Issue date 26 April 2018 The Nordic House in Reykjavík—50 Years The Nordic House was built

to promote cooperation

and strengthen the ties be-

tween Iceland and the other

Nordic countries.

The building was designed by Finnish architect

Alvar Aalto. It was completed in 1968. There is a

library, restaurant and hall, which are rented for

exhibition, conference and meetings. The house

is open every day of the week. The Nordic House

has also organized and initiated a variety of cul-

tural events and exhibitions. The library of the

Nordic House is the largest of its kind in the Nor-

dic countries. There are books and magazines in

seven Nordic languages: Danish, Finnish, Faro-

ese, Greenlandic, Norwegian, Sami and Swe-

dish. There you can also borrow audio books and

download electronic books through the muse-

um's website. — from Iceland Post

WALLIS & FUTUNA 2v se-tenant w/labels


Tui-Samoa Submarine Cable

I’d have missed this one if not for the labels, which prominently display the EU flag.

The issue celebrates the addition of Wallis & Futuna Islands and the Island of Fiji to the Tui-Samoa Cable

System, which promises to bring high-speed broadband to the islands. This is one of many of the EU’s

joint ventures around the world.

PORTUGAL 4v+ss


European Year of Cultural Heritage

See EN# 443-14 for more information on this EU

sponsored event.


New Issues

SPAIN ss

Issue date 23 March 2018

European National Handball Championship

“Offering a frill-shaped miniature sheet and a

stamp bearing the silhouette of our national em-

blem, Correos is paying tribute to “Hispanos”,

who have received the golden crown at the 2018

Croatia European Championship.

“Sweden, the team they played against during

the final match, proved a worthy rival but could

not match the Spanish team’s intense energy,

which carried them to victory at 29-23.

“Spain, curiously enough, played its first handball

match in 1953 against Sweden, in Madrid, which

was won by the Scandinavians; 55 years later, in

Arena Zagreb, the two teams were pitted against

one another once again, but this time it was

Spain that triumphed.” — from Correos (Spanish Post)

ICELAND ss


NORDIA 2018 Philatelic Exhibition

NORDIA 2018 was held 8–10 June in Ásgarður

Sports Hall in Garðabær, Iceland.

The NORDIA exhibitions can be traced back to

1966 when Finland held an exhibition named

Nordia. In 1975 it was decided to hold regular

Nordic philatelic exhibitions. Iceland has partici-

pated in these exhibitions since 1978 and Nordia

2018 is the seventh such exhibition held in Ice-

land. It offered some 700 frames on all competi-

tion levels and around 20 sales booths. Iceland

Post has issued a minisheet for this occasion. The

motif of Iceland’s ss is an embroidery by Þórdís

Egilsdóttir (1878-1961) showing an Icelandic

farm.

Þórdís was one of Iceland‘s foremost needlework

artists. Her woolen embroidery is mostly colored

with Icelandic herbal colors, based on a design

by Ríkharður Jónsson made on her instructions.

In 1930 Þórdís embroidered a picture of a

farmer‘s living room. Both pictures were exhibit-

ed at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. They

were bought by the Icelandic state in 1944. The

farmhouse tapestry graces the premises of the

President of Iceland at Bessastaðir. — from Iceland Post

European Sport European Philatelic Exhibitions

Handbook Updates have been posted to

the web in most every category.

Look for files dated “06/10/2018.”

And don’t forget the huge, huge combined

stamp show APS/NTSS in Columbus OH

9-12 August

The ESU will have an open meeting on

Saturday morning (11 August) at 11 am.

(that’s the 11th at 11)

Room B231

Prizes, free stuff, and more!


Article

Important Dutch Politicians: Johan Beyen— Hans Snellenberg

Our friends at Grenzenloos (No

Boundaries) have provided translations

for many of their articles, for which I am

suitably grateful. One series of articles

spotlighted Dutch politicians who may

have gone unrecognized over the years

for the influence they had on the

beginnings of the EU.

Here is the first of these articles:

From 2010 we have commemorated

some Dutch politicians, who were very

involved with the European idea, with a personal

stamp.

The first one was Mr. J.W. (Johan Willem) Beyen,

born in Utrecht on 2 May 1897 and died in the

Hague on 29 April 1979. He was Minister of

Foreign Affairs from 1952 to 1956. (Other credits

included Board Member of the Unilever

Company, director of Worldbank and IMF in

Washington).

After the successful realization of the European

Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the idea

of a European political and defense community,

unfortunately rejected by the French Assemblies,

it was the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr.

Johan Willem Beyen, who came up with a new

plan. In his opinion a further European

integration could not succeed without

economical cooperation.

He introduced his plans at the Ministerial

Conference in Messina in 1955. His colleagues

were enthusiastic, and so the Beyen plan was

adopted a few months later at the European

Summit in Venice as the “Spaak-message”. The

reason why the name of the Belgian Minister

Spaak was used here was a political one. Beyen

had no political support at the time; Spaak did.

[Editors Note: Paul-Henri Charles Spaak was an

influential Belgian politician and statesman also

considered as one of the founding fathers of the

European Union. I’m reminded of Ronald Reagan

saying that you can accomplish anything if you

don’t mind who gets the credit.]

Further detailing of this Beyen Plan/

Spaak Message, resulted in the Treaty

of Rome in March 1957. The European

Economic Community (EEC) was found-

ed, and later the name was changed to

the European Union (EU).

When the Treaty of Rome was signed,

the Netherlands had a new cabinet and

Beyen had no seat in this. This lack of

political connection is one reason that

Beyen is not as well recognized as

some of the others. No political group

could put him forward as their "icon".

The secretary to Jean Monnet called him "the

most undervalued Minister of Foreign Affairs of

the Netherlands". Others knew how to appreci-

ate it:

The British historian Alan Milward calls Beyen in

his book The Europe Rescue “the Architect of

Europe.”

His colleague R. T. Griffin says about him

"Without Beyen there might never have come a

common European market.”

In the book For the Netherlands and Europe the

Dutch foreign top official E. v.d. Beugel says:

"When you talk about the godfathers of Eu-

rope, I think that Beyen deserves a very high

rank, higher than, for example, the person

whose name is associated with the plan".

In the Europapark in the Ro-

manian capital Bucharest are

the bronze statues of the so-

called godfathers of Europe.

Here there is a bronze bust

of Jan Willem Beyen.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the

founding of “United Nations – United Europe

Study Unit” a special personal commemorative

stamp was issued and presented by our chair-

man on 15 October 2010 to his daughter-in-law

and two grandchildren.

[Final note: The Wikipedia article on Beyen does

give him his fair credit as “one of the founding

fathers” of the EU.] ▬

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Beyen


Appreciation

Richard H. Dick 1918—2018

It is with great sadness that I must report the pass-

ing of a club icon. Richard H. Dick left us on this

past Memorial Day; he’d have been 100 years old

in November. Richard was ESU member #10, and a

Europa stamp dealer until just a few months ago.

Everyone who

met Richard

was in love

with him. He

was always

active at

stamp events ,

and was a

dealer as well

as a collector.

He had been

supplying me

with Europa

stamps for the

past several years.

One especially fond memory is of the time some

years back that our previous club president, Col.

Steve Luster, and I made the pilgrimage up north

to their gift

shop, The Village Guild

in Ontario, to

see Richard

and his love-

ly wife Sarah.

They were

most gra-

cious hosts,

and we had

a wonderful

time going

through

Richard's

stock of Eu-

ropa stamps. Richard also introduced me to

Moose Tracks ice cream, for which I'll be forever

grateful.

Richard told me many times that he was never

more at peace than when he was working on his

stamps. All of us who knew him will miss him very

much. Richard and Sarah are now back together,

and we wish them eternal peace.

The following was supplied to the ATA by Rich-

ard’s fellow stampers at the Cape Coral FL Stamp

Club:

“Richard Dick, resident of Port Charlotte, Florida,

passed away on 28 May 2018. He was ninety—

nine.

“Perhaps it was Richard's sense of humor and

amiable temperament that made for such lon-

gevity. Raconteur and repository of outrageous

puns, his light touch delighted his Junior High

students in the Dearborn, Michigan School Sys-

tem, his customers at The Village Guild gift store

in Ontario, Canada and fellow residents at the

South Port Square Retirement Community in

Port Charlotte, Florida. As a math teacher, his

long division class frequently heard the words

"go into" ("How many times does three go into

nine?"); Dick conflated the phrase into a single

word — gazinta — which still, of course, required

the right answer. At his last hospital visit when

returning from an X—ray, he remarked that “they

determined I'm not pregnant."

“Richard combined jovial informality with en-

gagement in the real world. He, with his late wife

Sarah, travelled extensively before travel became

a global industry, visiting over one hundred and

fifty countries, calling on fellow stamp aficiona-

dos along the way. Until the last few months, he

ran an active business as a stamp dealer. Dick

was the principal at the American School in

France (1953-55) and, prior to his teaching ca-

reer, was a Marine Engineer in World WWII. He

was an active campaigner for Civil Rights, which

included a night in jail (an event Dick considered

a badge of honor) against the Vietnam War, and

an activist against a phosphate plant near the

Peace River.

“Such energy was matched by his irrepressible

wife of sixty-seven years, Sarah Dick (nee Sarah

Kanter). They married after a storybook love at

first sight. Richard and Sarah leave numerous

nephews and nieces as well as an extensive fami-

ly of treasured friends collected over the years,

all drawn to such a colorful figure, happy to be

part of this world-class stamp collector's album

of life.” ▬

Sarah, Steve, myself and Richard in 1999


NEW ISSUES

with Scott catalog numbers - Don Smith

• = position in proposed new HB outline

From Linn’s May & June Special Editions

COUNTRY SCOTT # DATE OF ISSUE DESCRIPTION *

Armenia 1118 21-Nov-17 Diplomatic relations w/Russia, 25th Anniv., joint 3b Issue w/Russia, ss of 2 EN 443-13 Azores 589-90 9-May-17 Europa 2017 (590a ss of 2) 1 Estonia 855-6 24-Nov-17 Common Flora, joint w/Romania EN 443-5 3b Greenland 779-80 22-Jan-18 Europa 2018, issued in sheets of 9 (779a,780a) 1 Greenland 781-2 22-Jan-18 Europa 2018, self-adhesive in bklt pane of 6 each (782a) 1 Jordan 2315-6 10-Jul-17 EuroMed 2017 EN 443-6 1d Kazakhstan 825 16-Sep-17 Diplomatic relations w/Belarus, joint issue 3b w/Belarus 1061 EN 443-13 Kazakhstan 830 31-Oct-17 Mir, joint w/Belarus 1065, Russia 7870 (see note 5b EN 444-14) Kazakhstan 834 20-Nov-17 Diplomatic relations w/France, pair, EN 444-7 3b Kosovo 306 23-May-16 European Chess Championships, in ss of 2 EN 435-6 3c Kosovo 313 2-Sep-16 Admission to European Football Assoc. EN 436-2 3c Kosovo 344-6 9-May-17 Europa 2017 (346 is a ss) 1 Kyrgyzstan 554 21-Oct-17 25th Anniv. Collective Security Treaty Org. EN 443-13 5b Kyrgyz Express Post 56 30-Jun-17 Horses, joint issue w/Belarus 1052 3b Libya 1826-7 6-Aug-17 *EuroMed 2017 1d Madeira 354-5 9-May-17 Europa 2017 (355a ss of 2) 1 Montenegro 415,415a 9-May-17 Europa 2017 (415a ss of same stamp) 1 Montenegro 417 5-Jun-17 Admittance to NATO EN 441-7 2b Montenegro 419 5-Jul-17 European Judo Championships 3c Montenegro 420 31-Oct-17 Joy of Europe 3a Netherlands 1544 20-Feb-17 Europa 2017, se-tenant pair 1544a-b 1 Netherlands 1553 25-Aug-17 Multilaterale Exhibition 2017, sheet of 2 a-b, joint 3b issue w/Luxembourg 1470 EN 441-8 Palestine Authority 260 9-Jul-14 EuroMed 2014 EN 423-5 1d Palestine Authority 272 9-Jul-15 EuroMed 2015 EN 429-4 1d Palestine Authority 289 9-Jul-15 *EuroMed 2016 sheet of 10 (289a-j) EN 435-4 1d Portugal 3902-3 28-Apr-17 Mario Soares (3903 a ss) EN 442-14 3b Portugal 3906-7 9-May-17 Europa 2017 (3907a ss of 2) 1 Portugal 3940-3 10-Jul-17 Euromed 2017 EN441-4 1d Romania 5932-3 12-Apr-17 Europa 2017 (in sheets of 5 + label, 5932a/5933a-c) 1 Russia 7870 31-Oct-17 Mir, joint w/Belarus 1065, Kazakhstan 830 (see note 5b EN444-14) Russia 7901 21-Feb-18 Europa 2018 1 San Marino 2006-7 13-Mar-18 Europa 2018 1 San Marino 2015 13-Mar-18 Jumelage (Twin Cities) 3b Spain 4223 4-Oct-17 30th Anniversary Erasmus Grants EN 442-11 3a Spain 4228 11-Oct-17 40th Anniversary in Council of Europe EN 442-9 2a Tunisia 1639-40 9-Jul-17 EuroMed 2017 EN443-6 1d

*These issues do not carry the official EuroMed logo. While obviously meant to be part of the series, their pedigree is questionable.


St. THOMAS &

PRINCE IS. 2ms

Issue date

13 March 2018

Concorde

ST-18107a/b

Errata

The following gremlins

crept into the last EN.

445-12 The Luxembourg

SOS issue consists of 1v,

not 3v

445-14 On the Niger ss,

Eurostar is in the upper

left, not the upper right

My apologies. I don’t like

to make misteaks.

NEW ISSUES

with Scott catalog numbers - Don Smith

• = position in proposed new HB outline

From Linn’s May & June Special Editions

COUNTRY SCOTT # DATE OF ISSUE DESCRIPTION *

The following issues have earned our (not-so-) coveted “cinderella” designation:

Maldive Islands 3301 13-Jan-15 D-Day scenes, sheet of 4 4b Maldive Islands 3308a 13-Jan-15 Charles de Gaulle 4a Maldive Islands 3317 13-Jan-15 Charles de Gaulle, ss 4a Maldive Islands 3369 15-Apr-15 End of WW II, sheet of 4 4b Maldive Islands 3374 15-Apr-15 Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon, sheet of 4 4c Niger 1383a,c 25-Apr-14 Napoleon in sheet of 4 4c Niger 1393 25-Apr-14 Channel Tunnel w/Euro trains, flags of Great Britain & 3b France, sheet of 4 Niger 1401-2 25-Apr-14 Napoleon in ss 4c Niger 1411 25-Apr-14 Eurostar train, Channel Tunnel, flags of Great Britain 3b & France, ss

MALDIVE IS, 2ms

Issue date

15 March 2018

Concorde

MV-18315a/b

MOZAMBIQUE ss+4v

Issue date

15 April 2018

Concorde

MZ-18211a/b

More New Issues

It’s crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide.


BULLETIN OF THE EUROPA STUDY UNIT, APS# 219613 AN ASSOCIATION OF PHILATELISTS DEVOTED TO THE STUDY OF PHILATELIC MATERIALS COVERING THE IDEA OF A UNITED EUROPE: ECO-NOMIC & SOCIAL.

www.europastudyunit.org

EDITOR: Mr. Dana Roper, 7266 Prices Cove Pl, Gainesville, VA 20155; email: [email protected]

OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS: PRESIDENT: Mr. Dana Roper EXECUTIVE SECRETARY: Mr. Tonny VanLoij

TREASURER: Tonny VanLoij VICE PRESIDENT: Tonny Van Loij, SECOND VICE PRESIDENT: open

DIRECTORS: Mr. Alex Cwiekalo, Ms. Caroline Scannel, Mr. Dan Shilcrat WEBMASTER: Dana Roper (acting)

AUCTION MANAGER: Mr. Donald W. Smith, P.O. Box 576, Johnstown, PA 15907.

EUROPA HANDBOOK: Alex Cwiekalo

ANNUAL DUES: (Including one year of the EUROPA NEWS): Electronic Membership only $10/yr; Standard mem-

bership (hardcopy of EN mailed): $20/yr USA; $30/yr other. Dues are payable as of January 1st each year. Pay-

ments must be made in U.S. Dollars; cash, bank draft, or a money order made payable to the Europa Study Unit.

Send payment to:

Mr. Tonny VanLoij, Treasurer 3002 S Xanthia St Denver, CO 80231-4237

We also have a PayPal account name europastudyunit, email [email protected]

to which payments can be transferred. If you use PayPal, please add 7% to cover PayPal costs.

SERVICES TO MEMBERS: Periodic bulletin (EUROPA NEWS) to all members; website with special “Members On-

ly” section; periodic auctions (~3/yr) of EUROPA-related material, EUROPA Handbook, monographs and specialty

items available only to ESU members.

The Back Page (The Editor’s Page)

Our own Europa poll was pretty lackluster this

year. Not many people bothered to vote. Of

those who did, the results were

#1 Liechtenstein

#2

Finland and Belgium (a tie)

#3

So our readers sided with the Philatelic Jury on

two of the three stamps. The Jury picked Finland

as #1 and Liechtenstein as #3. Belgium was a

dark horse. Did Tonny’s vote put them over the

top?

Meanwhile, the PostEurop poll had Turkey, Po-

land and Moldova as the winners. None of these

was an artistic standout.. My personal opinion

(which the preceding just was, for that matter) is

that the PostEurop poll is simply a popularity

contest. The Jury Poll focuses on artistic merit,

which was also the criterion that our readers

used.

Not too many comments this time around either.

Tonny said the most common was the missing

address on the reply form (once again, mea cul-

pa). Another reader complained that there wasn’t

enough on the “real” Europas. I presume they

meant the annual issues. From day 1, the mission

of the ESU has been to support Europa philately

in all of it’s aspects. Our website banner, which

precedes me, states that we are “An association

of philatelists interested in all philatelic manifes-

tations of the Europa ideal of political, economic,

and social integration of Europe.” It’s what makes

us special.

This issue, by the way, is overstuffed with Europa

2018 material. I hope you all enjoy. ▬

JULY—AUGUST 2018 Issue # 446JULY—AUGUST 2018 446-5 MONTENEGRO 1v + ss of 1v (shown). The stamp within the ss is identical to the single stamp. Issue date 9 May 2018 One of the

Documents