European Summer Olympic Games Issues

I will put the issues in the cronological order and the countries in the alphabetical one.
Anyway the section will be under construction permanently.

1964- Tokyo

1.Monaco 1 stamp from the set of 5:


1968- Mexico

1. Bulgaria- 5 stamps from the set of six:


1976- Montreal

1. Bulgaria-complete set:



2. Germany(Federal Republic) s/s:



3. Spain: 1 stamp from a set of 4:


1992- Barcelona:
1. Moldova Games issue and Medals issue




1. Ukraine- set of 3:




1996- Atlanta

1. Germany- full set:



2. Ukraine- set of 2 and s.s:

Art on stamps.

1. Romania 1966 Paintings from the National Art Gallery(14E Mi value)

In 2006 the 5th painting ( Jan van Eyck' The man with a blue beanie') together with other 18 was given back to Brukenthal Museum after 58 years. The paintings had been confiscated in 1948 by the Comunist regime and taken to Bucharest to the National Museum.
Baron Samuel von Brukenthal (1721-1803) was the only representative of the Transylvanian Saxon community who acceded to high public office in the Austrian Empire under the Empress Maria Theresia (1717 – 1780), the first such office being that of Chancellor of Transylvania.
The years spent in Vienna, in this capacity, were the years when the Baron started acquiring his collection of paintings, mentioned in Almanach de Vienne (1773) as being one of the most valuable private collections and generally admired by the cultivated Vienna public of the time.
Baron’s initial collections (comprising the collection of paintings, a collection of prints, a library and a coin collection) were mostly put together in the period between 1759 and 1774. We have scant information as to how they came into being, the earliest records in the Brukenthal family being the archive concerning acquisition of paintings dating from 1770 (by which time the core of the collection of paintings must have been acquired).
Appointed Governor of the Principality of Transylvania, a position that he occupied between 1777 and 1787, Samuel von Brukenthal built a Late Baroque palace in Sibiu, modelled on the palaces in the imperial capital.


2. Romania 1967- Paintings from the National Art Gallery(9.5 E)


The sets presents 6 other paintings, the last two being the most famous: Rubens- The Fight of Hercules with the Lion of Nemeea and Rembrandt: Haman Begging the Mercy of Esther.
You can have a closer look to these paintings at: http://www.mnar.arts.ro/EN_home.php

Manuc's Inn

The inn was built in 1808, and originally owned by a wealthy and flamboyant Armenian, Emanuel Mârzaian, better known as Manuc-bei. Manuc is not a Turkish name(as I thought), but it is formed from Armenian word “Manuc + bei”.In Armenian language Manuc's meaning is “child” for example “Manuci zhepit” (child’s smile),

Manuc is original Armenian male first name.Also “bei” or “beyg” this was aristocratic title in Moslem countries.

Although Manuc's Inn has been subject to restorations its essential structure remains intact; of the three surviving 19th century inns in the Lipscani district, it is the only one currently in use as a hotel.

The inn was the site of the preliminary talks for the Treaty of Bucharest, which put an end to the 1806–1812 Russian-Turkish war. In 1842 it briefly housed Bucharest's town hall. Around 1880 a hall at the inn aws used as a theatre, and was the site of the first Romanian operetta performance.

Before Romania entered World War I, in 1914–1916, the hall "Sala Dacia" hosted meetings of the Wallachian pro-war party seeking to establish a Greater Romania by uniting the Kingdom of Romania with Transylvania and Bukovina.

I want to thank my friend Alex from for his information about the ethymology of the word.

There is also a folk song about this place. Even though it is in Romanian I hope you would like it.

Folklore around the world

My first post is a Cuban set from 2000. First stamp depicts "Rumba caliente" and the second "Cachumba", so I searched the web to find musical examples of these two.

Souvenir sheets to trade

Romanian Folk Costumes and Traditions

The following set as well as the Moldova's souvenir sheet depicts several Romanian winter traditions.
In Romania, the winter holiday season is truly in full-swing from December 24 to January 7. Highlights include: Christmas Day, New Year and Epiphany, with their respective eves. The most important feature of these celebrations is their unique variety of colorful Romanian customs, traditions, and believes, of artistic, literary, musical, and other folklore events, which make the winter holidays some of the most original and spectacular spiritual manifestations of the Romanian people.

The Caroling

Traditionally, during the first hours after dark on Christmas' Eve is the time for children to go caroling and the adults stay home to greet them. As they go caroling from house to house, the children receive treats like candy, fruit, baked treats and sometimes even money in appreciation of their performance and as a sign of holiday good will.

The grown-ups caroling goes on Christmas evening and night. The waits -young and mature people - gather in groups and they choose a leader. When they are in the front yard of a house, they perform their repertory to the host. The songs are always accompanied by dance. When the performance is over, the host invites the carolers inside the house for food, drinks and presents.

The Star

Children make a star using colored paper and then they put in its middle an icon of Jesus. Many of children decorate their star using shiny tinsel. The “Star Carol” is a tradition during the 3 days of Romanian Christmas.

The Goat

Throughout the season, teenagers and young adults especially enjoy caroling with the “Goat”. The “Goat” is actually a usually boisterous young person dressed up in a goat costume. The whole group dances through the streets and from door to door, often with flute music. This tradition comes from the ancient Roman people and it reminds us of the celebration of the ancient Greek gods.

This custom is also called "brezaia" in Wallachia and Oltenia, because of the multicolored appearance of the goat mask. The goat jumps, jerks, turns round, and bends, clattering regularly the wooden jaws.

The small plough

Plugusorul is a small plough. In Romanian folklore is a traditional procession with a decorated plough, on New Years' Eve. This is a well wishing custom for the field fruitfulness into the new year. This custom arises from "Carmen arvale", a Roman wish for bountiful crops.

The ploughmen are teenagers and children carrying whips, bells and pipes in their hands.

Sorcova

"Sorcova" is a special bouquet used for New Year's wishes early New Year’s morning. Children wish people a “Happy New Year!” while touching them lightly with this bouquet. After they have wished a Happy New Year to the members of their family, the children go to the neighbors and relatives. Traditionally, the "Sorcova" bouquet was made up of one or several fruit - tree twigs (apple-tree, pear-tree, cherry-tree, plum-tree); all of them are put into water, in warm place, on November 30^th (St. Andrew’s Day), in order to bud and to blossom on New Year's Eve.

And because any text must be followed by examples I will offer you two Romanian carolls sung by one of my favourite Romanian singers: Paula Seling

American Revolution Bicentennial

I guess that in 1976 most of the countries issued stamps and/or s/s commemorating the event.
I will post my collection(so far) on this section of the blog. Any further help will be apreciated.

SWAP ZONE

I will post here Romanian(but not only) mints for trading. The area will be update after each trade.
Some stamps/sets are available in more than one copy. Some of them(not many) have rusty stains on the back. In case of trading I will say if there are any problems with the stamps.
For the pre-2007 I will also post the catalogue value and for the recent one the face-value in Euro/U.S.Dollars. I only have 2004 Michel and updates from then since 2008. If anyone could help with Scott or other catalogues values I will add them here too. The Michel values will be used just as a reference.

1.Michel nr. 3358-63/1976 6Euro

/>3.Mi N.3336-39/1976 2.6 E

4.Mi N. 2979-2982/1971 2.6E

5.Mi N. 3484-3490/1977 4E

6.a.Mi N3048-49/1972 2.2 E. b.3120-21/1973 3E, c.3571-72/1978 0.7E, d.3125/1973 1.5E e.3123/1973 0.6 f.3124/1973 0.5 E

7. Mi N. 3069-77/ 1973 7E

8. Mi. N 2992-2997/1971 5E

Music and Movie Stars

I will start this section of the blog by adding some Germany and U.S.A. stamps.
As I said in the previous post I am looking forward to enrich my collection.


The singers presented in the first line(if you didn't recognize them) are, from left to right: Buddy Holly, Elvis, Jim Morrison and John Lennon.
For a few minutes I will let Jim sing:



I wondered why in the third set there are only four actors and the fifth stamp is so impersonal. Michele sent me today a link which may give an explanation:
http://www.mylovehewitt.com/mylovenews/ap20090525.htm



I don't think that the personalities represented here need any further presentation, but I loved these 2 tributes:

Bulgaria and Cuba sets commemorating 100 years of cinematography

In 2003 Austria made a Rolling Stones souvenir sheet:


and I guess that this is a good reason for listening the band: