Austria 1959 - International Hunting Congress (Part 2)

It plunges through the forest, leaving a devastating trail of torn branches and gouged earth in its wake. Its shiny brown fur quivers as its dense muscular hides tenses. It rampages across the terrain, unafraid, for it has very few predators, primarily the grey wolf and human hunters. This is the Central European boar (Sus scrofa).

The wild boar is native to North Africa, and most of Eurasia. In fact, it probably originated in Southeast Asia during the Early Pleistocene. But due to us humans the wild boar is now one of the most wide-ranging mammals in the world. This in turn has led to the wild boar also becoming a serious pest in many countries, especially since it has begun to cross breed with pigs, creating boar–pig hybrids. Such hybrids are now a terrible menace in countries such as Australia, Canada, United States, and Latin America. 

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In 1959, Austria issued a stunning set of four stamps to commemorate the International Hunting Congress in Vienna. To see Part 1 click HERE The 2.40s value depicts a wild boar. This stamp was engraved by Georg Wimmer. The boar exerts a powerful presence in this stamp. Its strength, vigour and fearless nature are all expertly captured by this master Austrian engraver. Just look at that mouth and the single piercing eye. Little wonder this powerful beast has very few predators. An outstanding stamp.

Until next time...

Austria 1959 - International Hunting Congress (Part 1)

It bounds gracefully through the woods. Nimbly, it sidesteps a towering pine and enters a small, grassy clearing, the lush grass glistening with dew from the morning sun. It reaches down to feast on the succulent new shoots, its life blissful, carefree, perfect. This is a snapshot of the life of a roe deer.

The European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), is quite a small deer, and is reddish and grey-brown in colour. On average a roe deer weighs between 15-35 kg. Even the antlers of a buck, aptly named a roe buck, are relatively small, reaching a length of around 25-30 cm. Roe deer thrive in cold environments. Indeed, the species is widespread in Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, from Scotland to the Caucasus, and east to northern Iran and Iraq. They are not easily confused with the Siberian roe deer, which is somewhat larger.

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In 1959, Austria issued a stunning set of four stamps to commemorate the International Hunting Congress in Vienna. The 1.50s value depicts a roe buck. This stamp was engraved by Georg Wimmer. This stamp masterfully captures the grace and vulnerability of these amazing creatures. I adore the way Wimmer has blended light and shadow to give the deer an almost ethereal quality.

Until next time...

France 1959 - The MS 760 Paris

Watching the movie Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines as a kid fascinated me. Seeing the fantastic array of early aircraft got me well and truly hooked on aviation history. Since that day I've been captivated by the evolution of aircraft and the talent behind the different designs that grace our skies.

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The French aircraft company Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier has a rather interesting history. It was founded in 1911 by Raymond Saulnier and the Morane brothers, Leon and Robert. The first plane this company produced was the Model A (also called the Morane-Borel), a monoplane design. This design used a wing-warping mechanism for control. This method of controlling the aircraft was developed by the Wright Brothers and first used on the Wright Flyer  in 1903. The Model A proved to be a cut above the rest when on 26 May 1911 it won the Paris to Madrid Race. The winning pilot was Jules Védrines. Below is a great pic of a Model A c. 1911.

The success of the Morane-Saulnier company continued with the Type G, the first commercially successful design, This was another monoplane with wing warping technology. This series of aircraft had a very successful racing career, setting numerous records. Originally a two-seater, the Type G was tweaked a bit and turned into a single seat fighter plane, known as the Type N. Speaking of fighting, it is interesting to note that the Morane-Saulnier company played a significant role in the development of the technology allowing a machine gun to fire through a propeller without destroying it, using what was called a Synchronisation Gear. This revolutionary technology changed the face of aerial combat in World War I.

In the early 1950s, responding to the needs of the French Air Force, the Morane-Saulnier company began designing jet trainers. Their first design, the MS.755 Fleuret, was not as effective as hoped, so they went back to the drawing board. What resulted from this was the sleek-looking four-seat aircraft, MS 760 Paris. This aircraft was used by the French Defence Forces, and it was also sold to Argentina and Brasil for use in their Air Forces.

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On 16 February 1959 France issued an airmail stamp featuring the MS 760 Paris. Incidentally, this was the last stamp issued in a series of airmail stamps that began in 1954. The stamp had a face value of 300f and it was designed and engraved by Pierre Gandon.

The detail is of lovely design is excellent. We can even see the four people sitting in the cabin.

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In 1960 the franc was revalued and called the "New Franc".100 Old Francs became 1 New Franc, or NF. With this revaluation new airmail stamps were required. This lovely stamp was re-issued with a new 3f value.

Until next time...