Gabon 1969 - Philex-Afrique

In 1969 the city of Abidjan hosted the 2nd Philex-Afrique. Abidjan is the capital of Ivory Coast. The construction of a new wharf in 1931 gave the city a huge kickstart. So much so that by 1933 it was designated the capital of the then French colony. Incidentally, Abidjan is considered one of the most populous French speaking cities in Africa.

On 14 February 1969 Philex-Afrique was officially opened. To celebrate the event an omnibus series of stamps was issued in 14 African countries with a continued affiliation with France as either an colony or former colony. Unlike most omnibus issues which exhibit the same design, this issue had a different design for each country. And the format was an interesting stamp on stamp design. Each country's design features a fresh new stamp design complimented by a reproduction of of an old stamp placed in one of its four corners. 

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One of these countries was Gabon. Gabon can be found on the west coast of Central Africa. Gabon gained independence from France in 1960. The Gabon stamp was designed and engraved by Albert Decaris.

This stunning stamp design pays homage to Gabon's primary economies over time. The 1933 stamp at bottom left illustrates Gabon's first primary industry of logging. Decaris has beautifully reproduced this lovely classic stamp. See below for an example of the original stamp along with an enlarged version of Decaris' reproduction.

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The main portion of the stamp illustrates Gabon's current primary industry. Oil. Oil represents 43% of Gabon's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Decaris has done a superb job here making modern machinery eye-caching and appealing.

Until next time...

I Muse...On Red Cross Booklets

Not long after I started looking for French engraved stamps I spotted a Red Cross issue booklet. It was very nice, but at the time I honestly didn't give the idea of buying any of them all that much thought. Then the other day I received a couple of year sets in the mail. One of the sets was 1969. I have to say the Red Cross stamps really stood out as superb. While studying them, I recalled seeing some booklets on ebay. So I went and had a look to see what was available and the prices. I quickly found a booklet for the 1969 stamps for only $4.00 Australian. I thought this was reasonable -  I hope it was - so I bought it.

I haven't received the item yet, so the below scan is not the best quality, but its good enough to get a glimpse of what I got. Both stamps were designed and engraved by Pierre Gandon from paintings by Nicolas Mignard.

Does anyone else out there collect these booklets? Have I in buying this first one, opened up a whole can of monetary worms I should have left in the can?

Until next time... 

France 1969 - Stamp Day

The horse-bus, or what is more commonly known as the horse-drawn omnibus, was used for passenger transport before the advent of motor vehicles. They were predominately used in Europe and the USA in the late 19th century.  The typical omnibus was like a large stage coach. They were often double-decker with the bottom level enclosed and the top level open the air. Occasionally the top level had a canopy to protect passengers from the elements. On the lower level the seating was typically arranged as two wooden bench seats running along the sides of the cabin facing each other. While on the second level the each seats were arranged in the same fore to aft configuration, but the benches were placed back to back in order, I presume for the passengers to look out at their surrounds more easily. Interestingly, it seems that large businesses took advantage of these vehicles as a form of moving billboard. Covered in advertising, omnibuses actually looked pretty cool.

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On 17 March 1969 France issued a fantastic stamp featuring an omnibus for Stamp Day. Click HERE for more on Stamp Day. The stamp was designed and engraved by Pierre Becquet.

This stamp is absolutely beautiful. The details are stunning. As the eye wanders over this stamp, we see a superbly rendered omnibus in vivid green. You can clearly see the bench seat arrangements in the cabin as mentioned above. Although background detail, the building to the right has been drawn with minute attention to detail. In the foreground to the right we see a couple taking a stroll down the street, the woman dressed in all her finery with a wide-brim hat and a parasol. The design is so alive we can almost hear the clack-clack of the horses hooves on the road and the murmur of the chatter from the passengers as the vehicle trundles past.

Until next time...

I Found...Some More Year Sets

With a bit of strategic searching on ebay I have now managed to find complete France year sets for the decade of the 1970's for a reasonable total price. Well, I think it's reasonable, and I guess that's all that really matters.

My latest purchase, which completed the decade, was actually two year sets in one. The purchase included 1969 and 1970. A total of 82 stamps. I managed to find this batch for just over $20 AUD, which I consider quite bargain at 23c a stamp!

It goes without saying that I very much look forward to the arrival of this lot of stamps.

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On a slightly different topic, you may recall from a blog I did recently, in which discussed display issues. I believe I have - albeit tentatively - come to the conclusion that displaying my stamps by engraver instead of by year may be the better option. Now all I need is a whole box of hagners for all these new stamps!!

Until next time...