Beginning in 1960 the United States Post Office Department, now the United States Postal service, began printing "official souvenir cards".

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing started producing souvenir cards in 1969. In 1972 the United Nations Postal Administration began this practice as well.

These are the only official producers of what are now known as nonpostal, highly collectible, cardboard souvenirs of stamps and stamp collecting. Some quite rare and valuable.

This souvenir card was printed by the United States Postal Service for the National Postal Forum VI held in Washington D.C. August 28 to 30, 1972. It honors the July 1, 1971 inauguration of the new United States Postal Service.

Scott #1396 features the new United States postal Service emblem.

More to come.

Beginning in 1960 the United States Post Office Department, now the United States Postal service, began printing "official souvenir cards".

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing started producing souvenir cards in 1969. In 1972 the United Nations Postal Administration began this practice as well.

These are the only official producers of what are now known as nonpostal, highly collectible, cardboard souvenirs of stamps and stamp collecting. Some quite rare and valuable.

This card was printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for the 1985 National Philatelic Exhibition, NAPEX '85.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) NAPEX Souvenir Card was available at the BEP Booth (#13 on the show floor bourse) and sold for $3.00 U.S.

The Bureau souvenir card illustrates the friendly relations between the United States and Canada and depicts a block of four stamps, each with a maple leaf and a rose which commemorates the Internationsl Peace Garden located along the border of North Dakota and the Province of Manitoba, Scott #2014 issued June 30, 1962.

Also illustrated are the United states and Canafian flags joined by outstretched hands clasped in a handshake of frienship.

Bureau cards are very popular with some, now scarce, commanding hefty prices.

Beginning in 1960 the United States Post Office Department, now the United States Postal Service, began printing "official souvenir cards".

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing started producing souvenir cards in 1969. In 1972 the United Nations Postal Administration began this practice as well.

These are the only official producers of what are now known as nonpostal, highly collectible, cardboard souvenirs of stamps and stamp collecting. Some are quite rare and valuable.

This fine card was printed by the United States Postal Service for the 1980 London International Stamp Exhibition.

Closeup of the Jamestown Exposition Issue of 1907, The Founding of Jamestown, Scott #329.

The Jamestown Exposition was held in the United States from April 26th through December 1st, 1907 in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

I'll have more souvenir cards from my collection to share with you over the next few days.

Fontana di piazza San Pietro, the Fountain of Saint Peter, St. Peter's Square with a view of the Basilica in the background, is the sixth and final postcard of six representing the views of architecture and fountains from original designs of Lino Bianchi Barriviera issued in a celebratory stamp series of the European architectural heritage year, March 3, 1977 in Vatican City.

The reverse.

The first day of issue circular date stamp cancellation and description.

The envelope from Vatican City containing all six souvenir first day of issue Barriviera cards.

I've enjoyed posting this collection for you.

Fontana di piazza San Marta, abside di San Pietro e chiesa di San Stefano degli Abissini, the Fountain of Saint Martha, Saint Peter's apse and Church of San Stefano Abissini, is the fifth postcard of six representing the views of architecture and fountains from original designs of Lino Bianchi Barriviera issued in a celebratory stamp series of the European architectural heritage year, March 3, 1977 in Vatican City. 

The reverse.

The first day of issue circular date stamp.

Next, Fontana di Piazza San Pietro,the fountainof Saint Peter's Square.

Fontana del Forneo e Torreo Borgia, the fountain of the kiln and Borgia Tower, is the fourth postcard of six representing the views of architecture and fountains from original designs of Lino Bianchi Barriviera issued in a celebratory stamp series of the European architectural heritage year, March 3, 1977 in Vatican City. 

The reverse.

The first day of issue Vatican City circular date stamp and description.

Next we'll look at Fontana di piazza San Marta.

Fontana E Cortile Del Belvedere, the fountain and courtyard of the Belvedere, is my next entry for the postcards representing the fountains of Vatican City.

This is the third postcard of six representing the views of architecture and fountains from original designs of Lino Bianchi Barriviera issued in a celebratory stamp series of the European architectural heritage year, March 3, 1977 in Vatican City. 

The reverse of the first day of issue postcard, circular date stamps and printers' details.

Closeup of the circular date stamp tied to the printed Vatican stamp illustrating the papal arms.

Next we'll look at Fontana del Forno e Torre Borgia, the Fountain of the Kiln and Borgia Tower.

The second postcard of six views of architecture and fountains from original designs of Lino Bianchi Barriviera was issued in a celebratory stamp series of the European architectural heritage year, March 3, 1977 in Vatican City.

The Casino of Pius IV, also known as Casina or Villa Pia, is a building which stands inside the Vatican gardens Vatican City State. It is seat of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and of the Pontifical Academy of social sciences.

The little house was built in 1558 by Pope Paul IV, designed by Pirro Ligorio assisted by Giovanni Sallustio Peruzzi (son of the more famous Balthasar). On the death of the Pontiff, the building was completed in 1561 under Pius IV, who turned it into a recreation and entertainment.

For this, the architect had to take account of the many characters of the mansion, which was supposed to reconcile the bucolic aspects of the place to the rigor appropriate to the role of the Pontiff. The result was a building of Mannerist taste extremely decorated with modern and ancient statues, sculptures and paintings.

There are two buildings placed before and distinct, the first of which, aimed at the Vatican Palace, is a sort of nymphaeum fronted by a fountain, decorated with ancient mosaics and niches with statues and reliefs, as well as a Doric loggia open at the top.

The reverse.

The first day of issue ceremonial circular date stamped cancellation.

Next, the Fontana e cortile del Belvedere, the fountain and courtyard of the Belvedere. 

Six views of architecture and fountains from original designs of Lino Bianchi Barriviera were issued in a celebratory stamp series of the European architectural heritage year, March 3, 1977 in Vatican City.

The Fontana della Galea is located inside Vatican City near the gardens of the Vatican Palace. This "decoration" was planned by garden designer-architect Giovanni Vasanzio in 1620.

It is considered by many to be the most beautifull fountain in Vatican City.

Here is the first of the series, The Fontana della Galea.

The reverse.

The ceremonial first day of issue circular date stamp.

I have the entire set of six postcards and I'll share them with you within my blog over the next few days. 

ArtCraft was a great company. Perhaps the greatest cachet maker the world has ever known.

Proof of that fact is this beautifully illustrated souvenir cachet of the Vatican Pavilion issued at the New York World's Fair on April 19, 1964, opening day.

The cachet illustrating Michelangelo's masterpiece ,The Pieta and the Vatican Pavilion.

Four stamps were issued by Vatican City postal authorities that same day, Scott #'s383, 384, 385 and 386.

On cover are (left to right) #385 Pope Paul VI, #384 The Pieta by Michelangelo, #383 Pope Paul VI, and #386 head of Mary from The Pieta.

The stamps are tied to the cover by the official Vatican City circular date stamps and the official souvenir violet handstamp of the Vatican Pavilion between the circular date cancels.

The most important work of art at the Fair was Michelangelo's 465 year old (in 1964) masterpiece The Pieta. The Pieta represents the body of Christ resting in the arms of His mother moments after he was taken from the cross.

The Pieta is six feet long by five feet nine inches high, marble, and was displayed within a background created by stage designer Jo Mielziner.

Pavilion visitors moved past it on three platforms at different levels.

A walkway was also provided for visitors wishing to view it.

The Pieta had never left the Vatican prior to the World's Fair. 

This is an actual photograph of the Vatican Pavilion at the New York World's Fair 1964.

The Vatican pavilion was oval shaped. The cross adorned the top of the structure. The wall of the pavilion extended from the entrance. The pavilion's theme was, "The Church is Christ Living in the World."

I'm proud to have this first day cover in my collection.

The Quilted Green Russula is a highly prized mushroom.

Popular in Spain and China, the Russula is edible and a favorite of every mycophagist.

Mostly found in Europe, it tastes mild, nutty, fruity, and sweet, 

This epicurean delight merited it's own stamp and souvenir card issued September 5, 1987, France Scott #2053.

A closer look at Russula.

And the description on the reverse of the souvenir card distributed by the French Stamp Agency in North America.

I know I'd enjoy a marinated Russula Virescens sandwich on Texas toast.

Click the newspaper and link to the Memphis Stamp Collectors Society web pages for great links, information and details about MEMPHEX 2017, the Memphis Philatelic Exposition held September 30th and October 1st at the Agricenter International in Memphis, Tennessee.

Discover what stamp collecting can do for your heart.

Sweden (Sverige), the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe.

Sweden borders Norway to the west and north and Finland to the east, and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.

Sweden is the third-largest country in the European Union by area and issued its first postage stamps on July 1,1855.

On May 21, 1985 the Sweden Stamp Agency issued a se-tenant coil stamp honoring the Swedish Touring Club.

This is the se-tenant coil attached to the first day of issue souvenir card, Scott #1545a.

Scott #1544, the Touring Club at Syl Station and Scott#1545 the schooner at Chapman Hostel in Stockholm.

The ceremonial inscription on the back.

Check around the web and see if you can locate one of these Swedish se-tenant commemoratives.

Let me know how easy it was for you to find one.

Laos is a beautiful country in the heart of the Indochinese peninsula of Mainland Southeast Asia, bordered by Myanmar (Burma) and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southwest, and Thailand to the west and southwest.

The English word Laos was coined by the French, who joined three Lao kingdoms in French Indochina in 1893, and named the country as the plural of the Lao people.

A mountainous landlocked communist state in southeastern Asia, Laos achieved independence from France in 1949.

A laotian is a member of a Buddhist people inhabiting the area of the Mekong River in Laos and Thailand and speaking the Lao language. They are related to the Thais.

Laotian is the Tai language of the Buddhist people living in the area of the Mekong River in Thailand and Laos.

On January 18, 1967, the Laotian postal authority issued three semi-postal stamps to raise money for the victims of a terrible Mekong Delta flood.

Semipostal stamps are sold with a surcharge over the postal value.

The additional charge is always for a special purpose, in this case to help the flood victims of the Mekong, and is usually recognized by the presence of two (often different) values, separated by a "+" sign, on a single stamp.

Scott #'s B6, B7 and B8 are represented on this beautifully illustrated 50 year old semipostal sheet issued to help this very worthy cause.

B6 is the tragic image of a flooded village.

B7 is the sad image of a flooded market place and a truck in the water.

B8 is the distressing image of a flooded airport and plane..

The entire semipostal sheet, printed in Paris, is assigned Laos Scott Catalog #B8a.

The first stamps of Laos were issued on November 13, 1951.

Before then the stamps of French Indo-China were used.

Part of my collection, this semipostal sheet is scarce today.

A pane of stamps depicting the flag of each of the Union's fifty states was issued on February 23, 1976.

They were issued for the American Bicentennial.

All of America's states are represented on the sheet.

Scott #'s 1633 through 1682.

The state flags are represented horizontally on the pane in the order in which they entered the Union.

Tennessee, the 16th state, is Scott #1648.

Beginning with the flag of Delaware (the Union's first state) in the pane's upper left corner, the stamps proceeed to Hawaii (the Union's last state) in the lower right corner.

This was the first pane ever issued with fifty different stamps.

The mint sheet, which sold for $6.50 in 1976, catalogs for $17.50 in the 2014 Scott Catalog.

I love cheap packet mixtures.

They provide many hours of cheap stamp collecting pleasure.

Here's one from the Phillipines from around 1969 with 20 years or so of stamp chronology.

The cost, only a mere 23 cents for 25 stamps in 1969, now worth ten times the price or more.

Notice the official stamps with the overprints "G.O." and "O.B."

"O.B." stands for "official business" and "G.O." stands for "gawaing opisyal",Tagalog for "official business".

Unopened cheap packet mixtures are a favorite in my home.

They're suitable for framing and make great conversation pieces.

Never pass up the opportunity to own an old unopened cheap packet mixture.

Approval sheets, stamps sent to collectors for sale on approval, were popular in the mid 20th century. They're still popular today and sent by dealers to trusted collectors.

A collector would buy what he or she wanted from the approval sheet and return to remaining stamps to the dealer with payment for those retained included.

Angola, known officially as the Republic of Angola, is a country, and Marxist government, located in Southern Africa.

It is the seventh largest country in Africa and is bordered by Namibia to the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Zambia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to west.

The capital and largest city of Angola is Luanda.

From my collection, here are examples from approval sheets featuring Angola.

Notice the old values. Many stamps have increased substantially in value over the last 50 years.

The Isle of Man, also known simply as Mann, is a self-governing crown dependency in the Irish Sea located between Great Britain and Ireland.

The island has been inhabited for thousands of years, since before 6500 BC.

On July 28, 1976 the Isle of Man issued a souvenir sheet of nine stamps featuring examples of Manx ceramic art.

Isle of Man Scott #'s #89 the Cronk Aust food vessel from the early bronze age, #90 the Sansbury Bowl created in 1851, and #91 a 20th century Knox urn.

The Manx are an ethnic group originating from the Isle of Man. They are primarily a Celtic people, though with significant Norse and English influences.

The earliest people in the Isle of Man date to about 8000 BC, the Mesolithic Period, the Middle Stone Age.

The souvenir shhet is not scarce, but you'll have to do a little homework to find it  I'm happy to share this example from my collection with you.

Beginning stamp collectors discovered that the hobby of Kings could become quite affordable.

Especially so when it came to the cheap packet mixture.

You could have a great learning experience with the cheap packet mixture discovering the customs and history of far away lands.

Known as the "V.K.Series", otherwise known as "Very Kaput" (notice the "V.K. Series" at the bottom tucked and folded towards the back of the cheap packet mixture), this cheap packet mixture features 36 stamps from India and was sold for a dollar sometime in the 1960's. 

The cheap packet mixture was sold in drug stores, department stores like Woolworth's, bookstores, small dry good stores throughout America, in souvenir shops, by stamp dealers and Boy Scout uniform suppliers.

Wrapped in cellophane until the air was choked out of the stamps, here is a lovely closeup of the highly regarded cheap packet mixture which provided a lifetime of pleasure for the stamp collector.

Although of low value and worth very little, the cheap packet mixture is probably worth less today than it was in the 1960's unopened.

Do you have a wonderful cheap packet mixture story to tell ?

After a miniature design from the Bible of Borso d'Este, here is the first page of the souvenir brochure commemorating the 1,900th anniversary of Saint Paul's arrival in Rome, issued by the Italian Ministero Delle Poste E Delle Telecomunicazioni, the Ministry Of Post And Telecommunications on June 28, 1961.

Italy Scott #'s 837 and 838

A scarce souvenir brochure  featuring the landing of Saint Paul
in Rome, the illustrations are from the Bible of Borso d'Este, a two volume
manuscript.

The illuminated miniatures, the work of Taddeo Crivelli and
others, were executed between 1455 and 1461.

The work is held in the Biblioteca Estense di Modena.