I was lucky enough to have got tickets for the première showing of Elizabeth: The Golden Age starring Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush at the Rome Film Festival last week. The film was a sumptuous romp through history with Cate Blanchett as fabulous as ever - the scenes showing the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 were particularly impressive.
These British commemorative stamps were designed by Graham Evernden and issued on 19 July, 1988 on the 400th anniversary of the event. The set of five stamps was printed se-tenant (joined together in a horizontal strip) and the individual stamps form a composite design which runs across all five. All five stamps were valued at 18 pence and feature, reading from left to right: Spanish Galeasse off The Lizard; English Fleet leaving Plymouth; Engagement off the Isle of Wight; Attack of English Fire-ships, Calais; Armada in Storm, North Sea.
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Posted: October 27th, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Anniversaries, Commemorative stamps, GB stamps
More Italian stamps! This time a brand new souvenir sheet issued on 18 October 2007 with a print run of 2 million. I picked this up at the Poste Italiane stand at the Rome Film Festival.
The set was designed by R Fantini and depicts three anniversaries of celebrated entertainment figures on three separate 60 Euro cent stamps: Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli, who was born in Recanati in Le Marche - also the birthplace of poet Leopardi - and who died fifty years ago on 30 November, 1957; Maria Callas, possibly the world’s most famous opera singer ever, who died thirty years ago on 16 September, 1977; and Italian actor Amedeo Nazzari, in this the centenary year of his birth on 10 September, 1907.
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Posted: October 22nd, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Anniversaries, Commemorative stamps, European stamps, Famous people
I’ve lived in Italy since 1994 so I thought it was time that I listed some Italian stamps. I picked up this 1967 Italian First Day Cover at an antiques market at Piazza Cola di Rienzo in Rome; Primo Giorno di Emissione (first day of issue) is printed in red. It celebrates the 50th anniversary of the round-Italy cycling championships the Giro d’Italia, and was issued by a prestigious Italian First Day Cover collectors’ society - the Venetia Club - stamped and numbered by them as Venetia 250/it.
All three stamps were designed by the team of Consolazione, Cuzzani, de Stefani and depict: 40 lire - Ciclisti in salita (cyclists climbing uphill) - print run of 25 million ; 90 lire - Ciclisti in volata (racing cyclists) - print run of 15 million; 500 lire - Ciclisti in pianura (cyclists on level ground) - print run of 3 million.
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Posted: October 10th, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Anniversaries, Commemorative stamps, European stamps
Whilst news broadcasts the world over follow the Diana Inquest I thought I’d post this First Day of Issue Postcard featuring the Guernsey 12p stamp featuring Prince Charles and Lady Diana (as she was then known) together on the occasion of their wedding on 29 July 1981. The photograph shows the couple at the announcement of their engagement. The postcard was actually posted by an aunt and uncle who were holidaying in Guernsey at the time and the date of cancellation was a pure fluke.
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Posted: October 8th, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Commemorative stamps, First Day Covers, GB stamps, Royalty
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