Special stamp White stork
The bill-clattering stork
Special stamp Faces Switzerland
20 cm² with 111 faces Special stamps Europa – Postal vehicles
Powering Swiss Post
n’s pages
With childre
FRED&FUN
2/2013
Focus on stamps The Collector’s Magazine
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schwarz glasklar Packung
7070 Streifen (à 217 mm Länge) = 200 strips (217 mm long) = 200 g g
(10(10 x 32 mm,mm, 10 10 x 37 mm,mm, 10 10 x 49 mm,mm, 10 10 x 59 mm,mm, 10 10 x 78 mmmm d, 10 x 90 mmmm d, 10 x 98 mmmm d) d) 328 199 x 32 x 37 x 49 x 59 x 78 d, 10 x 90 d, 10 x 98
328 325199 304
statt Fr. 28.20 325Fr 304 19,90 f r nur
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210 Streifen (à 217 mm Länge) = 500 g 210 strips (217 mm long) = 500 g
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Editorial and contents
Broadening horizons
Title page: Tribelhorn electric-powered three-wheeler, 1921/1936, 1941 in Berne. Photo: Museum of Communication, Berne
Dear Reader Thank you! For what, you may wonder? I design the layout of Focus on stamps, so I take the results of the reader survey as a big compliment, and the whole Focus team was delighted at your positive feedback. But back to the fascination of stamps. Every time I tackle a fresh issue, I learn something new. I’m constantly amazed at how a stamp – a little piece of paper– can broaden my horizons. For instance, until I recently read the article about the new Europa “Postal vehicles” stamp, I didn’t know that Swiss postal services started using electric-powered vehicles as early as 1913. What I did know, however, was how a stamp is made. If you’d like to find out more, turn to the feature about our unique “Faces of Switzerland” stamp. My horizons were broadened even further by the Pro Patria special stamps. Did you know that a straw hat goes by so many names? Or what colour protects against the devil? Who invented the plane in the 4th century BC? Or what a “Gort” is? I certainly didn’t … On now to entires: as a philatelist and Focus reader, you’re probably familiar with this topic, but read our interview with Guido A. Zäch to learn more about this subject and about Swiss National Day postcards. A tractor accompanied by storks on a walk in Steinmaur is not an uncommon sight as the birds find worms and other insects in the loosened earth. The article about white storks turned up some fascinating info too! Artist Valentin Carron has an interesting way of giving his sources of inspiration a human dimension. Go to page 22 to read what this involves in an age when a mouse click takes you anywhere in the world via the Internet. And last but not least, the bell pepper blossoms into prominence. Did you know that this star of the finger-food dip platter was used as a bushy decorative plant back in the 17th century? Yet another eye-opener! But enough of the questions. I hope you enjoy reading the answers. Kaspar Eigensatz Production, Focus on stamps
Background to the content-rich spring issue.
Contents Knowledge and News
4–5
Special stamps Europa – Postal vehicles
Powering Swiss Post
6–9
Faces Switzerland
10–11
Pro Patria – Village museums
12–15
National Day postcards
16–17
Customer event Lötschberg Railway centenary
18
Issue programme
19
White stork
20–21
Art series – Venice Biennale
22–24
Vegetable blossoms
26–27
Fred & Fun
28–31
Range of products
32–35 3
Knowledge and News
Congratulations to the lucky winners! Train driver for a day The great prizes for the “100 Years Lötschberg Railway “competition attracted more than 4500 entries. First prize – a trip for two in the driver’s cab of a BLS locomotive on the Berne–Frutigen–Brig line via a mountain route went to Barbara Feldmann (Thalwil). Second prize – four BLS first-class day passes and two Lötschberg railway hiking books – was won by Alain Samson (Thônex). Third prize – two BLS first-class day passes and a Lötschberg railway hiking book – was carried off by Rosemarie von Arx (Niedergösgen). Other winners received attractive prizes. All winners have been notified. Well done, all of you!
“150 years SAC” competition As the deadline for entries (15 March 2013) closes after this issue goes to press, the names of the SAC competition winners cannot be published yet. We hope you’ll bear with us … But our congratulations also go to all those set on scaling the dizzy heights.
Event calendar 2013 Month
Key
Date
January
M
25.1.
Focus on stamps 1/2013: The philately magazine
DI
7.3
Day of issue
M
27.3.
Focus on stamps 2/2013: The philately magazine
March
April
F
May
Juli
5.4.–7.4.
Milan
Milanofil 2013
Zurich
Cancellation service: Sechseläuten Zurich
F
2.5.–4.5.
Essen
23rd International Stamp Fair
DI
7.5.
M
October
November
December
Key DI SP M
Event
15.4.
August
September
Place
Day of issue
26.7.
Focus on stamps 3/2013: The philately magazine
1.8.
Berne
Cancellation service: Swiss National Day
F
22.8.–25.8.
Gmunden
ÖVEBRIA
SP
31.8.
Laufen (BL)
Aerophilately Day
Näfels (GL)
GLABRA 2013
DI
5.9.
SP
13.9.–15.9.
Day of issue
F
26.9.–29.9.
Beijing
Beijing International Stamp & Coin Exhibition
Open
Thal (SG)
Cancellation service: Wine Festival
M
4.10.
SP
9.10.
Berne
Cancellation service: World Post Day
Focus on stamps 4/2013: The philately magazine
SP
10.10.–20.10.
St. Gallen
Cancellation service: OLMA
F
24.10.–26.10.
Sindelfingen
International Stamp Mart
F
6.11.–9.11.
Paris
67ème Salon Philatélique d‘Automne
DI
14.11.
Day of issue
F
22.11–24.11.
Verona
Veronafil 2013
SP
1.12.
Wienacht-Tobel
Christmas market
SP
13.12.–15.12.
Aarau (AG)
Stamp Day 2013
SP
Open
Berne-Bethlehem
Christmas Post Office
Day of issue of stamps/postal stationery Special post office Focus on stamps magazine
S F
Sales stand Fair/exhibition
Your opinion is important to us! Praise strengthens and gives pleasure – criticsm helps us to grow: lupe @ post.ch 4
Knowledge and News
Readers think highly of Focus Last October, around 12,500 Focus subscribers took part in a reader survey, answering questions about the Swiss Post magazine’s choice of topics, subject mix, layout and reader-friendliness. They also had an opportunity to express their views on Swiss Post’s stamp issue policy. The survey results were positive all round and revealed that Focus has a loyal readership. And the many detailed comments and individual feedback are also invaluable, definitely motivating the Focus editorial team to stay on the ball. Once again, many thanks to those who responded! You’ll find more information at: www.swisspost.ch/customer-survey-phila
We would like to hear your opinion about Focus on Stamps. To what extent would you agree with these statements? Focus on Stamps … 8%
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Which topics in the current Focus on Stamps are you interested in? Which are you less interested and which are you not interested in at all? 21%
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Publisher’s details “Focus on stamps” is a free magazine, published in English, German, French and Italian.
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Published by Swiss Post Post Offices & Sales Stamps & Philately Viktoriastrasse 21 3030 Berne Switzerland 䊏 Editorial office: focusstamps@swisspost.ch Total print run 160 000 copies Sales & Customer Service
Focus on Stamps has had a new layout since its January 2012 edition. What do you think of the modified layout? clearer
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䊏 Website: www.swisspost.ch 䊏 Shop: www.swisspost.ch/philashop
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䊏 Fax: +41 (0)58 667 62 68 䊏 E-mail: stamps@post.ch
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Distribution: from 25. 3. 2013
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Stamp issue: 7. 3. 2013 and 7. 5. 2013
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Photos: Museum of Communication, Berne The Swiss postal service’s first Tribelhorn electric-powered van, 1913.
Current ev One hundred years of electric vehicles With the new “Postal Vehicles” Europa stamps, Swiss Post is positioning itself as a forward-looking business while at the same time highlighting to its rich tradition of innovation. 2013 marks the centenary of the introduction in Switzerland of the first electric vehicles used by Swiss Post.
6
The Swiss postal service’s first Tribelhorn electric-powered three-wheeler at Feldbach station, test model, 1914.
Tribelhorn electric-powered three-wheeler, 1921/1936, 1941 in Berne.
Parcel delivery with a SIG electric van, 1949.
Special stamps Europa – Postal vehicles
The motorization of Swiss postal trans- petrol-driven vehicles, though the electric three-wheeler vans were retained for letport began in 1904 with two trucks used ter delivery until 1950. Parcel delivery by what was then the Zurich District Postal Directorate to carry postal items. too went electric from 1940. In the midAt that time, the emphasis was on vehicles 1950s, 200 such vehicles were in service but by the mid-1960s their numbers were with petrol-driven engines, and nine more years were to elapse before electric vehi- already on the wane, and 1984 saw the decommissioning of the last electric decles were deployed in the postal service. livery vans. Electric hand-operated trolIn 1913, delivery services were motorized with electric vehicles produced by Tribel- leys survived a bit longer, however, in horn & Co., in the shape of an electrically postal delivery and transshipment serpowered four-wheel van used for parcels vices. delivery. The very next year, trials were The use of electric vehicles was not conlaunched with a smaller, more manoeu- fined to delivery: electric-powered platvrable electric three-wheeler made by form “tractors” were also used for railway transshipment. An initial prototype was the same firm. However, it was not until 1919 that Tribelhorn could start supply- commissioned in 1920, and regular operations with vehicles made by the firm of ing 30 electric three-wheelers for mail delivery and collection services in urban “Elektrische Fahrzeuge AG” (EFAG) began in 1924. This tractor service highlighted areas. the advantages of electrically powered vehicles to great effect: on the one hand, Going completely electric Until the late 1920s, Swiss Post used only they were pollution-free and on the other electric vehicles in its motorized delivery hand, the weight of their battery was for once not a disadvantage. These vehicles operations. Then, the express delivery in particular document the constantly vans were superseded by more efficient
ents
in the service of Swiss Post
changing tradition of Swiss electric-vehicle engineering which remains a success to this day. Technological tradition with a future Today, electric vehicles have had their established place in postal operations for more than a century. And this technological tradition also has a bright future. Early in 2009. Swiss Post bought 250 electric scooters for its mail delivery service from Oxygen, an Italian company, and also tested three-wheeled scooters made by Kyburz, a Swiss company. The positive experience with these vehicles resulted in two- and three-wheel electric scooters regularly replacing petrol-driven ones, and Swiss Post stopped purchasing the latter in 2011. At the end of 2012, approximately 4,000 electric scooters and three-wheelers were in service, representing more than half the 7,500 postal scooters currently in use. Swiss Post’s entire scooter fleet is to be electric by 2016. Electric scooters are virtually emission-free and noiseless, making them ideal for the letter delivery service. With its big load capacity and excellent stability, the DXP electric three-wheeler developed jointly by Kyburz and Swiss Post is perfect for transporting large quantities of items and is safer to drive in mountain regions. The DXP is successfully continuing Switzerland’s electric-vehicle engineering tradition – and not just for two- and three-wheelers. Four-wheeled electric vehicles too are going full-steam ahead! Electric delivery vans have been undergoing long-term trials since 2011, and ten more delivery vehicles were added in 2012. You could say, with electrifying results for Swiss Post … Gabriel Ehrbar
www.mfk.ch www.kyburz-dxp.ch
Better driving comfort and big load capacity. Swiss Post delivery post woman on the Kyburz DXP electric three-wheeler, 2011.
7
Special stamps Europa – Postal vehicles
Tribelhorn delivery van
Swiss Post’s Kyburz DXP electric three-wheeler
These electric-powered three-wheelers were deployed in the delivery and express-delivery services. Vehicles of this kind were in service from 1920 to 1950 in various Swiss cities. Manfuacturer: Tribelhorn AG, Zurich-Altstetten Vehicle type: Electric three-wheeled van with cargo compartment Year of manufacture: 1921 model Weight: 1,050 kg Gross weight: 1,325 kg Output: 4.4 kW (6 HP) Max. speed: 25–27 km/h Range: up to 60 km Battery type: lead-copper 45 V / 195 Ah Towing capacity: not intended for use with trailer
Electric three-wheelers are used in the delivery service. This type of vehicle offers greater efficiency, thanks to its greater load capacity and automatic parking brake. Manufacturer: Kyburz AG, Freienstein Vehicle type: Electric three-wheeled scooter Year of manufacture: 2012 model Weight: 217 kg Gross weight: 420 kg Output: 2.4 Kw (3.3 HP) Max. speed: 45 km/h Range: 30–100 km, up to 25 km in mail delivery Battery type: lithium peroxide 24 V / 100 Ah or 160 Ah Towing capacity: 200 kg
Special stamps
Europa – Postal vehicles Sales Philately: From 30.4.2013 until 30.6.2014, while stocks last Post offices: From 7.5.2013, while stocks last Validity Unlimited from 7.5.2013 Printing Offset, 4-colour; Gutenberg AG, Schaan, Liechtenstein
First-day cover motif
Sizes Stamps: 40 × 32.5 mm Sheet: 190 × 160 mm (4 rows of 4 stamps) 2 motifs on one sheet Paper White stamp paper, with optical brightener, mat gummed, 110 gm² Perforation 13¼ Designer Peter Hummel, Basel
8
First-day cancellation
Full speed ahead!
Swiss Post has always had an ecological transport policy and aims to keep it that way with increased reliance on electric and hybrid engines to transport people and goods on environment-friendly lines. For delivery, Swiss Post is now really into electric scooters, and its fleet of some 4,000 electric two- and three-wheelers is the biggest of its kind in Europe. By 2016, its entire scooter fleet is to run on lithium batteries powered by environment-friendly electricity, making them emission-free and virtually noiseless. The necessary current comes 100% from “naturemade star”-certified renewable energy. Electric scooters are already saving just under
3000 tons of CO2 every year, and since 2012 twelve electric delivery vans are also being tested. In addition, 156 gas-powered delivery vans are currently being used for parcel delivery. Powered completely by biogas, these vehicles reduce Swiss Post’s emissions by a further 700 tons per year. What is more, its Postbus, delivery van and truck drivers are also trained in environment-friendly “Eco-Drive“ techniques.
Virtually noiseless: Swiss Post’s electric scooter. Swiss Post delivery postman on an Oxygen electric scooter, 2011
These measures are part of Swiss Post’s sustainability strategy with its undertaking to reduce its annual carbon emissions by 15,000 tons by the end of 2013.
Maximum cards and picture postcards “Postal vehicles past and present” Two maximum cards, A6 format, with the original pictures of the three wheelers on which the design of the special stamps was based. The first card depicts the Tribelhorn P140 van dating from 1941 in front of the then postal headquarters in Berne. The second card showcases Swiss Post’s new Kyburz DXP electric three-wheeled scooter in service since 2010. Both cards feature the matching special stamp. Both are also available individually as picture postcards (see page 32). 9
Special stamp Faces Switzerland
Face to face 7 March 2013 saw the issue of a very special stamp entitled “Faces Switzerland”. Focus on stamps followed its progress from the idea through to the finished product, taking you with it on this fascinating journey of discovery. In August 2012, Gutenberg Druck AG, a printing company based in Schaan (Liechtenstein) and Philately Liechtenstein set a Guinness world record by producing a special stamp in just 57 minutes and 50 seconds to mark the centenary of the Principality’s first stamp. Though Swiss Post’s “Faces Switzerland” special stamp, which went on sale on 7 March, may not have been made quite as fast, its production was nevertheless original. A place on this very special stamp was the prize in an online contest, and on 2 January 2013 at precisely 11.11 a.m., it was decided which 111 happy faces were to feature on the “Faces Switzerland” special stamp.
The real work began after the competition with practical production issues. Read on to find out how the “Faces Switzerland” stamp was made. Gabriel Ehrbar
And if you feel like watching films about it, take a look at www.youtube.com/swisspost
An idea is born: “Smile please!”, your face on a stamp.
Special stamp
Faces Switzerland Sales Philately: until 31.3.2014 (no advance sales), while stocks last Post offices: From 7.3.2013, while stocks last Validity Unlimited from 7.3.2013 Printing Offset, 4-colour; Gutenberg AG, Schaan, Liechtenstein
First-day cover motif
Sizes Stamp: 50 × 40 mm Sheetlet: 192 × 115 mm (2 rows of 3 stamps) Paper White stamp paper, with optical brightener, mat gummed, 110 gm² Perforation 11¾ Designer Martine Dietrich, Berne First-day cancellation
10
Made it! My face is on the stamp.
The electronic data of the final face stamp layout are delivered to Gutenberg Druck AG in Schaan where the stamps are re-processed and the printing plates prepared. Four printing plates are made for the “Faces Switzerland” stamp, one for each printing ink: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Almost all other colours can be obtained by mixing these basic colours.
The printing machine is set up. The printing plates are loaded on the machine, paper stacks are readied and ink is filled into the colour drums. Then the presses start to roll and the first sheets run through the machine.
Any colour adjustments that are needed are made on the large screen. Once the colours have been fully determined, Swiss Post approves the final print version. As soon as the colours are right, the whole stamp print run is produced, taking roughly half a day.
The pile of stamps gets higher and higher. After printing, the ink has to be left to dry for several hours.
As soon as the ink is dry, the sheets are perforated, cut and then separated. This task requires enormous precision because even the tiniest discrepancies are obvious.
At last, the “Faces of Switzerland” stamp is finished.
Photos: Silja Patricia Lüthi, Sandro Brunschwiler
The finished product: the sheetlet with 666 happy faces.
11
Special stamps with surcharge Pro Patria – Village museums
Regional and local museums
Small museums –
big history content
Special stamps with surcharge
Pro Patria – Village museums Sales Philately: From 30.4.2013 until 31.12.2013, while stocks last Post offices: From 7.5.2013 until 31.8.2013, while stocks last
Though Switzerland may be small, it’s big on museums, with more than 1,000 of them championing the preservation, display, study and dissemination of Swiss heritage day in, day out. No fewer than 400 museums throughout the country are dedicated to regional and local history, showcasing Switzerland’s cultural variety and helping us to question and find our identity in today’s globalized world.
Validity Unlimited from 7.5.2013 Printing Offset, 4-colour; Cartor Security Printing, La Loupe, France Sizes Stamps: 33 × 28 mm Sheets: 195 × 140 mm (4 rows of 5 stamps) Paper White stamp paper, with optical brightener, mat gummed, 110 gm² Perforation 13¼:13½ Designer Vito Noto, Lugano
Pro Patria has decided to launch a stamp set whose proceeds are to go to regional and local museums in Switzerland. In cooperation with the Swiss Museums Association, Pro Patria plans to support projects designed to enhance the profile of local cultural heritage. Most regional and local museums are “small but beautiful” cooperative organizations whose exhibits tell an important story. The 2013 set features a straw hat, representing fashion in Switzerland and worldwide, the wax talisman as the symbol of prevalent popular
beliefs, a plane standing for crafts and trades, and a carved cow inviting us to imagine how farmers lived and worked in days gone by. In buying these stamps, you‘ll also be collecting virtual witnesses to local history and supporting the remembrance mission of regional and local museums. Swiss Post, Pro Patria and the Swiss Museums Association would greatly appreciate your contribution! David Vuillaume General Secretary, Swiss Museums Association
First-day cover motif
WOHL Die Schweizerische Post Briefmarken und Philatelie Poststellen und Verkauf Viktoriastrasse 21, 3O3O Bern www.post.ch/philashop Tel. +41 (O) 848 66 55 44
First-day cancellation
12
Inhalt / conte 6 x 85 ct. 4 x 1OO ct.
nu / contenuto (+4O ct.) (+5O ct.)
Photos: Swiss Museums Association
Straw hat
ound Straw hat, ar
2O13
Preis / prix / prezzo CHF 14.5O
useu 1920, Strohm
m, Wohlen
Straw hats go by many names – you only have to think of boater, Panama or skimmer, for instance – and have always been very popular. In the Freiamt area of Switzerland’s Canton Aargau, they were called “Röhrlihut” or “Spitzhut”, the first referring to the tubular shape (Rohr) of the straw and the second to the fact that hats were made by inserting the tip (Spitze) of one piece of straw into the next. Bleached, dampened wheat or rye straw was woven around a wooden form on a hat block using waxed cotton thread. Hats like this were already being made for men, women and children in the early 19th century, and later the technique was used mainly for men’s hats. Straw hats became an important export for this area of Canton Aargau, with generations of home workers weaving these popular hats. Up to 2,700 knots are required for every model. The straw hat industry experienced its last major boom in 1925 when more than one million straw hats were exported to the USA in a single season.
Stamp booklet A stamp booklet with the current Pro Patria special stamps contains ten mixed stamps: six stamps featuring the straw hat with face values of CHF 0.85 and CHF 0.40 and four stamps depicting the plane with face values of CHF 1.00 and CHF 0.50. The booklet is available for CHF 14.50 (incl. CHF 1.00 for the envelope) from the Swiss Pro Patria Foundation, Clausiusstrasse 45, 8006 Zurich, the Philashop www.swisspost.ch/philashop) and from Swiss Post philatelic salespoints.
13
eu Wax toad, Mus
m Fram, Eins
iedeln
Wax toad
Photo: Robert Hofer
For centuries, people in distress have sought help and consolation from the Black Madonna of Einsiedeln, and the popular custom developed of offering the Mother of God a gift in gratitude for her assistance. Such gifts – and this toad is one of them – are called votive offerings. From time immemorial, the toad has symbolized the womb. Toad votive offerings were made in thanks for the birth of a healthy child. A particularly large number of these wax toads were produced in Einsiedeln and sold to believers, perhaps because women felt that the Mother of God would better understand their situation. Wax toads were also used as magic talismans intended to safeguard the health of mother and child. Red wax was used because, in the Middle Ages, people believed that the colour red would protect them from the Devil.
14
Special stamps with surcharge Pro Patria – Village museums
d with n cow painte Carved woode s, early 20th ng ki “Gor t” mar eum, enburger Mus centur y, Togg Lichtensteig
“Gort” Anybody who‘s ever gone walking near the Säntis will be familiar with this stoic wooden cow that seems to stand there gazing placidly after them. This traditional Toggenburg Braunvieh is the basis of the local farmers’ existence and their pride and joy. Cows with special colouring are particularly prized. On rare occasions, Braunvieh have calves with white spots on their back or a white belt round their bellies. These rarities go by the name of “Gort” and are put on public show by their owner. A “Gort” is an attractive feature in any procession up to summer pastures and is said to bring good luck. From early times, farm labourers, shepherds and farmers have carved wooden cows during the long winter months. Simple carved cows served as children’s toys, while more artistic ones (like the stamp motif) adorned the farmhouse parlour. The cow‘s full udder promised plentiful milk production, cheering the farmer every time he looked at it.
th ane, early 20 Carpenter’s pl Museum, former es centur y, Bagn llette residence, Vi
Plane The plane is much more than just a tool. It stands for all ways of working wood, be it as carpenter or joiner, cooper or cabinetmaker, cartwright or luthier, to name but a few professions, all of which use special planes. The plane’s rear handle and pull rod shown on the stamp make it possible for two people to work it. The craftsman guides the tool and his assistant moves it by pulling the crosspiece. This plane was probably made by the craftsman who used it because its rough-and-ready shape does not match any industrial model. The plane was probably invented in Greece in the 4th century BC. The oldest planes that have come down to us date from Roman times, and the shape of planes remained much the same until the early 20th century. After the Second World War, manual plane-makers came under growing pressure from the machine industry and were gradually driven out of business. 15
National Day postcards
Photo: Jean-Paul Bach
“Entire”-ly satisfying
Guido A. Zäch.
The legendary work entitled “Bundesfeierkarten – Idee und Wirkung” (National Day postcards – Idea and Impact) by Guido A. Zäch is both a handbook and catalogue that tellingly mirrors the history and variety of these postal entires. With his enthusiasm and expertise, Zäch documents a piece of Swiss history.
Why, when and by whom were National Day postcards introduced? The first official National Day postcards were issued in 1910 by the Swiss National Day Committee in conjunction with the Swiss postal administration. The idea was to enhance the importance of Switzerland’s National Day by contributing to charitable or cultural organizations, in memory of the first confederates who united for mutual assistance and combined action.
from Switzerland all over the world testify to Swiss citizens’ solidarity on their National Day. The historical context and the administrative effort that went into producing these postcards are described. I’d also like to thank Reinhard Stutz for his philatelic editing work and for the attractive presentation of this book which aims to encourage people to collect and enjoy National Day postcards.
What is the fascination of collecting postal entires rather than stamps? For philatelists, “entires” are covers or postcards featuring an imprinted stamp. Though the necessary stamp is already printed on the cover or postcard, additional postage may have to be affixed, depending on the postal service required (airmail, Zeppelin flights, rare destinations). This makes entires a fascinating field for collectors. And another aspect that makes National Day postcards stand out is the pictorial artwork by a Swiss artist on the front of the card and the variety of card texts. But aren’t postal entires the “poor relations” of philately? Entires are just as old as stamps. The first was issued in Britain in 1840, on the same day as the first stamp. So they deserve more attention as valuable witnesses to their era, complete with imprinted stamp, cancellation, destination, additional postage and text. National Day postcards also testify to the involvement of Swiss nationals worldwide in the anniversary of the founding of the native land we share. In “Bundesfeierkarten – Idee und Wirkung”, you’ve broken new ground in philatelic literature. What prompted you to write this book? Concepts like Rütli, as the cradle of freedom, the Rütli Oath of 1291, General Guisan’s Rütli Report, and 1 August as Switzerland’s National Day have impressed me ever since my youth, and I’ve been collecting letters, postcards, documents, stamps, coins, medals plus artefacts and illustrations with a bearing on these subjects for years. In writing “Bundesfeierkarten – Idee und Wirkung”, I wanted to pass on my enthusiasm to others and provide an in-depth insight into this collection field. At the same time, this handbook documents a selection of items from my collection of private and official National Day postcards. The impact of National Day postcards transcends national borders. Greetings sent “home” from distant lands and those sent 16
1940, 1 August, Postal Museum Berne, Swiss National Day postcard with the “Knabe mit Armbrust” (Boy with crossbow) motif. 1940 National Day block with the original signature of General Henri Guisan, just a few days after the Rütli Report.
What does collecting mean to you personally? For me, collecting is concentrating on a theme that is interesting, challenging and fascinating. Discovering new things, making connections, being surprised. Collecting takes you on a varied journey of discovery, as a relaxing counterpoint to everyday working life. What is your finest and most valuable item? The first National Day celebration was staged on 1 August 1891 in Schwyz. A National Day postcard postmarked 1 August 1891 in Schwyz with greetings in three languages to the Swiss consul in New York is a rare historic document. And one of my favourite items is a 1940 postcard from the “history” of National Day postcards featuring the 1940 National Day block and General Guisan’s original signature dated 1 August 1940, just a few days after the Rütli Report. How much time do you spend on your attractive, interesting hobby? Whenever I need to rest, relax or want a change, I immerse myself in my collection field. The amount of time I spend on it varies depending on the time I need and the time available, but in any event it’s several hours a week.
1891, 600th anniversary of the founding of the Swiss Confederation. The CHF 0.10 commemorative postcard with the message printed in three national languages privately commissioned by the Lucerne Philately Club and bearing the cancellation “Schwyz 1. August 1891” and its unusual addressee “Swiss Consul, New York”.
Is there still a place for National Day postcards? These postcards commemorate Switzerland’s National Day. On 1 August, we remember the birth of the Swiss Confederation. This celebration promotes a patriotic spirit and the awareness of solidarity among Swiss nationals that transcends frontiers. National Day postcards still have an impact and are important. Would it be meaningful to reintroduce these postcards? Unfortunately, the National Day Committee stopped issuing National Day postcards in 1960, with a couple of notable exceptions. In 1991 two cards were issued to commemorate the 700th anniversary celebration of the Swiss Confederation, and in 2010 a card was issued to mark the centenary of National Day cards. It is to be hoped that the ”Schweizerische Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft”, which has managed the Rütli Meadow since 1860, will revive and continue the valuable tradition of issuing National Day postcards, as well as ensuring a more important role for National Day celebrations on the Rütli. Carina Ammon
Size 24 × 17 cm, coloured cover with thread stitching; printed and bound in Switzerland. 552 pages with more than 1,650 coloured illustrations and over 2,500 listed prices. Price: CHF 48, plus CHF 7 postage within Switzerland. Postage for other countries on request. Can be ordered from bookshops (ISBN 978-3033-03555-3) or obtained against advance payment (stating delivery address) to Swiss Post Account 60-572675-4, Consultenax AG, Mühlegasse 19, CH-4800 Zofingen.
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Customer event Lรถtschberg Railway centenary
50 guests, 100 years, 1000 memories
For further impressions, go to: www.swisspost.ch/bls 18
Photos: Thomas Rathgeb
Last year, we whisked our customers up to 3,454 metres above sea-level, to the Top of Europe. This year, on 1 March, we took them down to the depths, when 50 guests visited the Lรถtschberg base tunnel, walked to Tellenburg to see the Kander Viaduct and explored tropical vegetation before enjoying some gourmet food. Susanne Ruoff, Swiss Post CEO, presented Bernard Guillelmon, CEO of the Berne-Lรถtschberg-Simplon Railway, with a super-size version of the commemorative stamp at an official ceremony. Marc Weller from Berne, who designed the stamp, was on hand to sign first-day covers for our guests. All in all, it was an exciting, informative and memorable day with many pleasant encounters.
2013 issue programme: Swiss Post stamps and postal stationeries
The faces and stories of the 2013 stamp year For the first time ever, Swiss Post is immortalizing 111 people on a special stamp for 2013 entitled “Faces Switzerland”. The faces that appear on the stamp were chosen in a competition. See for yourself! Besides showcasing 111 people like you and me, special stamps will pay tribute to two famous Swiss with anniversaries in 2013: Gottlieb Duttweiler, founder of the Migros supermarket chain was born 125 years ago, and Ernst Kreidolf, illustrator
and author of children’s books, 150 years ago. The 2013 celebrity stamp will be created by a living legend, Swiss-dialect rock singer Polo Hofer. Further anniversaries to be marked with a special stamp include the centenary of the Lötschberg Railway (BLS), 500 years of Appenzell, 150 years of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), 75 years of the bfu and 50 years of civil defence. Of course, philatelic attention does not focus exclusively on
people, birthdays and anniversaries in the year ahead. Art, culture and nature are as always key themes, and kids won’t miss out either, with the promise of Smurfs to come. May be supplemented or changed. For the latest issue programme, go to www.swisspost.ch/stamps or order it by calling +41 (0) 848 66 55 44.
Day of issue: 7.3.2013 Presented in: Focus on stamps 1/2013 of 25.1.2013
Day of issue: 7.5.2013 Presented in: Focus on stamps 2/2013 of 27.3.2013
Day of issue: 5.9.2013 Presented in: Focus on stamps 3/2013 of 26.7.2013
Day of issue: 14.11.2013 Presented in: Focus on stamps 4/2013 of 4.10.2013
No. Value
Description
No. Value
Description
No. Value
Description
No. Value
Description
1
1.00
Special stamp Faces Switzerland
2
1
6.00
Special stamp Goldvreneli
1
1.00
Special stamp Celebrity stamp: Polo Hofer
1
1.00
Special stamp 100 years Lötschberg Railway
Special stamps Europa Postal vehicles Electric Trike Tribelhorn Electric Trike Kyburz DXP
2
2.00
Special stamps The Smurfs Kiss Papa Smurf
4
5.15
Special stamps Christmas Value 1 Value 2 Value 3 Value 4
1
1
2.00
1.00
Maximum card 100 years Lötschberg Railway Special stamp AR & AI: 500 years in the Swiss Confederation
2.00
1.00 1.00 2
4.00
2.00 2.00 4
5.50
Maximum cards Europa Postal vehicles Electric Trike Tribelhorn Electric Trike Kyburz DXP Special stamps with surcharge Pro Patria Village museums Wohlen AG Einsiedeln SZ Bagnes VS Lichtensteig SG
1
0.85
Special stamp bfu, bpa, upi
1
1.00
Special stamp 125th birthday of Gottlieb Duttweiler
1
0.85
Special stamp 50 years of Protection and support service Switzerland
1
Special stamps 150th birthday of Ernst Kreidolf With the pansies Autumn migration
1
1.00
Special stamp White Stork
2
3.50
Definitive stamps Vegetable blossoms Pepper Leek
2
2.00
1.00 1.00 1
5.15
0.85 1.00 1.40 1.90
Miniature sheet 150 years of Swiss Alpine Club SAC Mountains Climber Rambler Mountain hut
0.85+0.40 0.85+0.40 1.00+0.50 1.00+0.50 1.00
1.30 2.20
Special stamp Art series – Venice Biennale Valentin Carron
1.00 1.00 3
3.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
4
5.15 0.85 1.00 1.40 1.90
3
3.00 1.00 1.00 1.00
1
2.00
Special stamps Restoration Butterfly Bird Fish
0.85 1.00 1.40 1.90 1
2.00
Special stamps Farm animals Hen Cow Sheep Pig
3
4.25
Special stamps with surcharge Pro Juventute 0.85+0.40 Value 1 1.00+0.50 Value 2 1.00+0.50 Value 3
Special stamps Cities of Switzerland Lausanne Berne Winterthur
1
0.85
Miniature sheet Stamp Day 2013 Aarau
1
1.85
Picture postcard Stamp Day 2013 Aarau
Picture postcard GLABRA 2013
Miniature sheet Matter Valley – Typical Swiss countryside
We reserve the right to make changes Position at: February 2013
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Special stamp White stork
The stork is clattering again In 1949, Switzerland’s white stork population disappeared, leaving a landscape totally devoid of bill clattering. Max Bloesch (1908–97), known as the “Father of the Storks”, successfully reintroduced these long-legged birds to Altreu (Canton Solothurn). Today, some 300 breeding pairs circle the skies between the plain of the River Orbe and Canton St. Gallen’s Rhine Valley.
lands that are rich in food, extensivefarmed pastures, marshes and ponds, as well as undisturbed and stable nesting sites.
The former breeding unit has since become the Witi Information Centre. In the wake of the successful introduction measures, breeding and releasing the birds into the wild are no longer the focal issue. The main concern is now preserving and improving the stork’s habitat. The Centre provides all kinds of useful information about the white stork. A conservation area in the plain of the River Aare, between Solothurn and Grenchen, is also part of the Witi Centre. There, the white stork finds what it needs to survive: grass-
Special stamp
First-day cover motif
20
Danger lurks on all sides Nowadays, the annual journey to warm southern climes is one of the biggest dangers facing storks. Power lines are deadly obstacles on their long flight. Only one in four migrating young birds manages to return to Central Europe. Stork migration can now be monitored on the Internet to find out more about their whereabouts. Further threats to the white stork include monocultures, the draining of wetlands, the use of pesticides and trigger-happy hunters. To ensure the species’ survival, the Swiss Society for the Stork has developed a national “Action Plan for the White Stork” which has been distributed as na-
White stork
First-day cancellation
ture-conservation teaching material by the Federal Office for the Environment after consultation with cantonal authorities. If the white stork is to survive in Switzerland, it will have to be provided with quality habitats. Current efforts to encourage more extensive farming may well work to the birds’ advantage. Favourable habitats offering plenty of food cut mortality rates among young birds and increase the white stork’s chances of survival. Tobias Salathé President of the Swiss Society for the White Stork
Links: www.storch-schweiz.ch www.infowiti.ch
Sizes Stamp: 28 × 33 mm Sheet: 140 × 197 mm (5 rows of 4 stamps)
Sales Philately: From 30.4.2013 until 30.6.2014, while stocks last Post offices: From 7.5.2013, while stocks last
Paper White stamp paper, with optical brightener, self-adhesive, 220 gm²
Validity Unlimited from 7.5.2013
Perforation 14¼:13¾
Printing Offset, 4-colour; Joh. Enschedé, Haarlem, Netherlands
Designer Corinne Oesch and Daniel Hug, Emmenbrücke (LU)
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Artist Valentin Carron from Canton Valais will be representing Switzerland at the 2013 Venice Art Biennale. His work is at once fascinating and unsettling because he uses wit
Valentin Carron, They I you he we, view of installation, Art 43 Basel,Art Unlimited, 2012, Basel. Courtesy: Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich Photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography, Zurich
22
and irony to challenge tradition and cultural identity. Now Swiss Post has commissioned him to design a new stamp especially for the Biennale.
Special stamp Art series – Venice Biennale
Carron masters the miniature too!
Valentin Carron was born in 1977 in Martigny and he has remained true to Canton Valais. After studying art at the Ecole Cantonale des Beaux-Arts in Sion and the Lausanne University of Art and Design, from which he graduated in 2000, he returned to his home town. This internationally acknowledged artist deliberately confines his activity to a ten-kilometre radius from his Martigny studio. Carron finds virtually all his sources of inspiration in the immediate vicinity, claiming that it is this manageable distance (which can even be walked in a day) that gives things a kind of human dimension. Valentin Carron frequently works with fibre glass, copying objects he has found as life-sized sculptures. When his creations are exhibited in galleries and museums, taken out of their original context and copied in a “non-authentic” material, they provoke the beholder to question about what is original and what is a copy, about tradition and identity: everyday objects, fragments of local architecture, decorative items and pictorial motifs radiate a slightly oppressive sense of emptiness but also Valentin Carron, Untitled, view of installation, XIV Biennale Internazionale di Scultura di Carrara, Italy, 2010. Courtesy: Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Zurich
Special stamp
Art series – Venice Biennale Sales Philately: From 30.4.2013 until 30.6.2014, while stocks last Post offices: From 7.5.2013, while stocks last
First-day cover motif
Validity Unlimited from 7.5.2013 Printing Offset, 5-colour; Giesecke & Devrient, Leipzig, Germany
a touch of melancholy. The roots of Carron’s sculptures and paintings lie in a confrontation with Pop Art, the movement shaped in the late 1950s in Great Britain and the USA, which elevated banal everyday items to the status of artistic motifs, consciously blurring the lines dividing art from the everyday world. But Carron was also inspired by the Appropriation Art of the 1980s in which works by other artists were deliberately “appropriated”. He unsettles the viewer by depicting works of art in a form that has been altered only slightly – in some cases famous ones including paintings by Fernand Léger or sculptures by Alberto Giacometti. Carron’s familiar ten-kilometre radius also applies to these originals which he found at the Fondation Gianadda whose classic modern art exhibitions regularly bring tourists flocking to Martigny. For the design of the Swiss Pavilion in Venice, Valentin Carron is collaborating with Giovanni Carmine from Canton Ticino, the curator and director of the Kunst Halle St. Gallen. Carron used the opportunity of designing a stamp for Swiss Post to showcase his metal snake sculpture, which will also be on show in Venice. At the same time, he has used collage – a technique he has recently discovered – to set the stamp motif against the striped background of an elegant Italian shirt. While he is in Venice, he even plans to dedicate an art publication to these collages. Sandi Paucic Biennale Project Manager, Pro Helvetia
Sizes Stamp: 33 × 28 mm Sheetlet: 192 × 95 mm (2 rows of 5 stamps) Paper White stamp paper, with optical brightener, mat gummed, 110 gm² Perforation 13¼:13½ Designer Valentin Carron, Martigny (VS) First-day cancellation
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Special reader offer Art series – Venice Biennale Palazzo Trevisan degli Ulivi. Copyright: Pro Helvetia
Special reader offer Meet Valentin Carron in person and tour one of Europe’s biggest art exhibitions. Swiss Post and Pro Helvetia are inviting a Focus reader and an accompanying person to go to Venice. Perhaps Lady Luck will smile on you … The winner is responsible for organizing and booking his/her travel and accommodation (with a travel voucher at an SBB travel agency). We advise arriving on the evening of 30 May 2013 and booking a three-night stay. Personal invitation for two people: – to the exhibition preview in the Swiss Pavilion at 4 p. m. on 31 May 2013 – to the Swiss Boat Party from 9 p. m. on 31 May 2013 – to the “Salon Suisse” brunch which artist Valentine Carron will attend at 11 a. m. on 1 June 2013 – two tickets for admission to the 2013 Venice Biennale (valid from 1 June 2013) An SBB travel voucher for CHF 2,000 for booking travel and accommodation for two people.
The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and the Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale is one of the world’s most prestigious and longest established contemporary art exhibitions. Switzerland has its own exhibition pavilion in Venice, built by Bruno Giacometti in the 1950s, in the main exhibition area of the “Giardini pubblici” (public gardens). The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia is responsible for Switzerland’s presence in Venice and set up an independent jury of seven experts to select the artist. Pro Helvetia also organizes a flanking pro gramme that goes by the name of “Salon Suisse”, providing interested visitors with insights into Biennale artists and themes and encouraging mutual debate. The programme venue is the Palazzo Trevisan, in the heart of the old city, which becomes a place for Biennale visitors to rendez-vous in the evenings. The 55th Art Biennale runs from 1 June to 24 November 2013. JRP Ringier will be publishing a book by Valentin Carron about the exhibition. For further information, go to www.biennials.ch
Off to the city on the lagoon Customer number (if known) Last name First name Address
Conditions of entry The deadline for entries is 10 April 2013 (postmark date). The winner will be notified personally. The name of the main prizewinner will be published in “Focus on stamps”: The prize will not be paid out in cash. The judge’s decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into. Employees of Post Offices & Sales, Swiss Post, and their families are not entitled to take part. Only one form may be submitted per person.
Postcode/Town Country
24
E-mail address
Send this coupon (or a copy of it) to: Swiss Post, Post Offices & Sales, “Focus on stamps” Editorial Office / PV7, Keyword: Venice Biennale, Viktoriastrasse 21, 3030 Berne, Switzerland
All the essentials! Starter kit in a colourful cardboard case The starter kit comprises: 䊏 A collecting poster (A3) with tips about collecting stamps 䊏 FRED & FUN for young collectors 䊏 Stamp album 䊏 Drying book 䊏 Magnifying glass 䊏 Stamp tweezers 䊏 Perforation gauge 䊏 Used stamps for soaking off 䊏 Previous year’s stamp catalogue 䊏 Copy of the “Focus on stamps” magazine 䊏 Information about subscribing to “Tell me what you collect”
Many children are interested in stamps. Attracted initially “only” by the little brightly coloured images, they soon realize there’s an exciting world behind the colours. From which country does the stamp come? And what does it depict? Stamp collecting is a great exercise in dexterity too, because stamps have to be carefully removed from envelopes and then dried so they can be inserted into a stamp album in good condition. And even
handling tweezers is a mini-adventure for little fingers! The comprehensive starter kit for young collectors contains everything a beginner needs, plus tips from FRED, the stamp dinosaur, on researching, classifying and collecting stamps. FRED features regularly in our philatelic magazine supplement for kids (not available in English). Published every few months, it contains a wealth of games, fun articles and stamp know-how.
Definitive stamps Vegetable blossoms
Two new definitive blossoms add zest to spring In its third year, the “Vegetable blossoms” definitive set spotlights the bell pepper and the leek. With their loving and compelling attention to detail, the two new motifs created by artist Reinhard Fluri from Halten (Canton Solothurn) highlight Nature’s beauty, ensuring the set’s continuity and style.
Capsicum / Bell pepper Description: The plant grows as a bushy low shrub and has a tendency to become woody near the root. The pointed leaves are between 5 and 25 cm long and between 3 and 15 cm wide. The whitish, greenish or violet-flecked flowers usually grow singly from the 1 cm-long stem. The corolla is flat when fully open, with five pointed petals joined only at the base. The fruits usually hang downward. Cultivated plants are almost always annuals. Plant family: Solanaceous family (Solanaceae) Common name: Sweet pepper (mild) or peperone (moderately spicy) Scientific name: Capsicum annuum Size: Up to 150 cm Sowing: January–March (indoors) Flowering: June–August Harvesting: August–October Origin: Central America (probably Mexico) History: After Christopher Columbus’s voyages, the different varieties of peppers quickly spread throughout the world, first to northern and Central Europe, then the Balkans where they were introduced by the Turks and then taken further east to India and Persia. In this process, capsicum variety (different kinds of fruits) was not only preserved but even extended. For many years, the plants were grown in northern Europe purely for decoration. Isolated references to the use of capsicum in cooking were not found until the late 17th century. Where grown in Switzerland: Everywhere (up to approx. 800 metres) Use: Can be eaten cooked as a vegetable or used as a condiment (paprika). Peculiarities/Interesting facts: The various types of capsicum/peppers contain different amounts of capsaicin, the substance which determines the fruit’s degree of piquancy. Sweet peppers contain almost no capsaicin while cayenne peppers, for instance, contain so much of this pungent substance that they are 30,000 to 50,000 times spicier than sweet peppers. Nurture: Capsicum plants like a warm, sunny location outdoors, in a cold frame or greenhouse. Ideal average temperatures: 21–30 °C. The plant requires well-drained soil that is rich in nutrients and humus. When sowing in seed trays, care should be taken to ensure the seeds have only a light soil covering. The seedlings are planted out in early June spaced 50 cm apart all round and in a sheltered spot. Young plants should be watered generously and regularly, and more fertilizer should be given when the fruit starts to develop. Nipping off the first bud encourages more branches and usually more fruit. 26
Leek
Definitive stamps
Description: The sheaths are only slightly thicker at the base, and the lower part is enclosed in a two-ranked arrangement of fleshy, hairless, carinate leaves roughly 4 cm wide. Spherical, very dense flower head. A half leaf found on one side only protrudes above the flower head but soon falls off. The individual flowers are whitish to pink with a stem about 3 cm long, while the stamens are longer than the petals. Plant family: Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae) Common name: Leek
Vegetable blossoms Sales Philately: From 30.4.2013, until further notice Post offices: From 7.5.2013, until further notice Validity Unlimited from 7.5.2013 Printing Offset, 4-colour; Joh. Enschedé, Haarlem, Netherlands
Scientific name: Allium ampeloprasum or Allium porrum Size: 60 to 80 cm
Sizes Stamps: 33 × 28 mm Sheets: 82 × 198 mm – 2 rows of 5 stamps
Sowing: March–April (outdoors) Flowering: June
Paper White stamp paper, with optical brightener, self-adhesive, on backing paper, 220 gm²
Harvesting: June–December Origin: Mediterranean region History: Leek has been used since 2100 BC. In Ancient Egypt, labourers working on building the pyramids are said to have been fed on leeks. In ancient times, the leek was highly appreciated throughout the Mediterranean region. Leek is said to have been a favourite of Nero the Roman emperor because of its mustard-oil content, and this passion earned him the nickname “Porrophagus” (leek glutton). Leek probably came to Central Europe from Italy in medieval times.
Perforation Serpentine cut (4 sides) Designer Reinhard Fluri, Halten (SO)
Where grown in Switzerland: Everywhere (up to approx. 1,300 metres) Use: Can be eaten cooked as a vegetable or used as a condiment. Peculiarities/Interesting facts: Among other things, leeks contain vitamins C and K, folic acid and important mineral compounds such as potassium, calcium, magnesium and vital trace elements (iron and manganese). Active leek ingredients include the sulphur compound allicin with its anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant properties which gives the leek its intensive smell and taste. Nurture: Before planting, the soil should be prepared with compost and organic fertilizer, because leek requires a large quantity of nutrients. After sowing, the plants have to grow to the thickness of a pencil before they are thinned out. When planting leek out, it is essential to leave 30 cm between the rows and 10 cm between the plants in a row. With leek crops, it is above all important to watch out for leek moths (which eat holes in leek sheaths) and the onion thrips (whose sucking causes silver-grey leaves). Fungal infections are also common. Leek rust, for example, discolours leaves and stunts growth. Crop rotation prevents pests from establishing themselves. Mixed crops with “positive” neighbours such as endives, strawberries, camomile, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, salsify, celeriac and tomatoes, are a useful measure. “Bad” neighbours include beans, peas and beetroot.
First-day cover motif
First-day cancellation
Thomas Mathis
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A bit of Stamp history
FRED&FUN
Helvetia was often pictured on stamps over 150 years ago. This unperforated stamp from 1854 is one famous example. Collectors now refer to it as “Strubeli” from the German “strubbelig” because Helvetia is shown with dishevelled or tousled hair. At the time, people did not like this Helvetia figure. Some claimed that she had horns on her head instead of hair; others joked that she had overslept and forgotten to comb her hair. This stamp was one of the first to be protected against counterfeiting. The paper of every stamp contains col oured silk thread. The “Strubel” stamp remained in circulation for nine years. Different colours and different paper were used for each re issue. This explains why there are so many versions.
Postal vehicles un All the member co tries of European ions postal administrat on ps are issuing stam in “Postal Vehicles” 2013.
Did you know? At: www.posteurop.org > What we do > European Stamps
p
“Strubel” stam from 1854
you can find a list of subjects from recent years and stamps issued by different countries. From 9 May you can also see the postal vehicles stamps from other European countries at the link: www.posteurop.org/europa2013.
FRED the stamp hairdresser: The right hair stylist could turn "Strubeli"...
into the new MISS HELVETIA!
Test 1
Capital cities of Europe
Test your knowledge of Europe! How much do you know about European countries, capital cities and national identifica tion letters? Test your knowledge here.
Which capital city goes with which country? Write the number of the capital city in the green circle under the matching country.
1 Berne 2 Dublin 3 Copenhagen 4 Paris 5 Lisbon 6 Madrid 7 Rome 8 Vienna 9 Berlin 10 London 11 Amsterdam 12 Oslo 13 Stockholm 14 Brussels 15 Luxembourg
Norway
Sweden
You will find the solution on the last page.
England Denmark Ireland Netherlands
Germany
Austria Belgium Luxembourg
Switzerland
France
Test 2
National identi fication letters Portugal
Spain
Did you know? National identification letters appear on vehicle number plates. They make it easy to identify which country the vehicle is from at first glance. National identification letters also used to be found on letters sent abroad.
Italy
How many national identification letters do you know? Write the correct letter in the orange circle under each country.
CH N IRL E D
F S I B NL
DK L A P GB
Quiz
Vegetable blossoms Many of our vegetables have a similar life cycle. In the spring, the seeds in the ground turn into seedlings and then into plants. Each plant grows blossom. During the late summer or autumn, the blossom produces seeds. New plants can then be grown from the seeds the following year. There are different types of vegetables:
tomatoes, pumpkins, cucumbers
lb u b d n a t Roo ables veget
When we eat root and bulb vege tables, we mainly eat the bulbs, tubers and roots that grow in the ground. The blossoms are usually small and plain.
We eat the fruit of fruit vegeta bles, sometimes with the seeds and sometimes without. When we eat peas, we even eat the seeds without the pods.
Features
Name:
Classification:
Order:
Habitat: Size:
Wingspan:
Weight:
Number of yo ung produced:
White stork
Bird
Ciconiiformes
Central and s out Europe, North hern Turkey, Centr Africa, al Asia 100 to 115 cm 200 to 220 c m 3 to 3.5 kg 3 to 6 per ye
ar eriod: 33 to 3 4 days Swiss populati on: approx. 300 pairs Diet: earthworms, ins mice, fish, sna ects, frogs, k nestlings of o es, eggs and ther birds. Incubation p
A pepper is a: .....................vegetable. A leek is a:
e.g. carrots, beetroot, parsnips, potatoes, garlic, celery, radishes
les b a t e g e v Fruite.g. beans, peas,
Can you match the two new stamps to the types of vegetable?
What makes vegetable blossom so special? We often don’t notice or pay attention to vegetable blos som. We even eat some of it. Most of the time, we don’t even realise that it is blossom.
.....................vegetable. You will find the solution on the next page.
ent c s e r o l f In s e l b a t e g ve e.g. broccoli, arti chokes, cauliflower
We eat the blossom of inflorescent vegeta bles just before it opens.
Leaf s table vegee.g. lettuce, chard, spinach
When we eat leaf vege tables, we usually eat the leaves when they are still tender.
Draw a ring around all the things that storks like to eat.
OFFER
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Cool puzzles Excitement and entertainment
Sources of supply Each “Focus on stamps” stamp magazine comes with an order form. Your parents can use it to order the collector’s book, Pro Sets and stamps. Alternatively they can phone +41 (0)848 66 55 44. Or you can go to a philatelic salespoint in Basel, Berne, Lausanne, Lugano, St. Gallen or Zurich.
If you have any questions or would like to get in touch with Fred, send an e-mail to: fred@swisspost.ch
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F R E E O F CHA R G Co
Four times a year new stamps come out on 20 topics. The most interesting subjects for children are explained and illustrated in the FRED&FUN collector’s book. It is available while stocks last from www.swisspost.ch/philashop or by telephone: +41 (0)848 66 55 44.
c ti o n b o o
Solutions Page 2: Switzerland Ireland Denmark France Portugal Spain Italy Austria
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Berne Dublin Copenhagen Paris Lisbon Madrid Rome Vienna
CH IRL DK F P E I A
Germany England Netherlands Norway Sweden Belgium Luxembourg
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Berlin London Amsterdam Oslo Stockholm Brussels Luxembourg
D GB NL N S B L
Page 3: A pepper is a:
fruit vegetable
A leek is a:
bulb vegetable
Competition Which of these five animals DOESN’T the stork eat? Write the names of the five animals on a postcard and
send it to:
Swiss Post, Post Offices & Sales,
Product Management Stamps and Philately
Keyword “Fred”, Viktoriastrasse 21, 3030 Berne
or use the envelope provided with Focus on Stamps.
Five lucky winners will be drawn at random from the correct entries. They will receive all the stamps issued on 7 May and presented in this issue of Focus on Stamps. There is no right of appeal and no correspondence will be entered into. The deadline for entries is 17 May 2013.
Range of products
First days of issue of stamps 7.3.2013 and 7.5.2013 Special stamps
7.5.2013
Europa – Postal vehicles
Maximum cards
7.5.2013
Europa – Postal vehicles White stamp paper, mat gummed
CHF 1.00 Electric Trike Tribelhorn CHF 1.00 Electric Trike Kyburz DXP
Set on first-day cover C6 1909 580 䉺 only CHF 2.90
Set* 1909 150 夹 1909 550 䉺 CHF 2.00
Set of blocks of four* 1909 160 夹 1909 560 䉺 CHF 8.00
Sondermarken Timbres-poste spéciaux Francobolli speciali Special stamps
EUROPA Postfahrzeuge Véhicules postaux Veicoli della Posta Postal vehicles 100 c.
Elektrodreirad Tribelhorn Triporteur électrique Tribelhorn Motofurgone elettrico Tribelhorn Electric Trike Tribelhorn
100 c.
Elektrodreirad Kyburz DXP Triporteur électrique Kyburz DXP Motofurgone elettrico Kyburz DXP Electric Trike Kyburz DXP
Unstamped cover C6 available from 30.4.2013 1909 700 CHF 0.90
7.5.2013
EUROPA Postfahrzeuge Véhicules postaux Veicoli della Posta Postal vehicles
Gestaltung/Conception/Realizzazione/Design
100 c.
Elektrodreirad Tribelhorn Triporteur électrique Tribelhorn Motofurgone elettrico Tribelhorn Electric Trike Tribelhorn
100 c.
Elektrodreirad Kyburz DXP Triporteur électrique Kyburz DXP Motofurgone elettrico Kyburz DXP Electric Trike Kyburz DXP
Gestaltung/Conception/Realizzazione/Design
Peter Hummel, Basel
Peter Hummel, Basel
Offsetdruck/Impression en offset/Stampa offset/Offset printing Gutenberg AG, Schaan, Fürstentum Liechtenstein
Block of four on first-day cover C6 (2 covers) 1909 630 䉺 only CHF 9.80
669
Folder 1909 660 夹 1909 670 䉺 CHF 2.90
Offsetdruck/Impression en offset/Stampa offset/Offset printing Gutenberg AG, Schaan, Fürstentum Liechtenstein
823
Collection sheet 1909 680 夹 1909 690 䉺 CHF 2.60
* Single stamp, set and block of four with sheet’s margin not available.
Picture cards
Single stamp on first-day cover C6 (2 covers) 1909 600 䉺 only CHF 3.80
Sheet of 16 stamps** 1909 111 夹 1909 511 䉺 CHF 16.00
Set of 2 maximum cards A6 “Tribelhorn” and “Kyburz”, with the 2 matching stamps of CHF 1.00 (and CHF 1.00 per card). Cancellation with the first-day of issue postmark. 1909 851 䉺 only CHF 4.00
** The sheet includes 8 stamps with the “Tribelhorn” motif and 8 stamps with the “Kyburz” motiv. Separation by motifs not possible.
7.5.2013
Europa – Postal vehicles
Swiss Post’s General Terms and Conditions of Business concerning the purchase of stamps and philatelic items form an integral part of individual orders and are tacitly accepted by each customer who sends an order. Unstamped picture card A6 with the “Tribelhorn” motif 1909 911 夹 only CHF 1.00 The picture cards are not included in the standing order.
32
Unstamped picture card A6 with the “Kyburz” motif 1909 912 夹 only CHF 1.00
These Terms and Conditions can be ordered by telephone (+41 [0]848 66 55 44) or by e-mail (stamps@post.ch). They are also available at www.swisspost.ch/agb/post-agb-phila.pdf
Special stamp
7.3.2013
Special stamp
7.5.2013
CHF 1.00 Faces Switzerland
CHF 1.00 White stork
White stamp paper, mat gummed
White stamp paper, self-adhesive
Single stamp 1908 150 夹 1908 550 䉺 CHF 1.00
100 c.
Sondermarke Timbre-poste spécial Francobollo speciale Special stamp
Gesichter Schweiz Visage Suisse Volti Svizzera Faces Switzerland
100 c.
Gestaltung/Conception/Realizzazione/Design
Martine Dietrich-Chatagny, Lugnorre
Offsetdruck/Impression en offset/Stampa offset/Offset printing 661
Offsetdruck/Impression en offset/Stampa offset/Offset printing Gutenberg AG, Schaan, Fürstentum Liechtenstein 815
Folder 1908 660 夹 1908 670 䉺 CHF 1.90
Block of four on first-day cover E6 1908 630 䉺 only CHF 5.00 Unstamped covers available from 30.4.2013
7.3.2013
Gesichter Schweiz Visage Suisse Volti Svizzera Faces Switzerland
Gestaltung/Conception/Realizzazione/Design
Martine Dietrich-Chatagny, Lugnorre
Gutenberg AG, Schaan, Fürstentum Liechtenstein
Single stamp on first-day cover C6 1908 580 䉺 only CHF 1.90
Block of four 1908 160 夹 1908 560 䉺 CHF 4.00
Collection sheet 1908 680 夹 1908 690 䉺 CHF 1.60
Sheetlet on first-day cover C5 1908 590 䉺 only CHF 7.20
Single stamp 1912 150 夹 1912 550 䉺 CHF 1.00
Block of four 1912 160 夹 1912 560 䉺 CHF 4.00
Single stamp on first-day cover C6 1912 580 䉺 only CHF 1.90
Block of four on first-day cover C6 1912 630 䉺 only CHF 4.90
C6 (162 × 114 mm) 1908 700 CHF 0.90 C5 (229 × 162 mm) 1908 701 CHF 1.20 E6 (200 × 142 mm) 1908 702 CHF 1.00
100 c.
Sondermarke Timbre-poste spécial Francobollo speciale Special stamp
Weissstorch Cigogne blanche Cicogna bianca White stork
100 c.
Gestaltung/Conception/Realizzazione/Design
Gestaltung/Conception/Realizzazione/Design
Oesch Corinne und Hug Daniel, Emmenbrücke
Oesch Corinne und Hug Daniel, Emmenbrücke
Offsetdruck/Impression en offset/Stampa offset/Offset printing Joh. Enschedé, Haarlem, Nederland
7.5.2013
Weissstorch Cigogne blanche Cicogna bianca White stork
672
Offsetdruck/Impression en offset/Stampa offset/Offset printing Joh. Enschedé, Haarlem, Nederland 826
Sheetlet of 6 stamps 1908 311 夹 1908 351 䉺
CHF 6.00
Please note: The ordered items of the special stamp will be delivered with the articles of 7.5.2013. Subscribers will also receive their products with the 2/2013 issue. As an exceptional measure, cancellation orders for the first day cancellation of 7.3.2013 can be sent until 7 June 2013.
Folder 1912 660 夹 1912 670 䉺 CHF 1.90
Collection sheet 1912 680 夹 1912 690 䉺 CHF 1.60
Unstamped cover C6 available from 30.4.2013 1912 700 CHF 0.90
Sheet of 20 stamps 1912 111 夹 1912 511 䉺 CHF 20.00
Beautiful stamps online: www.post.ch/philashop
Key
夹 = mint 䉺 = cancelled
33
Range of products
Ordering made easy: use the enclosed order form! Special stamps with surcharge
7.5.2013
Pro Patria – Village museums CHF 1.25 (0.85+0.40) CHF 1.25 (0.85+0.40) CHF 1.50 (1.00+0.50) CHF 1.50 (1.00+0.50)
Set on first-day cover C6 1910 580 䉺 only CHF 6.40
Block of four on first-day cover C6 (4 covers) 1910 630 䉺 only CHF 25.60
Set of blocks of four 1910 160 夹 1910 560 䉺 CHF 22.00
Sondermarken Timbres-poste spéciaux Francobolli speciali Special stamps
Dorfmuseen Musées villageois Musei di villaggio Village museums
Single stamp on first-day cover C6 (4 covers) 1910 600 䉺 only CHF 9.10
7.5.2013
Dorfmuseen Musées villageois Musei di villaggio Village museums
Pro Patria 85+40 c. Wohlen AG
Pro Patria
85+40 c. Einsiedeln SZ 100+50 c. Bagnes VS
85+40 c. Wohlen AG
100+50 c. Lichtensteig SG
85+40 c. Einsiedeln SZ 100+50 c. Bagnes VS 100+50 c. Lichtensteig SG
Gestaltung/Conception/Realizzazione/Design
Gestaltung/Conception/Realizzazione/Design
Vito Noto, Lugano-Cadro
Vito Noto, Lugano-Cadro
Offsetdruck/Impression en offset/Stampa offset/Offset printing Cartor Security Printing, La Loupe, France
670
Offsetdruck/Impression en offset/Stampa offset/Offset printing Cartor Security Printing, La Loupe, France 824
WOHL O Inhalt / contenu / contenuto 6 x 85 ct. (+4O ct.) 4 x 1OO ct. (+5O ct.)
Preis / prix / prezzo CHF 14.5O
Stamp booklet Six CHF 0.85+0.40 stamps with the “Wohlen AG” motif and four CHF 1.00+0.50 stamps with the “Bagnes VS” motif (and CHF 1.00 for the creation of the booklet) 1910 300 夹 1910 800 䉺 CHF 14.50
34
White stamp paper, mat gummed
Single stamp 1911 150 夹 1911 550 䉺 CHF 1.00
Block of four 1911 160 夹 1911 560 䉺 CHF 4.00
Single stamp on first-day cover C6 1911 580 䉺 only CHF 1.90
Block of four on first-day cover C6 1911 630 䉺 only CHF 4.90 Unstamped covers available from 30.4.2013 C6 (162 × 114 mm) 1911 700 CHF 0.90
Sheetlet on first-day cover C5 1911 590 䉺 only CHF 11.20 100 c.
C5 (229 × 162 mm) 1911 701 CHF 1.20
Sondermarke Timbre-poste spécial Francobollo speciale Special stamp
Kunstserie – Biennale Venedig Série sur l’art – Biennale de Venise Serie sull’arte – La Biennale di Venezia Art series – Venice Biennale
100 c.
Gestaltung/Conception/Realizzazione/Design
Gestaltung/Conception/Realizzazione/Design
Valentin Carron, Martigny
Valentin Carron, Martigny
Offsetdruck/Impression en offset/Stampa offset/Offset printing Giesecke & Devrient GmbH, Leipzig, Deutschland
7.5.2013
Kunstserie – Biennale Venedig Série sur l’art – Biennale de Venise Serie sull’arte – La Biennale di Venezia Art series – Venice Biennale
671
Offsetdruck/Impression en offset/Stampa offset/Offset printing Giesecke & Devrient GmbH, Leipzig, Deutschland 825
Sheets of 20 stamps
Folder 1911 660 夹 1911 670 䉺 CHF 1.90
Collection sheet 1911 680 夹 1911 690 䉺 CHF 1.60
CHF 0.85+0.40 Einsiedeln SZ 1910 112 夹 1910 512 䉺 CHF 25.00
2O13
Die Schweizerische Post Briefmarken und Philatelie Poststellen und Verkauf Viktoriastrasse 21, 3O3O Bern www.post.ch/philashop Tel. +41 (O) 848 66 55 44
Unstamped cover available from 30.4.2013 1910 700 CHF 0.90
CHF 0.85+0.40 Wohlen AG 1910 111 夹 1910 511 䉺 CHF 25.00
Collection sheet 1910 680 夹 1910 690 䉺 CHF 6.10
Folder 1910 660 夹 1910 670 䉺 CHF 6.40
7.5.2013
CHF 1.00 Art series – Venice Biennale White stamp paper, mat gummed
Wohlen AG Einsiedeln SZ Bagnes VS Lichtensteig SG
Set 1910 150 夹 1910 550 䉺 CHF 5.50
Special stamp
CHF 1.00+0.50 Bagnes VS 1910 113 夹 1910 513 䉺 CHF 30.00 CHF 1.00+0.50 Lichtensteig SG 1910 114 夹 1910 514 䉺 CHF 30.00
Sheetlet of 10 stamps 1911 311 夹 1911 351 䉺
Key
CHF 10.00
夹 = mint 䉺 = cancelled
Definitive stamps
7.5.2013
Vegetable blossoms CHF 1.30 Pepper CHF 2.20 Leek
Set 1913 150 夹 1913 550 䉺 CHF 3.50
Business sheets of 10 stamps* CHF 1.30 1913 361 夹 only CHF 13.00 CHF 2.20 1913 362 夹 only CHF 22.00 * Customers with a standing order for strip of ten will receive automatically the two business sheets of ten stamps. However, customers with a standing order for sheet will not receive the business sheets.
Set of single stamps, 2/2013 issue The single stamps/sets of the 2/2013 issue of 7.5.2013 and the special stamp “Faces Switzerland” of CHF 1.00 of 7.3.2013 are displayed on a free A5 backing card with a protective cellophane wrapping. 1904 150 夹 1904 550 䉺 CHF 14.00
White stamp paper, self-adhesive
No set of blocks of four available Customers with a standing order for set of blocks of four will receive for each set of blocks of four in their standing order 1 × 1913 150 夹 and/or 1913 550 䉺 No block of four on first-day cover available Customers with a standing order for block of four on first-day cover will receive for each block of four on first-day cover in their standing order 1 × 1913 580 䉺 Unstamped cover C6 available from 30.4.2013 1913 700 CHF 0.90
Special products
Set on first-day cover C6 1913 580 䉺 only CHF 4.40
Set of first-day covers, 2/2013 issue The first-day covers with set of the 2/2013 issue of 7.5.2013 and the first-day cover with the special stamp “Faces Switzerland” of 7.3.2013 are combined in one free cover. 1904 580 䉺 only CHF 19.40
Dauermarken Timbres-poste ordinaires Francobolli ordinari Definitive stamps
Voucher for stamps and philatelic articles 871 399 CHF 15.00
7.5.2013
Gemüseblüten Légumes en fleurs Verdura in fiore Vegetable blossoms
130 c. Paprika Paprika Peperoncino Pepper
FRED & FUN
2013 Stamp catalogues
130 c. Paprika Paprika Peperoncino Pepper
220 c. Lauch Poireau Porro Leek
2012 Set of first-day covers 1885 530 䉺 only CHF 80.85
2012 Year book of Swiss stamps 1834 830 夹 1834 831 䉺 CHF 66.00
Single stamp on first-day cover C6 (2 covers) 1913 600 䉺 only CHF 5.30
Gemüseblüten Légumes en fleurs Verdura in fiore Vegetable blossoms
2012 Year Set 1835 320 夹 1835 820 䉺 CHF 57.15
220 c. Lauch Poireau Porro Leek
Gestaltung/Conception/Realizzazione/Design
Gestaltung/Conception/Realizzazione/Design
Reinhard Fluri, Halten
Reinhard Fluri, Halten
Offsetdruck/Impression en offset/Stampa offset/Offset printing Joh. Enschedé, Haarlem, Nederland
673
Offsetdruck/Impression en offset/Stampa offset/Offset printing Joh. Enschedé, Haarlem, Nederland 827
Folder 1913 660 夹 1913 670 䉺 CHF 4.40
Collection sheet 1913 680 夹 1913 690 䉺 CHF 4.10
Please note: For technical reasons, some items such as set of blocks of four and block of four on first-day covers, as well as special requests cannot be provided.
Zumstein Switzerland/Liechtenstein/UN Geneva German/French 1822 725 CHF 35.00
Swiss Stamp Dealers Association Switzerland/Liechtenstein/UN Geneva German/French 1822 787 CHF 35.00
The stamp catalogues will be delivered in Switzerland and in Liechtenstein only.
2013 Collection booklet (see page 31) english 1941 904 free
35
2012 Year Book of Swiss Stamps
CHF 66.– stamps • 48 original ur languages fo in n o ti a • Inform ated motifs • Richly illustr
Order the year book now: tel. +41 (0)848 66 55 44 or via www.swisspost.ch/philashop