Wednesday, May 27, 2009

S27 - Essen 2009 Color Variety

I received an interesting report from Helmut that a few Essen 2009 United Nations personalized sheets sheets (blue-green gum) were found with a much fainter red color - that does not mean that somebody else cannot have a large quantity of them However, it is an interesting variety to keep look for.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

S27 - Essen 2009

On 6 May 2009, UNPA issued a new United Nations personalized stamp exhibition sheet to commemorate the 19th International Stamp Fair 2009 in Essen, Germany. The sheet is composed of 10 stamps in the denomination of € 0,65. The photos on the stamps represent the following (right row, top to bottom):
  • Flags of the Nations at the Memorial Plaza, Vienna International Centre;
  • View of the Memorial Plaza and the D-tower of the Vienna International Centre;
  • Detail of the sculpture “The First Swallows” by Juozas Mikenas;
  • M-Building. On 25 April 2008, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik jointly inaugurated the new conference building (M-Building) at the Vienna International Centre. The United Nations Secretary-General stated: “The building will also be used as the central hub of many diplomats from all around the world to discuss the future of our world.”
  • Detail of the oil painting “Schmetterlingsbaum” (“Butterfly-tree”) by the Austrian artist Rudolf Hausner.
The background image of the special personalized stamp sheet “Essen” features the World Heritage “Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen”. The emblems beside the stamps alternatively depict the UN logo and the show cachet. The sheet was designed by Deborah Halerin and Eduardo Sinoy of the United Nations.

Thanks to Helmut, and the UNPA Vienna Newsletter, 7,500 sheets were produced and I have several reports that both the blue-green gum and the cream gum varieties are available. He also reports that perforation is the same as with previous sheets: 13 1/4 comb., outer right vertical perf line between labels and selvage is line perforated 13 1/4.

A new correspondent, Marc, wrote to let us know that he found 33 sheets with blue-green gum. This color may be more scarce than the cream gum, since he looked at over 1.000 sheets. He also found an ungummed sheet on white paper with perforations.

Collectors have asked if there is a way we can buy and sell sheets from other collectors. I am not sure of the best way to do this, but if anyone has any ideas, please email me.

I sincerely appreciate everyone who contributes to this blog. We must share information since no single collector knows everything about the United Nations personalized sheets. Please email if you can contribute anything. I still have a small backlog of correspondence that contains additional information that I will add to the blog soon. Please be patient, I can only write in my spare time. Thank you!!