Ukrainian philatelists note the fine detail in postage history
rate payments, stamps today are highly-collectable and sometimes expensive objects, much like paintings or jewelry.
In the age of extreme sports, electronic music and the Internet, stamp collecting may seem a thing of the past. Some enthusiasts, however, are still captivated by its charm.
“Looking at a stamp can be compared to viewing a work of art and reading a book at the same time,” said amateur philatelist Oleh Dychko, 37. “I can spend hours and days studying one stamp, opening encyclopedias and browsing the Web to learn more about what’s depicted on it.”
Ukraine issues 50 to 60 new stamps each year. Some stamps are dedicated to important anniversaries. Others come in series – from churches to butterflies and folk fairy tales.
“Hetmans of Ukraine,” a 16-stamp series, shows the history of the Hetmans’ rule. Each stamp contains a biography: a military leader’s portrait, his coat of arms and the main events of his rule.
The idea for a series must first be approved by the editorial board consisting of philatelists, state officials, polygraphists, art critics and specialists in the particular subject of the stamp.
Then stamp designs are executed by special artists. The series’ concept and versions of sketches are often published in philatelic magazines like Poshtovy Visnyk (Herald Post) and Filateliya (Philately).
“People can’t know everything so our readers help advise us,” said the director of Marka Ukrainy (Ukraine’s Stamp), Valentyna Khudoly. Marka Ukrainy, Ukraine’s only stamp publishing house, initiated a six-year-long series last year on Ukraine’s space exploration. The response was overwhelming.
“Philatelists are interesting and difficult people – they always look at the smallest details, trying to find inconsistencies in the historical era or the subject that is depicted,” Khudoly said. Overseeing many research projects, she noted, “We got more information from readers than from the state agency dealing with space exploration.”
A mark of celebration
The first birthday of each stamp is celebrated with the ceremony entitled “First day cover.” The new stamp is sealed with a special postmark which indicates that it has come into circulation. Independent Ukraine’s first stamp, entitled “500 years of Cossackdom,” was issued on March 1, 1992.
When a stamp comes into circulation, publishers often receive letters from philatelists, sometimes expressing complaints.
The stamp depicting a miracle-working icon from Ivano-Frankivsk region was suggested by the parishioners and the region’s highest clergy. After the stamp came out, the publishers found out that the icon was not on the world’s official list of miraculous objects.
Similarly, when the Roksolana stamp came out there were complaints that Ukraine’s famous stateswoman “is wearing male clothes.” Indeed, Roksolana is depicted in a turban. But it was part of the artistic idea to show that Roksolana was a strong woman and to equate her with a Turkish sultan.
World recognition
Last year, the souvenir sheet for the floral series “Blooming Ukraine” won third place at the Timbropresse Stamp World Cup in Paris. A souvenir sheet is a special form of stamp presentation designed as a picture, parts of which are stamps.
In this award-winning sheet, Ukraine is depicted as a 10-12 year girl (the age of independence) wearing a wreath. When divided, parts of the wreath become stamps – blue bonnets, poppies, bluebells and daisies.
Khudoly noted that flora and fauna are the most popular series. “All over the world, people just love to look at butterflies and birds,” she said.
There are no statistics on the number of philatelists in Ukraine. They come in all kinds, from fanatics who hunt for flaws to schoolchildren who peel off used stamps from envelopes.
Philately can be an expensive hobby, as stamps range from 45 kopecks to much, much more, depending on age, quality and the particular stamp. But to popularize stamp collecting among children, Marka Ukrainy offers cancelledstamps – sealed and sold at for 10-12 kopeks each.
“We want to attract children’s attention to beautiful and historically-important things and encourage them to learn more and read about what’s depicted on the stamp,” Khudoly said.
Stamps or rather souvenir sheets can also be excellent presents for those traveling abroad.
“If you travel a lot, souvenirs can become a problem. What can you bring if your foreign partners already have loads of embroidered towels and wooden figurines? Vodka again?” Dychko asked. “Stamps are an exquisite and very national gift.”
Marka Ukrainy store
8/12 Starokyivska vul., Politekhnichny Instytut metro.
A souvenir sheet costs around Hr 25.
