Spice Race: Jakarta - Amsterdam

Date of Issue:
Set of three stamps: March 12, 1980 (Scott: 1067 - 1069)
Souvenir Sheet 300r: March 12, 1980 (Scott: 1069A)
Souvenir Sheet 500r: May 06, 1980 for London 1980 Stamp Exhibition. (Scott: 1069B)

postmark in FDC: cloves with leaves

60r  -  Penisi: Penisi sailing ships were used by sailors from South Sulawesi in their sea voyages for transportation of agricultural produce.

125r -  Ship made of cloves.

150r -  Madurese boat: used by sailors from Madura

Souvenir Sheet 500r: world map showing spice trade routes and London 1980 logo.

In tracing the navigation of spice transportation from Indonesia, the Nedlloyd Shipping Company - organized a shipping race from Jakarta to Amsterdam. Sailing ships from Australia, France, Singapore, U.K., and The Netherlands participated in the race.

To commemorate this event, Indonesian Postal Administration issued a set of three stamps and a souvenir sheet of the sailing ships that were used in long distance sailing.

Spices launched the Age of Exploration and drove the European explorers to the Spice Islands of Eastern Indonesia in the 16th century. This led to the great Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and British Empires of the East. Which spices and why were they so important? Click here to read entire history.

Source: Scott stamp catalog, information brochure inside FDC, murnis.com

Ships on Banknotes #13 - Kuwait 10 Dinars

Issued by: Central Bank of Kuwait
Date: 1968 (1992)
Catalog #: 21b Orange-red, olive-brown on multicolor underprint

The picture above is the reverse side of the bank note which shows traditional sailing boat.

Click here to see more banknotes with ships, in my collection.

Card #11 from U.S.A.

Received this wonderful historic card today, sent by my dear friend, Natalie, U.S.A. and again, matching stamp for the card.

The card depicts the scene of colonists leaving England to settle in Jamestown, Virginia, U.S.A. in 1606, in three ships - the Susan Constant (sometimes known as the Sarah Constant), the Godspeed, and the Discovery (smallest of the three).

The triangle shaped stamp was issued by USPS in 2007 commemorating quadricentennial (400 years) of settlement in Jamestown.

On the back of the card can be seen the seal of Jamestown Exposition, to commemorate Tricentennial of settlement.

China 1985 Maxi Cards - 580th anniv of Admiral Zheng-He's Voyages

 

Date of Issue: July 11, 1985
Scott: 1992 - 1995

Set of four stamps and maxi cards issued to commemorate 580th Anniversary of Voyages by Admiral Zheng-He. I have written much about this in earlier posts. Click here to view all stamps and materials in my collection regarding Zheng-He's Voyages.

Card 1 - Zheng-He standing in front of the Indian Ocean, holding the scroll from the Emperor of China in his hand. In the margins can see ships in his fleet.

Card 2 - scene of Zheng-He 's first meeting with the Champa Empire (in modern-day Vietnam). Local people sing and dance cheerfully to welcome Zheng-He' visit.

Card 3 - Zheng-He's fleets arriving at Arabia, where envoys of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) offer silk and porcelain in exchange for the local products. 

Card 4 - Zheng-He's fleets reaching Africa. The king welcomes Zheng-He in a full dress. Zheng-He embraces his fist and expresses thanks to the local people.

Source: chinaculture.org

Card #3 from Russia - painting by Ivan Aivazovsky

Received this wonderful maritime art card from Ms. Julia, Russia through postcrossing.com.

This painting of "View of Reval from the sea" is now in Central Navy Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.  It was the painting by Ivan Aivazovsky (1817 - 1900) a Russian painter of Armenian descent living and working in Crimea, most famous for his seascapes, which constitute more than half of his paintings.

Click here to see more works of this famous artist.

Beypore Harbor - Permanent Pictorial Ship Postmark Inauguration

Date of Issue: May 17, 2006.

This is a special cover issued on day of inauguration of permanent pictorial postmark at Beypore Harbour.

Beypore is a small coastal town in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. The place was formerly known as Vaypura / Vadaparappanad. Tippu Sultan named the town “Sultan Pattanam”.  Beypore port is one of the oldest ports in Kerala from where trading was done to the Middle East. 

Beypore was an important trade and maritime center during the days of the early Arab and Chinese travelers and later the Europeans. Soon after gaining prominence as a port and trade center, Beypore slowly began to flourish as a center for shipbuilding, since ships were in great demand by merchants from Western Asia. The shipbuilding yard at Beypore is famous for its traditional construction of the Uru or the Arabian trading vessel. This tradition of shipbuilding is nearly 1,500 years old, and the craftsmanship of the workers here is exceptional.

The Indian Coast Guard has commissioned a station here in 2006.

The cachet design shows life at harbor in Beypore and the pictorial postmark showing traditional Arab dhow.

Source:  Wikipedia, Keralatourism.org

Card #1 from Indonesia

Today arrived my first post card from Indonesia, through postcrossing.com. The card shows small boats used for river transportation in South Sumatra, Indonesia.