Sunday Stamps - August 4, 2024
The Sunday Stamps theme this week is Sports.
Next week's theme is Olympics, so I am holding back sport stamps featuring the Olympic rings.
Czechoslovakia April 1954
It reads, "Every Citizen a Swimmer."
Germany (DDR, German Democratic Republic, East Germany) 1961
"Pioneer Meeting in Erfurt 1961" The Young Pioneers was an organization for children ages 6-13. Like scouting... but teaching socialist ideology and preparing them to join The Free German Youth movement. The theme that year was "Vow to the Socialist State."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Th%C3%A4lmann_Pioneer_Organisation
Poland 1963
"15th Peace Day Berlin Prague-Warsaw"
The International Peace Race was first organized in 1952, and held annually with the aim of counteracting the Cold War tensions. It took riders across Eastern Europe, all behind the Iron Curtain. The race continues today under the name European Peace Ride.
Yugoslavia Free Territory of Trieste 1953
"Belgrade 1953 International Car-Moto Show"
The series of four is called "Car and Motorcycle Racing." Car racing isn't what I think of as a "sport," but it is for millions of Americans.
Lovely swimming stamp and a noble aim.
ReplyDeleteNice findings!
ReplyDeleteHow is that on the first stamp one of the swimmers has started the race and the other one is still waiting? ;)
Ha! I never noticed! Let's hope they are just practicing.
DeleteI'm watching the road race at the moment ( being more distracted by the views!) and I couldn't even stay sitting on the couch for the whole thing, never mind sitting on a bike and pedalling! I really like the Czech stamp with the swimmer. It looks harder to start off in 1954 than today.
ReplyDeleteRaces take so long! When my son was little he wanted to watch a NASCAR race on t.v. I don't remember why, or why he had a "favorite" driver, no one in the family cared for car racing! I don't know how many laps there were, but it went on and on and on, in circles, over and over and over.
DeleteGreat variety of Stamps. I am glad to hear they are still doing the peace ride.
ReplyDeleteYes, it seems a very good cause.
DeleteI enjoy these Cold War stamps. I'm thinking the Czech swimmer was participating in a relay race and poised to enter the water as soon as the current swimmer in her lane finished up. The slogan "every citizen a swimmer" intrigued me but I couldn't find anything on it. Maybe I was searching for the wrong thing.
ReplyDeleteThat could be! Good thinking.
DeleteI love the swimming stamp! The drawing is perfect!
ReplyDeleteI like it too, the details are nice.
DeleteI'm sure sports isn't too hard to find stamps for. Nice collection today.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be a popular theme, especially during Olympic years.
DeleteGreat post! Your collection is always so interesting. I'm curious if the Czechoslovakian stamp reflected a genuine push for swimming education back then. It's also fascinating to see how sports were used as a tool for propaganda, as depicted on the German stamp.
ReplyDeleteOffering fun and games and sports for children was a good way to gather them together. They joined in so young they didn't know any different, and their friends were probably all involved. If they could refuse, maybe they had to join.
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