29th Olympic Summer Games, Beijing

Denomination: 9.00
Date: 08.08.2008
Print: ofset
Designer: Lembit Lõhmus
Perforation: 13¾:14
Sheets: 5 x 2
Quantity issued: 250 000
Printing house: AS Vaba Maa

Every four years the flame of Olympic Summer Games is lit in Olympia, Greece, inviting the fastest and strongest men and women of the planet to test their strengths, this year for the 29th time since the revitalisation of the antique tradition and for the third time in Asia, in Beijing. Estonia took part in the Olympic Games for the first time in 1920 in Antwerp and brought back a gold medal – Alfred Neuland won it in lightweight weightlifting. By that time an Estonian athlete had already won an Olympic medal – silver in wrestling by Martin Klein in 1912. In the period before World War II it was the Estonian strongmen who reaped laurels at Olympic Games. Kristjan Palusalu’s two gold medals from the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin where he reigned supreme both in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling crowned their successful performance. In 1955-1988 Estonian sportsmen competed in Soviet colours. Svetlana Chirkova and Erika Salumäe won gold medals twice – the former in foil fencing in Mexico and Munich and the latter in the sprint track event in Soul and Barcelona. Starting with the first modern Olympic Games postage stamps dedicated to this international sports festival have been issued over more than a hundred years. Estonia joined the rest of the world after the restoration of its independence. In 1992, after a forced interval of more than half a century, Estonia once again sent its team to compete under the blue, black and white national flag to Barcelona and printed its first Olympic stamps. The stamp issued on the opening day of the Beijing Olympic Games on 8 August 2008 features the Discobolus of Myron and the logo of the games. The names of the twenty Estonian athletes who have won gold medals at Olympic Summer Games appear in gold in the pane margins.

Beijing 2008 Olympic Equestrian Events

Design: Eddy YU
Illustration: Roxy LAU
Printer: Joh. Enschedé B.V., the Netherlands
Process: Lithography
Stamp Size: 45 mm x 28 mm
Stamp Layout: Pane of 25 stamps
Souvenir Sheet Size: 135 mm x 85 mm
Perforation: 13.25 x 14.25 (one elliptical perforation on each vertical)
Paper: Paper with security fibres
Date of Issue: 9 August 2008

To celebrate the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games (Games of the XXIX Olympiad) being held in August 2008 and Hong Kong’s very special honour of co-hosting the equestrian events, a set of commemorative stamps is issued by Hongkong Post to mark this glorious milestone in the sports achievement of our city.

Developed over a long history, Equestrian is an elegant yet competitive sport that emphasises unique understanding and perfect partnership between the rider and the horse. It was officially included in the Olympic Games in 1900. Equestrian is one of the very few sports in which men and women compete on equal terms in the same event. Three equestrian disciplines, namely Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, in addition to a victory scene are displayed on this set of stamps.

$1.40 – Jumping: Soaring Leaps
Jumping requires the horse to jump and clear a series of obstacles, aiming for minimum penalties incurred and completion within a set time. To enable optimal balance and minimum resistance at take-off, the rider often adopts a forward posture parallel to the back of the horse, resulting in a confident jump over the fence.

$2.40 – Dressage: Graceful Steps
Often described as horses performing ballet, Dressage requires the horse to execute both set movements and freestyle to music in perfect harmony with its rider. Marks are awarded by a panel of judges based on the precision and elegance of the movements.

$3 – Eventing: Ultimate Challenge
Eventing integrates Jumping, Dressage and Cross-Country into one competition, with the winners decided on minimum total penalties. The cross-country phase requires the horse to complete a set course within a set time, clearing a series of obstacles on the way.

$5 – Victory: Heartfelt Cheers
Victory in the Olympics is always a moment worthy of a shower of colourful streamers and a wave of warm applause as it is the result of dedicated effort, tireless training and excellent performance in the competition.

The Opening Memorial of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad

Serial number: 2008-18
Values in set: 1
Denomination: 1.20 yuan
Date of issue: August 8, 2008
Designer of stamp: Zhang Yimou, Chen Mingjie
Editor in Charge: Chen Yisi
Size of stamp: 44 * 33 mm
Perforation: 13 * 13.5
Sheet composition: 12 for Sheet I ; 8 for Sheet II(self-adhesive stamps)
Size of sheet: 210 * 140 mm for Sheet I ; 200 * 120 mm for Sheet II
Printing process: photogravure
Printer: Beijing Stamp Printing House

(1-1)J　　The Opening Memorial of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad　　1.20 yuan

Оlympic Games in Beijing

Title: Оlympic Games in Beijing
Price (Ls): 0.63
Published: 8.8.2008
Designer: Utāns
Printed: Carton Security Printing
Edition: 500000

The Willendorf Venus 3D

Release Date: 2008|08|08
Number of Copies: 350.000
Design: Outer Aspect Ltd
Printed by: Outer Aspect Ltd
Type: Block issue

The Willendorf Venus is Austria´s most famous and valuable find from the later Palaeolithic age. A very special stamp has been created for this outstanding object. A three-dimensional effect makes the Venus appear particularly vividly. There is no doubt that this innovative lenticular image stamp is a further milestone in contemporary stamp design.
The Venus sculpture was created for 25,000 years. It was found in Willendorf in the Wachau on 7 August 1908. The figure is 11 cm high, made of fine limestone and has survived almost undamaged. It shows a corpulent naked woman. Wide hips, protruding stomach and heavy breasts are the characteristics of her appearance. Her arms are only suggested, her wrists decorated with serrated bracelets. The upper and lower legs are natural in form, the feet are missing. Her weak shoulders bear a large head bending slightly forward, without a face, almost entirely decorated with a complicated hairstyle made up of rows of ringlets reaching deep into the back of her neck. Residues of colour indicate that the sculpture was originally painted with thick red chalk. (Incidentally, the original can be found in the Vienna Natural History Museum).

The village of Willendorf lies on the left bank of the Danube. During the later Palaeolithic age, the slopes of the Danube valley were the hunting ground of the ice age hunters. In summer 1908, the Imperial Natural History Museum, under the direction of Josef Szombathy, was carrying out systematic excavations. Particular attention was paid to the Willendorf II site, which lay in the area of the route of the Danube Bank Railway. Of the seven known sites, Willendorf II is certainly the most important and one of the most significant for Palaeolithic research in central Europe. The limestone figure was found in the ninth occupation later, and was next to a large hearth with charcoal residues. 19 years later, the 19 cm large Venus II, carved from a mammoth’s tusk, was found only a few metres from the first site.

Of all 130 Venus statuettes found in Europe and Asia, the Willendorf Venus is the most attractive and the oldest -- and above all a figure that has survived complete. The find caused a world sensation in expert circles. The figure has remarkably many similarities with Eastern European statuettes, all sharing an emphasis on the sexual characteristics. What is remarkable is that all of these archaeological finds are subject to the same geometrical principle: they can be circumscribed by a rhombus with remarkable accuracy.

The Venus statuettes are regarded as symbols of fertility. The corpulence may also be an expression of the desire for sufficient food and good fortune in hunting. Another remarkable feature is that all the statuettes found to date originated from permanent settlements.

100th anniversary of the death of Josef Maria Olbrich

Release Date: 2008|08|05
Number of Copies: 1.200.000
Printing Style: Offset
Design: Hannes Margreiter
Printed by: Österreichische Staatsdruckerei
Type: Special issue stamp

Josef Maria Olbrich, born on 22 December 1867 in Troppau, demonstrated an interest in the building trade at a very early age. After a few years working as an architectural draughtsman, he began to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna in 1890, and was a pupil of the Ringstrasse architect Carl Freiherr von Hasenauer. In 1893, Olbrich joined Otto Wagner’s architect's office, where his excellent draughtsmanship brought him many years of success. The young architect created a special exhibition room for the newly founded artists’ association, the Viennese Secession. The building later became known as the Secession building, and entered history as one of the main works of the Vienna Jugendstil.

In 1899, Olbrich took up the invitation of the Grand Duke of Hessen, Ernst Ludwig, who offered him the opportunity to implement his architectural and artistic ideas in Darmstadt. Olbrich soon became the leader of the colony of artists on the Mathildenhöhe. He created the main building, the Ernst-Ludwig house, whose sober architecture constituted a synthesis between the arcane and the modern. He designed a number of other residential and exhibition buildings that served as exemplary models for modern buildings and homes. In 1906, Olbrich received his last and largest commission: the construction of the Leonard Tietz AG department store (later Kaufhof AG) in Düsseldorf. After a short serious illness, Olbrich died on 8 August 1908 at the age of only 40.

In his striving towards the total work of art, Olbrich dealt not only with architecture but also with the decorative ornamentation of interiors and the design of handicraft objects. Thus he created a large number of designs for crockery, furniture, musical instruments and other objects, such as the letterbox illustrated on the stamp.

The model for this extraordinary letterbox was designed by Olbrich for the home of the manufacturer Max Friedmann in Hinterbrühl near Vienna. It is made of sycamore wood, stained brown and with traces of an original blue staining inside. The brass fittings and the white glass stones used on the leaf tendrils reinforce the visual effect of this house letterbox. Incidentally, this valuable exhibit has been part of the Municipal Art Collection of Darmstadt since the 1970s.

The XXIX Olympic Games - Beijing, China 2008

author: Janusz Wysocki
number of stamps: 4
denomination: 2 x 10 gr (PLN 0.10), 2 x PLN 1.45
print run: 750.000 pcs each
two printing formats:
- 500,000 pcs in selling sheets containing 20 stamps each
- 250,000 pcs in selling sheets containing 4 stamps each, with a dry press imprint in the upper margin area
printing technique: offset
stamp size: 43 x 31.25 mm
paper: fluorescent
issue date: 8th August 2008

From 8 to 24 August this year the eyes of the world are turned to the city of Beijing. In 2001, the International Olympic Committee decided to appoint the Chinese capital as the site of the summer olympic games. The location has been the reason for much controversy. China is a fascinating country with an inspiring history and a rich culture, and also a global economic power. But it is also a state where the system of government and the observance of human and civil rights have long been contested by the international opinion.

Despite the controversies caused by the decision of the IOC, the olympic games is undoubtedly a true feast for sport lovers. The slogan of the Beijing olympics is "One world - one dream". The Polish olympic team comprises 263 athletes, and is the largest in the last 28 years! The Polish Post is one of the sponsors of the Polish Olympic Team at the Beijing Olympic Games 2008.

Louisiana

Marginal nr.: L293
Katalog nr.: 1421

Date of issue: 4 June 2008
Photos: Jens Lindhe
Design: Scott Williams and Henrik Kubel
Engraver: Martin Mörck
Method of printing: Intaglio/offset
Format: 28.84 x 39.52 mm
Number of stamps per sheet: 40

Roy Lichtenstein: Figures in Landscape, 1977 (detail) © Roy Lichtenstein/billedkunst.dk.
Doug Aitken: I Am in You, 2000 (section from video installation) © Louisiana

The original museum building, which was completed in 1958, was the old villa on the Louisiana site, which features on the DKK 5.50 stamp.

Beijing 2008 Olympic Games [Dragon]

Issue date: 24 June 2008
FDI withdrawal date: 22 July 2008
Denominations: one x 50c
Designer: Linda Warner
Printer: (gummed) Energi Print
Printer: (self-adhesive) Pemara
Paper (gummed): Tullis Russell
Paper (self-adhesive): B90
Printing process: Lithography
Stamp size: 26mm x 37.5mm
Perforations: 14.6 x 13.86
Sheet layout: Sheetlet of 10
National postmark: Loch Sport, VIC 3851

This issue was designed by Hobart-based Lynda Warner who is one of Australia's foremost graphic designers. Lynda has designed other stamps for Australia Post including Outback Services (2001), Australian Antarctic Research (2002) and Aviation in the AAT (2005)