FOCUS ON PHILATELY

by Ingert Kuzych

Your chance to choose

Ukraine's stamps just keep getting better

Marka Ukrainy, the firm responsible for Ukraine's philatelic releases, must be complimented on the continuing improvement seen in its stamp issues. More and more, Ukraine's stamps truly reflect the character, history and culture of the country. Very few issue designs still hearken back to the old, stilted, Soviet-art style.

Kudos must also be handed out for resisting the temptation to produce hundreds of different stamps annually, as some other countries do, solely to extract extra dollars from philatelic sales. Ukraine last year produced 47 issues (one less than the year before), of which 38 were stamps and nine souvenir sheets. In general, very appropriate topics were selected for all of the issues.

The souvenir sheet format remains very popular and allows Ukrainian designers a larger field on which to produce their entirely original artwork. A souvenir sheet has emerged as the winner for best philatelic design in each of the last three years. It will be interesting to see if the trend continues in this year's balloting for the Narbut Prize. Instituted by this writer in 1992, the year Ukraine resumed stamp production, the monetary prize has been awarded annually and is now regarded as the premiere recognition for Ukraine's philatelic designers.

The Prize is named after Heorhiy Narbut, the famous graphic artist of the early 20th century who designed some of Ukraine's first stamps and banknotes.

The following list will briefly describe (chronologically) all of the philatelic releases from 2000. It is accompanied by a form where readers can indicate and submit their selection for the best stamp design. The ballot may be photocopied if more than one member of a household wishes to vote.

No., Description

• 270: Commemorating 2,000 Years of Christianity. This souvenir sheet showing three icons was a joint issue with Belarus and Russia (i.e., these countries released souvenir sheets of identical design but with different inscriptions and denominations). Depicted from the left are: Our Lady Oranta, St. Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv; Christ Pantocrator in the Savior Church, Polotsk, Belarus; and the Volodymyr Madonna in the Tretiakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia. Interestingly, the latter two icons have Ukrainian connections. The image of Christ was supposedly painted by a Ukrainian master from Kyiv, while the Virgin and Child Madonna was taken from Kyiv by Prince Yuri Dolgorukyi in the 12th century.
  
  
• 271-274: Bridges of Kyiv. Shown are the Moscow Bridge (upper left 1976); the Pedestrian Bridge (upper right 1957), the Paton Bridge (lower left 1953); and the Metro (Subway) Bridge (lower right 1965).
  
  
• 275: Opera Theaters in Ukraine souvenir sheet. From top to bottom: the Taras Shevchenko National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater in Kyiv, the Odesa State Opera and Ballet Theater, the Mykola Lysenko State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater in Kharkiv, and the Ivan Franko National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater in Lviv.
  
  
• 276: Peresopnytsia Gospel souvenir sheet. An important ornamented manuscript, dating to 1556-1561, of the four books of the New Testament Gospel.
  
  
• 277: Oksana Petrusenko (1900-1940). Famous opera and concert singer.
  
  
• 278: Marusia Churai (17th century). Semi-legendary singer and composer of traditional Ukrainian songs.
  
  
• 279-280: Hetman Danylo Apostol (1654-1734) and Ivan Samoilovych (?- 1690). Two more stamps in the ongoing Hetmans of Ukraine series.
  
  
• 281: 50th Anniversary of the World Meteorological Organization, an agency of the United Nations.
  
  
• 282: Europa 2000. A common design used by all of the Europa stamp-issuing countries in 2000.
  
  
• 283: Ukrainian Easter Eggs (Pysanky) souvenir sheet. Lovely designs from the Podillia (upper left), Chernihiv (upper right), Kyiv (middle left), Odesa (middle right), Hutsulschyna (lower left), and Volyn (lower right).
  
  
• 284: International Philatelic Exhibitions souvenir sheet. Unusual-format issue prepared to promote Marka Ukrainy's participation in WIPA 2000 (Vienna) and The Stamp Show 2000 (London). Depicted are whimsical characters in folk attire sending and receiving mail.
  
  
• 285, 286, 301, 307: Regions of Ukraine. A new series depicting scenes from various cities and oblasts of Ukraine. The first issues feature Donetsk Oblast (showing a sunflower and a mountain of coal), the city of Kyiv (with the statue of the Founders of Kyiv and a view of the city's golden domes), Volyn Oblast (depicting an elk and a wooded lake scene), and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (grapes represent the peninsula's famed wines, and the "Swallow's Nest" castle its tourist industry).
  
  
• 287: The National Philatelic Exhibition "Donbas - Miner's Country" in Donetsk. This was Ukraine's sixth national exhibit.
  
  
• 288: 900th Anniversary of the Founding of the City of Ostroh (in Rivne Oblast). Shown is an ancient view of the city and its coat of arms.
  
  
• 289-292: Games of the 27th Olympiad in Sydney, Australia. Events depicted are high jump, boxing, sailing and rhythmic gymnastics.
  
  
• 293: Petro Prokopovych (1775-1850). This famous beekeeper (apiarist) introduced "frame" technology into beehives, which greatly simplified honey extraction.
  
  
• 294-295: Shipbuilding Industry in Ukraine. Depicted are two tall ships: the ship of the line St. Paul and the frigate St. Nicholas.
  
  
• 296-297: Folk Artist Tetiana Pata (1884-1976). The two outside stamps show examples of her flower paintings, while the inner label depicts the artist.
  
  
• 298: 900th Anniversary of the Founding of Dubno (in Rivne Oblast). The stamp shows a ruined defensive tower from the curtain walls of the medieval city along with the city crest.
  
  
• 299: The "Obzhynky" Harvest Ritual. A harvest queen holds a bouquet fashioned out of wheat stalks.
  
  
• 300: Official Symbols of the Head of State. Striking blue-gold design shows (clockwise from upper left): president's banner, president's mace, the presidential badge and president's seal.
  
  
• 302: 225th Anniversary of the Kyiv Post Office. Side archways show silhouettes of a gentleman and a lady in late 19th century costumes; the central scene shows the old post office building.
  
  
• 303-304: Amphibians from the "Red Book" of Endangered Species. A common newt is shown on the left and a fire salamander on the right.
  
  
• 305: Yuriy Kotermak (Drohobych), 1450-1494. Renowned scientist (astronomer and doctor of medicine) who taught Nicholas Copernicus at the University of Krakow.
  
  
• 306: Carpathian National Nature Park souvenir sheet. A scene of the park in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast is shown. Mount Breskul is in the left stamp and Mount Hoverla, Ukraine's tallest peak, on the right stamp.
  
  
• 308: Flowers of Ukraine. Beautiful and original composition highlights 10 favorite native flowers: marigold, camomille, hollyhock, poppy (first row); periwinkle and cornflower (second row); morning glory, lily, peony and blue bells (bottom row).
  
  
• 309-311: Animated Children's Folk Tales. Features "Ivasyk-Telesyk," "The Crooked Duck" and "The Cat and the Rooster."
  
  
• 312: Happy New Year. Father Frost crossing between two worlds symbolizes the transition from one millennium to the next.
  
  
• 313-315: Historic Churches of Ukraine. Shown are the Church of St. Onufry in Lviv (17th cent.), the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Church in the village of Velyke (Lviv Oblast, 17th century), and the Resurrection Church in Sumy (18th century).
  
  
• 316: St. Volodymyr the Great souvenir sheet. A very striking issue (in many hues of red) showing the ruler of medieval Ukraine who made Christianity the official religion of Kyivan-Rus'. Wearing kingly regalia, he holds a sword in his left hand, while supporting a cross with his right.

* * *

Further information about Ukrainian philately may be found on the website of the Ukrainian Philatelic and Numismatic Society (UPNS): www.upns.org. Click on "Related Sites" to find out where stamps may be ordered or where Ukraine's recent stamp issues may be viewed in color.

Ingert Kuzych may be contacted at P.O. Box 3, Springfield VA 22150 or at his e-mail address: ingert@starpower.net

NARBUT PRIZE BALLOT

Dear Mr. Fessak:

My selection for this year's Narbut Prize, as the best philatelic design of 2000, is:

No. _________ Title _________________________________________________________

Sincerely, Mr.(s.) ____________________________________________________________

Mail this ballot to:
Mr. Borys Fessak
1626 10th Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11215

Or send an e-mail with the stamp/souvenir sheet number and name to TatoBorys@aol.com
Copies of this ballot are acceptable if more than one member of a household wishes to vote.
One ballot per person, please. Deadline for submitting votes is August 15, 2001.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, May 6, 2001, No. 18, Vol. LXIX

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