FOCUS ON PHILATELY

by Ingert Kuzych

Ukraine Post continued to produce colorful and imaginative stamps in 2004, while at the same time continuing quite a number of popular stamp series from previous years. In all, 80 new stamps appeared last year - 33 of which were part of seven souvenir sheets.

Since a souvenir sheet has emerged as the winner for best philatelic design for six of the past seven years, it will be interesting to see if this preference continues in this year's balloting for the Narbut Prize.

The prize is named after Heorhiy Narbut, Ukraine's famous graphic artist of the early 20th century, who designed some of Ukraine's first stamps and banknotes. 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 premier recognition for Ukraine's philatelic designers.

A wide variety of subjects appeared on last year's stamps, including several prominent and worthy personalities. Splendid Ukrainian architecture was highlighted on quite a few issues. Sports stamps featuring soccer, weightlifting and the Olympics made an appearance, as did stamps depicting such topics as space, ships, planes, folk culture and landscape painting.

All of Ukraine's philatelic releases of last year are briefly described (chronologically) in the list below. Following the listing (on page 15) is a form allowing you to indicate and submit your selection for the best stamp design. The ballot may be photocopied if more than one member of a household wishes to vote.

All votes received are tabulated and combined with votes from Ukraine. The prize winner will be announced in September. Your name will not be disclosed and is requested simply to prevent multiple voting. Anyone can vote for the Narbut Prize. You do not need to be a stamp collector, artist, or even Ukrainian, for that matter.

No. Description

• 546: Marka Ukrainy (Ukraine's stamp production firm) kicked off its 2004 stamps with an issue commemorating the 85th Anniversary of Ukrainian Unification. It was on January 22, 1919, that Western Ukraine, which had recently seceded from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, agreed to merge with greater (eastern) Ukraine. Although never fully implemented, the agreement had great symbolic meaning as a manifestation of the rejoining of Ukrainian lands that had been separated for centuries. Shown on the stamp is the former trident-in-a-wreath emblem of the Ukrainian National Republic, flanked by the Archangel Michael (representing Kyiv and eastern Ukraine) and a rampant crowned lion (symbolizing western Ukraine).
  
  
• 548-553: The first souvenir sheet of the year was an elaborate one displaying the personal regalia of Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky (ca. 1595-1657). Shown are his flag, his mace, his cap, his watercup, his tankard and his sword. Except for the cap, all of the items are in Polish, Swedish or Russian museums. Negotiations continue to try and repatriate these historically significant memorabilia to Ukraine.
  
  
• 554-556: Another striking souvenir sheet shows shipbuilding in Ukraine. This latest of an ongoing series presents large 20th century vessels: the anti-submarine ship Mykolaiv, the oil tanker Kriti Amber and the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetzov.
  
  
• 557, 589, 593, 601: The colorful, continuing series representing regions of Ukraine in 2004 featured Ternopil, Rivne, Kherson and Poltava. Each stamp shows scenes, prominent buildings or monuments from these oblasts.
  
  
• 558: Ukraine is very proud to be in UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and last year celebrated the 50th anniversary of its membership.
  
  
• 559-563: The native fauna of Ukraine continues to be presented in stamps every year. Previous issues have shown various mammals and birds. For 2004, a large souvenir sheet showed more than a dozen lovely butterflies.
  
  
• 564: Last year marked the birth centennial of Serhii Lyfar (1904-1986), ballet dancer, choreographer, pedagogue and ballet theorist.
  
  
• 565, 611, 612: A stamp in April and two in November honored "Ukraine, A Space Nation." The first shows the launching of the Ukrainian Zenit 2 rocket and mentions the State Design Bureau Pivdenne, which develops new rocket-space systems. The second stamp pictures a satellite orbiting the earth and describes the Khartron Control System used in space and commercial control systems. The third issue is "Examples of Rocket Weapons Used in Past Centuries"; it shows a primitive round rocket invented and used by the Kozaks against the Tatars in 1516.
  
  
• 566: In April, the European Weightlifting Championships being held in Kyiv were remembered with a stamp.
  
  
• 567-570, 571-574: That same month also saw the most colorful release of the year, the special Europa issue created for last year's theme - tourism. (Europa stamps, created annually by all the countries of Europe, are dedicated to a common topic.) Depicted on this gorgeous souvenir sheet - titled "Welcome to Ukraine" - are Lastivchyne Hnizdo (Swallow's Nest Castle) in Crimea, Khotyn Castle in Chernivtsi, a Carpathian mountain scene and the Pecherska Lavra (Monastery of the Caves) in Kyiv. This issue already won a prize earlier this year when it placed third in the balloting among all the Europa issues of 2004. A slightly smaller version was produced for inclusion in stamp booklets.
  
  
• 575-579: Several stamps related to soccer were released in May. The first was a four-stamp set issued on the centennial of FIFA, the world soccer governing body. The second was a single stamp that commemorated the 50th anniversary of UEFA, the European organization that oversees soccer.
• 580: May also saw the release of a stamp honoring Symon Petliura (1879-1926), political activist and head of the Ukrainian National Republic's Directorate.
  
  
• 581-584: The following month saw the continuation of the series "Kyiv Through the Eyes of the Artist." Last year's reproduced paintings were by various artists and dated to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
  
  
• 585-587: Another continuing series - especially popular with the kids - is "Ukrainian Folk Tales," which last year depicted scenes from "The Cat," "Ivasyk Telesyk" and "The Fat Man."
  
  
• 588: Ukraine is now a regular participant in the Olympic Games and last year prepared a single stylized stamp to honor the Athens event. Perhaps this is a sign of maturity, as earlier Olympics commemorations had featured multiple stamps.
  
  
• 590, 591: In July two outstanding cultural personalities were remembered. The first was Maria Zankovetska (1854-1934), a renowned actress who was one of the founders of the Ukrainian National Theater. The second was Mykhailo Maksymovych (1804-1873), a historian, scientist and naturalist who specialized in folklore and ethnography.
  
  
• 592: In August a couple of famous Ukrainian cities celebrated their anniversaries. The first was Balaklava (2,500th anniversary). One of the oldest urban centers in Ukraine, it was originally a Taurian settlement and afterwards became a Greek colony. (The Taurians were a tribe of unknown origin that inhabited the mountainous areas of Crimea.) The stamp shows the city's arms, as well as an old engraving of the Crimean harbor town.
  
  
• 594: The Kharkiv (350th anniversary) issue also displayed a coat of arms of the city, but with the city skyline in the background.
  
  
• 595-598: A block of four stamps presented views of some of Ukraine's most interesting bridges: the Inhul Bridge in Mykolaiv, the Darnytsia Bridge in Kyiv, the Preobrazhensky Bridge in Zaporizhia and the South Buh Bridge in Mykolaiv. The two Mykolaiv structures are unusual: the center span on the first can be raised to allow passage of ships, while on the second, the center span pivots to allow vessel access.
  
  
• 600: Yet another locale celebrated a jubilee last year. Kirovohrad, sometimes still referred to by its original name of Yelysavethrad, marked its 250th anniversary. Shown is the ancient fortress of the city along with the city coat of arms.
  
  
• 602-605: The third installment of the popular "History of the Ukrainian Army" series came out in October with depictions of medieval warriors: infantryman of the warlord Oleh (10th century), people's levies of the 11-12th centuries, an archer of the 12th century, and a horseman of Danylo Halytskyi (13th century).
  
  
• 606-610: Various Ukrainian national parks have been depicted for a number of years now. Last year the Dunai (Danube) Biosphere Preserve was honored with a souvenir sheet showing various water birds.
  
  
• 613-618: The end of November saw two sets of stamps released for use on holiday mails; both had the new year of "2005" worked into the background. The first set honored Christmas (celebrated in most parts of Ukraine on January 7) and the second offered New Year greetings.
  
  
• 619-620: Not long after, Ukraine issued a joint stamp release with Iran. Shown on two stamps are different versions of the Ukrainian Antonov-140 plane. The stamp on the left shows the Ukrainian model, while the one on the right shows the model provided to the Middle Eastern country and known there as the Iran-140. The stamps are joined by a label showing the flags of the two countries.
  
  
• 621-626: The final issue of the year (as it has been every year since 2001) was a release showing "Ukrainian Folk Costumes." Depicted on the stamps - as well as on a matching souvenir sheet - were the elaborate costumes from the Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Hutsul regions of western Ukraine. Only individual stamp pairs are shown.

Further information about Ukrainian philately and about previous winners of the Narbut Prize 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.

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

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, May 8, 2005, No. 19, Vol. LXXIII

| Home Page |