Peace Stamps, Currency, Posters &
Other Ephemera Around the World
Postage stamps, currency (bank notes), and coins are perishible and circulate everywhere in thousands of copies. They are nevertheless very much like physical and permanent outdoor monuments. Both preserve forever the design and symbols chosen by their creators to represent an historic event, place, or meaning.
Click here for essay about Japanese postage stamps with themes of peace.
Click here for Indian stamps commemorating Mahatma Gandhi [1869-1948].
Click here for people on US postage stamps.Postage stamps & currenty which actually depict peace monuments: Right click image to enlarge.
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1927 - Tower of Victory & Peace / Tour de la Victoire et de la Paix, Centre Block, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada). "A focal bell and clock tower, sitting on the central axis of the the Canadian parliament buildings. The present incarnation replaced the 55 m (180 ft) Victoria Tower after it burned down in 1916, along with most of the Centre Block. It is commonly called simply the Peace Tower and serves as a Canadian icon, appearing on the obverse of both the Canadian $50 and $20 bills." Instead of these bills, the image shows the obverse of the last one dollar bill (printed between June 3, 1974, & June 30, 1989).
1939 - "Trylon & Perisphere," New York World's Fair (1939-1940), New York City, New York (USA). "The Theme Center of the fair. Connected to the Trylon, which stood 700 feet tall, by what was at the time the world's longest escalator, the Perisphere was 180 feet in diameter. It housed a diorama called 'Democracity' which, in keeping with the fair's theme 'The World of Tomorrow,' depicted a utopian city-of-the-future."
1940 - Peace Tower, Heiwadai Koen / Park, 6146 Koshigasako, Shimokitakatamachi, Miyazaki-shi, Miyazaki, Kyushu Island (Japan). 37-meter tower erected to promote "the unification of the eight corners of the world under one roof" (hakko ichiu) & celebrate 2,600th anniversary of the mythological foundation of Japan. "Purportedly contains artifacts that once belonged to the first emperor. Pedestal made with stones donated by Japanese expatriates from all over the world. Copper door created with coins donated by Japanese children. It may seem ironic that a peace tower was erected at a time when Japan was busy colonizing much of Asia; [but] the intention was to show that the world could live peaceably, albeit with Japan as leader. Figures on the tower depict the guardians of fishery, agriculture, self-defense, and commerce." Ten Yen note shows Imperial crisantemum (no longer used after WW-II).
1954 - Horsewoman (Monument of Peace), United Nations, New York, NY (USA). "One of the symbols of the United Nations that everybody knows is... a sculpture created by Antun Augustincic [1900-1979]. It was given as a gift to the UN and it is situated in front of the main building in New York. The basement of the monument is made of the marble from the Croatian island of Brac. The equestrian statue was cast in the city of Zagreb, capital of Croatia."
1970 - LOVE Sculpture, Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), Indianapolis, Indiana (USA). 3-ton sculpture made of Cor-ten steel, 12-feet high, 12-feet wide and six-feet deep. Completed in 1970 and acquired by IMA in 1975. Examples in many other cities. Indiana native "Robert Indiana first conceived the idea of LOVE during the Vietnam War [1959-1975], and his work became a symbol of peace.
1978 - Stamp of the German Democratic Republic (DDR) commemoratiing Mauthausen-Gusen Concentration Camp, Mauthausen & Gusen (Austria), center of a group of SS slave labor camps. Original inmates were largely Germans who had resisted the Nazi regime, notable communists, socialists, and religious dissenters. The Mauthausen Museum was officially opened on May 3, 1975.
November 30, 1979 - Polish Stamp. Depicts "Peace" by Andre le Brun, a sculpture from Royal Castle in Warsaw. Stamp designed by J. Brodowski.
1981 - Postage stamp (Spain). Depicts "Guernica" painted by Pablo Picasso in 1937 (qv).
Date? - Postage stamp (Viet Nam). Depicts "Guernica" painted by Pablo Picasso in 1937 (qv).
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2000? - "Gyarah Murti / Eleven Figures," Willingdon Crescent at Sardar Patel Marg, New Delhi (India). Sculpture by Devi Prasad Roy Choudhary. Depicts Mahatma Gandhi [1869-1948] leading the Salt Satyagraha / Salt March from Ahmadabad to Dandi in 1930. Click here for one attempt to identify the 10 figures other than Gandhi.
June 8, 2004 - UN stamp (one of a set of different denominations) commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Japanese Peace Bell, West Court Garden, Secretariat Building, United Nations (UN), New York City, New York (USA).
September 9, 2013 - Ten Commemorative Stamps for Centennial of the Peace Palace. Based on art works (monuments in the palace). "The stamp sheetlet features the motto 'voor vrede door recht / Peace through Justice' illustrated by linking ten works of art to ten themes relating to the concept of peace. It is a sheet of ten stamps, each with a value denomination of 1, for mail within the Netherlands. This value denomination also serves as the first figure of the number of the anniversary: 100. The first circle shows remarkable detailing from an artwork in the Peace Palace. The second circle contains the motto 'voor vrede door recht,' and within that the theme in question. Five of the stamps highlight the five virtues that underpin or promote peace: friendship, unity, industry, justice and truth. The other five stamps depict things which can only thrive or even survive in peace: the arts, free trade, prosperity, science and security. The stamps were designed by Mart Warmerdam, of Mart. Warmerdam Design. He explains: 'I intentionally decided against using the famous silhouette of the Peace Palace, and instead chose to zoom in on the interior of the building. That way I can show that the Peace Palace is about more than the outside of the building and its distinctive architecture. Inside you also see a lot of beautiful and often very symbolic things.'"
The ten stamps [Google translation]: Artes - art (1st stamp) Detail of products manufactured by The Royal Delft glazed wall tiles 'chef d' oeuvre' in oriental style, designed by Leon Senf (1860-1940). // Amicitia - friendship (2nd stamp) Bronze medallion embossed Amicitia on the large entrance gates of the palace, donated by Germany, designed by architect Bruno Möhring (1863-1929) and manufactured by Schultz & Holdefliess. // Justice - justice (3rd stamp) Detail of one of the seven stained-glass windows in the Central Hall, a gift from Netherlands. The windows were designed by the Dutch artist Adolf le Compte (1850-1921) . In the middle window is a female figure, Peace, with behind rising sun with golden rays with the text 'Pax in Terris / Peace on Earth.' Inner windows (side) good things that belong to peace. Outer windows (both sides) the horrors of war. // Mercatura - free trade (4th stamp) 17th century portrait of Hugo Grotius, painted Iin oil by Michiel Jansz of Mierevelt (1566-1641) . Hugo Grotius defended his book 'Mare Liberum / Free Sea' that the sea is free to act, to sail or to discover . The sea can therefore be claimed/owned by any country. // Scientia - science (5th stamp) Detail of the marble flooring in the Entrance Hall with text 'Sol Justitiae Illustra Nos' (Sun of righteousness, beschijn us), laid in Cosmatenpatroon . The floors were designed by architect Henry Wijdeveld (1885-1987) and implemented by Bear & Gnirrep from Amsterdam. With some imagination can be recognized in an atom. // Veritas - truth (6th stamp) Reliefs of sandstone that is part of one of the walls in the Grand Courtroom. It was designed by the Dutch sculptor Show Dupuis (1877-1937) . The proposed allegory, Veritas, is identified by the mirror in which she looks and refers to self-knowledge . From this detail I could find no supporting picture Who can to help me (batehijlkema@hetnet.nl)? // Concordia - concord (7th stamp) Detail of a monochrome study for a tapestry, which can be seen behind the court in the Small Courtroom. Howeer, the French designer, Olivier Merson (1846 1920) died prematurely, allowing the tapestry, a gift from France, was never made ??and the study found a place in this important room of the Permanent Court . This tapestry glorified Peace in the middle Goddess of Peace under her feet with the war, they trampled. Peace Goddess is flanked by all the good things to weigh is expressed as arts and science. // Securitas - security (8th stamp) Detail of a tile picture of a vestal virgin (priestess of Roman goddess Vesta, foster care and well-being) designed by Herman Rosse (1887-196 ) and performed by Royal Porcelain & Rozenburg pottery . // Prosperitas - prosperity (9th stamp) Detail (Peace Goddess with child) from the vault painting above the Main Hall, designed by Herman Rosse (1887-1965) & executed in oil and gold leaf . // Industria - zeal (10th stamp) Stained-glass window in the Party Room, designed by Herman Rosse (1887-1965), manufactured by JW Gypsum, donated by The Society of Industry."
Other postage stamps, currency & coins related to peace: Right click image to enlarge.
July 21, 1877 - Paix et Commerce (France). 25 , 30 and 40 in various colors.
1900-1922 - German peace stamp. Issued in various colors and denominations.
1918 - Czechoslovakia. This appears to be the first and only "peace dove" stamp issued in connection with World War I, except for the Japanese stamp in 1919 (according to the Postal Museum in Tokyo).
1940 - Denmark.
1945 - Stamp commemorating "Australia Peace 1945." End of World War II.
1950 - German Democratic Republic. Anti-nuclear 12 pf stamp featuring a dove of peace. Probably issued in connection with the 3rd World Festival of Youth & Students for Peace (WFYS) which was attended by 26,000 participants from 104 countries. The fetival motto was "For Peace and Friendship - Against Nuclear Weapons."
1980 - Peace Anniversary Coin (Israel). Front: "Peace" in the form of an olive branch, written in Hebrew, Arabic and in English. Reverse: The inscription, "Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty - March 26, 1979" in Hebrew, Arabic and English. The denomination "5000" or "200" Lirot. Around the rim, "Israel" in Hebrew, Arabic and English. The date "1980" and in Hebrew "5740." The State emblem at the upper right. The Proof coins struck with a Hebrew 'mem' mintmark at the bottom. The uncirculated coins with a six pointed star.
1985 - Stamp honoring Semanta Smith (USSR) in Cyrillic. Samantha Reed Smith [1972-1985] was an American schoolgirl from Manchester, Maine, who became famous in the Cold War-era USA & USSR. In 1982, Smith wrote a letter to the newly appointed Communist Party General Secretary, Yuri Andropov [1914-1984], and received a personal reply and invitation to visit the Soviet Union, which she accepted.
1986 - Finnish stamp for the UN International Year of Peace. for a complete list of International Year of Peace stamps.
1999 - Twin issue of stamps (Belgium & Sweden). Portraits of Belgian Peace Nobel Price winners Auguste Beernaert (1829-1912) & Henri La Fontaine (1854-1943). Two colors per stamp. Two identical stamps per country.
2007 - Peace License Plate, Virginia (USA). "If you drive a car in Virginia you now have the option of proclaiming your interest in "community peacebuilding" via a newly approved license plate. Once 350 orders have been collected the plate will actually go into production."
