My National Covers
Every now and then I have the opportunity to add what I call a "National Cover" to my collection.
These are nothing fancy. In fact they are but covers that I print at home with the flag and coat of arms of a specific country and which I then either send to a fellow collector who is willing to help or give to friends or family or take my own self whenever travelling abroad, in the hope that these might find a way to a local post office to get a stamp and a postmark.
I will be adding these to a new "My National Covers" section in this blog.
If you don't see your country here and are willing to help me add your own country's national cover to my collection, please email me at pnsoares1@gmail.com.
You'll get a cover from Portugal (if you want I'll be happy to print a Portuguese National Cover just like the ones I print for myself, although in a somewhat larger envelope) and a printed envelope with the relevant symbols printed, so that you can then return it to me.
Thanks a lot.
Note: Whenever possible I will try to transcribe the flag and coat of arms information from the relevant national site. Failing that I'll transcribe from Wikipedia.
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Oriental Republic of Uruguay / República Oriental del Uruguay
The national flag of Uruguay, officially known as the national pavilion (Pabellón Nacional), is one of the three official flags of Uruguay along with the Artigas flag and the flag of the Treinta y Tres.
The flag was first adopted by law on 18 December 1828, and had 19 alternating stripes of white and blue until 11 July 1830, when a new law reduced the number of alternating stripes to nine. The flag was designed by Joaquín Suárez.
The horizontal stripes on the flag represent the nine original departments of Uruguay, based on the U.S. flag, where the stripes represent the original 13 colonies.
The golden Sun of May represents the May Revolution of 1810; the Sun of May is a figurative sun that represents Inti, the sun god and mythological founder of the Incan Empire.
Source: Flag of Uruguay - Wikipedia
The Coat of Arms
The coat of arms of Uruguay was first adopted by law on March 19, 1829, and later on had some minor modification in 1906 and 1908. It was supposedly designed by Juan Manuel Besnes Irigoyen.
It consists of an oval shield, which is divided into four equal sections and crowned by a rising golden sun, the Sun of May, symbolizing the rising of the Uruguayan nation and the May Revolution. The oval is surrounded by a laurel branch on the left and an olive one on the right, symbolising triumph and peace respectively, tied at the bottom by a light blue ribbon, the former uruguayan cockade.
In the upper left quarter there is a golden scale on a blue background, symbol of equality and justice.
The upper right quarter contains the Cerro de Montevideo (Montevideo Hill) with its fortress on top on a silver background, as a symbol of strength.
In the lower left, also on a silver background, there is a galloping black horse, symbolizing liberty.
The lower right quarter holds a golden ox on blue background, as a symbol of abundance and plenty.
The Stamps
- José Gervasio Artigas (1764 – 1850) is considered the father of Uruguayan nationhood.
Born in Montevideo, Artigas enlisted in the Spanish military in 1797 and fought the British in the Anglo-Spanish War. At the outbreak of the Spanish-American wars of independence, Artigas supported the Primera Junta in Buenos Aires against Spain. He defeated the Spanish royalists at Las Piedras and laid siege to Montevideo, but was forced to withdraw in the face of Portuguese intervention. Artigas subsequently broke with the centralist government of Buenos Aires and took over Montevideo in 1815. He then oversaw the creation of the Federal League, an alliance of six provinces under a federal style of government. In 1816, the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves invaded the Banda Oriental, eventually annexing it as a province. Artigas was driven into Paraguay, where he lived in exile until his death in 1850. His remains were re-interred at the Central Cemetery of Montevideo in 1855, and in 1977 they were transferred to the Artigas Mausoleum.
Source: José Gervasio Artigas - Wikipedia
On 02JUN2014, Correo Uruguayo issued a definitive set of seven self-adhesive imperforated stamps honouring José Artigas, of which the 1 peso stamp can be seen on the cover.
The stamps, carrying the quote "Sean los Orientales tan ilustrados como valientes" (may the Orientals be both wise and valiant), are illustrated with the effigy of José Artigas. The name of the stamp designer, Miguel Ángel Tuala, is also inscribed on the stamp. All the seven stamps are equal, but for their colour and face value
- The national symbols of Uruguay illustrate the very nice se-tenant pair of stamps (12 and 37 pesos) issued on 08NOV2010, which constitute the country's 2010 UPAEP issue.
The 12 peso stamp carries the left half of the flag overprinted with the score of the national anthem, while the 37 peso stamp has the right half of the flag as a background for the national coat of arms. Both stamps carry the legend America, followed by the Upaep logo.
On the occasion of the 190th anniversary of Uruguay's Postal Service, Correo Uruguayo issued on 21DEC2017 a 2 x 20 pesos celebratory se-tenant stamp set.
The stamp on the left of the pair is illustrated with an image of a horse rider and the legend Francisco de los Santos, Ultimo chasque de Artigas (Francisco de los Santos, Artigas' last messenger)
As it stands, Francisco de los Santos was a peasant follower of José Artigas whom he charged with the task of liberating some of his men who were imprisoned in Rio de Janeiro
To that end, Artigas, before escaping to exile in Paraguay after having been defeated by the Portuguese, gave dos Santos the last 4000 patacones he had and charged him to go to Rio de Janeiro, a very difficult and dangerous journey of several hundred kilometres that would take several days to accomplish on horseback, to trade his men for the money.
The result was that the money was lost to the jailers and dos Santos would join the other men in prioson.
After the independence of Uruguay, Francisco dos Santos would follow his career in the Uruguayan army, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-colonel, before dying in 1855.
The stamp on the right of the pair, is illustrated with a contemporary mail delivery van, featuring on its side the slogan El Correo Uruguayo llega hasta donde quieras (The Uruguayan Post will deliver wherever you want it to).
Both stamps also carry the commemorative legend "Correo 190 años".
The Postmark
The very clear postamrk reads Administracion Nacional de Correos Montevideo Uruguay, Filatelia vendas (National Postal Administratio Montevideo, Philately, Sales) and is dated of 01FEB2024.
My thanks to my daughter Marta, who managed to find some time during her passage through Montevideo to do dad a favour.
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