COVER N. 722 - MONACO

Postmark: Monaco Musée des Timbres et des Monnaies 26.05.2026

Posted on the  26th May;  Received on the 1st June 2026

_________________________________________________________________________________

Monaco has a fine philatelic tradition. To this day, just like its neighbour, France, Monaco keeps issuing some fine intaglio printed stamps with some regularity, and these most likely than not are a sign of tradition and savoir faire that speaks a lot, in these days of almost one click digital creating, proofing and printing.

Roland, once again, sent me a cover from Monaco, with some very beautiful stamps on it, two of which fit the comment I made above 100 %. Un grand Merci, Roland!

- Prince Albert I of Monaco (1848-1922) was a keen philatelist, but I believe this not to be his main claim to fame. In fact, the thing that he will probably be more readily associated with is oceanic exploration, an activity to which he devoted a large part of his life and resources and which bore tangible fruits in the founding of Monaco's Institut Oceanographique and the Oceanographic museum two well respected institutions that survive to this day.

Some of his ocean exploration journeys were narrated in his book "La Carrière d'un Navigateur"  (A Navigator's Carreer) first published in 1902.

In 1977, the Postal Administration of the Principality issued two sets of nine multicolour  intaglio printed  stamps celebrating the 75th anniversary of the publication of La Carrière d'un navigateur, illustrated with what I would think could be replicas of photographs therein included.

The first set, which included the 0,80 Franc stamp on the top right corner of the cover depicting a navigation scene with Albert on the deck of one of his yachts talking to the man at the helm, was issued on 03MAY1977.

- The 1,70 franc below the  "La Carrière d'un Navigateur" one was issued by Monaco's Office des Timbres on 08NOV1978 and it celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Salvation Army,  (L'armée du Salut) a charitable institution and also a Protestant  Christian Church, founded in London in 1865, by  William and Catherine Booth, whose portraits appear on the foreground of the image illustrating the stamp, while the background is occupied by a Salvation army band  playing. The stamp also included the Salvation Army's crest with the motto “Sang et Feu” (Blood and Fire).

Last but not least,  the cover includes a more recent 1,96 € stamp dated of 20JUN2024, illustrated with a photo of the Facade of the Prince's Palace framed by two bugle playing guards in the foreground.

This particular stamp was Monaco's entry for Sepac's 2024 common issue programme, themed on "Main Tourist Attractions".

Postmark from the Musée des Timbres et des Monnaies, established by Prince Rainier III in 1950, to accommodate the collection started by Albert I, later expanded by Louis II and Rainier III himself.

COVER N. 574 - MONACO

Postmark: Monaco Musée des Timbres et des Monnaies 11.04.2025

Posted on the 11th April; Received on the 21st April 2025

_________________________________________________________________________________

Two nice stamps and a fine pictorial obliteration, from the tiny Principality overlooking the Mediterranean. What's not to like about it...? Un grand Merci, Roland!

Stamps, left to right:

- 0,20 € stamp illustrated with a Swallowtail sea perch (Anthias anthias) a member of the Anthiadidae family which can be found in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean sea, and which is also prone to be found in aquariums all over the world.. The stamp is part of a most beautiful definitive set of 10 stamps (10€; 5€; 2€; 1€; 0,50€; 0,20€; 0,10€; 0,05€; 0,02€; 0,01€) issued on 01JAN2002, dedicated to Mediterranean Fauna and Flora. The illustrations include a plethora of wildlife, ranging from flowers to butterflies,  fishes and sea snails, all drawn with exquisite and delicate craftsmanship for in taglio printing.

- Hot Air ballooning is both a sport and a significant  segment of tourism related economy for it is hard to resist the chance to hover over idyllic locations like Cappadocia or Monsaraz propelled by nothing but air, either that maintains you afloat in the air, or that that drives you in the form of wind. 

But in order to rise in the air and keep yourself afloat, air has to be heated up by huge burners that use up quite a bit of gas and honouring Lavoisier produce in turn a fair amount of  greenhouse friendly CO2... 

Technology developed at Monaco and used in the Balloon pictured in the stamp on the cover, impacting both the construction of the balloon itself, with the use of a double envelope system and its gas  burning apparatus, through the use of synthesised carburants have managed to reduce the amount of gas consumed by a factor of 2, thus proportionally reducing the dreaded carbon emissions. 

The balloon, built by ULTRAMAGIC in Catalonia, Spain, for the hot air balloon team  Les Aéronautes de Monaco will be participating in several events to demonstrate its technology through the course of this year.

The Monaco eco-balloon was the subject of a 2 x 1,96 stamp set issued on 02Jan 2024, both illustrated with images of the balloon flying over landmarks of Monaco: the port, on the stamp on the cover, and the Prince's palace, on the companion stamp in the set.

The stamps were obliterated with a nice pictorial postmark at Monaco's Postal Museum, bearing the arms of the Prince.

COVER N. 318 - MONACO

Postmark: Monte-Carlo PTE de Monaco 16.09.2023

Posted on the 16th September; received on the 24th September 2023

_________________________________________________________________________________

The first rains are in, relative humidity has been high lately too, on top of that air temperature is still far from recommending the use of a warm woollen sweater at all times... soon the ground of the pine woods not far from my place where I so often go to spend some time walking and photographing will begin to be dotted here and there with tiny (and not so tiny) circles of sundry colours... it's autumn and mushrooms are here again....

…And not only on the ground, since it seems The Phantom has been picking them up on that tiny country in the Mediterranean coast, famous for car racing and gossip on the life and times of its ruling family...

Thanks a bunch, Alex. Great Cover with great stamps!

The Parc National du Mercantour was established in 1979, occupying 679 Km2 in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes departments in the Southwest of France, near Nice and, consequently, just a mere 50 km away, as the bird flies, from the Principality of Monaco.

On 26MAY1988, La Poste Monaco issued the six stamp set dedicated to mushrooms from Mercantour's National Park which was used on the cover.

The beautiful illustrations on the stamps depict, from left to right:

Pholiota flammans, a golden yellow and scaly member of the Strophariaceae family in the Agaricales order, it is associated with deciduous conifer trees. Although not poisonous it is not considered as edible.

Lactarius lignyotus, a brownish member of the Russulaceae family, in the Russulasales order, also associated with coniferous trees. Suspected poisonous.

Cortinarus traganus, a lilac or brownish member of the Cortinariaceae family, in the Agaricales order. Again it is associated with coniferous trees and it is mildly poisonous.

Russula Olivacea, yellowish-olive to rusty brown edible mushroom,  it is a member of the Russulaceae family, in the Russulasales order, and is found in deciduous and conifer trees.

Hygrocybe punicea, the crimson waxcap, a deep red member of the Hygrophoraceae family in the Agaricales order, which is known to be consumed, although there are reports of it causing unpleasant stomach upsets. Can be found on cropped grassland.

Leccinum rotundifolie, a light hazelnut coloured boletus, whose cap is cream to brown when young and pale white when old. A member of the Boletaceae family in the Boletales order. Edible.

The stamps were postmarked at Monaco's capital, Monte-Carlo.

COVER N. 207 - MONACO

Postmark:  O.E.T.P Principauté de Monaco 30.01.2023

Posted on 30th January; Received on the 6th February 2023
_________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you so much Roland for another nice cover from Monaco.

A rather uncommon and well devised theme was chosen by the Office Emissions des Timbres Poste of the small Principality bordering the Mediterranean, for a rather pricey stamp issue that began to circulate on 05OCT2021, comprising four stamps with 2,12; 2,56; 3 and 4,71 Euros denominations.

In a country which will be forever connected with the world of the 7th art, through the memory of Princess Grace Kelly, a stamp set  dedicated to Films shot on its territory makes perfect sense to me, and on top of that it has an aura of uncommonness that can only add in interest.

The rather large stamps replicate advertising posters for 4 movies shot in Monaco, the one on my cover being "The racers" or "Le cercle infernal" in the French translation, a 1955 Cinemascope film starring Kirk Douglas, Bella Darvi and Gilbert Roland, in a classic lover's triangle erected against the backdrop of car racing, also a subject to which Monaco is no stranger, of course.

Reading about the film did strike a spark somewhere in my brain as I do have a recollection of having watched it, on TV, ages ago... stamps and memories....

The postmark is very clear and impeccably applied as befits a mark from a national stamp issuing office. 

COVER N.134 /135 /136 - MONACO.

Postmark: Monte Carlo Pté. de Monaco 04.07.2022 / Principauté du Monaco Paris Philex 23-26 Juin 2022
Posted on the 4th July; received on the 7th July 2022
__________________________________________________________________________________

In one of the first entries I appended to the "Musings" section of this humble blog, I wrote that from all the catalogue of human qualities, generosity is probably the one that has me wondering the most. Do unto others like you'd want the other to do unto you... but... would I rise to the occasion? would it  happen, if it would be me?

Of course everyone has it reasons, possibilities, capabilities but the simple act of giving, in exchange for nothing other than a simple, frank, heartfelt "Thank you" is, more than a uncommon gesture, an act of grandeur.

Merci énormément, Pierre. 

Pierre sent me no less than 3 C5 envelopes full of goodies, exhibiting each one amazingly beautiful (and equaly expensive) stamps on them, posted, I am led to think, from a Philatelic exhibition held in Paris - Philex 22, which was held between 23 and 26 June at the "Parc des Expositions de Paris de la Porte de Versailles", hence the beautiful commemorative Postmark with the a Parisian lamppost and the silhouette of the Tour Eifel in  the distance, on the envelopes.

#134 - Stamps, left to right:

10 Franc stamp, issued on 06MAY1998,  celebrating the centenary of the death of Charles Garnier, the architect that rose to fame by conceiving the project for the place where Serge Regianni  is his fabulous "Le barbier de Belleville" said he sadly would never be able to sing: la salle Garnier, or the monumental Paris Opera.

5 Franc stamp, issued on 03MAR1998, commemorative of the 50th anniversary of the Monaco Red Cross. established on the 3rd March 1948 by Prince Louis II, the grandfather of Prince Rainier III

#135 - Stamps, Left to Right:

3,80 Franc stamp issued on 28NOV1997, in taglio printed, celebrating the centenary of the birth of Princess Charlotte, the mother of Prince Rainier III.

The Circus festival of Monte Carlo, held each year in January is a long tradition that dates back to 1974. With its creation, Prince Rainier sought  to promote a form of art that often does not get the attention it deserves. 

The 3 Franc stamp celebrating the 1998 edition (its 22nd) of the Festival International du Cirque de Monte Carlo was issued on 30NOV1997.

Joseph Kessel (1898-1979) was a man of many trades. An aviator on both world wars, he would become famous for his literary work and for being the co-translator (with his nephew) of the celebrated Chant des Partisans, from the Russian Original. One of his most famous novels was "Belle de jour" which Luis Buñuel would direct in film form with a very young and beautiful Catherine Deneuve in the main role.

The beautiful in taglio printed 3.90 Franc stamp celebrating the centenary of his birth was issued on 06MAY1998.

Also the brainchild of Prince Rainier III, the Festival de Télévision de Monte Carlo was first organised in 1961, with a view to developing a form of communication  and art dissemination whose importance was  perceived from the moment the first experimental signal emissions took place.

The 4.5 Franc stamp celebrating the 38th edition of the festival was issued on 04FEV1998.

#136 - Stamps, Left to Right:

Prince Albert I (1848 - 1922) was a sea lover. So much so that he devoted much of his life to the study of the seas and their interaction with humans and other animals alike. He was also  friends with one like minded monarch - D. Carlos I - that ruled Portugal until being  killed by gun shot in 1908, two years before the eventual fall of the monarchy in my own country.

Both of them would satiate their scientific desire with expeditions aboard their Royal yachts, the Hirondelle and the D. Amélia, producing an investigation corpus whose value was well recognised by the scientific community. Both would also create museums dedicated to their love of all things sea, the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco and the  Aquário Vasco da Gama in Algés, Portugal.

The very beautiful in taglio printed stamp with the effigy of Prince Albert I as the monarch progressed through the years and a face value of 7 Franc was issued on 06May1998, celebrating the 150th anniversary of his birth.

The 8 Franc stamp is part of a 2 stamp set, with facial values of 8 and 9 Monegasque Francs issued on 08SEP1997, dedicated to Great Paintings and Painters, It depicts a portrait of François Grimaldi, a name that is associated with the rulling family, although not by direct descendant line., by Ernando Venazi, a contemporary painter born in 1948. The companion stamp on the set is illustrated with an image of  "Peter and Paul" by the Dutch Peter Paul Rubens.

COVER N.125 - MONACO

Postmark: O.E.T.P (Office de Émissions de Timbres - Poste) Principauté de Monaco 08.06.22
Posted on the 8th June; received on the 20th June 2022

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Another fine and dandy cover from the tiny Mediterranean Principality. Thank you so much Roland.

It is quite evident that the cover went through a philatelic minded post office, given the neat way the marks were applied and the clarity of the marks themselves, all contributing to a very clean and "collectible" effect.

all three stamps used are beautiful creations, to my eye:

 0,10 € stamps showing  a pair of great tits - Parus major –  part of a most beautiful definitive set of 10 stamps (10€; 5€; 2€; 1€; 0,50€; 0,20€; 0,10€; 0,05€; 0,02€; 0,01€) issued on 01JAN2002, dedicated to Mediterranean Fauna and Flora. the illustrations include a plethora of wildlife, ranging from flowers to butterflies, and fishes and sea snails, all drawn with exquisite and delicate craftsmanship for in taglio printing.

0,75€ Euro stamp, part of a two stamp set dedicated to Mediterranean Fauna and Flora, issued on 08MAR2004 illustrated with an absolute gem of an image of  a Mediterranean tree frog (Hyla meridionalis). the other stamp on the in taglio printed set is again of a rather expensive 4,5 € stamp depicting an European Green Lizard (Lacerta viridis) .

The lovely little tree frog, which measures from 50 to 65 mmm long (females being bigger than males) can be found in the south of Portugal, Spain and France (and Monaco, of course).

0,05€ stamp, part of a 2 stamp set issued on 02MAY2017, dedicated to endogenous species. This stamp is illustrated  with images of the red coral (Corallium rubrum).

Corallium rumbrum one of the 31 species of the genus Corallium, was pretty common in the Mediterranean, but the effects of  trawling  and boundless harvesting for jewllery purposes have had a deep negative effect on the existing populations which are now largely protected and slowly recovering, although the warming of the waters brought about by climate change is a new threat the tiny creatures are having a hard time to deal with....

The companion stamp to this one on the set is a rather expensive 5€ stamp featuring the image of  a thick rooted campanula, (Campanula macrorhiza),  endemic to the western Mediterranean.

COVER N.18 - Monaco

Postmark: OETP (Office Emissions de Timbre-Poste). Pricipauté de Monaco - 1JUL2021
Posted on the  1th july; received on the 5th July.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Another lovely cover, another country, this time Monaco. Thanks a lot Roland, my growing cover collection owes you a lot.

I first recall having heard of the  small but well to do (second highest GDP per capita in the world) Mediterranean state when I was a little boy and visited in my capital, Lisboa, the Aquário Vasco da Gama, one of the oldest Aquariums in the world.

In its inception the aquarium was the showroom for the then Monarch of Portugal, Rei D. Carlos I, to show his sea species collection, gathered in the several scientific campaigns he led on the Portuguese coast, influenced by his friend and correspondent Price Albert I, of Monaco.

I, the 10 year old coming from the Azores  where I was used to snorkel my way through the summer holidays from dawn to dusk, found the collection fascinating. (I still recall the giant squid hanging on the wall…(or was it the ceiling?)

Later, many a Sunday afternoon was spent with my eyes glued on the TV to watch the Lotus 72 and its nemesis Tyrrel  not to mention  the infamous Ferrari vs. McLaren duels at the  Monaco Grand prix.

3 or 4 years ago I finally got to visit Monaco. At one point I felt like being in some sort of silent movie, because several places looked decidedly familiar, whereas  the sounds I recalled from those long gone afternoons were simply not there… I can’t tell you how much I felt like starting to run along the streets making deep roaring sounds from the depths of my Cosworth heart…. 

The lovely 0,10 € stamps showing  a pair of great tits (I know it sounds strange, but that’s what it is….) – Parus major – are part of a most beautiful definitive set of 10 stamps (10€; 5€; 2€; 1€; 0,50€; 0,20€; 0,10€; 0,05€; 0,02€; 0,01€) issued on 01JAN2002, dedicated to Mediterranean Fauna and Flora. No tits on the other stamps but a plethora of wildlife, ranging from flowers to butterflies, and fishes and sea snails, all drawn with exquisite and delicate craftsmanship.

The 1,10€ stamp at the bottom left corner of the envelope is a single stamp set issued on 10APR2018, on the occasion of the 2018 FIFA World Football Cup, held in Russia. I, being no die-hard soccer fan (and, as such, a member of a really minor minority)  nevertheless am quite pleased to see my little flag, amidst the other little flags that grace the stamp.

Of note is also the very clean and precise way in which the stamps were cancelled, a sign of the attention that the Office Emissions de Timbre-Poste devotes to philatelists.