Poland 1956 - Summer Olympic Games

A big hello to my fellow Slania collectors! It has been literally ages since I last did a blog. My health has been on the fritz, and doing anything, let alone writing a blog, was too much to get my head around. But I'm back - hopefully permanently. A few months ago I prepared a blog to publish in time for the Olympics in Rio (5-21 Aug), but I never got around to completing it. So I thought what better way to get back in the saddle, as it were, than to start where I left off. So here goes...

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The Games of the XVI Olympiad were held in Melbourne, Australia in 1956, between 22 November and 8 December. This was the first Olympic Games ever to be held in the Southern Hemisphere. All events, accept equestrian, were held in Melbourne. The equestrian events were held in Stockholm five months earlier, due to Australian quarantine regulations. Incidentally this was only the second time in Games history that the events were split between two countries.

Seventy-two nations competed in 151 events. Two Australian athletes were later to become sporting icons after their success in these Games. Betty Cuthbert became Australia's "Golden Girl" by winning three gold on the track. Also, Murray Rose won three gold in the swimming. The top three countries were as follows:-

1956 Summer Olympics medal table

Rank Nation                         Gold

1         Soviet Union (URS) 37

2         United States (USA) 32

3         Australia (AUS)         13

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In 1956 Poland issued a stunning set of 6 stamps to commemorate the Games of the XVIth Olympiad. One of the designs, the 60g value stamp, was engraved by Czeslaw Slania.

This fantastic engraving is based on a photo of a Polish javelin thrower by the name of Janusz Sidlo. Sidlo competed in an amazng five Olympic Games. The XVIth Olympiad was Sido's 2nd Olympics. As a matter of interest, Sidlo won a silver medal in the 1956 Games.

Until next time...

Stay Slania Crazy!

Monaco 1993 - Princess Grace

Grace Kelly was born on 12 November 1929 to a wealthy family. In fact, her father was a successful Olympic athlete. From an early age Kelly showed an interest in acting. When she was 12, Kelly played the lead role in a play titled Don't Feed the Animals. When Kelly expressed a desire to pursue acting as a career, her father - expecting her to pursue something more 'meaningful' - was less than happy with her decision. In his eyes acting was 'a slim cut above streetwalker' (Wiki).

Despite family objections, Grace Kelly pursued her dream career of acting. She enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York where she excelled. Her professional acting career began on stage, the most notable role being her Broadway debut in Strindberg's The Father alongside Raymond Massey.

After her graduation, Grace Kelly came to the attention of Television producer, Delbert Mann. This meeting led to Kelly being cast in some sixty television shows. Her success on TV led to her first major motion picture role in 1951. She starred in the film Fourteen Hours. One day while Kelly was filming the movie, Gary Cooper happened to drop by. He was so impressed by her work that he chose to star alongside her in the film High Noon in 1951. Grace Kelly went on to star in several movies. She even won the Best Actress Oscar in 1954 for her role in The Country Girl.

At the age of 26 Grace Kelly retired from acting when she married Prince Rainier III. From then on she became known as Princess of Monaco. The royal couple had three children together: Caroline, Albert, and Stéphanie.

Grace Kelly, aka Princess Grace of Monaco, died on September 14 1982 as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in the mountains of Monaco. Kelly suffered a stroke while driving and lost control of her car, driving it over a cliff. Miraculously her daughter, Stephanie, survived the accident.

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On 24 March 1993 Monaco and the USA released a joint issue stamp in remembrance of the death of Grace Kelly. The same design was used for both issues and the Engraver was Czeslaw Slania. Featured below is the stamp issued in Monaco.

This design, based on a photograph of Grace Kelly, is truly stunning. Slania has masterfully captured the softness of Kelly's face. This is further accentuated by the great choice of colour. This design is a truly fitting tribute to an amazing woman.

Until next time...

Stay Slania Crazy!

Poland 1952 - Training ship "Dar Pomorza"

The Dar Pomorza is a Polish full-rigged sailing ship built in 1909. Interestingly though, she wasn't initially Polish. The ship was built in Germany by  by Blohm & Voss. She was launched on 12 October 1909. In 1910 she was dedicated by Deutscher Schulschiff-Verein as the German training ship: Prinzess Eitel Friedrich. The ship was named for the Duchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg, wife of Prince Eitel Friedrich of Prussia. In 1920 the ship was taken as war-reparations by Great Britain. The British took her to France, where she was assigned to the seamen's school at St-Nazaire under the name: Colbert.

The ship was given to Baron de Forrest to compensate him for the loss of a sailing yacht. But unable to afford its upkeep, he sold it in 1929 to the Polish community of Pomerania for £7,000. Under its new ownership the vessel became the new training ship for the Polish Naval Academy in Gdynia. She was given the name Dar Pomorza, which means "the gift of Pomerania". The ship went on to win several yacht races. She even won the prestigious Cutty Sark trophy in 1980. After a few more racing successes she was finally decommissioned on 4 August 1982. Since 1983 Dar Pomorza has been docked in Gdynia as a museum ship. 

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On 28 June 1952 Poland issued a set of two semi-postal stamps for "Ship Builders Day". The 45g + 15g Dar Pomorza stamp was designed by Czeslaw Slania. It was engraved by Stefan Lukaszewski.

This stamp is a masterpiece of both design and engraving. The fine detail is truly stunning. From the billowing sails to the taut rigging and sleek hull, this is a wonderful stamp that proves Slania is not only a master engraver but also a fine designer.

Until next time...

Stay Slania Crazy!

Sweden 1960 - Hjalmar Branting

Karl Hjalmar Branting was a Swedish politician born on 23 November 1860. In fact, to say he was a successful politician would be somewhat of an understatement. He held the position of Prime Minister of Sweden not once or even twice, but three times (1920, 1921–1923, and 1924–1925)! Not only that, he was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1907 to 1925.

Interestingly, Branting's career didn't begin in politics. Branting attended Uppsala University in Stockholm, where he studied mathematical astronomy. He even worked as an assistant at the Stockholm Observatory. But in 1884 he gave up this burgeoning career to work as a journalist. It was in this capacity that he published an article written by the radical socialist, Axel Danielsson. This landed both himself and Danielsson in prison. Branting eventually served three months in prison in 1888.

 In 1889, a year after his incarceration, Branting's career focus shifted yet again when he became one of the main organizers of the Swedish Social Democratic Party. And he was the first member of this party in Parliament from 1896. From this point he never looked back and went on to have a stellar political career. In 1921 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in the League of Nations, sharing the prize with the Norwegian Christian Lous Lange. Karl Hjalmar Branting died on 24 February 1925.

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On 23 November 1960 Sweden issued a set of two stamps to commemorate the birth centenary of Karl Hjalmar Branting. The designer of the issue was H. Sallberg. Czeslaw Slania was the engraver. The issue consisted two stamps of the same design in two values - 15o and 1,70k. The issue was printed in vertical coil format (pictured below) and booklet format.

I have seen the portrait that this design is based on, and I must say Slania has done a superlative job capturing the details in this engraving. From the intensity of the eyes to the superb moustache this is indeed another great engraved portrait by the master. 

Until next time...

Stay Slania Crazy!