Hi all, Just added some stamps to my "Swords on Stamps" collection and here's a few of my favorites: A 1932 Latvian stamp. The design is ahead of it's time... I love this sabre charge....the engraving is superb
Here is a set of stamps from Danzig. Perhaps only the last stamp fits the sword category, but I was only able to find an image of the entire set.
Thanks guys. Hochstrasse, Ill have to research the last stamp (what Scott #?) the style of sword used by guys on the bottom doesn't seem historically accurate...they're curved sabre-like used by mounted troops....and the ones on top are two handed swords,1577 hmmm Thanks for the puzzle.
The Danzig set is Scott 234-237. The last stamps being the Scott 237. I'm only venturing a guess, but perhaps that last stamp is a representation of the Polish cavalry relieving the Siege of Vienna in 1683 against the Ottomans.
Thanks. That would make sense, but the date on the stamp is 1577, The Siege of Danzig, From Wiki: After a siege of six months, the Danzig army of 5,000 mercenaries, among them a Scottish regiment,[1] was utterly defeated in a field battle on 16 December 1577. However, since Báthory's armies, Commonwealth plus Hungarian and Wallachian forces, were unable to take the city itself..." So with multiple forces and mercenaries the type of sword will take more digging.. this is fun
That makes sense Jim. The Polish cavalry was know to mimic the Tartars. They used the sword called a Szabla up until the 19th century. Here is a representation of it.
God, how can one collect without Wiki On the sabre: "Although by early 16th century swords of this type were used both in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Hungary, most of them were spoils, not normally used and only issued to peasants in an emergency. As such, they were considered plebeian weapons unworthy of the nobility. The higher classes and the knights at that time still preferred straight-bladed swords, much like their western European counterparts." So some of the mercenaries, the cannon fodder, likely carried such swords. And as the stamp depicted they were trounced. Now to add that one to my collection..
In light of what you have added the picture on the stamp makes sense with the foot soldier carrying the Szabla and the mounted knight wielding the straight sword. Very interesting stuff Jim.
Those are good looking stamps. Makes me think if I have any of stamps with swords as I seemed to not notice.
Swords were not only used for King and Country but for murder aswell as this image shows. The murder or extermination of Protestants by Calvinists in 1688 lead to French migration to South Africa bringing along good wine in later years. The chappie in the red hat in front is about to kill-off the grey-coat. Even decades after Richelieu the pen was not needed to be mightier than the sword. In 327 years not much has changed in human attitudes.
Well,you got something wrong: The french protestants,the Hugenots,were infact Calvinists.They were prosecuted and murdered by the french state,where Catholicism was state religion.