In Search Of Topicals

I am looking to buy a few inexpensive topical stamps with famous figures on them. I have gotten quite a few already, but I am looking for some more nice looking stamps with the following faces on them. Aesthetics are important and country is pretty much irrelevant as long as the country name is not too pronounced on the stamp whereby it would ruin the image. The faces I am looking for are:

1. Mao Zedong
2. Che Guevara
3. Nelson Mandela
4. Malcolm X
5. James Dean
6. Van Gogh
7. Pope John Paul

Any recommendations would be much appreciated. Cheers. Marc

I won't have time to look up these Scott numbers for you, but here's where the search function in the Scott software catalog will come in handy.

Mao is on lots of China (PRC) stamps, but most of the prettier ones aren't cheap. Try for some of the later issues (post-1980). Also on some of the iron curtain countries (don't bother with the pricey DDR set).

I've seen Che Guevara on some Cuban stamps of the 1960s-1970s.

Mandela, haven't seen.

The US issued stamps for Malcolm X and James Dean.

Van Gogh is everywhere. Check Poland/Hungary/Russia/Paraguay, should be one of his self-portraits on one of their stamps.

Pope John Paul, check Vatican City and Poland.

The following also issued a lot of nice S/S and stamps for topicals (especially movies stars and popular figures) -- Gambia, Grenada, St. Vincent... to name a few.

Not specifics, but hope that helps.

South Africa has quite a few stamps with Nelson Mandela on them. If I have time I will rummage through and see what I can find - I don't collect much modern these days so can't promise.

Here are some from SA :









and one from Tuvalu - but it looks suspect I'm sure BeeSee will be able to tell us:



Drew

Thanks Kim.

As you said, hard to find cheap Chinese Mao stamps. I did get a couple of Che Guevara Cubans already, but was hoping for possibly other SA countries as well. Maybe Cuba is the only country with any. I did get a Cinderella of him though.

Lots of Cincerella Mandella around and I think Drew even got one there.

I got one James Dean from the US, but was hoping for others. Haven't seen the Malcolm X one(s) though form the US.

I do have one Van Gogh self portrait from Czec, but again was hoping for others.

Thanks. I will check Vatican City and Poland on the pope. I got a few Cinderellas already.

Yes, there are heaps of Gambia, Grenada, St. Vincent, Benin, etc for topicals. Many are Cinderallas too.

Drew - I love that South African Mandela portrait one on the clean white background. Do you have some of those by any chance?

The movie scene is from "giant"

I think I do - probably used. Now to remember to look tonight when I get home.

Rod - That Malcom X one is nice. Looks like a self adhesive stamp. Somehow he looks a bit like Denzel Washington :). I like those pope ones. I have that James Dean one. The Dutch Van Gogh one is nice too. Do you own the Erie Pope one?

Drew - Thanks. I am actually only interested in unused. Thanks though.

Oh, 2 more subjects I am looking for. Not people though:

1 - The Eiffel Tower
2 - The Mona Lisa Painting

The Republic of Panama issued a series of stamps featuring John Paul II. Been looking for some of those for my own collection.

A few more I like are:

France - 1939 - Scott B85 - Eiffel
Cuba - 1968 - Scott 1318 - Che Guevara
Korea - 1986 - Scott 2580 - Mona Lisa
Hungary -1964 - Scott 1581-1582 - Shakespeare

Yes Marc, but the Ireland is used.

how come we dont see spock or his avatar on your list? you have them already?

Nelson Mandela was pictured on a stamp of Kenya in the late 1970's, while he was imprisoned in SA. Obviously, a depiction of a much younger man at the time. A nice little piece of history that kids will pay attention to, and quite the contrast with his later years, and the reasons for the stamps pictured above.

Drew, the Tuvalu issue with Mandela is genuine - it is just one of those typical poor designs from the IGPC.

Marc, I've had a rummage and found two used and one unused of the Mandela stamp on the white background, I've also found a set from 1996 - A sheet of South African Nobel Laureates - Mandela is on one of the ten stamps. I'll see if I can get a scan up later - thats if I havent had too much wine :)