Barcelona & Catalonia Cinderellas

In September 29th 1979 (Stamp's Day), the Barcelona Philatelic Trade Guild, started to issue a series of cinderellas showing Catalonia's history.

On the first mini-sheet, devoted to the Paleolithic, there are four cinderellas:
.- The first one depicts the Talteüll skull, found in Northern Catalonia (today, France), dated year 300.000 BC
.- The second one, Banyoles' maxillary,(100 km North of Barcelona) dated 100.000 BC
.- The third, some bone and/or ivory artifacts found in a cave in Serinyà (110 km North of Barcelona) dated between years 6.000 and 10.000 BC
.- The fourth, cave painting in Cogul (Central Catalonia)

The mini-sheet with a total face value of 100 pessetes (0.60 €) was sold on stamp fairs.
I was 20, by then, and remember seeing it being sold by a girlfriend of mine (she was the niece of the president of the guild)and not buying it "because it was too expensive for me" and, after all, they were not proper stamps. To put things in perspective one should see that 100 pta was the price of sending 12.5 letters. In current money, it should amount for nearly 5 €, and for us it was nor peanuts then... Later, I've bought a complete collection of the first 50 mini-sheets for a good price.
In addition to the regular print, you have also them overprinted in red ink with the word "Mostra" ("Sample" in Catalan) and a black print of the mini-sheet.

...and they keep on coming. Amazing !
Is there anywhere else I wonder who will issue so many interesting labels and sheets ??

Are there many collectors for this kind of material in Catalonia?

Spain and territories offer a vast collecting journey
to the collector,
I have two bulging albums, and have barely scratched the surface.

Here are some headings I attempt to keep Spain in some sort
of organised chaos.

Spain Spain Album
Spain Anti TB Labels Spain Album
Spain Barcelona Spain Album
Spain Cape Juby Spain Album
Spain Ceuta Spain Album
Spain Cinderella Spain Album
Spain Colonies Philippines Spain Album
Spain Especial Movil Spain Album
Spain Express Letter Spain Album
Spain Las Palmas Spain Album
Spain Loja Antequera Spain Album
Spain Madrid Industrial Expo Spain Album
Spain Meter Stamps Spain Album
Spain Peoples Militia Alicante Spain Album
Spain Perfins Spain Album
Spain Post Office Savings Stamps Spain Album
Spain Postal Mutual Society Spain Album
Spain Postmarks Spain Album
Spain Pro Montepio (Iberia) Spain Album
Spain Remainders Spain Album
Spain Spanish American Expo [Lindbergh] Spain Album
Spain Spanish Civil War (Lugo) Spain Album
Spain Spanish Guinea Spain Album
Spain Spanish Morocco Spain Album
Spain Spanish Sahara Spain Album
Spain Tabs Spain Album
Spain Tanger Spain Album
Spain Telegraph Charities Spain Album
Spain Telegraph Revenues Spain Album
Spain Valencia Spain Album
Spain War Tax stamps Spain Album
Spain Zaragosa Spain Album

Please Rod, don't mix Barcelona and Catalonia with Spain. We consider us a different country and culture. Personally, I don't want nothing to do with Spanish.
We're politically united to Spain just for being defeated on the 1714 war. That's all.
A recent survey shows that a majority of Catalans (more than 51%) wants Catalonia's independence. Now, the issue is on the hands of politicians, but our case is pretty much alike Scotland's struggle for freedom.

Sorry to touch on something that's important to you
Just ignorance on my part,
it was just a stamp thing
Good luck with your struggle.

As for your remarks, Mike. You haven't seen but a fraction of it. For instance, this series that I've begun to show, amount for about 200 cinderellas issued for more than 20 years.
I've just shown a few of the many Catalan Nationalist cinderellas or the 1936/39 war issues...
What to say about the 1933 Catalonia Album, with nearly 400 cinderellas (each one in three different colours), issued in 30 booklets, showing all aspects of the 1930's Catalan life? You've seen just a bunch, so far...

As for your question about collectors of these items here. There are some, like myself and some friends, that try to be serious collectors. And many "keepers" for other reasons.

The reason for being so much material of this kind, is, perhaps, that as we lack a political structure and a proper philately. Our civil society, like in many other fields, invents a side-track to have the illusion that we are a "normal country" (the dream of many of us).
In fact, the cinderellas that I've started to show are called "segells de Catalunya" (Catalonia's stamps), and try to look very much as postage stamps...

Thank you very much Rod for your nice words. We Catalans know that Aussies might be "on the other side of the World", but that most of you side with Catalan People freedom dreams.
I had the chance of knowing it just 20 years ago, when I had the pleasure and honour of working alongside Australian teams on the 1992 Barcelona Olympic and Paralympic Games. I spent 2 months with many Aussie sport people, having a unforgettable time.

Mini-sheet #2 issued for the 1979 Barnafil Stamp Show. The two cinderellas show samples of Neolithic ceramics, found on the area of Montserrat(our Sacred Mountain!) in Central Catalonia.



The lower line says: "4 stamps sheet sued by Barcelona Philatelic Trade Guild to promote philatelic activities"

Just a sample of the "Mostra" ("Sample") overprint on a 1980 Greek sculpture in Catalonia mini-sheet.

To show the black print trials I've chosen a very philatelic/postal item: Issued in 1987 on the European Architecture Year, it shows a XII century "troter" (Catalan horse postman) being blessed from the Capella d'en Marcús, a tiny country curch built on the road leading from Barcelona to the North. An image of the Marededeu de la Guia (Good Guidance Virgin), patroness of postmen, presides the image.
Need I to say that, this small country chapel lies today on the very center of Barcelona?

Mini-sheet #3 issued for the 1979 Barnafil Stamp Show. The two cinderellas show samples of Bronze Age axes (Ripoll, 1,000 BC)and a Halistatt funerary pottery (Agullana, 600 to 900 BC).

Going back to the Gràcia cinderellas, we have the 1964 issue, devoted to the centenary of Gràcia's main square, today "Gràcia Vila Square" (it has had different names along two and a half centuries), 100 years of belfry.
There are four rows of five cinderellas of two models.
On the left, there's a drawing of the tower with the text (in the then compulsory Spanish language):

"15 Gràcia's Stamp and Coin Show (Crystal jubilee) commemorative of the Gràcia's belfry centennial.

Building started on 1862 and finished on 1864
Being Gràcia's Major: Mr. Josep Balasch
Architect: Mr. Antoni Rovira
Clockmaker: Mr. Albert Billeter
Bellmaker: Mr, Isidre Pallès
Tower's height: 33.33 metres
Hours bell circunference: 4.11 metres
Name of the bell: Maria Gràcia, Isidra, Assunció
Weight: 1,200 kg

Just arrived. Cinderella issued by the "Unión Velocipédica Española" (Spanish Cicling Club) for the Barcelona International Exhibition National Cicling Race, on June 9th 1929. On the background there can be seen the Montjuïc Mountain where all the exposition venues were. There's the castle on the left and the National Palace on the right.

First of all, to thank our many SCF friends That have visited this thread in a great number, even though I haven't post anything for more than two weeks. I was lucky enough to be on holidays.
Back at home again, and with the 2012 London Paralympic Games approaching (not to be forgotten!)I'm showing a "Catalunya en els segells" cinderella (#103) that I hope will please our many Canadian friends: it depicts the Canadian Paralympic Team, marching on the 1992 Barcelona Paralympic Games opening ceremony (September 4th 1992), held at Barcelona's Olympic Stadium. I remember it very well, as I also marched there, but with the Australian Paralympic Team (also, some Aussies around, isn't it?).





As an inspired Barcelona journalist wrote by then: the Olympic athletes were competing to show that they're above "common people", while Paralympic ones do it to show that they are "common people". I can't find better words. I remember very well the article on a Barcelona newspaper (I still have it): it was illustrated with the photo of an Australian wheelchair tennis player which I knew pretty well (she was also very pretty!). Someone showed her the photo and she asked me for a translation or the article. She was very pleased.

I hope you'll like it

Hope you had a nice holiday Cursus ! Did you go somewhere interesting?

I am not keen on the design of the last sheet, but it's a nice story as the Paralympics always are.

Keep 'em coming.

Londonbus1....will be in London after the Paralympics !