Birds Perched, Birds Flying, Birds Aground

Good stuff Nils Helstrom That French airmail is one of my alltime favourite stamps.

I am a bit envious of your Gandon signed die proofs.

The stamp has been posted before but not the die proofs.

Here is my copy of FRANCE Scott C28. It is a beauty.

To add to my previous post, here is the deluxe proof, a first day cover and a nice maximum card for the same issue.

Thanks, lithograving! It certainly is a beautiful stamp.

You have some really nice items there especially that deluxe proof.
Gandon and also Piel are my two favourite French engravers.

Lithograving, thanks again! The deluxe proofs were printed in larger numbers than the die proofs, and yet I find it difficult to locate a lot of them. I have one Gandon issue from Algeria where I own over 15 different die proofs but have never been able to get my hands on a deluxe proof!

Jules Piel's work is incredibly fine and it's easy to see why he would be a favorite. Since we're on the topic of birds, here's one that was designed by Gandon and engraved by Piel... a collaboration of two great artists! French Oceanic Settlements #C19, the Maupiti shoreline with Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans).

In order are the stamp as issued (imperf), a deluxe proof, a trial color die proof in green, and a hand colored, signed artist's die proof.

Nils, I have an idea for you to consider: what about starting a thread just for Gandon, where you can show parts of your collection that don't fit in the other threads, or even those that do, but gathered all in one place? That way, other members can also share their Gandon's stamps. Just a thought, it's totally up to you. Regards

Crested Partridge (Rollulus rouloul), issued by Malaysia on January 12, 1967 for Stamp Day.

Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius), issued by Malaysia on August 7, 2000 to publicize the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) world congress.

Birds, issued by Iceland on March 19, 1986 and September 7, 1987.

- Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
- Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)

Good thought, LaoPhil, when I have more time maybe I'll start a thread... as long as you don't mind me occasionally butting into these topical threads in the meantime? Let me know if I'm clogging them up.

My Pierre Gandon collection is not entirely engraved stamps. Here is one of three photogravure stamps he created for the African nation of Dahomey. They later overprinted these ad nauseum when the country became independent Benin. Here is the 100F Fiery-breasted Bushshrike (Malaconotus cruentus)... I've included the base stamp (imperf), the three main overprint varieties, a photo proof of the complete set, a deluxe proof and a couple of examples used on cover.

Nils, great stuff!!! thanks for sharing them with us



On the contrary! my thought was positive. You have some great items that are rarely seen, and, as an engraved stamp fan and collector, I personally look forward to your posts, especially those featuring Gandon's work. My idea was not to suggest that you stop posting in different threads, but rather to encourage you to share your other items (the ones that don't fit into any existing SCF threads) in a special thread dedicated to Gandon, similar to the ones we have for Slania and others, for instance. It was only a suggestion, with no intention of implying that you were "butting in." Quite the opposite, it's because you are one of the best contributors! Thanks again for the lovely rare items.

(By the way, I am not a moderator here, just a member who enjoys posting and seeing others' posts.)

Thanks very much, LaoPhil, understood! I'm still scanning my Gandon collection, with the goal of compiling a proper catalogue (and looking into self-publishing it at some point), so I tend to post on SCF just as the mood strikes me. In time, I'm sure I'll start a new thread or two for things that don't fit an existing thread. I appreciate the interest!

You, also, have quite a beautiful range of topical items... I'm guessing you share the same problem that I have... storage space.

Here's a signed, artist's die proof that I just recently acquired of France #C22, the Ile de la Cité, Paris, with "European" Herring Gull (Larus argentatus smithsonianus). I've seen images of this very proof ("4/15") floating around the internet, so was quite happy to acquire the actual piece.

Nils, that die proof of Scott C22 is a real piece of work by Pierre Gandon.
I only have the regular issued copy and it's one of my favourites.

I don't know if you are aware of the Stamp Engravers blog which lists just about every
engraver and their work.
https://stampengravers.blogspot.com/

The creator of the blog AKPhilately is a member of SCF.

Regarding Gandon he mentions this little tidbit about C22.

Another airmail stamp which has become a Gandon Classic is his 1947 500fr stamp with a view of Paris and a seagull hovering over it. It marked the 12th congress of the Universal Postal Union. That seagull was nearly Gandon's undoing, because the minister in charge of postal matters would not believe that there were seagulls in Paris. Gandon had to take the man up to the very spot from where he had designed his stamp to prove that they really flew that far inland, before he was allowed to proceed with his design!

Lithograving, thanks, yes... I'm aware of that blog and had read that anecdote... it's a great site that I keep bookmarked!

Here's an interesting item related to C22... a maximum card which also had a poster stamp affixed. Note that the engraving of the Ile de la Cité has been repeated on the card AND on the associated cinderella. The card credits the design to René Cottet, and he signed the poster stamp as well... although I haven't found his name associated with the postage stamp. Since Cottet's poster stamp pre-dates the postage stamp by four years, I guess then Cottet should be listed as designer, at least in part (Gandon can take credit for adding the gull!).

Many of these birds stamps are stunning! Thanks for sharing!

I have a question - what is a die proof? I'm relatively new to stamp collecting. Just curious, as the examples posted are very nice.

Also, my name is Greg. From the USA, state of PA.

I really enjoy birds on stamps as well, so I decided to check this section of the forums.

I don't have a way of taking a pic at this time, but a favorite birds set of mine is Liberia # 1278-1293 (Scott numbering) set of 16.

Another question for everyone - what would be your favorite country to issue birds stamps in general?

Although I am asking this, on my end of things, I simply cannot answer!

I can state one country I enjoy collecting - British Virgin Islands. Beautiful material!

Thanks for allowing me to join in!