Let's Talk About Profile Pictures!

Is that too personal or I can ask you what's that special time in your life?

I choose my avatar because of the angled overprint. It is 6* off. As well as way off center, almost to the left margin. If anyone ever noticed it, they never mentioned it.
Last year I read that an angled overprint was an indication of a fake overprint, can't remember where it read that, had Pneumonia at the time.
Anyway, the stamp image was my avatar ever since I joined back in 2014, it's not one of the expensive overprints, and is only seen in this color with an overprint of that color. Only one stamp looks like this. O10xS, one of the third Special Printings. It's on soft paper.

Just a guess, but by this time, I think Continental BNC could care less about how these stamps looked.



Added soft paper

Really interesting stamp and nice looking!

This is one of a few known used in the proper time period. missing the surcharge. There is no value for a used one let alone a full cover.

Interesting piece! Thanks for sharing us!

In reply to your question the profile is just a reminder. This answer probably doesn't even belong on a stamp collecting forum. I was in the United States Air Force stationed on Monkey Mountain in South Vietnam in 1968. The mountain was the highest peak in all of Vietnam. We were just outside of Denang Harbour and China Beach. It was a lush jungled with a lot of monkeys. I had a lot of good times, especially down on the beach and a lot of horrific missions but a lot of young men had it a lot worse.

Today Monkey Mountain is a National Park. Worth a visit if you're ever in the area.

Thanks for replying, rascal! That's an awesome story!

I chose the stamp because of two main aspects

• We see nothing less than a political statement in respect of unity in the so diverse country Germany between two parties of interest who were once enemies and now find themselves in alliance as equal and esteemed partners. The motto on the stamp says "Be united". Put animosities aside and pull together. And unity is strength. For me a great appeal to the strength of alliance and brotherhood (in Germany or elsewhere). All this is intensified by the quote of German scenic areas in the North and the South of my country.
• The bewildering beauty of the female genius - especially when we consider it has been designed in 1900 – shows a surprising sensuality, a sentiment we Germans not allow ourselves often to be felt or expressed. I see it as a tribute to all women, who to me are in the world to inspire men (be it to good or evil – this only to mention just that you see I am not a romantic fool and that you get a feeling of a certain melancholy depth of which we Germans are infamous for)

In respect of the historic background:

It was a long way from the dismemberment of Germany, especially after the Thirty Years' War and the dissolution of the first empire in 1806 by Napoleon I, to the re-establishment of the second empire in 1870. The industrialisation of Germany and the dissolution of old local ties went hand in hand with nationalisation. With accelerated communication (newspapers, post, trains), such ideas could be spread further and also faster. Prussian military victories created the basis for implementation. In 1866, after the German Civil War between North and South, the war declared by France to Prussia in 1870 provided an opportunity to fight together against an external enemy. This filled in any rifts and was simply too good a founding myth not to be used.

In the painting North and South (original in Saarbrücken Town Hall, artist Anton von Werner), a Bavarian warrior and a North German one shake hands over a French standard that has fallen into the dust, invoking reconciliation and unity.

In other words, a political motif behind which the whole of Germany could rally.

In the background of the North German I recognize the Rügen chalk cliffs, in the background of the Bavarian the Alps.

Above both we see the goddess of victory, Victoria. I like the drawing on the stamp better than on the painting. On the stamp, the goddess is (to my taste) clearly more sensual (with very luxuriant hair - even better in first print from 1900 -, draped according to the taste of the time, and shows more youthful, slimmer features). All is reinforced by engraved rays.

It is astounding how freely the goddesses nudity was handled. Thus, the goddess could be a daughter worthy of protection or desirable prey for the gentlemen in the image or for the viewer (there must be a reason why they didn't depict the witch from Hansel and Gretel, a famous German fairy tale). Female beholders might find pleasure in the thought how easy it is to attract and influence the other sex and, steer it and thus wield a position of power not to be underestimated.

I would still like to use the stamp today (which I would see to, if I were King of Germany), but unfortunately that is no longer possible (declared void and devaluated by inflation a long time ago).

And what do external beholders think of Germans? A good opportunity to quote Magret Thatcher, who once was invited to an informal meeting during the time of the talks in respect of the reunion of West and East Germany to the scenic town Deidesheim in Rhineland-Palatine by the former chancellor Helmut Kohl at which stuffed pig's stomach (a local speciality) was an infamous dish put on the table. Her verdict: he was so terribly German and ridiculously sentimental and the dish was hard to swallow (and I can promise you, in her latter assessment, she was simply wrong).

My profile pick is a US Sc. 219D which is the "lake" from the 1890-93 American Bank Note issue. I'd always had a fondness for the color, and had several in my collection. Since this is the best known US stamp with this color, and I liked the design and engraving work, I went with it.

Some weeks later a jumbo used 219D with deep color came into my hands and if I had it to do over again back then, I would go with it, but I don't want to make extra work for the admins.



If I picked a profile pic today, it'd likely be a different stamp, some sort of US airmail I suppose.

I found my profile picture stamp in a large glassine of Finland stamps I picked up at a bourse show. It gave me a laugh as I came across it while sorting, and was so random it became one of my favorites.

Oops, I think admins did extra work for me because I changed my profile picture three times.

That's a nice story, jleb1979. Thanks for sharing it.

Bendix, you have some really good reasons and stamp! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and your interesting perspectives. In addition to this beautiful story, you taught me a little of German country history.




I agree, this is so random! I really like your short and simple, but funny story. Thanks for sharing!

My avatar is a stamp that, as a young boy, I discovered on a postcard in an abandoned house near my grandfather's farm in southeastern Kansas. At the time (1950s era), I was too young to know who Balboa was ... and I had yet to discover stamp catalogues. Unfortunately, the stamp did not prove to be the rarity that I initially supposed it to be. To this day, however, it remains a personal favorite.

Wow! That's so interesting!

The cash value and rarity doesn't always matter. The personal story with the stamp can be way enough. Thanks for sharing!

I'm living in New York, so I chose a stamp that was very New York -- the NY postmaster provisional. I like the color green, so I chose that proof from my collection.

Nice choice! I like the aesthetic of the proof too. Thanks for sharing!