Christmas stamps. No’s 362-364.
The notion that the Virgin - as a mother, is a perfect example of womanhood, someone to worship, to believe in and model oneself after comes from her purity that stems from the annunciation. This exempts her from the consequences of the original sin which Eve precipitated and therefore implicates and prejudges the rest of us. She is other, yet we personify her as THE MOTHER, religion and art are entwined to create a passive, submissive audience
Date of issue: 1 December 1959
Expiration date: 1 July 1960 (* see note)
Design:
Paper with silk threads
Printer: Hélio
Courvoisier, s.a., La Chaux De Fonds, Switzerland
Perforation: 12
Size: 22.8 x 32.5 mm
Sheet: 100 (10 x 10) – in some catalogues wrongly as 50.
Marginal inscriptions: in black letters on top and on the bottom margin “Impression Courvoisier S.A., La Chaux – De – Fonds (Suisse).
Circulation: see the series
The series:
No 362 50c, brown, ochre & red brown, 2,500,000 stamps
No 363 1Fr, dark blue, purple & red brown, 2,000,000 stamps
No 364 2Fr, gray, blue & red brown, 1,000,000 stamps
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The imperforated series is in size and coloring exact the same as above:
Remark: the white border around these stamps is much larger when cut from a side, top, bottom or corner of a sheet.
Christmas%20stamps%201%20December%201959_bestanden/image004.jpg)
There are no variations or curiosities known for any of the above shown material.
Color proofs:
Christmas%20stamps%201%20December%201959_bestanden/image006.jpg)
Another set of proofs:
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* Note: The Belgium Congo stamps, without new value (overprint), were theoretically demonetized (can no longer be used as postage) on 30 June 1960
In practice many stamps of the colony could be used (and were sold) till 1965 because of lack of available values.
For example in 1964 you could still buy and use the series "masques" of 1947 without any problem in Kivu, Kasaï, and in the eastern province.
In 1965 the 3 highest values of these series were still for sale in Elisabethville.
Only certain private (or special) colonial emissions were really demonetized; for example the series with a portrait of King Boudewijn of 1955, and the series of the 50th anniversary of Belgium Congo of 1958.