The Rwanda Luxury sheets, 1967-1985, 1987-1989:

There were made 36 different luxury sheets, with 29 different themes.

19 with a theme from the Bible (all used as Christmas card)

This 19 + 1, all with an etching on mould-made paper (all used as Christmas card)

The other 9 have different themes of which 4 Airmail.

How rare are these sheets, how many were printed, and how were the distributed?

No catalogue lists how many there were printed, or where they were printed.

The 20 on mould-made paper were all printed in Brussels-Belgium in order of Rodan.

The circulation was a limited edition between 400 and 700 (most probably 600). That seems to be a lot, but these etching where printed on a double folded sheet. When folded open you could write your own Christmas wishes, some families had these wishes printed. Also Rodan themselves used these cards for Christmas cards to their clientele and relations. Some people kept the left side of this card, which made the “luxury sheet”; it goes without saying that the majority many were lost or damaged in the mail.

According to papers from Rodan, the others had a circulation of 300.

Stamps, blocks and sheets can be rare for different reasons, take the Word Cup of 1978.

The stamps are not rare but the luxury sheets are very rarely on the market, because of the theme “soccer”, and certainly because so many different countries were involved with the World Cup.

Besides the normal loss of sheets (wear, weather and water damage, and so on), the ones with gum were partly used for mail and FDC’s (First Day Covers). Also souvenir sheets where sometimes made. I even have seen “Ex-Libris” made of the mould-paper ones.

Bible themes are always popular:

For more and accurate information on painters and there paintings:

Olga’s Gallery – Artist Index: http://www.abcgallery.com/alfaind.html

The complete list of luxury sheets with data

Note that in the year 1986 none was made, and none after 1989.

1) LX204C, 1967 (Tutsi dancers)

2) LX-LP1-3, 1967 (“Poste Aerienne”)

3) LX-LP4, 1968 (“Poste Aerienne”)

4) LX308A, 1969 (First man on the moon)

5) LX321A, 1969 (Christmas)

6) LX399A, 1970 (Christmas)

7) LX-LP8, 1971 (“Poste Aerienne”)

8) LX429A, 1971 (Christmas)

9) LX500A, 1972 (Christmas)

10) LX552, 1973 (U.A.M.P.T.)

11) LX565A, 1973 (Christmas)

12) LX608A, 1974 (Christmas)

13) LX712, 1975 (Christmas)

14) LX789, 1976 (Christmas)

15) LX850, 1977 (Christmas)

16) LX881-888, 1978 (World Cup)

17) LX-LP12-13, 1978 (“Poste Aerienne”)

18) LX898, 1978 (Christmas)

19) LX918, 1979 (917 does not exist)

20) LX945, 1979 (Christmas)

21) LX1011, 1980 (Christmas)

22) LX1086, 1981 (Christmas)

23) LX1130, 1982 (Christmas)

24) LX1185, 1983 (Christmas)

25) LX1226, 1984 (Christmas)

26) LX1261, 1985 (Christmas)

27) LX1319, 1987 (Christmas)

28) LX1337, 1988 (Christmas)

29) LX1351, 1989 (Christmas)