China PRC

1981 Set of five PRC China postage stamps. "Marking the Gunwale" Series Presentation Folder. Mint. Issued March 10, 1981. £7.19 from Simon Andrews Stamps/The Cecil Court Stamp Shop, London, through eBay, Nov., '02.

This is a favorite fable of mine. It has the right leap from one category to another that sometimes makes a fable take our breath away. I will let the presentation folder tell the fable itself. The other side of the folder identifies the five scenes in the series:

  1. Marking the Gunwale to Find the Sword
  2. Crossing the River
  3. The Sword Dropping into the Water
  4. Marking a Mark on the Gunwale
  5. Jumping into the Water to Find the Sword

Here is the folder's own telling of the fable: Here is a little larger view of each stamp:

 

1. Marking the Gunwale to Find the Sword

2. Crossing the River

3. The Sword Dropping into the Water

4. Marking a Mark on the Gunwale

5. Jumping into the Water to Find the Sword