China ROC

Click to see a larger version of the envelope: 1998 Set of four "Chinese Fables Postage Stamps" on an envelope devoted to the series and marked with "First Day of Issue" postmarks: "Taiwan, ROC, 25.9.98." The verso of the envelope gives the title of the stamps' four scenes. FDC Designer: Rolland Chang. Directorate General of Posts, Republic of China. $4 from Don Alexander, Norman, OK, through eBay, Dec., '03.

What a beautiful envelope! A fisherman seems to run into a snipe, a clam, and a tortoise. This overall picture thus represents two of the fables well. The four fables in the stamps (and their worth) are:

1) A Frog in a Well (5)

2) The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Ferocity (5)

3) Adding Legs to a Drawing of a Snake (12)

4) The Snipe and the Clam Are at a Deadlock (19)

And now I have found a brochure signed by the artist explaining his sense of fable, in sometimes imperfect English.  Directorate General of Posts, Republic of China. Unknown source, July, '18.

The brochure comes in an envelope dedicated to this stamp, with features of its artistry on both front and back.  "Through the issuance of postage stamps, the magnificent fables may plunge into the thick of life of the modern people.

 

end