1967? A large (8" x 6⅜") green and black blotter on a cream background. "Le Chat, la belette....Version 67." R.E.P.T.T. Paris: Kergy. $7 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, Sept., '18.
This new – 67th! – version of the fable involves, as usual, the Jean Lapin, ousted from his home, and the squatting weasel who ousted him. As usual, the two appear before the judge cat, here presented in a formal court scene. Here, however, the cat does not eat both litigants. Rather, the cat dismisses the case of the weasel and, even better, tells her that she does not need to be a squatter. All she has to do is set up an account with the post office to save up for lodging. It is that easy!
1987 Greek FDC pair of identical envelopes displaying each four of Scott 1581-88. Each is also stamped FDC in Greek and dated March 5, 1987. $21 from Dimitrios Leonidis, Peristeri, Greece, through eBay, Jan., '22.
The design here is remarkably similar to that on one of the envelopes acquired previously. Here the presentation of TH is done in green and brown.
1987 Greek FDC pair of envelopes displaying Scott 1581-88. Each envelope offers four of the Aesop's Fables stamps. Each is also stamped FDC in Greek and dated March 5, 1987. One has a green-and-black duochrome illustration of TH, and the other a orange-and-green presentation of FG. $21 from Stefanidis Antonis, Filothei, Greece, through eBay, Jan., '06.
These are perhaps the liveliest and most engaging of the various FDC envelopes created for this set of stamps. Each design is a script version of "Mythoi tou Aisopou" running over it. Each also bears a stamp"Athine Service Philatelique, TH numbered 4652 and FG 4587. Both have Athenian cancellation marks on the back of the envelope. The FG envelope adds a (second) FC stamp, also cancelled in Athens on March 5, 1987.
1987 Greek FDC pair of envelopes displaying Scott 1581-88. Each envelope offers four of the Aesop's Fables stamps. Each is also stamped FDC in Greek and dated March 5, 1987. One has a close-up of a bust of Aesop while the other puts his bust among animals and in a rural setting. £2.99 from Constantin Glaridis, London, through eBay, June, '05.
Here are two presentations of Aesop in bust form. One takes an illustration of Aesop's head and torso and cuts away all background. The other situates a bust of Aesop in a classical background, appropriately surrounded by animals.
1987 Greek FDC pair of envelopes displaying Scott 1581-88. Each envelope is stamped FDC in Greek and dated March 5, 1987. Each is also numbered #688 of 1000. $22 from Angelo Komatsoulis, Montreal, through Ebay, Oct., '01.
These identical envelopes are the simplest among the various FDC's I have found for these stamps. The envelope has a lovely fox turning his nose away from the golden grapes on vines with green leaves. The stamps are beautifully done in rich colors. For that reason I have presented each on a separate page with room for a larger illustration.
1990? Gray medallion of Ivan Krylov as in his famous statue in St. Petersburg. Porcelain? Verso with symbols including a dramatic mask, a lyre, a laurel wreath, and text.
The writing on the back includes "I. A. Krylov"; "Sculptor (Peter) Crodt"; and "Leningrad." Other elements seem to include something like "Lamjatnik" and "B. Detnem Sady." Sorry not to comprehend or even transliterate those better! Use of "Leningrad" rather than "St. Petersburg" puts the medallion before 1991, when the name was officially changed to "St. Petersburg." I have sought in vain to find a comparable piece on the web.
2020 Gratitude greeting card. "The grateful heart will always find opportunities to show its gratitude. Aesop." Sketches from "The Fabled Life of Aesop" by Pamela Zagarenski. No. 538. Signed by the senders, Paul and Ianthe Swensen, Dec., '21.
The scenes on the front and back of the card connect. Did the woman get the grapes for the fox?
1990? Grasshopper puppet with attached Aesop's fable "The Grasshopper and the Ants." "Folktails" series by Folkmanis, Inc., Emeryville, CA. Made in Korea.
As the tag shows on this puppet in excellent condition, the puppet is meant to recall GA. The version attached to this delightful little fellow has the ants answering at the end of the fable: "If you were foolish enough to sing all summer, then you will have to go to bed without any supper in the winter." I have never seen that ending before. Two well-formed rear legs are nicely filled out, but the manipulator of this puppet has four front legs to control with four different fingers. As often in Folkmanis creations, the eyes are excellently rendered.
1900? Faience plate 8" in diameter showing three scenes depicting GA. Numbered "2." A mark on the back seems to combine the letters "M" and "C" and says "déposé Fables Terre de Fer." $18 from Penny Hughes, Marysville, WA, Feb., '06.
This plate features, in its side panels, the backs of two men. One seems a prosperous farmer with mounds of hay nearby. The other has poorer clothing and strides away with a walking stick carrying something -- an instrument perhaps? -- as he goes. The central panel features two women. The "ant" holds an instrument for spinning, while the lovely younger grasshopper holds a lute. A small child is jut behind her.
