1972 Two Dahomey FDC envelopes featuring FS (35F) and "Le Chat, la Belette et le petit Lapin" (40F). August 28, 1972. Cotonou. République du Dahomey. $9.70 from Gilles Descary, St.-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada, through eBay, May, '04.
Each envelope works well with the design of its stamp, selecting and transforming slightly. Each gives the title of its fable and the name and dates of La Fontaine.
2011 TH has an explanatory folder including texts of the fable in English, French, and German as well as Cyprus' own Greek. The five stamps are pictured in the folder, as well as the "strip" from which they are taken and the obverse of the slip. Credit is given to the various creators of the stamp. On the cover of this post office brochure/wrapper is a rather unfortunate photo of a turtle crossing a finish line ahead of a rabbit. Date of issue for the stamp series is 5.10.11, which I take to be October 5, 2011. We have two of these folders.
Then there are the strips mentioned above, containing the framework for the five specific stamps. This framework is divided into three sections. I do not understand the division.
The obverse announces the title, tells the story, and gives the price of the overall strip of 5 34 cent stamps, €1.70. Each strip has a unique number. In all, I have four of these strips.
Cyprus Post apparently also created an FDC envelope using all five stamps and cancelling them with a TH impression. Each of the two envelops I have also adds a 2 cent stamp. Might their own stamp set not have come up to the required postage for an envelope? These materials came from Cyprus Stamps, Limassol, Cyprus, August, '15 and Charis Menelaou, Nicosia, Cyprus, Jan., '16.
2012 GA follows the same pattern as TH a year earlier. Again, there is a pleasing folder showing the stamps, telling the GA story in Greek, English, French, and German, and giving credit to its creators. This time the cover cartoon is more in keeping with the delightful stamp series, as we see the two characters in their summer encounter. We have four copies of this folder. The date of issue is 3-10-2012, which I take to be October 3, 2012. Extra copy of the strip from Charis Menelaou through Ebay: unknown cost and date,
We have only two copies of the strip itself, which shows three phases of the interaction: summer, fall, and winter.
The obverse has an encounter similar to that on the cover of the folder, the full text in Greek, and the total price of the five 34 cent stamps, €1.70.
We have two copies of the FDC envelope, which this time includes a bust of Aesop as well as the five stamps and the unique FDC cancellation featuring the two main characters. It seems to mention the Cypriotic Stamp Lovers Association: "kypriake philotelike etairia." These materials came from Cyprus Stamps, Limassol, Cyprus, August, '15; Charis Menelaou, Nicosia, Cyprus, Jan., '16; and Marlen Stamp and Coins, Ltd., Great Neck NY, Oct., '12.
1910 Salon des Artistes Français (1910): La Chatte metamorphosé en Femme, par E. Joannon. ND. 1556 Dt. S.B.A. Black-and-white cameo reproduction. $8 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, Sept., '18.
This is a lively rendition of CW that seems to enjoy keeping the nude woman humanly female rather than already a cat. The man reacts with suitable surprise. If turbulence is a sign of good art, this is good art! The card is a bit unusual in having two different positions from which to read its landscape image and its portrait information.
1990? Large gray and blue cup with "No act of kindness no matter how small . . . is ever wasted. Aesop" on two sides. Royal Norfolk. Chesapeake, VA: Greenbrier International. From Sharon Green, Dallas, TX, thru eBay, perhaps Feb., '06.
The quotation used on this large cup has become rather standard for citation on mugs, mousepads, t-shirts, and elsewhere. It comes presumably from LM. I am not sure it fits exactly with fable wisdom. Fable wisdom might say "Sometimes you can help yourself by helping other people!" I preached this past weekend that values not rooted in stories are ephemeral, and this may be an example. I want to know "What story did that saying come from?" This is one of many eBay purchases lost in history, and I can find little about this cup on the web.
1984? Cuentos Inolvidables #17. Grupo de Teatro "Los Campanilleros". Madrid: Discos Mercurio.
Delightful Spanish renditions of GA, TH, GGE (but with a hen) with music and fine voices. Picking up the Spanish on the first hop may not be easy!
1998? Crystal Fruit Tree. 3½" in diameter at its base and 3½" high. Made in China. FineGift.
Two little foxes with golden ears, noses, and tails read up toward the purplish grapes, which are surrounded by green leaves hanging from tendril-heavy vines. The mirrored base is beveled.
