Fables and Their Morals. 100 Designs in Set. Issued by Gallaher Ltd., Belfast & London. Gallaher issued apparently three sets of 100 cards, 1½" x 2½". The illustrations, nicely detailed for their size, are identical in each set. The picture side always features "Gallaher's Cigarettes" and a block-print title on the colored picture, with "Copyright" in the lower right corner. The design of each set's verso differs slightly. One finds the title of the series, a title, a fable text, a moral, and a bold strip at the bottom proclaiming "Issued by Gallaher Ltd., Belfast & London." Below is a copy of a verso from each set and hover hover-buttons to view the common pictures in groups of ten. My prizes among the illustrations go to these cards: #41. The Horse and the Ass, #43. The Field of Treasure, and #71. The Vain Jackdaw. At least "The Ass and His Driver" (#38) and maybe more illustrations are taken from Tenniel.
1983 1 Stamp marked "Magyar Posta," "A Nyúl és a Teknósbéka," Fúzesi ZS, and "4 Ft." TH. $.09 from Julie Collins of Valparaiso, IN, through Ebay, Nov., '99.
The hare rests his head on one paw as he watches the turtle go by. I recognized this and the other two scenes in a group of fifty fairy-tale stamps pictured and offered on Ebay. I saw that I could get at least these three, and of course I hoped for more in the pack that I would get….
1983 1 Stamp marked "Magyar Posta," "A Róka és a Holló," "Fúzesi ZS," and "2 Ft." FC. $.09 from Julie Collins of Valparaiso, IN, through Ebay, Nov., '99.
The fox holds one paw out expectantly. The crow is nicely haloed with the sun. The cancellation mark looks like the last half of "Budapest."
1890? 1 small card (or stamp?) picturing GA. "A la Ménagère" on the rue du Temple. 1⅜" x 2⅜".
This illustration shows dressed insects, one fully outfitted for traveling and holding a guitar, the other in a homey apron. A la Ménagère is offering shirts for either 7 Francs (front) or 5 Francs (verso). The size of this little slip is remarkable, as is its detailed artistry.
1983 1 Sheet of stamps marked "Magyar Posta," "A Róka és a Holló," Füzesi ZS, and "2 Ft." FC. 10 stamps across by 5 down. 10" x 14". Scott #3103. Postmarked Budapest. $3.50 from John Ferrari, San Carlos, CA, through Ebay, May, '01.
My, the things one can find on Ebay! I had already learned to like this stamp. Now here was a chance to like it fifty times over! Abundanza! Click on the stamps to see them enlarged.
1983 1 numbered maxicard presenting a slightly altered image of the 1983 4 Ft TH stamp. Canceled in Budapest in 1987. #0456 of 1500. "Famous Fairy Tale Characters." 1987/5-c. Scott #3104. Philatelia Hungarica. Design Füzesi Zsuzsa. Hungexpo, Budapest. $9.95 from Peter Abel, Estheville, Iowa, through Ebay, August, '00.
On the stamp, the fox merely looked at the tortoise. In this scene he raises his hand in greeeting. There the tortoise turned his head back to look at the resting hare. Here he glances at the hare but plods on. The tree here has rather a different shape, and the daisies have moved around a little.
1983 1 numbered maxicard presenting an enlarged and partially reversed image of the 1983 2 Ft FC stamp. Canceled in Budapest in 1987. #0040 of 1500. "Famous Fairy Tale Characters." 1987/5-a. Philatelia Hungarica. Design Fúzesi Zsuzsa. Hungexpo, Budapest. $20 from Peter Abel, Estheville, Iowa, through Ebay, August, '00.
On the stamp, the fox looked right. In this scene he stands under the branches of the tree and looks left. He still holds one paw out expectantly. There is no longer a sun haloing the crow.
1880 1 card picturing WC. No advertising printed on either side. Gibson Company, Southern Ohio. 3" x 4½".
The illustration is Harrison Weir's (unacknowledged). I suspect that the card's date is date of a general printing permit rather than this card; if it is for this card, it would be some of Weir's earliest work, I believe. The text is not taken from the thirty I have catalogued to date.
1880? One white-colored plate with a multi-colored illustration of TH in the indented center of the plate. Around the outside of the plate run four vines; their stalks are at about 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, and 10:30.
The central picture has the tortoise apparently reaching the finish line, where a bird sits on a branch. There are greens of several shades, browns, and some lovely blue in the bird. One of the manufacturer's marks on the base seems to be "2I."
1880? One white-colored plate with a multi-colored illustration of TT in the indented center of the plate. Around the outside of the plate run four vines; their stalks are at about 1:30, 4:30, 7:30, and 10:30.
The central picture is just before take-off. The two birds and the tortoise all grip the long stick. Besides the greens of the grass around and the browns of the three animals, there is blue mixed with green in the birds heads and wing tips. There are also lovely little blue flowers on the top of the nearby stalks. One of the manufacturer's marks on the base seems to be "2I."
