Monaco
1961 FDC Monaco 48411: Envelope featuring a "Respect for Life" stamp and a cartoon of the grasshopper and ant in black, blue, and red. $3 from Topical Covers, Netherlands, through Ebay, Nov., '20.
Once again, the artist has fun with the well known fable. The cicada is a dancing singing guitar playing artist, while the ant runs a grain shop and is busy at work sweeping. Well done!
1972 One three-holed landscape album page, almost 8½" x slightly over 12", containing stamps of Charles Baudelaire (1,30), Camille Saint-Saens (0,90), and Jean de La Fontaine (0,50). Besides the stamps, there are a large illustration and some explanatory text in French. The three stamps are all postmarked "18 - 1 - 72 Monaco A, Jour d'Emission." No. 35 du catalogue CEF. No. 1549 of 5,000 offset exemplars. Imprimé par Editions CEF à Nice. $7 from Topical Paradise Limited through eBay, Dec., '08.
The composite picture of the three men includes a crow with cheese, a tortoise, and perhaps both an oak and a reed near the portrait of La Fontaine. The common feature of the three men seems to be the year 21, since La Fontaine was born in 1621 and Baudelaire in 1821, while Saint-Saens died in 1921. Each of the three stamps includes the appropriate "21" date along with 1971. Did something perhaps go wrong with publication of the stamps, so that the first day turned out to happen in 1972? French-speaking stamp-collectors seem indefatigable! Click on the sheet to see a larger version of it.
1972 One Maximum-Card (Monaco #818) depicting the head of La Fontaine and a large tortoise. Postmarked Monaco, Jan. 18, 1972. Éditions CEF, Nice. A stamp is pasted onto the lower right corner of the picture, and the "Jour d'Emission" stamp is positioned to cover part of both the stamp and the picture. $3.50 from Ausdenmoore-McFarlane, Midland, MI.
Monaco is a new source for a fable stamp. The stamp itself is green and black and includes FC, FS, TH, and perhaps "The Lion and the Ass." The verso of the card proclaims "La Fontaine: 350ème Anniversaire de sa naissance.
1972 One 3½ x 6½" hologram FDC envelope depicting the head of La Fontaine and several animal groups. Postmarked Monaco, Jan. 18, 1972. $3 from psoriano75 through eBay, May, '04.
The hologram cloth is signed "Thesmot." The likeness of LaFontaine seems to depart from the normal depiction, including the depiction on the stamp on this envelope. The animal groups are FC, LM, and perhaps CJ.
1972 One 3½ x 6½" hologram FDC envelope depicting the head of La Fontaine with a turtle. Postmarked Monaco, Jan. 18, 1972. $8 from Loic Marchat, Villeurbane, France, through eBay, April, '04.
The hologram cloth has the same image, framed with a gold stripe, that one finds on the maxicard issued at the same time as the stamp. Perhaps the background pictures the Château-Thierry countryside where LaFontaine grew up. The envelope mentions CEF.
1972 One 3½ x 6½" FDC envelope depicting a wolf and lamb. Postmarked Monaco, Jan. 18, 1972. Editions J.F. $7 from Philaatelicpassion, Paris, through eBay, Oct., '06.
By comparison with the other two FDC envelopes done in Monaco at the time, this envelope seems rather plain. A red rectangle encloses the white lamb and the green wolf. The art is signed with a difficult-to-read name, perhaps "G. Mauscalchi, '71." The envelope notes that it is the 350th anniversary of La Fontaine's birth.
1972 One uncancelled La Fontaine stamp. Mint. Never hinged. $1 from Kevin Lo, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, through eBay. Sept., '03.
Monaco is a new source for a fable stamp. The stamp itself is green and black and includes FC, FS, TH, and perhaps "The Lion and the Ass." The verso of the card proclaims "La Fontaine: 350 ème Anniversaire de sa naissance.
Click on the stamp to see an enlarged version of it and of the uncancelled stamp.
2021 Monaco “Office des Timbres” FDC envelope honoring Jean de La Fontaine. $14.77 from Patrick Ruyssen, Lille, France, through Ebay. May, ’21.
The stamp and postmark share the same image, the stamp for €3.86 in two-color, and the cancellation as a line drawing. I have not yet discovered if the date of May 5 is important for La Fontaine.
To view an enlargement of the stamp itself, click on this small version:
