Czech Figure Skating Stamps

The postcard above was issued to commemorate the 1973 World World Figure Skating Championships that took place on February 26 to March 3, 1973 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia.

The stamps in the four corners of the card commemorate the 1966 European Championships that were also held in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. The two stamps in the second row commemorate the the 1962 Figure Skating World Championships in Prague. These championships were originally planned for 1961, and the stamp on the left is dated 1961. The championships were cancelled in 1961 due to the airplane crash which killed the entire US figure skating team on its way to the World Championships. The stamp in the center of the bottom row commemorates the 1972 Olympics that were held in Sapporo, Japan.

Below is the stamp on the back of the postcard. This is a stamp commemorating the 1973 Championships in Bratislava.

I am participating in Sunday Stamps at Viridian's Postcard Blog

Minnesota Girls Basketball - 1913 Team Photo

I have had this old real photo postcard of an early Minnesota girls basketball team for a long time. I was reminded of it when trying to think of something to fit the theme of Sepia Saturday 95. This card shows the 1913 Bellingham, Minnesota girls basketball team. The card not only shows a group of young women, but it also deals with sexual equality in sports. This was even before women had the right to vote, and much longer before Title IX banned sex discrimination in the schools and led to a proliferation of women's sports.

The message on the back of the postcard describes both boys and girls basketball games:

Dear Cousin:
Don't we look stunning? We have only played a couple of games. We played Odesssa and beat them. The scores were: girls 8-2. Boys 30-10 Both in favor of Bellingham. But--we played Madison and got beat. Girls 20-5. Boys 23-13.
Gertie Lillejon(?)

I attended a large high school (in another state) in the 1960s, and girls sports were practically nonexistent then and there. My high school yearbook shows team photos for 10 boys sports, with a total of 26 different teams. There is only one girls team--tennis. Things have changed a lot since then. The Wikipedia page for my old high school lists teams for 15 sports for boys and 13 sports for girls.

I searched for "history minnesota girls basketball" and discovered that there is a whole book on the subject: Daughters of the Game - The First Era of Minnesota Girls High School Basketball, 1891-1942, and it is available for Kindle. I don't have a Kindle, but that was no problem. I downloaded Kindle for PC (a free app), and then downloaded the book.

The book is fairly short, but very interesting. It has a lot of reminiscences of the old players and pictures of teams. In the early years of the twentieth century, most Minnesota towns had girls basketball teams. The teams often used the same rules as boys until they were forced to change to supposedly safer girls rules. By mid-century, girls were not even allowed to play competitive basketball.

By coincidence, the subject of womens basketball turned out to be especially appropriate this week in Minnesota. The Minnesota Lynx team is competing in the WNBA 2011 playoff finals this week.

Visit Sepia Saturday for More Vintage Photos

Jay Cooke State Park, Minnesota

This postcard has a map of Jay Cooke State Park in northern Minnesota. Since this card is circa 1964, there probably have been some changes. The small pictures on the map show the Rivier Inn Shelter and Refectory, the Swinging Bridge, and the Oldenburg Point Overlook. The St. Louis River runs through the park.

The following information is from the back of the card:

Area 8,920.2 acres. Jay Cooke was established as a State Park in 1915 and it is the third largest state park in Minnesota. The terrain of the area is spectacular with rugged slopes from the shore of ancient Lake Duluth to the preseent river bed. The St. Louis River runs through a picturesque gorge of basaltic rock formations. The glacial drift which mantles portions of the rock is covered with mixed deciduous and coniferous plant life.

This is the time of the year for spectacular fall color. Here is the current Fall Color Report (September 29) from the DNR park website:

Where to go: With the warmer daytime temperatures, the trees are quickly turning color. There are lots of yellows in the basswoods, ashes and aspens, with more red or orange appearing throughout the park. This week-end should be great for fall color viewing.

What you'll see: Stop at the Swinging Bridge for some close-up views of the rapids. And take the short walk out to Oldenburg Point to see a panoramic view of the river valley.

If you can't get there in person, you can enjoy a 2010 fall drive through Jay Cooke State Park in this video.

Icelandic Stamps

Iceland is a European island country in the north Atlantic Ocean with a Norse heritage. From 1262 to 1918 Iceland was part of the Norwegian and later the Danish monarchies.

Iceland issues about 20 new stamps each year. These include Christmas and Europa issues, and sets depicting local scenery, flora, and fauna, as well as heritage and the works of local artists.

The above postcard is aimed at stamp collectors. The following is printed on the back (in three languages): "This card illustrates a selection of Icelandic stamps, which are of great variety. Their popularity among stamp-collectors is increasing." A variety of Icelandic stamps are illustrated on the postcard:

• Row 1
• National costume, 1965.
• Surtsey is a volcanic island formed in a volcanic eruption which began below sea level, and reached the surface on November 14, 1963.
• Geysir, 1947. The English word geyser (a spouting hot spring) derives from Geysir.
• Eagle, 1966.
• Row 2
• Akureyri, 1963.
• Map showing Reykjavík (capital and largest city) and Akureyri (in northern Iceland).
• Surtsey April 1964. The eruption lasted until June 5, 1967.
• Row 3
• Freedom from hunger, 1963. Fishing.
• Gyrfalcon, 1960.
• Gullfoss, 1956.Gulfoss is a waterfall located in southwest Iceland.
• The National Museum of Iceland, 1963.
• Row 4
• Flower, 1960.
• Ponys, 1958. The Icelandic horse is a breed of small horse developed in Iceland. It is the only breed of horse in Iceland.
• Row 5
• Bessastaðir, 1957. Bessastaðir is the official residence of the President of Iceland
• Iceland's Flag, 1958.
• Flying Swans, 1956. Identical design issued by five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

More Information on Icelandic Stamps:

Iceland Post
Postage stamps and postal history of Iceland
Stamp Catalog List

I am participating in Sunday Stamps at Viridian's Postcard Blog

Comical American Beauty Pinups

These postcards are from the "American Beauty Series" of 10 subjects made by Tichnor (note: some of the cards list Asheville Post Card Co. as the publisher, and some do not have any company name on the card). The ones featured here all have what I would call a come-hither look (an alluring or seductive look or glance, usually done by a woman). They are slightly risque, but basically good clean fun (especially the first one).

Apparently this type of card appealed to women as well as men, as indicated by the message on the first card. That card was sent from Tiger, Georgia in 1942.

Dear Kathy,
This is just for fun. "This," meaning the picture. I'm at my Grandma Wood's in Tiger, Ga. I'm having a good time.

See you soon,
Ruth Ann

The Sepia Saturday 94 image suggested so many topics that I had a hard time deciding what to use. I decided that one of the postcards I was considering was more appropriate for my Postcard Funnies blog. I called it Supporting a Woman and posted it there. It has two of the subjects popular on comic linen postcards: jackasses and fat people.

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Watkins Products, Winona, Minnesota

This impressive building is the Watkins Administration Building which was built in 1912 in Winona, Minnesota. The Watkins Company was founded in 1868 by Joseph Ray Watkins in Plainview, Minnesota. Their original liniment was made from camphor (extracted from evergreen trees) and capsicum (from red peppers). The company moved to Winona in 1885, and is still in business selling a variety of natural products.

On the back of the above postcard is a printed message addressed to "Good People" from"The Watkins Man" And Fredrikson. It announced that he would be calling soon and asked them to have a nice order ready for him. It concluded that it was "a pleassure to furnish these wonderful goods" to his customers.

The postcard below shows the Watkins exhibit at the New York World's Fair in 1964-1965. This exhibit was in the Minnesota Pavilion. The exterior of the Minnesota Pavilion is shown in the upper left corner of the card. This was an 80-foot high air-inflated dome made of two layers of plastic. It housed the state exhibit, industrial displays, and a restaurant. Lakes and a wildlife area were outside the main structure.

South Africa Stamps & Namibia

The postcard of a desert ghost town at Kolmanskop diamond Mine in Namibia was sent to me by a South African Postcrosser. The photo is ©1998 by Gerald Hoberman. The postcard has two Republic of South Africa stamps from the 2000 Flowers, Fishes, and Butterflies definitive series. These stamps picture the Coral Rockcod and the Karoo Violet.

Namibia was formerly known as South-West Africa and was administered by South Africa for much of the twentieth century. It became independent in 1990.

Below are two stamps from the South Africa definitive series of 1954. These are from my old stamp collection. At that time South Africa was the Union of South Africa. It became the Republic of South Africa in 1961.

More Information on South African Stamps:

Introduction to South Africa Philately

Exploring the Fascinating World of Stamps

South African Post Office

I am participating in Sunday Stamps at Viridian's Postcard Blog