Ukraine joins ranks of nations releasing Europa stamps (08/23/98)

INDEPENDENT UKRAINE: THE 7th ANNIVERSARY

Ukraine joins ranks of nations releasing Europa stamps

by Ingert Kuzych

Stamps with a Europa theme are popular around the world, not just in Europe. Many collectors enjoy going after Europa stamps to obtain a kind of yearly Europe sampling. The purpose of this article is to present a bit of background on Europa stamps and to alert collectors to the fact that a new Europa-issuing country, Ukraine, has emerged. Ukraine has released a very striking engraved first issue and, because of the small quantity printed, this release could become very scarce.

Official Europa issues began in 1956 with a joint stamp of the six European Common Market countries (Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands). These six countries continued to release a single joint issue annually until 1960, when other European countries joined in. Through 1973 most issues shared a common symbolic design emphasizing European unity. In 1974 various themes were depicted. The following year a common topic was agreed upon and that tradition has continued to the present.

Currently dozens of European countries, as well as some self-governing possessions (e.g., Great Britain's Isle of Man or Portugal's Azores), all issue very colorful Europa stamps, usually two or more annually. With the fall of communism (1989-1991) new East European countries became free to join the Europa stamps fraternity.

Last year's Europa theme of "History and Legends" was a popular one; various countries issued interesting and attractive stamps on these topics. The postal service of Ukraine decided its first venture into the annual Europa stamp release journey would be a memorable one; it prepared a two-stamp souvenir sheet that not only depicted scenes from a legendary tale, but also reproduced the entire legend in microprint along its margins. Although a few entities have released Europa souvenir sheets in the past, as far as I know, this is the first time so much text has ever appeared on an issue. The microprint in no way detracts from the fascinating design.

The tale that Ukrainian philatelic planners decided to illustrate is taken from the ancient manuscript "Povist Vremennykh Lit" (Tale of Bygone Years), depicting the legendary founding of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, some 1,500 years ago. From left to right, the two 40-kopiyka stamps, show the four personages credited with establishing the settlement: Kyi (after whom the city was named), Schek, Khoryv and their sister Lybid. According to legend, they were members of the Polianians, a Slavic tribe; the siblings, along with their followers, built the town on a wooded, hilly site overlooking the Dnipro River.

Kyi apparently was a popular and powerful ruler. At one point, according to the legend, he traveled down the Dnipro to Constantinople (Istanbul) to visit the Byzantine emperor, who "received him with great respect and honor." On his way homeward, Kyi noticed a site at the mouth of the Danube river that appealed to him and where he established another settlement. The local population, however, proved inhospitable, and Kyi and his kinfolk returned to Kyiv. Nonetheless, the town they left behind retained the name of Kyivets. After the deaths of the three brothers in Kyiv, their descendants assumed leadership of the Polianian tribe.

The border of the Ukrainian Europa souvenir sheet illustrates aspects of this tale. Along the top, on either side of the word "Kyiv," are various wooden buildings of the early town. Shown along the bottom are the sailing ships of Kyi's expedition to Byzantium. Along the sides, interspersed with intricate ancient motifs, is the story itself, written in Ukrainian. The Cyrillic microprint can be read quite easily with the aid of a simple magnifying glass.

The release of the 100mm x 80mm souvenir sheet was reportedly delayed due to a controversy over the luxurious attire in which the siblings were depicted; apparently, the style is of a later period. Nonetheless, the souvenir sheet was issued on May 6, 1997, in Kyiv. Prepared by the government printing office in Kyiv, the sheets were printed in four colors: lemon, yellow, slate-green and brown; only 300,000 copies of this extraordinary souvenir sheet were prepared.

Examining many dozens of these souvenir sheets, I have been able to consistently find a "smudge variety" of this issue. About half of the sheets that I have scrutinized show a small green smudge over the head and/or right shoulder of Khoryv on the right stamp.

Tiny smudge or no, this beautiful item will undoubtedly be much sought not only by Europa collectors but by anyone who appreciates superb graphic design. In my humble opinion, this souvenir sheet is the finest philatelic specimen Ukraine has released since it resumed issuing stamps in 1992 - a true masterpiece of graphic art.

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