The Johann Sebastian Bach
Stamps in the World
The 2012 Bach stamp of Ivory Coast, a state in Africa: it is one of our favorite stamps regarding the theme of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Without more ballyhoo you get to the first Bach stamp here, and that is a Bach stamp from Canada plus more from America, mostly from the Caribbean, from Central America and from South America.
A Johann Sebastian Bach Stamp Video?
Indeed, a video about Bach stamps? Yup, you will find such a thing on this website only. Plus, promise: it's really not meant and made for stamp collectors. It's just for fun produced for Bach fans only. However, I am just pretending here: you never saw a stamp collection put together like this.
150 Johann Sebastian Bach Stamps
Bach stamp beside Bach stamp. My second promise: nowhere else on the internet you'll find more Johann Sebastian Bach stamps including Bach cinderellas.
There are some 150 postage stamps in the world which show Johann Sebastian Bach, one of his works or have to do with him in the broadest sense. Two stamps show his son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. The first Bach stamp was issued in Germany in the year 1927. The latest Bach stamp dates from the year 2013. Here you find them all, not in alphabetical order, not listed by the day of release, not at all in any order – after all, we are no stamp collectors. It's not only a challenge to find and get one after another, the biggest problem first was, to put together a list of all Bach stamps as a basis. With much effort, we succeeded finally to find a publication regarding the theme of Bach stamps. The German Paul Gomon is the one author. However, this booklet isn't up-to-date anymore so all Bach stamps since 2003 are missing. And it goes without saying, you find stamp by stamp from a real music scientist – that is what Paul Gomon is at the Bach city of Leipzig – only if they are true, genuine stamps. That is not the case on this website. It's different in this Bach stamp chapter. Here cinderellas are welcome and those Bach stamps, which are not this nor that.
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Tadaaaaaaa – The Latest "Secret" Johann Sebastian Bach Stamp Which We Found
It's a beauty from the Netherlands, issued in 2009 which we are very proud of: the latest stamp we found mentioning two words of one of Johann Sebastian Bach's works. Right here is the place were we constantly change the Bach stamp, whenever we find a new one.
More Bach Stamps Anywhere than Here? There Is Probably no Such Place!
Meanwhile it is complete. And on this website you find them all. Every stamp, that was ever issued related to the theme of Johann Sebastian Bach. No matter, where on the earth. Whether it is an island with nobody living there for 52 years in Scotland, or whether it is a stamp that "only" honors Bach but doesn't show the musician – we hunted it. All of them. You can enjoy them here. Whether it's the most well-known portrait of Bach, which is the painting of Haussmann on a German stamp, or whether a stamp shows the portrait of Bach and that stamp is shown on a next stamp (...so it's a stamp shown on a stamp), like the one issued by San Marino: no stamp is missing. And it is sure: is there anywhere in the world a next one: we will show you this new stamp shortly after its appearance here on this website. Because just for fun and ambition we want to be and remain front-runners in this border area of our colorful Bach project. With a heartily smile in my face: we are number 1 in the world in the matter of Johann Sebastian Bach stamps - and we want to remain that in the future. So: if you find a Bach stamp, which is not listed here, please mail us or write us, send us a photo and we say thank you with a surprise. But – a promise – it's no Bach stamp! This offer starts not earlier than in the fall 2015, when our website will finally be accomplished.
You read enough? You want to see the first Bach stamp now? Here you get there directly, via express so to speak, to keep talking in postal language. However the click here leads you to the first stamp of the African section. May be you better prefer the navigation in the middle.
About Fake Johann Sebastian Bach Stamps + Learn More About Cinderellas
Invited into this stamp collection are as well sticky little pieces of paper, which are no stamps at all and which bother real stamp collectors. Some call them Cinderellas, although specialists state that more and different collector's items are called cinderellas. Whatever. What are these things after all? It is printed paper. Just printed paper! Not issued by a postal agency, not valid to be put on a letter. They are – no stamps. But they are – at least a big portion of them – just beautiful. Many of these cinderellas are works of art. Between those real stamps and these Cinderellas, there is a third category of little pictures: these are the stamps from states like in Africa, but more states are issuers. They are mainly printed for stamp collectors in the whole world. Many collectors call them stamps, some do not - at least they are legal. Now you may argue, whether a stamp actually is no stamp when it's not issued to prepay a letter, but just for the reason, that Bach fans like you and I just "have to have" them. As the collection would not be complete without them. However – it's my opinion it's just not fair, to judge the behavior of those poor states, who make some money with this. If these stamps are issued unofficially and have just the name of a state on it, they are illegal. Whether it's the correct name or a name with a close spelling, doesn't matter. It is supposed to look like this little piece of paper was issued as an official stamp of this country. This is the category of stamps, that "real collectors", but even more juries of stamp competitions reject strictly. Isn't it funny what you learn on a page about Johann Sebastian Bach? I was very much helped by the Motivgruppe Musik, which is "Motiv Group Music", and I am very thankful for the help I got there. Dear fellow collectors provided me with stamp know how and what came out with that, is what you can discover on this website.
Enough is enough – you want to see the stamps now? Click here and you start with the stamps of Europe in this case. First European stamp – so to speak – is the Johann Sebastian Bach stamp from Cypress, from the Greek part of Cypress.
Too Much of a Good Thing
But even with cinderellas, or if you like that better with printed paper, there is a "pain barrier" even for the most persistent Bach stamp collectors. If it is just an ugly print, an uninspired content plus somewhere the name of Bach, like on one stamp from ( ... I don't tell the country here), on envelopes from a country from ... or a pseudo postal letter from somewhere – than these postage stamps are not allowed to show up here. However, private stamp issuers, who very rarely issue stamps related to Bach, are allowed here as they are accepted among these philatelist societies all over the world. But they don't like to see them among "real" postage stamps, and that is absolutely true for stamp competitions, and how it is mentioned in the statutes in contests, they are supposed to be replaced by real stamps, which were designed to be glued on a letter or postcard for so-called postal purposes. In this mess of guidelines, this means for our collection: cinderellas are ok, print on paper as well - but it has to be nice and produced expensively – that is what it should be.
Now, let's go to the first one? The click here first gets you to Africa. There everything starts with the stamp from Madagascar. However, look at this exemplary very closely.
The World of Bach on Stamps
My manual for you for your adventure "Bach stamps": if you already discovered a few ( ... do you start to read the end in books as well?), then you might have figured out: they are the same size. Or, one stamp or another really seems to be too large. Some of them were, for sure, that is what you know for sure because you licked some of them during your life. However, that is only true for Germans plus for those who are not too young. For them, it might be interesting, that back then there was a time when stamps haven't been self-adhesive.
We had a dilemma and I enforced it against my wife Renate. It was either possible to put all stamps on the page true to scale – or not to do so. However, I wanted to be consequent at all costs. But finally, this is a fun website. That is to say always the opposite of dust-dry. And so, coming with every stamp it is all about the nice design. And that is what we want – stamp by stamp – present them to perfection. In any case, would we have decided for a true to scale display, the largest stamp respectively the largest stamp sheet would have decided for the proportion. Because the smallest Bach stamp is as little as a US 25 cent coin, but the largest block as large as a full letter page, I would have to display many, many stamps as really tiny, tiny pics. That is – what I didn't want.
If you, as a Bach fan are a connoisseur too, then you click on one of the stamps anyway and after that, you click on Flickr. There you may discover them. There you can be impressed by a high solution. There you get a stamp larger than your screen is in front you now. Much is only possible to experience only in this size. The whole "artwork stamp" is only to experience in that size. We projected all stamps with a video projector on a wall: that actually is a perfect size. With this, your amazement won't stop anymore.
How are they arranged? In alphabetical order? In the order of the year, when they were released? According to their value? Nothing of those. We do a trip around the world. And we start this trip in America and we finish the tour, very modest, in Germany. A trip around the planet on stamps – so to speak.
So, not in alphabetical order. But as a trip around the world. How come? Just because I would love to show the Bach stamps from San Marino right next to the Bach stamps from Italy. And those from the Congo next to those from Guinea-Bissau. The prettiest from the Maldives next to the one from Mexico is what I find silly. And now there is the following luxury problem: the itinerary! An all countries aren't located like a pearl necklace on one imaginary line. For that reason, the trip has to drift to the north once, and to the south another time, until we are on our way back west to the next continent. It's extremely exciting, when we approach the Asian area together, as there the countries even overlap "in the width". And please: don't lynch me, if I put some Bach stamps in the European states in the wrong perceived position. Even Wikipedia makes a difference putting one state here or there if it's about geographic reason, historic, ethnic, linguistic, cultural or political. My classification is disputable if it's about Russia or the former USSR. However, you probably excuse that. As this corner of my website is not about geography – but it's about Bach stamps in this world. Have fun experiencing them.
One postscript: one nice person, whose expertise I value, told me that Russia is Europe, so I decided, to list Russia twice – for the same reason I told above. 90 % of the Russian landmass is Asia. The capital and the biggest percentage of the population, however, is Europe. With Russia here plus there, I hope everybody is happy.
Johann Sebastian Bach Stamps in a Resolution You Have Never Seen Before
You may discover any Johann Sebastian Bach stamp in high resolution on Flickr. So, if you are a stamp lover, or you are a Bach fan or even a Bach enthusiast than you are able to experience this Bach stamp even more detailed. And what are you waiting for now? Just click yourself here to a sample.
Does It Pay Off? A Flickr Sample and More
A little manual for you. So you won't leave frustrated. If you are familiar with my thoughts disregard this paragraph, please. Get back to the top of the page here, look left and decide for the continent you want to start to discover the Johann Sebastian Bach stamps of the world. On this first page, there are some hints every now and then. The highlights to tell, but these four pages are mainly to overview the Bach stamps.
With a click on the stamp, you get entrance to more information. Both on the stamp and on the country that issued the Bach stamp. If you like, you learn where the country is located, if it's too silly like Canada for you Americans or Austria for my fellow citizens, disregard the map, spend more time to explore the Bach stamp. But if you don't know where Ivory Coast is located, the Comoros or Guyana, like I did, feel free to check. If you are even more interested before you decide to emigrate, check on the fast facts delivered on this page. If you are convinced to burn your bridges behind you, first click on the links to the country information provided.
If all that is pure flapdoodle and you want more and better stamp fun: click on the Johann Sebastian Bach stamp and you will be escorted to Flickr, a picture portal which opens up the possibility to explore each Johann Sebastian Bach stamp in an unbelievable high resolution. It takes a second but it pays off absolutely: with a left click you decide for "your" resolution and my promise is: what you see is awesome and you have never before seen a stamp like this. Size, quality, color. If you liked the stamp here, you will love it on Flickr.
For Our Riddle Friends: the Riddle Fun On the Bach Stamp Page
Some stamps are just beautiful. Others accumulate questions. Questions related to the why. Questions related to where to. Questions, which are almost not to answer without special knowledge. But special knowledge is not my cup of tea. But it's the case from music scientists and author Paul Gomon. Without him, the world wouldn't even know of some Johann Sebastian Bach stamps. And there are some riddles coming with the stamps in the sections America, Asia, Africa and Europe, respectively related to some of the stamps. The pages which later provide more information both on the stamp and on the country tell, what the riddle is all about.
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Johann Sebastian Bach – But Where on the Stamp: We Proudly Present Our Top 10 Favorite Bach Stamps
Before you have a look at the complete collection of all stamps related to Johann Sebastian Bach or one of his works, we would love to show you our favorites. Each stamp in "it's league" comes with a little story or the Bach stamp is very special. However, the list of our ten favorite Bach stamps is very incoherently. Just for fun, just for your entertainment, and last but not least it's as well fun for us. Here you will find the prettiest, the most exotic, the most hidden, one with a really likable error - after all you are free to have a very different opinion. Here, on "Bach on Bach" it's even fun.
This Johann Sebastian Bach stamp is a very special one! I would have never ever found it on my own. How could I? All sources were contacted, no hint to this "escapee" nowhere. But then Ludwig Knoechel found us. And he told us: these two words (... jauchzet, frohlocked, which is "crow, rejoice") on the stamp from the Netherlands show up in the "Christmas Oratorio" of Johann Sebastian Bach. Thank you, Mr. Knoechel.
This is the most adorable among the 150 stamps related to the theme of Johann Sebastian Bach: the artist was so excited by our Thomas Cantor, that he called the whole city, where JSB was actually born, the city of Eisenach with an additional "b" according to the composer's name.
More exotic is almost not possible: and that is because in China a whole different kind of music is cool in the broader population. But more and more Chinese are interested in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. And they do well - that's the reason we decided for this Johann Sebastian Bach stamp in the top 10. By the way: nothing is hidden here.
Why of all things is this a Johann Sebastian Bach stamp? It's the reason this one is so exciting. A hint: you will find the answer in the Asian section or – very fast – with a click on the stamp above.
I know – I already displayed this Johann Sebastian Bach stamp. On top of this page. Anyway: this one of the kingliest and most beautiful. That is why it's here ... again.
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Bach busts and pipe organ calendars. For instance.
What a Johann Sebastian Bach stamp from Guinea-Bissau. By the way: no state on earth has issued so many impressing and gorgeous Bach stamps on average like this state in Africa.
This – is really exciting: Johann Sebastian Bach plus some "more good stuff" related to the term of Germany. United on one stamp. That is why Guinea-Bissau is the only state twice in our Top 10.
Enjoy this beauty of a stamp related to the theme of Johann Sebastian Bach in a high resolution via Flickr. Then you know, why it's permitted to be among the "Top 10" here.
A stamp issued on the "day of the stamps". And which stamp is permitted on this stamp? Correct, it is the stamp showing Johann Sebastian Bach. And you really should experience that yellow one in a high resolution, it's a work of art alone.
Special? And why is that so? Because you have to write Bach this way, so when Albanians read it, it sounds like it is supposed to be pronounced in German. Smartish, smartish – these Albanians. They told me so, when I made telephone calls to Albania to check it out: the stamp related to the theme of Johann Sebastian Bach from Albania.
The Johann Sebastian Bach Stamp from the island of Eynhallow in Scotland: this stamp just has to be here in the Top 10. The last resident left this island some 52 years ago and that is why all of us are smiling now! Am I right? Yes, I am right.
The youngest "piece of beauty" has made it directly into the category "best of the best". The reason is, because it's just cool and the design is so different. Congratulations to Togo! By the way, did you do the math? Yup, there are 12 Johann Sebastian Bach stamps in my Top 10 ... ...this... ...is me.
My Bach Stamps – a Big Thank You² to Paul Gomon and to Aryeh Oron
If you finally made it to this point you didn't give up in between, so to speak. Great. Then I don't want to forget to mention, that I wouldn't have succeeded without the help of two Bach lovers, better two Bach stamp lovers as well. The most of those you have seen and you will see in the categories. Firstly this is the Bach music scientist Paul Gomon, who lives in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany and published a small book about Bach stamps in 2003, called "J. S. Bach on Stamps" and was released by the Schubert Verlag. For me it was a perfect basis, to organize generally, which Johann Sebastian Bach stamps exist in the world and until which years they were listed perfectly.
The second person was Aryeh Oron in Israel. His website regarding Bach is legendary and it is and will remain the most detailed English website regarding Johann Sebastian Bach in the world forever. At the beginning of our love for stamps, his list was the ideal source, especially for the Bach stamps issued in the last years. Very exciting was the comparison of both sources. That is, which stamps were listed in one publication but were missing in the other. And vice versa. I had a cordial communication with Paul Gomon and his help and support with the hunt to complete my collection was very much appreciated. Regarding Aryeh Oron we meanwhile even were able to return the favor - how else but with Johann Sebastian Bach stamps? Meanwhile, his collection contains some 30 positions, which we found and scanned in the highest resolution and mailed him for his website. While Aryeh Oron does not possess all of the Johann Sebastian Bach stamps he displays, it's different with me. We hunted for every single Bach stamp ad for every single Bach block. A big help was the Motivgruppe Musik, the "motive group music", a small but fine community of stamp collectors, who specialize with only in motive stamps, but beyond that in music stamps only. I made acquaintance with some dear collectors. I received much help, very lovable correspondence started and so the way was exciting and the target worth it. Today we managed to accomplish: we are the only folks that possess the complete collection of Bach stamps worldwide.
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If You Can't Get Enough of Johann Sebastian Bach Stamps
If you had much fun reading until this point and you haven't escaped to the left into the navigation and to the little sticky attractions on paper than I have something special for you left. A section of the "Making of" so to speak. A view behind the scenes. I am inviting you to participate in the fun, which we had for weeks and months when finally one after another stamp related to Johann Sebastian Bach came in from the whole world. I put together the most exciting envelopes here for you. The senders are garbled in the important sections of course. Have fun with your little "tour behind the scenes".
Each of the Johann Sebastian Bach stamps sent to us, had to pass customs. There is no way around.
Actually there is no stamp related to the theme of Johann Sebastian Bach from Uruguay – but for us, as you are able to see – there was one (...inside).
Johann Sebastian Bach stamps from Egypt and custom wasn't interested in opening....
...and Johann Sebastian Bach stamps from Egypt again. Custom was interested too. Maybe their interest is related to the density of the stamps on the envelope?
From Argentina: Argentina hasn't issued stamps with Johann Seabstian Bach yet. But one resident was sorry for that and sent me his stamps. Thank you to South America.
Johann Sebastian Bach stamps from the nation of my dreams. Pleasure about a letter from the United States of America.
Plus one more envelope for stamps from the USA. Americans are excited on a similar level about Johann Sebastian Bach like in "Good Old Germany".
The two exotics over these lines and below are the two pieces of jewelry in my collection. Nope, not in the collection of Johann Sebastian Bach stamps, but in the collection of envelops from the whole world, that arrived with Bach stamps here.
That is how getting stamps from China is fun: on the envelope joy about the exotic. Inside joy about Johann Sebastian Bach stamps.
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