U.N. sheet for Melbourne exhibition features Australian animals

By Denise McCarty 

Animals of Australia are pictured on three stamps in a new souvenir sheet from the United Nations Postal Administration.

The UNPA issued this event souvenir sheet March 30, the opening day of the Melbourne 2017 FIAP (Federation of Inter-Asian Philately) stamp exhibition.

Also called the 34th Asian international stamp exhibition, this show ran through April 2 in Melbourne, Australia.

The stamps in the sheet are denominated in three currencies: United States dollars for the post office at U.N. headquarters in New York City; Swiss francs for the post office at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland; and euros for the post office at the Vienna International Center in Vienna, Austria.

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Two of the stamps show photographs of Australian marsupials, the koala on the $1.15 stamp, and a kangaroo on the 2fr stamp.

The 1.70 stamp depicts an emu, Australia’s largest bird and the second largest bird in the world. Emus can reach a little more than 6 feet in height, while ostriches can grow as tall as 9 feet.

The selvage of the sheet features a photograph of one of Australia’s most famous natural landmarks, Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock. This sandstone monolith rises more than 1,100 feet above the surrounding plain.

The selvage also includes a stylized map of Australia, the emblems of the exhibition and the United Nations, and an inscription about the show.

Lindsey Thoeng of the United Nations designed the sheet. The UNPA reports that it was printed in a quantity of 25,000 sheets.

This is the third event souvenir sheet from UNPA with three stamps in three different currencies. The first two were issued in 2016 for the 32nd and 33rd Asian international stamp exhibitions held Aug. 10-15 in Bangkok, Thailand, and Dec. 2-6 in Nanning, China.

For ordering information,­ visit the UN's stamp website; email UNPA; telephone 800-234-8672; fax 212-963-9854; or write to UNPA, Box 5900, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-5900.