U.N. Postal Administration marks its 70th anniversary

By Denise McCarty

The United Nations Postal Administration will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its New York City office on a pane of 10 $1.20 stamps and se-tenant labels to be issued April 30.

The pane combines stamp-on-stamp designs with black-and-white photographs on the labels. The photos show activities at the UNPA’s New York office, including the signing of a postal agreement with the United States on March 28, 1951; design committee meetings; and a philatelic exhibit.

The UNPA issued its first stamps on United Nations Day, Oct. 24, 1951 (Scott 1-11), and two stamps released on that day are featured on the pane.

The stamp-on-stamp design on the second stamp in the column on the right shows the 1951 5¢ stamp commemorating UNICEF (Scott 5), and below it is a stamp-on-stamp design of the 1¢ Peoples of the World stamp (1).

Also illustrated on stamps in the column on the right are the 1989 25¢ commemorative honoring the awarding of the 1988 Nobel Peace Prize to the U.N. Peacekeeping Forces (Scott 548) on the first stamp, the 1979 15¢ Year of the Child (310) on the fourth stamp, and the 1966 15¢ U.N. Peacekeeping Observers (160) on the bottom stamp.

The column on the left begins with a stamp-on-stamp design of a 5¢ stamp showing a bronze image of Justice (Scott 171). This stamp is denominated in Canadian currency, however, not U.S. currency. It was part of a set of five issued April 28, 1967, valid for use at the U.N. pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (170-174).

Pictured next is the 37¢ Disarmament stamp issued Oct. 14, 2004 (Scott 273), followed by two stamps of the 1970s: the 1976 4¢ showing people of all races (Scott 268) and the 1974 2¢ Dove and U.N. Emblem definitive (137).

The final stamp-on-stamp design on the left pictures the 1955 4¢ commemorative for the 10th anniversary of the United Nations (Scott 36).

In addition to the stamp-on-stamp design, each of the new $1.20 stamps includes the text “Celebrating 70 Years” at the top, the denomination at bottom left and “2021” and “UN” at bottom right.

The UNPA calls this pane of 10 stamps and labels a “special event sheet.” Shown on the left side is a photograph of the U.N. General Assembly Hall with the U.N. logo and a symbolic globe with a montage of images from U.N. stamps superimposed on it.

Sergio Baradat of the United States designed the stamp pane.

For ordering information, visit the UNPA website; email unpanyinquiries@un.org; or write to UNPA, Box 5900, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-5900.

The UNPA explains in a notice on its website that while orders may be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is committed to filling them as soon as possible.

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