Wednesday, January 27, 2010

UST on stamps

The first University of Santo Tomas stamps were issued in 1956 to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the institution, which was founded on April 28, 1611. So the stamps came out five years early. A veteran dealer explained that a UST rector, an avid philatelist, could not wait till 1961 and wanted to see a set of stamps for the University.

 The 1956 UST set is beautiful. They are engraved.

Then in 1971 another UST set was printed, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy.

  1971 set

1971 UST set on First Day Cover

The UST Colleges of Education and Science both celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1976, when another commemorative set was issued. I remember going to the Main Building (I was a Mechanical Engineering student then) and buying some sets which my meager allowance could afford.

1976 set

In 1988, the UST Graduate School celebrated it's 50th anniversary and the Bureau of Post issue this single in sheets of 100 and mini sheet of 6.

1988 UST Graduate School mini sheet

This month, January 2011, a Block-of-4 set and a souvenir sheet were printed to commemorate  UST's 400 anniversary.

2011 B/4 set and Souvenir Sheet

First Day Cover set

 
 

Monday, January 25, 2010

Billion eyes

 
 The dewdrops of nature, like billions of eyes, each looks at the same world, but none in exactly the same way. We appear in nature in the same manner, different to every beholder. 
-- William the Henry