Theme Specific Stamps - Great Tennis Players

The game of tennis is perhaps the most liked sport after football around the world. Each year tennis is watched whenever or wherever it is played by a vast majority of sports spectators and fans.

The major tennis events are the four Grand Slam tournaments: The Australian Open, the French Open, also called Roland Garros, the Wimbledon and the US Open. In between these four tournaments which are spread all over the year, there are many smaller events that act as a chain to connect one Grand Slam to another. 

Over a period of time, the game of tennis has produced some of the most honoured and remembered players that cling to the memories of the tennis lovers all over the world. When I first got exposed to tennis and started playing it in the 70s, names like Rod Laver, Ilie Năstase, John Newcombe, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Stan Smith were in the air. The names like Jimmy Connors, who along with Chris Everet made headlines when the duo won the Wimbledon. Later names like Andre Agassi, Pete Sampress, Boris Becker and many others got added. Now names like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Roddick, Andy Murray and others are on the top table positions.

On the women side great names like Margaret Court, Tracy Austin, Virginia Wade, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf,  and now names like Azarenka, Sharapova, Serena Williams, Na Li are on everyone's list. 

To honour these great players, many countries have published postage stamps bearing the portraits of some of these players and am sharing some of these stamps from countries across the globe:

If you have some stamps related to tennis, do share with me so I could add these here to make the list more comprehensive - worthy of honour the great tennis players of history so rightly deserve.

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Theme Specific Stamps - Al Aqsa Mosque

[ via Hobby Shobbys ]

Al-Aqsa Mosque - "the Farthest Mosque", is the third holiest site in Sunni Islam and is located in the Old City of Jerusalem. The site on which the silver domed mosque sits, along with the Dome of the Rock, also referred to as al-Haram ash-Sharif or "Noble Sanctuary," is the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, the place where the Temple is generally accepted to have stood. 

Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad (MPBUH) was transported from the Khana-e-Ka'aba, the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, to al-Aqsa during the Night Journey. Islamic tradition holds that Prophet Muhammad (MPBUH) led prayers towards this site until the seventeenth month after the emigration, when God directed Him to turn towards the Ka'aba.

The Al Aqsa Mosque thus reserves a very high esteemed place in the hearts of all Muslims of the world and many countries have issued commemorative stamps bearing the photograph of this ancient historical mosque. Some of the stamps are given below:

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research Reference: Wikipedia

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Theme Specific Stamps: Nelson Mandela of South Africa

The name of Nelson Mandela will go down in history for he is a living legend which stood against the apartheid rule and finally won over independence for his native country South Africa. He spent 27 long years of his youth in most notorious prisons of South Africa, was tortured, put in solitary confinement and made to do hard labour like criminals. But his determination never waned and everyday he started his life in slavery with a renewed resolve to rid his fellow countrymen from the yoke of slavery one day.

That big day did come in his life and he stood tall above his previous masters with no vengeance, but with humility and love for everyone that lives in South Africa. 

While he was honoured and crowned with many laurels and awards, including the 1993 Nobel Prize fro Peae, which he shared with Frederik Willem de Klerk, many countries have issued commemorative stamps bearing his portrait to salute his efforts for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa. Herein under are some of these stamps:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[via Hobby Shobbys]

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Postage Stamps of Men of Silver Screen

Shared from: Hobby Shobbys

The celebrities of the silver screen has always fascinated people wanting entertainment and fun. The film makers of Hollywood have a special place in introducing actors of highest repute and recognition - something that has been acknowledged by various countries by issuing postage stamps commemorating some of the big names of the silver screen. 

Herein under is a selection of commemorative stamps from around the world. All these stamps appear in alphabetical order. No names however been written as each face is a famous and familiar face for most of the movie goers around the world.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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