The Inter-Governmental Philatelic Corporation, or IGPC, is a philatelic agency that represents over 70 different countries in the design, production, and marketing of postage stamps. It also assists postal administrations with the running of their postal services. IGPC claim to produce nearly half of the different postage stamps issued each year [1] but have been criticized for inappropriate and excessive issues. [2]
IGPC is a private business, not an international organisation. It is run for profit and countries using its services are customers, not members.
The IGPC was founded by businessman Dr. Manfred Lehmann (1922–1997). Lehmann had taken an interest in the development of newly independent countries in Africa and the Caribbean. [3] The IGPCs first country client was the newly independent Ghana (formerly the colony of Gold Coast) who in 1957 appointed them to help with the distribution of their stamps and the administration of their post offices. [4] The following year Togo became a client of IGPC and, later, Caribbean countries too. The fall of communism created more clients for IGPC and by the late 1980s IGPC had over 50 client countries. [4] A key development was obtaining the permission of the Disney company to use their cartoon characters on stamps during the 1979 International Year of the Child. [5] Disney themed stamps have since become an important part of the company's output.
The IGPC is particularly noted for the issue of stamps featuring popular thematic subjects, cartoon characters and individuals from sport and entertainment that have been criticized as having little connection with the culture or history of the issuing countries. The mass issue of stamps featuring images from American pop culture has even been called a form of cultural imperialism. [6]
Examples of inappropriate[ citation needed ] issues might be those from Tuvalu, a small group of Polynesian islands in the South Pacific and an IGPC client, whose stamps have featured the American artist Norman Rockwell and the Chinese New Year.
In their own words "The New York based philatelic agency was the first to engage in depicting high profile icons and recognized motifs on in order to assist its clients in releasing a new breed of postage stamps, which honor pop culture and sport heroes of the day including Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Pokémon, Popeye, John Lennon, the Walt Disney cartoon characters and classic motion pictures, Jackie Chan, Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, Major League Baseball, NFL Superbowl (sic), and the Sylvester Stallone 'Rocky' motion pictures to name just a few." [7]
IGPC has replied to charges of inappropriate issues by saying that "Pop culture stamps are only about 10 percent of what we do, even though they get most of the attention, insists Lonnie Ostrow, an I.G.P.C. spokesman. The rest are what we call 'definitives' -- the usual flags, flowers, fearless leaders and dead presidents." [2]
According to IGPC, they employ a research team of over 100 members, and use over 300 freelance stamp artists. IGPC state that they have "...a full-time staff of graphic designers and in-house artists who can create a stamp design literally overnight." [1]
IGPC has a program of sponsorship of philatelic events and postal services. Thematic stamp shows have been sponsored in the United States in support of one of IGPC's key markets and in 2007 the company provided 12 vehicles to the new Liberian post office. In 2006 IGPC had printed the first stamps of Liberia since the end of the civil war. [8]
Philately is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. While closely associated with stamp collecting and the study of postage, it is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps. For instance, the stamps being studied may be very rare or reside only in museums.
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage. Then the stamp is affixed to the face or address-side of any item of mail—an envelope or other postal cover —which they wish to send. The item is then processed by the postal system, where a postmark or cancellation mark—in modern usage indicating date and point of origin of mailing—is applied to the stamp and its left and right sides to prevent its reuse. Next the item is delivered to its addressee.
Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is an area of philately, which is the study of stamps. It has been one of the world's most popular hobbies since the late nineteenth century with the rapid growth of the postal service, as a stream of new stamps was produced by countries that sought to advertise their distinctiveness through their stamps.
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The Palestinian National Authority began in 1994 to issue stamps and operate postal services as authorized by the Oslo Accords.
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The postage stamps and postal history of Azerbaijan describes the history of postage stamps and postal systems in Azerbaijan, which closely follows the political history of Azerbaijan, from its incorporation to the Russian Empire in 1806, to its briefly obtained independence in 1918, which it lost to the Soviet Union in 1920 and re-acquired in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union.
In philately, an omnibus issue is an issue of stamps by several countries with a common subject and which may share a uniform design. Omnibus issues have often been made by countries under common political control or groups of colonies due to the close co-operation required to produce the issue. Omnibus issues are to be distinguished from joint issues which are usually much smaller in scope.
Richard "Rick" Marschall is an American writer, editor, and comic strip historian, described by Bostonia magazine as "America's foremost authority on pop culture." Marschall has served as an editor for both Marvel and Disney comics, plus several syndicates.
The first postage stamps of Bhutan were issued in 1962, the same year that the first motorable road was opened. Before that there was a mail delivery system in place for official mail using mail runners, and between 1955 and 1962 revenue stamps were accepted as payment for internal mail. With the opening up of Bhutan in the early 1960s, a formal postal system was introduced.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a former British colony in the Windward Islands, has produced stamps since 8 May 1861. The stamps featured either the British monarch’s head on them or the ER monogram and crown until around 1970. The stamps were printed with just "St. Vincent" until 1992 when the stamps began to print the full country name, "St. Vincent and the Grenadines".
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of the Netherlands.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Togo.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Liberia.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Sierra Leone.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Niger, a former French colony that obtained independence in 1960.
This is a survey of the postage stamps and postal history of Grenada.
Filateliya (Philately) or formerly Filateliya SSSR is a Russian central philatelic magazine. It first appeared in 1966 as the monthly bulletin Filateliya SSSR and was issued by the USSR Ministry of Communications. The magazine content includes the history and design of postage stamps, and other related themes.