Records - Curiosities - Errors
Records
The oldest postal document:
United States – private stationery – 16.07.1880
The first postage stamp:
German Empire – local mail Frankfurt, CIRCULAR POST - 20.08.1887
The first postage stamp depicting a female cyclist:
China - 1st National Sports Meeting - 28.12.1959
The most expensive postage stamp:
Australia - CYCLE MAIL LAKE LEFROY - 01.02.1897
The most expensive First Day Cover / FDC:
Germany - American and British occupied zone -15.05.1949
Race across Germany – Quer durch Deutschland
The rarest stamps:
Netherlands - BOODSCHAPPENDIENST HAAXMAN - 01.01.1918
Argentina - Mensageros Flory - 01.01.1901
The biggest item:
Federal Republic of Germany - personalized stationeries (Wertmarke Eigenwerbung)
calendar with 36 prepaid postcards of FC DEUTSCHE POST - 01.12.2015
The most mysterious stamp:
India? - approx. 1950?
more examples
The fastest bicycles:
Gambia - Easy Racers Gold Rush Recumbent Bicycle - 68 mph in 1986 - 01.11.1988
Chad - Sam Whittingham 83 mph (133.36 km/h) in 2009 - 30.09.2013
The Stamperija / Stampera designer wasn't having a good day when creating the above sheet: how many mistakes do you find?
There are at least four! A record in itself!
Furthest man powered distance flight:
Uganda - 37.3 miles by Glenn Tremml on the EAGLE 1987 - 14.08.1987
World record in endurance cycling:
Paraguay - Don Lorenzo Prieto 30 days and 30 nights on his bike -
an unbeatable record - at least for the past 50 years (2015) - 24.04.2015
The best secured bike:
Switzerland - WebStamp - Zürich Insurance - 2022
Largest number of persons on a single bike:
Netherlands – personalized stamp, 6 persons - approx. 2014
Postal stationery with the largest number of cyclists:
Ireland - Dublin, O Connell Street, 1945 - 15.03.1988
Stamp with the largest number of bicycles:
Netherlands, personalized - try to count them - 17.11.2012
Record in the production of bicycle hubs:
German Federal Republic - meter stamp - 250 million hubs produced by Fichtel & Sachs, Schweinfurt - 04.05.1976
Largest sheet in bicycle shape:
Switzerland - anniversary of the invention of the bicycle by Karl von Drais, sheet size: 29.4x17.4 cm² - 02.03.2017
The smallest bicycle stamp:
Umm-al-Qiwain - Olympic Games Munich, K. Knudsen, Norway
Size: 2.3 x 1.8 cm² - 11.12.1972
Stamp - probably showing the most overloaded tricycle:
Netherlands - personalized - approx. 2009
Stamp showing the creator of the largest rideable bicycle:
Austria, personalized stamp - Didi Senft, the Devil or El Diabolo - 18.06.2011
Curiosities
The story of Leonardo Da Vinci:
Cuba - Bicycle history, Leonardo Da Vinci, 15th century - 14.04.1993
Codex Atlanticus was examined in 1961. Two circles crossed by wavy lines were sighted – but definitely not a bicycle.
Seed sheet:
Singapore - Our City In A Garden, protect your collection from moisture - otherwise it grows in its own way - 13.07.2013
Color change by rising temperature:
Hong Kong - Sports in Hong Kong - 23.04.2015
First-ever thermochromically printed stamp
Try to find the word "Peddalunpuffen".
United Kingdom - LAERNU Cinderella - approx. 2005
Didn’t you find "Peddalunpuffen"? No - here you go.
Hiding cyclist – on the backside:
Norfolk Island - 50th Anniversary Boy Scouts - 22.08.1978
Errors
Wrong date:
Cuba - „1813“ instead of „1817“ - 14.04.1993 RE12045
Wrong language:
Switzerland – German word „Jahre“ instead of „Years“ on the English tab – 06.05.2021
Incorrect spelling:
United Kingdom, Cinderella – „iocl“ instead of „incl“ - 25.02.1994
German Federal Republic – CITIPOST (modern private mail) -
„Fahrradfarbik“ instead of „Fahrradfabrik“ (bicycle factory) - 01.01.2020
Bulgaria - “Tefegrafo” instead of “Telegrafo” - 19.09.2019
Netherlands, personalized - “trance” instead of “france” - 2010
Chad - Eddy Merckx, coureur du siècle par l'UCI - "Mercks" instead of "Merckx" - 30.09.2013
United States - strike mail - “Fransisco” instead of “Francisco” - 06.07.1894
Discrepancy:
Argentina, private stationery - front wheel of the Peugeot bicycle seems to turn backwards - 21.07.1928
Missing stage town Pilsen:
German Democratic Republic - tour route of the 10th Peace Race - 30.04.1957
For details see Bicycle Stamps - no. 1, page 45 by Douglas Marchant
AR