The Polish Post celebrates its 465th anniversary with a jubilee issue of stamps featuring paintings by Andrzej Gosik
Paintings depicting balloons by artist Andrzej Gosik inspired the creation of philatelic publications commemorating the 465th anniversary of the Polish Post. The traditional stamps from the "In the Sky" issue will be available to collectors on October 18th of this year, heralding the upcoming release of the second edition of the Polish Cryptostamp collection.
The author of the stamp series is Roch Stefaniak, who created four unique designs using watercolors depicting surreal balloons painted by visual artist Andrzej Gosik. The watercolor paintings captivate with their unusual combinations of fairy-tale motifs, architecture, and ornaments.
The balloon paintings used in the stamp design are part of the artist's collection of several dozen watercolors. The full collection was presented in 2022 during an exhibition held at the Łańcut Castle-Museum, paying tribute to the novelist Jan Potocki – the first Pole to ascend in a balloon in 1790.
As a continuation of the traditional "In the Skies" issue, the Polish Cryptostamp 2.0 will be issued. Categories 1-4 will utilize the four aforementioned graphics by Andrzej Gosik. Category 5 will be designed using artificial intelligence . The Cryptostamp will soon be available for sale on Poczta Polska's official website , dedicated to digital publishing.
Anniversaries of the establishment of the Polish Post in philatelic versions
In 2018, to mark its 460th anniversary, Poczta Polska presented a postage stamp featuring the central part of a heliogravure based on Margaret Isabel Dicksee's painting "Swift and Stella" (1896), from the collection of the Museum of Post and Telecommunications in Wrocław. The block's binding depicts the text of the oath for postmen, which was included in the Instruction of July 1, 1777. The red background of the stripe features microprinted text about the history of postal services in Poland. To the right of the text are dry embossings depicting the Jagiellonian Eagle from the reign of King Sigismund Augustus and the current coat of arms of the Republic of Poland.
Five years earlier, the company had introduced a stamp symbolizing the long history of Poczta Polska (Polish Post) with a cut oak tree trunk. Its growth rings represented the centuries of development and modernization. The oak, as a symbol of strength and durability, reflected the company's philosophy of combining tradition with modernity. Along with the stamp's issuance, Poczta Polska also issued a first-day-of-use envelope, dated with an oak leaf. The envelope featured historical dates related to the development of postal services in Poland: from the establishment of the Royal Mail between the 16th and 18th centuries, through the introduction of the first Polish postage stamp, to the founding of Poczta Polska.
In 2008, the Polish Post issued a block of three stamps. Set against the backdrop of the historic panoramas of Kraków and Venice, the stamps featured images of King Sigismund Augustus, Prospero Provana, and Sebastiano Montelupi, who took over management of the Royal Post Office in 1564. The text of the privilege granted to Provana appeared on the stamp, alongside the king, as well as on the first day of issue envelope. An anniversary mark was embossed in the corner of the block. The stamps were accompanied by a commemorative date stamp in the form of the former Kraków post office seal. The stamp series was also issued on silk.
About stamps:
stamp designer: Roch Stefaniak
graphic designer: Andrzej Gosik
number of stamps: 4 in a block
value: PLN 3.90 each
circulation: 98,000 perforated blocks and 2,000 non-perforated blocks
printing technique: offset
stamp format: 39.5 x 51 mm
block format: 114.5 x 149 mm
paper: fluorescent
circulation date: October 18, 2023