A stamp commemorating the 138th anniversary of the birth of General Kazimierz Sosnkowski

The Polish Post has prepared a special philatelic issue titled "General Kazimierz Sosnkowski (1885–1969)." The stamp was introduced into circulation on November 19, 2023 – the 138th anniversary of his birth. The official presentation of the stamp took place on November 22 of this year at the Polish Post headquarters in Warsaw.

Kazimierz Sosnkowski was a Polish military commander and politician, an independence activist, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces from July 8, 1943. General Józef Piłsudski described him as " an open-minded, highly capable soldier, accustomed to measuring the state's strength in a wide variety of endeavors and to assessing phenomena of a non-military nature."

The stamp design features a black-and-white photograph of General Sosnkowski from the collection of Ms. Halina Babińska. General Sosnkowski is depicted in a British-style uniform with Polish buttons featuring a crowned eagle and Lieutenant General's insignia on the shoulder boards. Above the left pocket is the honorary pilot's badge (the so-called gapa), awarded to him by the Commander of the Polish Air Force, General Mateusz Iżycki, on May 26, 1944. Below are ribbons of Polish and foreign orders, decorations, and medals, and suspended from them is the Silver Cross of the Virtuti Militari, Class V. The uniform pocket also features the badge of the 1st Brigade of the Polish Legions, "For Faithful Service," which the then-Colonel Kazimierz Sosnkowski received from Józef Piłsudski on August 6, 1916. The left sleeve features the "Poland" patch worn by soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces under British command. Below is the embroidered insignia of the 2nd Polish Corps, in the form of a shield, featuring the Warsaw Mermaid on a red background.

For the occasion of the issue, the photograph of General Sosnkowski was specially colorized by Mirek Szponar. Along the right edge of the stamp are the inscription "POLSKA" and the name of the issue. The value is indicated in the upper right corner. The stamp was printed using offset printing on fluorescent paper, in a 39.5 mm x 31.25 mm format. The mintage is 144,000 pieces.

Interestingly, the stamp was printed in a special tête-bêche . This technique involves printing a pair of stamps with one turned upside down relative to the other. The colors of the "General Kazimierz Sosnkowski (1885–1969)" issue are blue, yellow, black, red, silver, and silver 2.

The issue is also accompanied by a First Day of Circulation (FDC) envelope with a date stamp. The FDC envelope features an eagle and the general's snake design, while the date stamp features the name of the issue and the general's snake design.

The issue was created in cooperation with the Military Historical Office.

About the stamp:
designer: Jarosław Ochendzan
number of stamps: 1
value: PLN 3.90
circulation: 144,000 pcs. in tête-bêche layout
printing technique: offset
stamp format: 39.5 x 31.25 mm
paper: fluorescent
sales sheet: 12 stamps in tête-bêche layout
date of circulation: November 19, 2023