MEDIA RELEASE
Rare Treat for Singaporeans - SGD$1.5 million Olympic Games Stamp Collection On Display at Singapore Philatelic Museum
Exhibition kicks off series of events commemorating the 117th International Olympic Council (IOC) Session in Singapore
Singapore, 17 May - Do you know that without postage stamps, the modern Olympic Games might not have come into being? The sale of special stamps by the Greek postal service to commemorate the first of the “modern Games”, in Athens in 1896, helped fund the completion of the last four Olympic venues, thereby giving birth to the modern Olympics. This tradition of using postage stamps to fund the Games has continued. Today, stamp-collectors, athletes and Games officials, and fans of the Olympics all look forward to Olympic stamps each time the Games announces a new venue.
This unique story will be told at “Stamps & Olympics: An Intimate Relationship” exhibition, which will be open to the public for viewing at the Singapore Philatelic Museum from 18 May to 18 August 2005.
The Exhibition was officially launched by Mr Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Defence and President of the Singapore National Olympic Council today.
The exhibition traces the beginnings of stamps in the history of the modern Olympics, and how Olympic stamps issued by countries all over the world have become instruments to spread and develop the Olympic spirit. A highlight of the exhibition is a collection of rare Olympic philatelic items, such as error stamps and covers, on loan from the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The “gems” in this SGD$1.5 million collection, many of which are being displayed for the first time in Asia, include
- the first ever Olympic stamps created for the 1896 Athens Olympic Games by Greece . This set is worth about SGD $10,000;
a registered letter sent from Athens to Paris in 1897 using the highest known postal rate of the 1896 Athens Olympic stamps. This cover is worth about SGD $107,000;
the only known cover of the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games containing errors in the cancellations. The cover is worth about SGD $28,000.
In conjunction with the exhibition, Singapore Olympians including Syed Kader (boxing), Naomi Tan (sailing), Siew Shaw Her (sailing), C Kunalan (athletics), Oon Jin Gee (swimming), and Zarinah Abdullah (badminton) will meet primary and secondary school students in ‘Meet the Hall of Famers/Olympian Sessions’ to be held at the Singapore Philatelic Museum in May 2005 (Please refer to attached list for the dates.) The Museum hopes that the Olympians will inspire the students with stories of their accomplishments and experiences in their respective sports and about the Olympic spirit. Schools may contact Ms Lily Samuel at Tel: 6433-7347 / 6337-3888 to register for these sessions.
“Stamps & Olympics: An Intimate Relationship” is organised by the Singapore National Olympic Council and the Singapore Sports Council and is showcased at the Singapore Philatelic Museum.
In addition to the Exhibition, a special commemorative set of four postage stamps will be issued on 5th July 2005 to mark the opening of the IOC Session in Singapore.
Media Contact
Sheila Rasu Ronda Ng
Account Director Account Manager
Fulford Public Relations Fulford Public Relations
Phone: 6324 2269 Phone: 6324 5293
MP: 9828 7426 MP: 9152 2842
Email: srasu@fulfordpr.com Email: rng@fulfordpr.com
Jocelyn Lee
Assistant Manager, Public Communications & Education
Singapore Philatelic Museum
Phone: 6433-7332 / 6337-3888
Email: Jocelyn_Lee@nhb.gov.sg
Notes to Editors
Singapore Philatelic Museum is open on Mondays (1pm - 7pm) and from Tuesdays - Sundays (9am - 7pm).
Admission fees are S$3 for adults and S$2 for children (3 - 12 years). Located at 23-B Coleman Street, the Museum is a 10-minute walk from City Hall MRT Station and a 15-minute walk from Clarke Quay NEL Station. Tel: (65) 6337-3888; Web-site: http://www.spm.org.sg
For more information, please visit http://www.singapore2005ioc.org.sg/
Meet the Hall of Famers/Olympian Session
|
Olympian |
Sport |
Date |
AM/PM |
|
Syed Kader |
Boxing |
18 May |
9:30 a.m - 11.30a.m. |
|
Naomi Tan |
Sailing |
19 May 05 |
9:30 a.m - 11.30a.m. |
|
Siew Shaw Her |
Sailing |
20 May 05 |
9:30 a.m - 11.30a.m. |
|
C Kunalan |
Athletics |
24 May 05 |
2.00 p.m. - 4.00p.m. |
|
Oon Jin Gee |
Swimming |
25 May 05 |
9:30 a.m - 11.30a.m. |
|
Zarinah Abdullah |
Badminton |
26 May 05 |
2.00 p.m. - 4.00p.m. |
The programme includes; Introduction to Stamps, Guided tour of Stamps & Olympics: An Intimate Relationship exhibition, Talk by Olympian, Q&A Session and Autograph Session.
The session will last for approximately 1½ hours - 2 hours and is charged at $3 per student, no charge for teachers.
Teachers can call Lily at Tel: 6433-7347/6337-3888 to make their bookings.
FACTSHEET
“Stamps & Olympics: An Intimate Relationship”
18 May – 18 Aug 2005
Singapore Philatelic Museum
Birth of Olympic Philately
- Olympic stamps were first issued for the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.
- Proceeds from the sale of the stamps were used to fund the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. There would be no modern Olympic Games today if funds were not raised through stamps. Hence, postage stamps were the very first ‘sponsors’ of the Olympic Games. Since then, Olympic stamps have continued to generate revenue to the budget of Olympic Games and events.
- The issuance of the first Olympic stamps introduced the very first sports stamps in the world. Since the Athens 1896 stamps, more than 75,000 stamps bearing the sports theme have been issued worldwide. Of these, 10,000 were Olympic stamps.
- Postage stamps have since been issued for each Olympic Game by the host and participating countries. Olympic themes have grown increasingly popular, giving rise to Olympic Philately, which traces its roots to the 1896 Athens Games.
- As a theme, the Olympic Games has evolved into a unique theme for stamp collectors. Thousands of Olympic-sport collectors are organised worldwide in 31 chapters of the FIPO (International Federation of Olympic Philately) and 50 sport groups in the International Federation of Philately (FIP).
Exhibition Highlights: what to look out for
- First Olympic Stamps & Interesting Errors: Full set of the 1896 Athens Olympic stamps, the use of the stamps on covers, and errors in the stamps, including the most interesting error found on the 1896 Athens Olympics stamps; that is, missing perforations.
- Rare Postage Rate: A registered letter sent from Athens to Paris in 1897 using the highest known postal rate of the 1896 Athens Olympic stamps.
- Unissued Original designs: Turkish Olympic stamps for the 1896 Athens Games stamps were not issued because of Turkey’s decision not to participate in the Games.
- Interesting Errors: The only known cover of the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games containing errors in the cancellations. The most obvious being the wrong year; 1911 instead of 1912.
- Interesting Proofs: Two interesting USA proofs from 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games featuring the discus thrower and a runner respectively. The design of the latter was not accepted.
- Greatest Olympic Rarities: Two sets of the most expensive imperforated block of four 1936 Berlin Olympic Games stamps, known to be the greatest Olympic rarities.