STAMP ISSUES RELATED TO ICAO (1945-1977)

Costa Rica : United Nations Day

Issue date: 24/10/1961

Douglas DC‑6, earth globe and ICAO emblem. 

Specimen with diagonally overprinting of MUESTRA (meaning specimen).

Official First Day Covers of the eight stamps of this issue and one souvenir sheet.

Front and sample of back. 25,000 covers with the souvenir sheet were issued.

Registered First Day Covers issued by the Philatelic Club of San Jose de Costa Rica. Front and back.

Registered First Day Cover.

Registered First Day Cover (Front and Back) with violet cancel.

First Day Covers (K-PRINT design) showing, in the cachet, the names in French of the UN Organizations which were commemorated by the stamps and souvenir sheet of this issue: OACI (ICAO), BIRF (IBRD), ONU (UNO), OMM (WMO), FAO, UIT (ITU), OIT (ILO), OMS (WHO), UNESCO.

Background: The ICAO stamp is part of an issue of 8 airmail stamps and one imperforated souvenir sheet, with designs related to the UN, its Organizations and Agencies, i.e. FAO, WHO, ILO, ITU, WMO, UNESCO, ICAO, IBRD, and UNO (for the souvenir sheet).

Chronologically in the ICAO stamp collection, this is first appearance of the ICAO logo with the acronyms ICAO-OACI (as adopted by the 10^th Session of the Assembly, held in Caracas in June-July 1956 - Resolution A10-11); however, for this issue, the Organization’s acronyms were not written in the proper character set (see at the left-side the correct emblem).

History of the Philatelic Association of Costa Rica:

Emblem of the Sociedad Filatélica de Costa Rica

Emblem of the Asociación Filatélica de Costa Rica

The Asociación Filatélica de Costa Rica (AFCR, Philatelic Association of Costa Rica) is a non-profit institution, established on 1 November 1932. Through multiple activities, it has managed to channel many children, youth and adults, into the hobby and has organized numerous national and international philatelic exhibitions in Costa Rica with great success.

The "SOCIEDAD FILATÉLICA DE COSTA RICA" was created in 1932 by a group of enthusiastic stamp collectors and researchers of postal history, who adopted the emblem shown at the left with the date of its foundation: "1^o DE NOVEMBER DE 1932". Apparently, this emblem was not used officially until 1938, when for the first time it was displayed on a cover of Society. After that, it seems that it was used a few more times over the years; the Society declined until at the beginning of 1945 when it was refunded and renamed Asociación Filatélica de Costa Rica; the old emblem was adjusted accordingly (see middle picture) to show the new name of the Association and the date of “1^o NOV 1932 • 9 MARZO 1945”. Although the propeller and the Hermes icon were maintained, the cart wheel was replaced by a rose window. The legend “VELOX ET FIDELIS” in Latin means: “Quick and Faithful”. This emblem could be seen on the first day covers of this issue.

With colors, the emblem was reproduced on the issue of four stamps released on the occasion of the 4^th National Exhibition held in 1969. On that occasion only, the name of the AFCR was replaced with that of the exhibition (see at the right).