(MENAFN- The Peninsula) joelyn baluyut |
The Peninsula
Some people might be surprised to learn that there are actual horse postal stamp collections. Horse stamps are as precious as artworks, like commemorative stamps that are produced during important occasions or events. Thanks to the 3rd Katara International Arabian Horse Festival, the public can preview over a thousand horse stamps at the Cultural Village, the oldest of which goes back to the 1930s.
The horse stamp exhibition is currently being displayed at the Arab Postal Stamps Museum in Building 22.
The Peninsula spoke with a Kuwaiti stamp collector who was showcasing his collection along with his colleague, which totals over 1,200 stamps and takes up more than half of the hall.
Dr. Essa Yahya Dashti from Kuwait said this is his first time exhibiting in the country together with Dr. Abdulrahman Alfaifi who are among the five collectors displaying stamps from GCC, Asia, Latin America, and the UK, among others.
Dr. Dashti started this kind of hobby back in 1999, he is a Board Member and the General Secretary of the Kuwait Philatelic Society. He has exhibited his collection internationally over the years.
Postage stamps are considered part of visual culture and are composed of four main components: the image, perforations (small holes around the frame), denomination, and country name.
Qatar horse stamp way back in 2010.
“My exhibit is composed of stamps, postcards, and a special edition of horse stamps like in Bahrain, Great Britain, and Canada. We also have some rare postcards that we are showing for the first time here and we hope that the people will visit this museum and enjoy stamps carrying photos of horses because horse is a part of the heritage of many countries, not just the Arabic world, but the whole world – for that we are showing the countries' heritage and history through the stamps with horse photos.”
A stamp is more than just a tiny piece of paper; it tells the story of a nation's accomplishments and history.“Each stamp gives you a narrative; it's a work of art that conveys knowledge and a piece of the history of the country.”
One notable feature of the exhibit the public can see is the special collection of the late Queen Elizabeth II which is part of the original collection that was issued on her coronation in 1953. This includes a stamp where she is riding a horse, magazines, and small sculptures.
Despite the fact that everything is digital and can be done with a few clicks on a phone or computer, Dr. Dashti argued that a stamp is just as significant as a banknote.“It documents the most important events and history of a country.”
The philatelist expressed his hope that the exhibition will inspire the younger generation to start collecting stamps.
And a word of advice for future stamp collectors:“If you collect the stamp, you will have two reasons – you'll get information and investment. When you buy a stamp for $1, after five years, you can sell it for $15 or $20. A stamp's worth increases with time, much like with art.”
The exhibit centre displays six frames of horse stamps with envelopes, each frame contains 16 panels, and four frames for black and white horses, in addition to two frames for hunting stamps. It is open from 7am to 10pm at Katara Building 22.