Christmas (Bethlehem 2000) 1999
A stamp series on the occasion of Christmas 1999 and the celebrations "Bethlehem 2000" was issued on 8.12.1999. It consists of 11 stamps denominationated at 2x200, 2x280, 2x380, 2x460, 2x560, and 2,000 Fils. The stamps were printed by Cartor Securty Printing, La Loupe (France) in sheets of 10 (2x5, Zobbel nos. 126–135) and a sheetlet of four (2x2, Zobbel no. 136). Total value of the 11 stamps: 5,760 Fils. Print run: unknown; Zobbel nos. 136 estimated at 40,000 sheetlets (160,000 stamps). Perforation: K 13.25.
Three official FDCs, using envelopes similar (but with a different picture imprinted on the left) to the ones used for the Bethlehem 2000 series, were issued. One contains Zobbel nos. 126–133 (in vertical pairs), the second Zobbel nos. 134–135 (in vertical pairs), and the third the sheetlet with 4x Zobbel no. 136. All are cancelled with the special first day postmark dated 8.12.1999.
The stamps use three different motifs, all from frescos of Italian renaissance painter Giotto di Bondone (1266–1337) in the Scrovegni (or Arena) chapel in Padua, Italy:
• 200f, 280f, 2,000f: Nativity of Jesus (Natività di Gesù, 1303–1305)
• 380f, 460f: Adoration of the Magi (Adorazione dei Magi, 1304–1306)
• 560f: The Flight into Egypt (Fuga en Egitto, 1303–1305)
Ten stamps (Zobbel nos. 126–135) were issued in sheets of ten in in two different formats, with Zobbel no. 136 issued in a numbered sheet of four (see illustrations below). According to Josef Wallach, only the regular sheets were sold by Palestinian post offices and the Philatelic Office in Gaza. The special sheets with the silver stamps were apparently distributed by printers CARTOR through the philatelic trade only.:
- "Regular": five sheets containing 10 identical stamps. The values and inscriptions are in black (200 and 380 Fils), white (280 and 460 Fils), and yellow (560 Fils). The sheet margin to the right of the bottom right hand stamp shows four colour dots: yellow, black, magenta, and cyan.
- "Special": five sheets each containing 9 copies of the regular stamps (with inscriptiions and border in either black, white or yellow) and one copy with inscriptions and border in silver. The silver stamp is always in the top right hand corner of the sheet (field pos. 5). These sheets feature an additional silver colour dot.
- Zobbel no. 136 was printed in a sheetlet containing 4 stamps (2x2). This sheetlet exists with, but also (extremely rare) without the ink-jet imprinted numerator. The actual print-run ist not known, my research suggests that about 40,000 sheetlet (ie. 160,000 stamps) should exist, though the distribution I detected is rather varied: lowest number seen is 00500, the highest is 37555, with 94% of numbers actually below 20,000.
The colours of the regular sheets appear to be minimally more intensive. André Mazawi reports on the 560 Fils regular (yellow) version that "the sheet margins are in a darker blue compared to the sheet of the other denominations". That seems to be a deliberate design feature, not a variant though.
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Illustration of "regular" and "special" sheets.
Images courtesy of Rolf Wernecke.
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Illustration of sheetlet with Zobbel no. 136 without numerator.
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This is the third installment of stamps commemorating the "Bethlehem 2000" celebrations. Other issues were released in 1998: Christmas 1998 block, further series were issued in 1999 (Bethleherm 2000 1999) and 2000 (Easter 2000, Bethlehem 2000 booklet, Christmas 2000)
To make the differentiation of the Bethlehem 2000 stamps more easy, I have created a
Guide to the Cartor Christmas and Easter Stamps (1999, 2000, 2001)
where all the stamps are shown and classified.
External links:
• Giotto agli Scrovegni (Guide to the chapel & its restoration)
• Scrovegni Chapel (Italian Wikipedia)
• Giotto: Nativity of Jesus (Italian Wikipedia)
• Giotto: Adoration of the Magi (Italian Wikipedia)
• Giotto: The Flight into Egypt (Italian Wikipedia)
Zobbel | Value | Size | Perfor. | Printed | Notes |
126 | 200f | 36.25x51.0mm | K 13.25 | n/a | border & inscr.: black; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x126 + 1x127; sheets of 10 (2x5): 10x126 |
127 | 200f | border & inscr.: silver; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x126 + 1x127 |
128 | 280f | border & inscr.: white; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x128 + 1x129; sheets of 10 (2x5): 10x128 |
129 | 280f | border & inscr.: silver; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x128 + 1x129 |
130 | 380f | border & inscr.: black; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x130 + 1x131; sheets of 10 (2x5): 10x130 |
131 | 380f | border & inscr.: silver; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x130 + 1x131 |
132 | 460f | border & inscr.: white; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x132 + 1x133; sheets of 10 (2x5): 10x132 |
133 | 460f | border & inscr.: silver; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x132 + 1x133 |
134 | 560f | border & inscr.: yellow; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x134 + 1x135; sheets of 10 (2x5): 10x134 |
135 | 560f | border & inscr.: silver; sheets of 10 (2x5): 9x134 + 1x135 |
136 | 2,000f | 160,000 (est.) | sheetlet (sized 113.25x142mm) of four (2x2) with five-digit numerator (ink-jet) |
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