POSTER STAMPS AND LABELS OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES

1928 - IX Olympiad - Amsterdam

May 17-Aug. 12

Official Posters for 1928 Games in Amsterdam There was no official emblem for these Games. The poster on the left above is the one that was displayed prior to and during the 1928 Games. BUT, if you go to the official Olympic.org web page for the 1928 Games, the poster displayed there is the one on the right. Supposedly there was a copyright issue. These were the first Summer Games to use the Olympic Rings on the official poster, AND on the official poster stamps. The rings had been created and designated official Olympic symbols in 1912, but did not gain popularity until the 1930's. The following poster stamps were issued for the 1928 Games: Click on image below to open an enlarged version in a separate window/tab Click on the DuBois number beneath the image to display technical data about that label.

 
#1928-1
Official label - all three DuBois varieties, plus a fourth

DuBois listing:

1. "1928 IX OLYMPIADE AMSTERDAM" at bottom
Vignette, above: a runner; in background,
Olympic flag & a stadium with an Olympic-flame
tower. 28x46mm, perf 12
a) sepia ................................ $4.00
b) sepia, text background light sepia ... $5.00
c) rose-red ............................. $5.00
d) rose-red, text background light red ... NEW!

6/18/16 - I just found the fourth variety in a Feldman auction (full image HERE)

DuBois does not mention the sheet format - It was five high by fifteen wide -
odd, but below is an image.

On 8/31/22, Collector Riadd Dollie sent me the image above, of a large multiple of the red labels that he had acquired. He wrote:

I am trying to figure out if this partial sheet is an example of the "light red text background".

I pondered, and replied:

Interesting. Some of the stamps at the top of the sheet look like the background is light, but some at the bottom, definitely not. Maybe that red variety is just random.

The brown ones are intentional, one can see they realized the figure was lost against the light background, so they darkened it to increase the contrast.

I'm inclined now to think the red one could be accidental.

What do you think?

 

#1928-1B
Български олимпийски комитет

DuBois listing:

1B. "Bulgarian Olympic Committee" in Cyrillic text - Bulgarski Olimpiiski Komitet - 1 lev

Vignette: same runner as 1936-1 but bgrnd. (including flag) is different; "1" in upper left corner; short arc-lines around border. 24x37mm, perf 11.5, light brown ... Rare

7/28/15 - Nikolay Penev of Bulgaria (via Peter C.A. de Jong) informs me that this stamp was not for the 1928 Olympics. It was for the 1936 games. It was issued in 1933 without the overprint, and then overprinted in 1934. There are two face values:
    - 1 Lev in brown;
    - 2 Leva in red;
Their purpose was to raise money for the Bulgarian Olympic Committee for the 1936 Olympics.

I have added this stamp to my 1936 Berlin page.

I need an image of the 2 leva stamp with the overprint.

#1928-2
Envelope Label

DuBois listing:

2. "IXe OLYMPIADE AMSTERDAM 1928" Text in white and a white-dotted frame on an orange background. 38x10.5mm, 42.5x14mm(overall), imperf ... $20.00

On cover!

#1928-2x
9/14/17 - New find - Red variety not in DuBois

#1928-3

DuBois listing:

3. "Expediteurs Officiels Exposition Internationale Olympiade Amsterdam 1928" 1l0x32mm, imperf. red text ... Rare

Note: Nos. 1928-2 & 3 are called "writing stamps" by Paul Rampacher, and are apparently "advertising stickers" meant to be put on correspondence.

#1928-3x
Note English version behind in second scan - new find!
Images courtesy of cinderellastamp.com, Heirs to the collections of Vittorio de Silva Portugal (1881-1954)

 
#1928-4

DuBois listing:

4. "C.S.C. STEUNT HET CHR. SOC. COMITE TIJDENS OLYMP. SPELEN 1928" in outer, circular margin; in the middle, in a large stylized "S": "AMSTERDAM STADHOUDERSKADE 137." A double-lined edge around label. 37mm, round, imperf diecut, embossed green on white ..... Rare

Translation: C.S.C. SUPPORTS THE CHR. SOC. COMMITTEE DURING OLYMP. GAMES 1928 AMSTERDAM STADHOUDERSKADE 137

(Chr. Soc. Committee could be Christian Social Committee, but C.S.C.?)

The images above must be 1928-4: no "perforations."

 
#1928-5

DuBois listing:

5. Text & design like No.4 but perforated edge 35mm diameter, a)green & b)gray-green ... both Rare

I think DuBois had not seen this label - I asssume "perforated" refers to the scalloped edge.

#1928-6

DuBois listing:

6. "STEUNT HET CHR. SOC. COMITE TIJDENS OLYMP. SPELEN 1928" in circular portion; in the middle, in a large stylized "S": "COMITE voor ROTTERDAM" and "WESTERSTRAAT 39" Outside the circular portion, in all four corners: "C.S.C." 42mm, square, perf 1l.5, orange ... Rare

#1928-7

DuBois listing:

7. "CHR. SOC. COMITE" above; "TIJDENS OLYMP. SPELEN" below; "STADH. KADE 137" down left; "AMSTERDAM" down right; texts are within a wide, double-lined border. Vignette: a lighthouse on left side with an "S" on its beacon; a crowd of people, on lower right side; "STEUNT HET C.S.C." at lower left, below lighthouse; light- beams emanate from the lighthouse's beacon. 52x36mm, perf 10, red, black & pale blue ... $35.00

#1928-8

DuBois listing:

8. Germany (Norddeutscher Fussball Verein): "OLYMPIADE 1928" above; "N.F.V." below; Vignette; between the two texts: five flying eagles. 36x47mm, perf 11, gray, blue & red ... $40.00

DuBois listing:

9. Finnish Fund Label: "SUOMI OLYMPIALAISIIN" at top; "FINLAND TILL OLYMPISKA SPELEN" at bottom;
Vignette: a man waving a Finnish flag; several other flags, including Olympic flag, in the background; a landscape view behind flags; a "50" at lower right corner. A thin, black border line around whole design; a vertical, blue line, on left and right sides, between border and vignette. 33x23mm, perf 12, multicolored, text black ... S10.00
Note: Text at bottom of No.9 is Swedish.

DuBois listing:

10. "JUGOSLAVIJA" in panel at bottom. Vignette: a man with outstretched arms; Olympic rings above; a mountain in the background. 22x30mm, perf 12.5, brown ... $25.00

DuBois listing:

11. Mexican Fund Label: "CAMPANA FINANCIERA PRO OLIMPIADA MEXICO" in a circle; "CENTAVOS EXCELSIOR" below. Vignette, in the middle: an athlete and two signatures. Value "5" in four corners. 20x25mm perf 12, color: carmine ....................... $15.00

12. Like 11 but "10" in four corners, color: brown .... $20.00

13. Like 11 but "20" in four corners, color: green .... $25.00

13a. Like 11 but "50" in four corners, color: blue .... $25.00

9/4/18 - NEW FIND - Blue "50" showed up on eBay, seller likeitbuyit. Thanks, Harry.

 
#1928-14 & 15

DuBois listing:

14. Polish Fund Label: "10 Gr" in upper left corner; "19/28" in upper right corner; "POLACY na IX OLIMPIADE" across bottom. Vignette: an athlete with a palm branch in his left hand and leading a horse with his right hand. 34x27mm, perf 11, colors: blue & yellow ... $16.00

15. Like 14 but 20 Gr, colors: carmine & yellow ... $16.00

(This vignette also occurs at nos. 27, 28 & 29 of 1932-Los Angeles and at nos. 31 & 32 of 1936 - Berlin)

** Painting of Polish fund label nos. 14 & 15 depicts the "Horse of Glory," by Z. Kaminski

#1928-16

DuBois listing:

16. Swiss Fund Label: "SCHWEIZ. RUDERVERBAND - OLYMPIA FONDS - FÉDÉRATION SUISSE DES SOCIÉTÉS D'AVIRON" above; "IX OLYMPIADS AMSTERDAM 1928" below. Vignette: an oarsman, rowing a scull. 30x40mm, perf 11, colors: brown & blue ............... $40.00

Text says "Olympia Fund - Swiss Federation Of Rowing" in German and French.

#1928-17

DuBois listing:

17. U.S.A. Fund Label: "HELP AMERICA WIN OLYMPIC GAMES" at top; "JULY-1928-AUG. SEND CONTRIBUTIONS TO JOHN J.RASKOB, TREAS. AMERICAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE 305 BROADWAY, NEW YORK" below. Vignette: U.S. Olympic coat-of-arms in a circle; "AMSTERDAM" reading down, on left; "HOLLAND" reading down, on right. 42x54.5mm, imperf, colors: red & blue ... $40.00

DuBois listing:

18. "1928 OLYMPISCHE SPELEN" (Dutch text) below. Vignette: a long jumper inside a double-lined border. 48x38mm., imperf, embossed white on olive ground ... $50.00

Four examples above, all clearly on gold foil - DuBois was in error - The image he shows in his catalog is a reproduction, because he says it is "35% of original size" - so he did not have the actual label.

 
#1928-19 and similar bookmarker

DuBois listing:

20. "PER ASPERA AD ASTRA" above; "DEN HAAG OLYMPIADE-JAAR 16t/m.19 JULI" below. Vignette, in the middle: beside a cat in boots holding a flag, the words "INTERNATIONALE TENTOONSTELLING VOOR DE SCHOEN EN LEDER INDUSTRIE" 35x35nm, a shield-shaped, imperf die-cut, blue ........... Rare

Shoe and Leather Congress in The Hague.

8/24/15 - Image courtesy of Peter CA de Jong

#1928-21
See item 1928-x7 below

Nice usages on cover.

Hi-res image

DuBois listing:

21. "BRITISH OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION" above vignette; "APPEAL FUND" below vignette. Vignette design is based on a photograph of the British team taken during the march past the stands at the Olympic Games in Paris in 1924; British flag to left of vignette, in a banner above value. 39.5x23mm, compound perforated (14 on top and bottom, 17 on left & 18 on right, on the example that is illustrated in DuBois catalog.) Colors and values are as follows:
a) blue, 1s ...... $35.00
b) red, 2s. 6d ... $35.00
o) green, 10s .... Rare

Note: These labels were issued with the idea of raising small sums of money by means of collectors who would sell them to the general public throughout the country. They were made up into booklets containing 20 at 1s., 16 at 2s. 6d., and 4 at 10s. The scheme was unsuccessful. It produced only enough revenue to cover the cost of printing and postage.

The above information is from Ernest Trory's "A Philatelic History of the Olympic Games"

05/10/2022
The items below just showed up in the latest Heiko Volk auction. They are the front and back covers, and an intact block of four from that booklet. A fantastic find!

DuBois listing:

22. A Round-shaped Publicity Label: "Hotel und Gaststätte Münchener Hof" above; "München Josef Strassberger" below; "Dachauerstr. 3 Minuten von Bahnhof" on both left & right sides; inner text surrounding vignette: "1.Sieger - Olympiade 1928 Amsterdam" above, and, "Weltmeister im Gewichtheben" below. Vignette, in center: Joseph Strassberger's autographed photograph. 76mm diameter, imperforate, red ... Rare

11/20/17 - I found the image shown, but this example is black, not red. Seeking a red one. Are there other colors as well?

(Hotel and Guest-house Munich Court Munich Dachauer Road 3 minutes from railway station. Josef Strassberger First Place winner - Olympiade 1928 Amsterdam World champion in weightlifting {heavy-weight category})

Mr. Strassberger produced the above label as publicity for the Munich hotel of which he was the owner.

(Latter information from "POST, PHILATELY AND OLYMPISM" published by the International Olympic Committee in 1984)

I went looking via Google to see if the hotel survives, but found this:

WWII took everything. In spring 1945, the last major air raid on Munich burned down his two restaurants and his hotel "Münchner Hof." Strassberger's last major effort took place among the ruins. For days he searched frantically in the rubble after his most prized possession - his gold medal. But the plaque with the goddess of victory was gone forever. Today, there remains only a street in Munich's Olympic Village to commemorate the once famous athlete.

(From THIS PAGE. You can see photos there of Strassberger and the hotel.)

 
#1928-23 and a complete set of 20.

DuBois listing:

23. A Netherlands Matchbox Label "OLYMPISCHE SPELEN 1928 AMSTERDAM" at upper right corner; "Eurotrip-lucifers" at lower right corner; white Olympic rings at upper left corner. Vignette: An athlete at start of a sprint-race; background: Olympic flame atop tower with flags below. 30.5x46.5mm; imperf, multicolored, background blue, texts black ... Rare
This label may be one of a series - matchbox labels often are.

I found a web page saying this was issued in 1968,
and is one of a set of 20 matchbox labels showing Olympic games
from 1896 to 1972. So I think it really belongs with the 1972 Games.

#1928-24

DuBois listing:

24. A Swedish Matchbox Label: "PARAFFINERADE SAKERHETS - TANDSTICKOR" above; "OLYMPIA" in black panel across bottom; "MADE IN FINLAND" at lower right corner of vignette area. Vignette: depicts three "match-figure" runners. 48x30mm, 55.5x35.5mm overall, imperforate, texts are black except for "OLYMPIA" which is pale yellow (all light-colored items, including the margins, are pale yellow, the color of the paper), match-heads are black, vignette background is red ... Rare (Translation: Paraffin Safety Matches)

Mote: The date of issue of the above label is indefinite but it is said to have been issued in the 1920's. It was found by David van der Plank, a noted matchbox dealer of St. Ives, Cornwall, England. David says "I've not seen another."

9/10/19 - The only example of this that I have ever seen (image above) sold for GBP 32.99 (USD 40.75) today on eBay! It *might* be the one in the DuBois catalog - comparison image here.

NOT IN DUBOIS

Below, the same design on a pennant.

#1928-x4
ALFA-OLYMPIADE 1928
Circular label - 42 mm diameter.
What's the story here? No rings, so not necessarily related to the Games. A Google search led to some pages about sports trading cards. ???

1/16/19 - I found the image below, which shows this label with other 1928 Olympics labels, and tells us its diameter is 42mm. This still does not tell us who created it, or that it is definietly associated with these Games, though.

#1928-x5
OLYMPIASPENDE - 10 PF. - DES DEUTSCHEN REICHSVERBANDES FÜR AMATEURBOXEN.
German Reich Association of amateur boxing fund-raising label
(I assume the postmark dates this)

#1928-x6 a&b
AMSTERDAM STADION
Registration labels from Olympic venue

#1928-x7a,b
NATAL PROV OLYMPIC GAMES ASSCN
1 D - APPEAL FUND
NATAL Olympics Association fundraising stamp - new find by Peter CA de Jong - no date, but the design is a crude reproduction of 1928-21(see above).
4/13/16 - Philippe Pavard supplied second image, green

4/11/18

#1928-x14

NO DETAILS AVAILABLE

SOURCE = http://www.olympiade1928.nl.

#1928-x8
Bottle label for "Limonade Gazeuse Sport 1928" a carbonated beverage that was obviously cashing in on Olympic fever in the Netherlands. No Olympic rings, but that "1928" is pretty obvious. HERE it is on a bottle.

4/11/18 - Below, a similar label, from http://www.olympiade1928.nl.

#1928-x12

#1928-x11

Size: 50x25mm
Gummed label
Blue background with double white border
"OLYMPISCHE SPIELE - AMSTERDAM 1928 - SCHWIMMEN"

4/11/18

#1928-x13

Suitcase label
CANADIAN OLYMPIC TEAM
- 1928 -
78 x 152 mm

SOURCE = http://www.olympiade1928.nl.

#1928-x9
4/28/16 - This was the cachet on a Dutch postcard, but is it also really a label? Great design! Anyone?

#1928-x10

Not a label or seal or stamp, but such a nice item, I had to show it.

Japanese matchbox with 1928 Amsterdam poster image.
Size: (vignette) 43x50mm

The eBay listing by Australian Seller allegrogoods said:

This is made in Japan, purpose was to show support for the national Olympic
team participating in the summer's AMSTERDAM Olympics by Japan Government.

I still thought this could be part of a set, one per Olympiad, and might date
from later than 1928, but I do not read Japanese. SO I emailed the
eBay seller and asked if he could translate, and received the following excellent reply:

Check out the seller's eBay auctions: allegrogoods.
This item did not sell, and will be relisted in early January, 2017.

#1928-z1
I couldn't resist showing this - a toffee tin for Van Melle's Toffees!