POSTER STAMPS AND LABELS OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES

1948 - V Winter Games - St Moritz

Official Poster and Emblem for 1948 Winter Games in St. Moritz The IOC decided NOT to increment the number on the Winter Games unless they were actually held, so 1948 was finally the V Winter Games! The following poster stamps were issued for the 1948 Winter 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.

#1948-W-1 to 4

"St. Moritz" in upper right corner, script printing. Vignette: a stylized sun in middle, Olympic flag above and Swiss flag below, rings on flag are multicolored and interlaced as on official flag, line-rays radiate from the sun to the edge of the vignette. A printer's imprint is below design, on right. Texts at bottom of vignette, in German, English & French, are as follows:

1. "V OLYMPISCHE WINTERSPIELE 30 JANUAR - 8 FEBRUAR 1948"
2. "Vth OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 8 1948"
3. "Vmes JEUX OLIMPIQUES D'HIVER 30 JANVIER-8 FEVRIER 1948"
26x41mm, perf 11, multicolored ... $10.00ea
Exists as a strip of 6 (3 of #2, 2 of #3 & 1 of #1)
4. Same as No.2 but without printer's imprint ... $12.00

See block of 12 at right from a pane of stamps.

#1948-W-5
DuBois listing:

5. "SKI JEUX OLYMPIQUES D'HIVER OLYMPISCHE WINTERSPIELE" below. Vignette: two skiers with numbers "13" & "3" on their suits, Swiss banner on left and Olympic banner on right, three mountains in background. 52x38mm, perf 11, multicolored .... $20.00

10/18/16 - Steve Greiczek sent me scans of pages from the 1980 Editions Pén "Catalogue Des Vignettes Suisses De Propagande Et Commémoratives: Katalog der Schweizer Werbe- und Erinnerungsvignetten : 1878 - 1980" showing this stamp (S.173), and attributing it to 1928. Go to the bottom of the 1928 Winter Games page to see those scans. To me the design looks more like the other 1948 issues. Note the flags on this stamp and the next one, 1948-W-6. Can anyone resolve this conflict?

6. "POUR LE SKI SUISSE / FUR DEN SCHWEIZER SKISPORT A.S.C.S. - S.S.V." below. Vignette: a ski-jumper with Swiss & Olympic flags in background. An imprint at upper left: "L. JAGGI." 38x52mm, perforated, multicolored ... $30.00

7. "V. OLYMPIADE INVERNALE 1948 30.I. - 8.II. St. Moritz SVIZZERA" below. Vignette: Olympic rings. Imperf, red on white ... Rare

approx. size of central rectangle = 21x27mm

(Image courtesy of cinderellastamp.com,
"Heirs to the collections of Vittorio de Silva Portugal (1881-1954)")

 
#1948-W- 8

1948-W-8
DuBois listing:

8. "U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE LONDON - 1948 GAMES - ST.MORITZ" above. Vignette: same as No.17 of "1940-HELSINKI" and No.3 of "1948-LONDON" (see latter for more data)

These American fund-raising stamps mention both London and St Moritz, so applied to both the Winter and Summer Games.

NOT IN DUBOIS

#1948-W-x1
JEUX OLYMPIQUES D'HIVER 1948 St. MORITZ SUISSE 30 JANVIER + 8 FEVRIER
size 139x53mm (2-1/8 x 5-1/2")
Could be the imprint cut from a piece of stationery?

(Image courtesy of cinderellastamp.com,
"Heirs to the collections of Vittorio de Silva Portugal (1881-1954)")

1948-W-x3

Alvaro Tucchi of Italy displayed this label in an exhibit he published in Phila-Sport magazine, Italy's sports philately publication. He has no information about it, but we can see the design is that of Switzerland Sc. B-170, a 1948 semi-postal issued as part of a set of four to mark the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz. But the color is different. So is this an essay? In any case, I consider it a borderline entry in this collection.

#1948-W-x2

Austria greets the world
Austrian Mädchen holding bouquet of flowers at right, national flag in shield shape at bottom left, text on each stamp up from bottom left and across top: "Austria Greets (country name)" in the national language.

The note with my set of 24 (complete?) of these says "1948 - St Moritz." That would make sense, they were clearly issued to promote tourism in Austria and a great time would have been during the Olympics next door in Switzerland in 1948. So not Olympic, per se (no rings). But is there a connection? Can anyone provide more information about them?

Next column, one used on cover - I can't make out the date in the cancel - 1947? - but the stamp (Scott 485) was issued in 1947, so probably 1947 or 1948, which fits.

Below, one with a clear 1947 cancel, and one with a 1956 overprint.

I just found the following image:

EXPORTMUSTERSCHAU
= Export Sample Show
in Vienna, May 1946 - case closed.