This week we feature three triangle stamps from the 1930 Spanish series commemorating Christopher Columbus. They were created by a team that included the legendary designer and engraver Jose Luis Lopez Sanchez-Toda and were printed using a lithograph process by Waterlow and Sons, England.
These stamps are magnificent and among my favorites! Researching them introduced me to the other thirteen stamps in the series, all equally as impressive in their design and printing.
Toda’s personality was as impressive as the stamps he designed.
At 23 years old, fresh out of design school and the winner of a national design award, he joined the Spanish government’s printing office – Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre (FNMT). His first position was an apprentice. However, his talent was quickly recognized and he went into training as an engraver. At the age of 29 he worked on the entire issue these stamps are a part of.
For most of his career, Toda was employed at the FNMT, where he was in charge of the engraving department. He was also a professor at the National School of Graphic Arts.
Toda designed and engraved over one hundred stamps, all the FNMT’s bank notes for the year of 1937, and worked on several coin issues.
As always, Happy Collecting !
For more information then I can cram into this post, see the links below.
https://sellosyartistas.blogspot.com/search?q=Jos%C3%A9+Luis+L%C3%B3pez+S%C3%A1nchez-Toda+
http://www.stampsoftheworld.co.uk/wiki/Stamps_of_the_World
The triangle (and other than common shapes) stamps are perfect for philatelists. I think too that they’re equally as impressive in their design, printing, and engraving. Catalin
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Catalin, Yes, they are a great topic to collect on. Reading your comment motivated me to search around on the web for others. There are far more issues then I thought ! I saw several from Romania that look neat too. I came across an airmail stamp from Iceland, issued in the same years as the Spanish triangles. It has a similar style to Toda’s. Thanks for visiting, happy collecting!
Greg Foti
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Several years ago, I wrote a short post about the stamps’ shapes. If you want, take a look here: https://blogdetimbrofil.wordpress.com/2015/02/21/in-forme-originale/
Best regards, Catalin
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Catalin, your post on uniquely shaped stamps was an eye opener for sure. Thanks for sharing.
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Will do!
Thanks
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