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Tuesday, 13 June 2023

2870) "Spirou" and "Fantasio" with their squirrel "Spip", Belgium: 85th Aniversary (1938-2023): The Royal Mint of Belgium (RMB) has issued two Coin variants of 5 Euro each - an embossed Variant and a Coloured Coin variant featuring the two adventurous journalists: Date/Year of Coin issue: 2023:

2870) "Spirou" and "Fantasio" with their squirrel "Spip", Belgium: 85th Aniversary (1938-2023): The Royal Mint of Belgium (RMB) has issued two Coin variants of 5 Euro each - an embossed Variant and a Coloured Coin variant featuring the two adventurous journalists: Date/Year of Coin issue: 2023:

The inseparable duo "Spirou" and "Fantasio" is 85 years old! 

The Information Card (IC) for the Relief issue

The Information Brochure (IB) for the Colour Coin

The Reverses and common Obverse of the two Coin Variants

In close coordination with the publisher - the "Royal Belgian Mint" (RBM), this vibrant energetic commemorative 5-Euro Coin has been issued in two Variants -an embossed variant and a coloured variant. 

The Series featuring "Spirou" and "Fantasio":

The Series was created by French cartoonist Robert Velter (Rob-Vel) and later handed over to Jijé (he added Fantasio) and André Franquin (he added the Marsipulami and numerous other characters) respectively, under whom the series became truly successful. 

Spirou & Fantasio ("Spirou et Fantasio"), is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comics. 

The series, which has been running since 1938, shares many characteristics with other European humorous adventure comics like The Adventures of Tintin and Asterix. It has been written and drawn by a succession of artists.

Spirou and Fantasio are the series' main characters, two adventurous journalists who run into fantastic adventures, aided by Spirou's pet squirrel Spip and their inventor friend the Count of Champignac.

The comic strip was originally created by Rob-Vel for the launch of "Le Journal de Spirou" ("Spirou magazine") on 21.04.1938 and published by Éditions Dupuis. 

The main character was originally an elevator (lift) operator for the "Moustique Hotel" (in reference to the publisher's chief magazine, "Le Moustique"), and remained dressed in his red bellhop uniform for a long time after the occupation was dropped.

Spirou (the name means "squirrel" and "mischievous" in Walloon) has a pet squirrel called "Spip", the series' first supporting character, who was introduced on 08.06.1939, in the story arc titled "L'Héritage de Bill Money" and liberated in the following week's issue (15.06.1939), remaining a presence in all Spirou stories since.

Adding to the difficulties of magazine publication that came with the outbreak of World War II, Velter joined the army effort, and his wife Blanche Dumoulin, using the pen name Davine, continued the work on the Spirou strip, with the aid of the young Belgian artist Luc Lafnet.

Spirou became the property of the publisher Dupuis who bought the character from Rob-Vel in 1943, and since then the series has belonged to no specific author. The title has therefore subsequently been passed on to several different artists and writers.

The first success came in 1943 when Joseph Gillain, known by the pen name Jijé, was given charge of the character. 

In 1944 Jijé introduced a new character, Fantasio, who would become Spirou's best friend and co-adventurer.

Holding many artistic commitments at Spirou magazine, Jijé sought to delegate much of his work, and in 1946 he handed the series to his understudy, André Franquin, in the middle of the production of the story "Spirou et la maison préfabriquée".

Spirou and Fantasio:

Spirou once worked as a bellhop but is now a journalist. He is clever, inventive and very serious. 

Very different from his faithful companion Piet Fantasio, also a reporter, who is more cautious but clumsy and sometimes a bit hot-tempered. 

With their squirrel Spip, they battle criminals. Many of the stories are set wholly or partly in the fictional town of Rommelgem. 

The duo does not live there themselves but are good friends with Pancratius Edelhart Ladislas Philippus Count of Rommelgem, an inventor with a passion for mushrooms. 

Spirou and Fantasio also feature regularly in the comic series Guust, about the character Guust Flater, also created by Franquin. 

The two Coins issued by the Royal Mint of Belgium (RMB):

- Available in two beautiful coin editions!

- The Royal Belgian Mint (RBM) is celebrating the 85th Anniversary (1938-2023) of the dynamic duo with a 5-euro coin issued in two variants: Relief and Colour.

The inscriptions on the Reverse read - "85 JAAR ANS" and "ROBBEDOES en KWABBERNOOT. SPIROU Et FANTASIO".

The inscriptions on the Obverse, which is common to all Euro issues reads - BELGIE. BELGIQUE. BELGIEN. 5 EURO. 2023".

Both coins feature on the Reverse the portraits of the jubilee reporters, accompanied by their squirrel Spip.

The Common Obverse for both variants

The colour 5 Euro Coin shows the birthday duo in the original colours of the albums and also comes in slightly different coincard packaging. 

The specifications of the two Coin Variants are:

Coin Theme: "Spirou and Fantasio - 85th Anniversary (1938-2023)"; Denomination: 5 Euro; Metal Composition: Cupro-nickel (CuNi); Weight: 12.70 grams; Diameter/Size: 30.0 mm; Coin Quality: Brilliant Uncirculated (BU); Mintage: 7,500 pieces (max.); Mint: Royal Belgian Mint (RBM); Year of Coin issue: 2023; Designer: Iris Bruijns.



The Coin Card for the Relief Coin

The Coin Card for the Colour Variant







For other interesting posts on Belgium & Luxembourg Coins and Stamps:


5) City of Bruges (or Brugge), Belgium: 20 Years as UNENCO World Heritage Site: A 20 Euro Silver Proof Coin issued by the Royakl Dutch Mint under licencing of the Royal Belgian Mint, on behalf of the National Bank of Belgium: Coin issue date: 26.02.2020

6) 100 Years of Nature & Environment Protection, Luxembourg: Commemorating the Centenary Anniversary of the "Letzebuerger Natur a Vulleschutsliga a.s.b.l. (Luxembourg Nature and Bird Protection Society):A 0.80 Euro Stamp issued by Luxembourg Postes (Post): Date of stamp issue: 10.03.2020

7) Celebrating 25 Years of listing on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Luxembourg: A Commemorative Stamp of 0.80 Euro issued by Luxembourg Postes (Post): Stamp issue date: 10.03.2020













23) Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations), Belgium: Bpost (Belgian Post) has issued a Stamp Sheetlet which showcases a fingerprint in which a face is hidden as a symbolic representation of the theme - "identity": Date of Stamps issue: 20.03.2023

24) Asteroid Day (or "International Asteroid Day), Luxembourg: POST Luxembourg (formerly known as Entreprise des Postes et Telecommunications) has issued a postage stamp of L50g (the rate for a standard letter domestic postage): Date of Stamp issue: 16.05.2023

25) SABENA (National Airline Carries), Belgium: Centenary Celebrations - 1923-2023): The Royal Dutch Mint (RDM) in association with the Royal Belgian Mint (RBM) has minted a 20 Euro Silver Crown Coin which marks the centenary of the founding of the country's first airline carrier: Date/Year of Coin issue: 2023

26) "Spirou" and "Fantasio" with their squirrel "Spip", Belgium: 85th Anniversary (1938-2023): The Royal Mint of Belgium (RMB) has issued two Coin variants of 5 Euro each - an embossed Variant and a Coloured Coin Variant featuring the two adventurous journalists: Date/Year of Coin issue: 2023

Dutch Castles Coin Series:











Links:

For other interesting posts on issues from the Royal Dutch Mint, Netherlands and PostNL, please visit the following links:



10) First Atlases, Netherlands: Commemorating 450 Years of the first Atlas (1570-2020) & others: A Stamp Sheet of six stamps depicting the Atlases which were compiled in the Netherlands in the 16th & 17th Centuries AD: Stamp Set issued by POstNL: Date of Stamp Set issue: 23.03.2020






















34) "UN Crypto Stamps", United Nations: "New Technologies for the United Nations Stamp Series": Series II of United Nations Crypto Stamps issued by the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) which run on Blockchain Technolgy: Date of Stamps issue:18.11.2022

35) 2022 NL Crypto Stamp - Duo Set Crypto The Netherlands (NL) + Oostenrijk (Austria) - Collectibles: Date of Joint Crypto Stamp issue: 22.09.2022

36) Tarzan of the Apes, Netherlands: A Medal/Coin issued by the Royal Dutch Mint (RDM) depicting the popular fictional legend of Tarzan of the Apes: Date/Year of Coin/Medal issued: 2022

37) "EpilepsieNL" (Epilepsy), Netherlands: 130th Annversary milestone (1893-2023): Two Coins/Medals in Coincard issued by the Royal Dutch Mint (RDM): Year of Coins issue: 2023

38) Sesame Street, Netherlands: 45 Years of Sesame Street Milestone (1968-2023): The Royal Dutch MInt has released the complete collection of Sesame Street Muppets: Date/Year of Coins issue: 2023

39) Holland America Lines, Netherlands: 150th Anniversary milestone (1873-2023): PostNL (Netherlands Post) has issued a 24-carat Gold Stamp with the denomination of "1" (for items weighing upto 20g for domestic/inland post): Date of Stamp issue: 18.04.2023


Links to Posts on Pieter Mondriaan (or "Piet Mondrian"):



Experience Nature Stamp Series:








9) Experience Nature - Skrok and Skrins Nature Reserves located n the province of Friesland: "Experience Nature 2021-2023 Perennial Series": A set of Stamps issued by PostNL (Netherlands Post) featurng the Flora and Fauna of the Nature Reserves: Date of Stamp Set issue: 13.02.2023

For interesting posts from the Caribbean Netherlands on this blog:


Typically Dutch Postage Stamp Series "House Types & facades":





Typically Dutch Coin Series -2023:





Dutch World Heritage Series:

For other interesting posts from the Faroe Islands:





8) "Organic Art", Faroe Islands: Posta/Postverk Foroya (Postal Works of the Faroes Islands) has issued a set of six stamps of 29.00 DKK (x 3 Stamps) and 19.00 DKK (x 3 Stamps) depicting Organic art by three artists in the Faroes: Date of Stamp set issue: 16.05.2022

9) Faroese Minerals, Faroe Islands: Posta (Faroe Islands Post) has issued a Miniature Sheet (MS) of stamps depicting Calcite and Copper: Date of Stamps issue: 24.10.2022

10) Faroe Islands Banknotes New Series - 2012: An updated version of Faroese Banknote Series with new security features was introduced into circulation: Banknotes were printed by Danmarks Nationalbank

Posts on SEPAC issues on this blog:





Posts on Finland on this Blog:













Links to other Posts on Aland issues:


2) Wildflowers, Aland Islands: A new Series of Franking Labels issued by Aland Post: Date of issue: 03.02.2020






Links to some other posts on shipwrecks:




Links to Posts on Norway issues:

Dutch Castles Coin Series:









Links:

i) "The Rooswijk", an ill-fated Dutch East Indiaman, Netherlands which sank during her second trip on 09.01.1740: Mexican Silver Cobs, Silver reales, Klippes and Pillar Dollars etc were recovered from the ship-wreck

The undernoted two links will take you to our blog "Footloose" for two interesting posts written by me on the Dutch presence in Sadras in the 17th Century AD:

i) Reconnecting with India's historical heritage: A visit to Sadras Fort built by the Dutch in 1648: (Part 1): a) Commentary of the Dutch presence in India & b) The Dutch Cemetery

ii) Reconnecting with India's historical heritage: (Part ii): A visit to Sadras Fort built by the Dutch in 1648: The ruins tell the story of a flourishing Sea-trade

Links to Posts on Pieter Mondriaan (or "Piet Mondrian"):


For other interesting posts on Belgium & Luxembourg Coins and Stamps:


5) City of Bruges (or Brugge), Belgium: 20 Years as UNENCO World Heritage Site: A 20 Euro Silver Proof Coin issued by the Royakl Dutch Mint under licencing of the Royal Belgian Mint, on behalf of the National Bank of Belgium: Coin issue date: 26.02.2020

6) 100 Years of Nature & Environment Protection, Luxembourg: Commemorating the Centenary Anniversary of the "Letzebuerger Natur a Vulleschutsliga a.s.b.l. (Luxembourg Nature and Bird Protection Society):A 0.80 Euro Stamp issued by Luxembourg Postes (Post): Date of stamp issue: 10.03.2020

7) Celebrating 25 Years of listing on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Luxembourg: A Commemorative Stamp of 0.80 Euro issued by Luxembourg Postes (Post): Stamp issue date: 10.03.2020

















Posts on SEPAC issues on this blog:






























For other interesting posts from the Faroe Islands:





8) "Organic Art", Faroe Islands: Posta/Postverk Foroya (Postal Works of the Faroes Islands) has issued a set of six stamps of 29.00 DKK (x 3 Stamps) and 19.00 DKK (x 3 Stamps) depicting Organic art by three artists in the Faroes: Date of Stamp set issue: 16.05.2022

9) Faroese Minerals, Faroe Islands: Posta (Faroe Islands Post) has issued a Miniature Sheet (MS) of stamps depicting Calcite and Copper: Date of Stamps issue: 24.10.2022

10) Faroe Islands Banknotes New Series - 2012: An updated version of Faroese Banknote Series with new security features was introduced into circulation: Banknotes were printed by Danmarks Nationalbank

Posts on SEPAC issues on this blog:




Links to Posts on Turks and Caicos Islands:

1) A Quarter Crown (1/4) Coin, Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), A British Overseas Territory (BOT): The Coin was only issued in 1981 and was since demonetised in 1986

2) A Half Crown (1/2) Coin, Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), A British Overseas Territory (BOT): The Coin was issued only in 1981 and was since demonetised in 1982

Posts on Aruba on this blog:

 1) A New 2019 Fourth Series of Banknotes, Aruba, issued by the Central Bank of Aruba (Centrale Bank van Aruba) on 04.06.2019 comprising five denominations with the theme of "Endangered Flora and Fauna of Aruba" and historic monuments and landmarks










Links to Posts on Curacao on this Blog:

1) Festival di Tumba (Carnival of Curacao), Curacao: "50th Edition of the Curacao Carnival/Festival" held from 27-31.01.2020: A set of six Commemorative Postage Stamps brought out by Cpost (Curacao Post) on 20.02.2020

2) Trains of South America, Curacao: Cpost International (Curacao Post) has issued a set of stamps featuring Trains of South America: Date of Stamp set issue: 21.06.2021

3) Willemstad, Curacao: 25 Years of UNESCO World Heritage Site: Cpost International (Curacao Post) has issued a set of 16 postage stamps celebrating the milestone: Date of Stamps set issue: 18.08.2022

4) Willemstad, (Dutch, Caribbean Island, Curacao), Netherlands: "Dutch World Heritage Coin Series": Tenth Coin in the Series of 10 Euro (Gold) and 5 Euro (Silver) Collector Coins minted by the Royal Dutch Mint (RDM) feature this historic city: Date/Year of Coins issue: 02.02.2023

For some other interesting posts on Currencies of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, please visit the following links:








Links to some other interesting posts from South American countries & Mexico:

1) The Evolution of Mexican Coinage


24) Bolivar Soberano (or "Sovereign Bolivar"), Venezuela: (2018 Series of Banknotes) introduced by Banco de National, the Central Bank of Venezuela on 20.08.2018 


1) Trains of South America, Curacao: Cpost International (Curacao Post) has issued a set of stamps featuring Trains of South America: Date of Stamp set issue: 21.06.2021

6 comments:

  1. Rajan Trikha has commented:
    "Interesting informative post 👍"

    ReplyDelete
  2. Raj Kumar Srivastava has commented:
    "Interesting 🧐"

    ReplyDelete
  3. Santosh Khanna has commented:
    "A VERY interesting post. Thanks for sharing."

    ReplyDelete