Ever Meulen has a long history of illustration related to books, reading and writing. These stamps are the latest in that line. They were issued earlier by the Belgian Post Office, and deal with all forms of writing (with the motto “What’s written, stays”). I like the fact that Ever didn’t limit “writing” to books, but also included music, letters and even emails. In fact, he focuses on letter writing – after all, this is the post office. On that note – check out the sad git in the last stamp : is it any wonder that the only person in these stamps using a computer is crying his eyes out ? The Post Office needs your business, people, so stop emailing and start writing letters !
Also, check out the git’s t-shirt on the last stamp. This is a reference to the comic series “Stamp & Pilou“, which the Belgian Post Office has been publishing for quite a while now. I don’t really care for it much myself, but it has introduced a lot of kids to stamp collecting, which is a good thing.
Finally, a little philatelist phact. These stamps are among the first to be issued in Belgium without an actual monetary value. Instead, they have a “1” in a circle in the top right corner, indicating that they can be used for all regular mail, regardless the rise in tarriffs in the future.
(artwork © Belgian Post Office)
