Belgium
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Belgium 1999

The stamps are a joint issue with Sweden and were engraved by Czeslaw Slania and printed by combination print after originals by Joanna Rubin Dranger, who also designed the Swedish FDC and the cancellation. The photos above are taken from the Belgian Official First Day Covers.

Auguste Marie François Beernaert (1829-1912) received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1909. He was a Lawyer, but he became a politician early on and was Prime Minister and Minister of Finance 1884-1894. He was also a member of the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

Henri La Fontaine (1854-1943) received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1913. He had also been a lawyer before he became a politician, and he was professor of international law in Brussels for a time. From 1907 until his death he was President of the International Peace Bureau. During 1920-1921 La Fontaine was the Belgian representative in the League of Nations.

Official Belgian First Day Covers, cancelled 30th September 1999, at Bruphila'99 in Brussels, at the same time commemorating the 150th anniversary of Belgian Postage Stamps.

There exists a number of other items about this issue, for instance a Belgian First Day Sheet, showing both of the Belgian stamps. The most interesting item, however, seems to be a Joint Issue First Day Sheet, carrying both stamps from both countries. The sheet is shown below. The original sheet is in A5-format.

Front and back of the First Day Sheet, showing both the Belgian and Swedish stamps. The back shows the skyline of Stockholm, and the Tower of the City Hall, and mentions further that two laureates received their prizes in 1909 and 1913, respectively. The text on the backside is written in Flemish and French.

Above are shown a print of the similar Swedish stamps (1999) together with a copy of the Swedish FDC. The cancellation shows a portrait of Alfred Nobel.

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