Int'l stamp exhibition opens in Tel Aviv

Fair will mark the 65th anniversary of the release of the first series to have been issued by the State of Israel.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
A stamp enthusiast370 (photo credit: Courtesy- Israel Philatelic Society)
A stamp enthusiast370
(photo credit: Courtesy- Israel Philatelic Society)
A large international stamp exhibition with free entrance to the public opened on Sunday at the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds.
Called Tel Aviv 2013, it will feature numerous rare stamp collections and competitions between collectors, and will mark the 65th anniversary of the release of the Doar Ivri stamps, the first series to have been issued by the nascent State of Israel.
The exhibition opens daily at noon, and will be open to the public until 8 p.m. on Thursday.
At the exhibition will be collectors from a large number of countries, including the US, considered the leading stamp-collecting country, and Russia, where stamp collecting as been on the rise since the Soviet Union’s fall and is approaching American levels, according to the organizers. The popularity of stamp-collecting in Israel is considered to fall somewhere between that of the two nations, and so the Russians would have to surpass the Israelis to pose a threat to the Americans.
Some stamps in the collection were printed on iron, silk and wood, and some were of unusual sizes. International judges from the World Philatelic Association will decide on the winning collections and hand out prizes.
Israel Philatelic Service director Yaron Ratzon said on Sunday that the organizers expect many participants and that the service has prepared special postal memorabilia and stamp issues for the event. Visitors will be able to pose for photos that will be incorporated into limited issue stamps featuring the exhibition’s banner.