(Reinhard Küchler/BDPh/pcp) Julia Jacob’s joy at this appointment is evident. The 1st Mayoress of the City of Essen is having the special stamp for the upcoming IBRA explained to her in detail. “Anyone who talks to philatelists quickly realises that there are many exciting stories to tell about stamps and letters,” she says in her speech during the presentation at Essen City Hall a few weeks before IBRA opens on 25 May. So it stands to reason that the new stamp should also convey this fun and passion. The mayor recalls that she used to collect stamps herself. Even today, she still uses stamps for her mail, she said. It was “a beautiful thing” that the city of Essen was the location for IBRA and that it was held in conjunction with the stamp fair.

Together with the city of Essen and the Bund Deutscher Philatelisten e.V., Deutsche Post AG, the main sponsor of IBRA, has now presented the colourful stamp for the World Exhibition with a face value of 0.85 euros. It was designed by Jan-Niklas Kröger and shows three people looking at a collection. At the same time, the motif can also be interpreted as the viewer of the stamp being looked at through a magnifying glass. “Philatelists love coming to Essen,” Mayor Julia Jacob knows. The time spent waiting during the pandemic was worth it, she says. During IBRA, she says, there is a lot to see, and in addition, the city offers its visitors a wide range of leisure activities. “With this outlook, I already wish all IBRA visitors pleasant days in Essen and the World Philatelic Exhibition a successful course overall.”

The President of the Bund Deutscher Philatelisten e.V. (BDPh), Alfred Schmidt, is also convinced that IBRA will be a “very successful advertisement for philately”. The umbrella organisation of organised collectors hopes for many visitors, not only from the Ruhr area. Schmidt thanks the many sponsors, supporters and helpers who have been working tirelessly for the World Exhibition for many months.

“Discover, marvel, exchange with like-minded people” – this is the motto of the new special stamp, says Dr Alexander Plum, Head of Philately at Deutsche Post AG. “The Ruhr region is an ideal catchment area for IBRA,” he emphasises. There is an active collector scene here in particular, and Essen has been a centre of German philately for decades.” With a view to the stamp, he also referred to the matrix code. Here he referred to interesting content on IBRA. Österreichische Post AG will have a large stand at IBRA and there will be numerous special postmarks on offer. For Österreichische Post AG, supporting IBRA is a “matter of course”. The stamps are part of the “DNA of the Post”, said Plum. They are ambassadors of the country of issue and draw attention to themes and events every year. “We are looking forward to IBRA. Let’s be surprised by the colourful variety of stamps during the World Exhibition.”

The stamp for IBRA is available at post offices, in the online shop (https://shop.deutschepost.de/philatelie-neuausgaben-2023) or by calling Deutsche Post’s order service (tel. 0961/3818-3818).

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