Luxembourg Stamps 1979 by Gary Little

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Roman Coins

Date of Issue: March 5, 1979

These stamps show four ancient Roman coins found on Luxembourg territory:

• Gaius Julius Caesar (44 B.C.) -- found on the Titelberg in 1969.
• Faustina I (141 A.D.) -- found on the Titelberg in 1971.
• Helena (324-330 A.D.) -- found near Mensdorf.
• Valens (367-375 A.D.) -- found in the Moselle in 1958.

Tourism

Mondorf-les Bains and Central Station

Date of Issue: March 5, 1979

Mondorf-les-Bains is a resort town in the south of Luxembourg. The stamp shows the main attractions in the town -- Chapel of the Castel; St. Michael Church; Baillis de Roussy House; Marie-Adélaïde Pavilion; and a water jet symbolic of the Mondorf medicinal spas.

Luxembourg Station was built from 1907-1910. The south wing of the building opened on August 14, 1908 and the central building with the concourse and waiting rooms opened on December 13, 1910.

Europa 1979

History of P&T Service

Date of Issue: April 30, 1979

These stamps were issued in support of the Europa theme "History of the Posts and Telecommunications Service". The first depicts a postal stagecoach from the second half of the 19th century. The other shows an old telephone set in use in the late 19th and early 20th century.

Klëppelkrich

180th Anniversary

Date of Issue: April 30, 1979

The Klëppelkrich (War of the Clubs) was a 1799 peasant uprising organized to protest the annexation of Luxembourg by Republican France. The fearless Luxembourgers challenged the seasoned French soldiers with a sorry collection of weapons, including ancient shotguns, rusty swords, axes, pitchforks, and simple clubs. Predictably, the insurrection was quickly quashed and thirty peasants were sentenced to death and executed on the Glacis field in Luxembourg between January 8 and May 20, 1799. The stamp shows a bas-relief monument by Edmond Lux of Diekirch which was placed at the site of the executions on October 29, 1972.

Celebrities

Antoine Meyer and Sidney Thomas

Date of Issue: April 30, 1979

Antoine Meyer (1801-1857) is considered as the father of poetry in the Luxembourg dialect and is known for his patriotic works which remain part of the national cultural and intellectural history.

Sidney Thomas (1850-1885) was the inventor of an important process for eliminating phosphorus from cast iron; the process was acquired in 1879 for use in Luxembourg. By using the Thomas process with the phosphorus-rich Luxembourg iron ore, the Luxembourg steel industry grew dramatically. Agriculture prospered as well because the Thomas slag was the ideal fertilizer for the poor soils of the Oesling.

Luxembourg Stock Exchange

50th Anniversary

Date of Issue: April 30, 1979

The Luxembourg Stock Exchange opened on May 6, 1929. It is operated by the Bourse de Luxembourg s.a. but is supervised by a government commissioner.

European Parliament

First Direct Elections

Date of Issue: June 7, 1979

Rococo Art

Date of Issue: September 10, 1979

These stamps show two angel statues by Barthélémy Namur in the Rococo style. They date from the first half of the 18th century and are located in the high altar of St. Michael's church in Luxembourg.

International Year of the Child

Date of Issue: September 10, 1979

The United Nations proclaimed 1979 as "International Year of the Child" to mark the 20th anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Its goal was to reaffirm in a concrete way that the well-being of all children, wherever they may live, or wherever they may come from, is the responsibility of all of us. This stamp highlights the heightened need for traffic safety to prevent injury to children.

Radio-Télé-Luxembourg

50th Anniversary

Date of Issue: September 10, 1979

On May 11, 1929 the Luxembourg Company for Radiophonic Studies was formed and the next year it obtained a monopoly on broadcasting in the Grand Duchy provided it set up a limited company for radio broadcasting. This company, which today is called RTL (Radio-Télé-Luxembourg) is a major player in European communications.

Paintings Under Glass I (Charity Issue)

Date of Issue: December 5, 1979

These stamps depict behind-glass paintings from a collection kept at the History and Art Museum in Luxembourg. The subject matter are allegories of the four seasons and of Charity:

• Spring
• Summer
• Charity
• Autumn
• Winter