Where can you see all the James Bond stamps in one place? Only at this year’s Sberatel fair in Prague!

The author of the exhibition, which comprises 31 sheets, is the respected philatelist Milan Černík, who has provided each exhibited stamp with explanatory texts and set the resulting composition in the format of a classic philatelic exhibit.

“I put together a “frivolous” philatelic exhibit, just for fun, according to the principle “what I like is right”. It would probably not succeed in competition with other exhibits that follow the exhibition rules. But philately is not just top level, uninteresting to the layman and mostly incomprehensible. Philately is a hobby, where everyone collects what and how they want (even if they can’t display it at “real” exhibitions),” says Milan Černík about his motivation to put together this topic.

He adds: “There is a wide range of what to exhibit – we can collect expensive specialties, overpay for boring uniques at auctions, or have fun with colourful pictures with themes that are close to our hearts.”

“Unfortunately, it’s a bit ironic that Jamaica or Bermuda, for example, didn’t include anything in their release plans, even though some of the stories do take place there (and neither did North Korea or Cuba…), says Milan Černík, jokingly alluding to the countries from which Bond villains are regularly recruited.  

“But strangely enough, the Republic of Komi also got involved, publishing Sophie Marceau as Electra King in One World is Not Enough,” he comments on his search for James Bond-related “postal history”. “Who knows where this little country is hiding, apart from philatelists?” he laughs.

 “I don’t address the legitimacy of these issues, whether Togo or Burundi violate copyright, or whether they are stamps intended for postal use.” So on the Somali stamps we find the beautiful Halle Berry in a swimsuit from Don’t Die Today, and the execution chair, the so-called garrote, on which Bond is to be executed (One World is Not Enough). It may be a medieval tool, but it was used in Spain until 1959, and Andorra only became the last country to officially abolish the death penalty by garrote in 1990.

Or the Lotus Esprit converted into a submarine (Agent who loved me) on the stamps of the Maldives. “Few people know that James Bond really existed and the Republic of Mali has issued a sheet to mark the 25th anniversary of the death of the real James Bond, the great ornithologist, And in one scene in the film Don’t Die Today, Bond is looking at his book called “Birds of the West Indies”.  Once again, it’s a frivolous exhibit designed primarily to entertain and perhaps a little intrigue. But maybe this is the way to make philately more popular,” Milan Černík invites to the exhibition.

You can also meet the author of the exhibition “James Bond on postage stamps” Milan Černík in person at the Sberatel fair at the stand of his company P.A.C. Auction No. 402.

Sběratel / Collector fair is the largest gathering of collectors in Central and Eastern Europe. Each year, 230 exhibitors from all over the world and over 10,000 visitors attend. Among them are not only collectors, but also investors who are looking for the best value for their money.

The fair’s nomenclature includes postage stamps, coins, banknotes, postcards and other collectible material and is offered by leading European dealers, auction houses, postal administrations and mints.

Want to know more about Sberatel fair in Prague? Tak a look at here.

red, photo: exhibition “James Bond on postage stamps”

• philately
• Sberatel fair

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