A century ago, it was a rare time in the US. We were not at war. Wonderful. Still, in 1922, we were about to experience the 1929 stock market crash and then the Great Depression. We had just come off of World War I, at the time said to be “the war to end all wars.” That title would be manifestly reclaimed in 1945 with the detonation of two nuclear bombs ending World War II....
Ever since warring factions exited prehistoric caves, saber rattling has been a staple of human existence. That extends to the animal kingdom. Porcupines and skunks raise respective quills and tails warning of consequences if an enemy gets too close. Dogs snarl, rattlesnakes rattle, etc.
Recently, the world was put on notice with a frightening military threat from Russia’s Vladimir Putin. He indicated nuclear reprisals if nations intervened in his Ukraine invasion. To that threat, President Biden has threatened “catastrophic consequences” and that the US “will respond decisively.” So far, it’s been a war of words. What final actions might come from any national leader is always a dangerous unknown. Think Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, or Osama Bin Laden to name a few.
Collectors know how effective antagonistic posturing can be. For centuries, coins, stamps and currency have been used as mediums for warnings. Our earliest US paper money carried the admonition, “To Counterfeit Is Death.” Forging paper money was devastating to the infant economy. The threat was real. In 1778, two men – John Blair and David Farnsworth – were hanged by order of George Washington for their role in making counterfeit banknotes.
Visual messages are equally effective. Shortly after Iranian militants stormed the US embassy in Tehran and took dozens of prisoners in 1983, Iran issued a colorful stamp. It showed one of the hostages blindfolded with an American flag while activists scaled the embassy gate. You could argue that stamp was merely internal propaganda for Iranian citizens. Nope. Emblazoned in English on the stamp were the words, “Takeover of the U.S. Spy Den.” At the time, most Iranians read only Farsi.
Such mediums for propaganda seem universal. North Vietnam regularly showcases Lenin, Mao and other communist leaders on their stamps. Many military fighting images as well have also been staples.
Especially adept is North Korea. In the 1960s, their stamps were laden with military themes and anti-American sentiment. One showed the pointed sticks of protest placards stabbing and skewering a US soldier. Others feature guns and bayonets. Naturally, smiling images of dictators Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un are common. Their stamps feature bucolic scenes of lush farmland and crops – this in a country where a starving populace sometimes eats the bark off trees.
World War II Germany also excelled at producing stamps of unbridled military might. Among these was postage showing German troops machine-gunning the enemy; throwing hand grenades; Stuka dive bombers laying waste to foreign cities; and on and on.
The US is not immune. Though we didn’t have much in the form of military stamps during World War I, we made up for it in the 1940s. Stamps showing each branch of the military circulated including a 1945 issue featuring marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima.
During World War I, as battles raged, the US government decided we should produce a bank note extolling our military might. It could bolster confidence at home and serve as an international warning. Around 1917, when World War I was in full swing, on the $2.00 bill we opted to replace familiar ornamentation with the impressive 27,000-ton dreadnought battleship USS New York.
Striking as it was, there were two problems: 1.) At that time, only a fraction of US currency was used abroad for others to see. 2.) Governmental wheels turn slowly. By the time the note was finally released between 1918 and 1921, World War I was over. It all worked out fine. Collectors loved the bill and still do. In top grade that banknote now brings upwards of $5,000.
This year, Ukraine issued a celebrated stamp showing one of their soldiers “giving the finger” to a passing Russian war ship. Orders for those stamps have come from every corner of the world, and not just from stamp collectors. Even in Russia, where potential military draftees are fleeing in droves, the stamp could foster a whole new arena of interest. Who said hobbies are ever dull?
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