Collectors from Ireland and abroad attend Stampa '77, the Irish National Stamp Exhibition.
The annual Stampa exhibition, now in its sixth year is a major international market place for Irish stamps. Dealers and collectors from all over Ireland, and many foreign visitors are expected to attend the five-day, exhibition which runs from 3-7 November 1977 at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS).
The stamps are varied, as are the prices, they range from the sublime to the out of the question.
A beginner can purchase a sheet of stamps for as little as 40 pence. A sheet with a face value of £2.00 is worth £2,000 to a collector. Among the National Museum of Ireland exhibits at the show is an 1854 western Australian stamp with faulty printing. Originally worth 4 pence it is now valued at over £30,000.
The opening day of the exhibition coincides with The Department of Posts and Telegraphs issuing its seasonal set of stamps for Christmas. The stamps are in three values: 8 pence, 10 pence and 17 pence. They show a painting of the Holy Family by Giorgione an Italian painter of the late 15th and early 16th century. The painting is reproduced by courtesy of the National Gallery of Art in Washington. The design adaptation of the painting for the stamps is by Raymond McGrath.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 4 November 1977. The reporter is Dermot Mullane.
