Burma Arts through Soviet Eyes: A Postcard Set from the USSR

In the early 1960s, cultural exchange between the Soviet Union and Asia found expression not only in exhibitions and publications, but also in beautifully produced picture postcards. One such result was a scarce postcard set titled “Burma Arts”, issued by the Soviet publisher “Soviet Artists”.

The set comprises 10 postcards, offered at a retail price of 22 kopecks, and was designed by L. Snegirev. Each postcard measures 10.5 × 14.5 cm, and the set was issued in 1964. With a modest print run of just 5,000 sets, it was clearly intended for a limited audience of art lovers and collectors rather than mass circulation.

Wrapper of the postcard set

The postcards reproduce a carefully curated selection of Burmese artistic works, representing both traditional crafts and modern fine art:

1. Fragment of an embossed chasing pattern on a silver bowl from Sagaing, early 19th century

2. Fragment of lacquer painting on a betel nut box made by craftsmen from Pagan, 20th century

3. Buddha image in canonical pose, bronze, 19th century

4. Elephant at work, wood sculpture, 20th century

5. Ceremonial departure, miniature ivory sculpture, 20th century

6. Fragment of a pattern on fabric, 20th century

7. Watercolour “At the Pagoda” by U Lar Ban, c. 1950s

8. Watercolour “Village Scene” by U Ba San, c. 1950s

9. Watercolour “The Lake” by U Ba San, c. 1950s

10. Oil painting “On the Pier” by U Ngwe Gaing, 20th century

These works were drawn from objects and paintings exhibited in 1963 at the State Museum of Oriental Art, where Burmese art was presented to Soviet audiences as part of a broader cultural showcase. The selection deliberately spans centuries and media, from religious bronzes and ivory carvings to lacquerware, textiles, and modern paintings.

Significantly, this postcard set represents the first Soviet issue devoted entirely to artistic examples from Burma, covering a wide range of art forms that developed across different historical periods. Today, the “Burma Arts” postcard set stands as a small but meaningful testament to early international recognition of Burmese artistic heritage—and a fascinating crossover item for collectors of postcards, art history, and Burma-related material alike.

Variations of Workers' Day Postcards from 1964

In 1962, postcards from the King George VI era were unearthed and overprinted to celebrate Peasants' Day and Workers' Day of 1964. The overprint was done on the writing space of the divided card, while the other side featured a printed poem. On 1st May 1964, the Workers' Day overprinted cards were issued to commemorate the celebration in Chauk. However, there were three variations of the Workers' Day overprint that were discovered.

Type I, with shadow, with black box

The first variation appears to have been overprinted twice. The initial printing included an image with soldiers and students, along with the text "La Min Publishing House, 30,000 PCs" located below their feet. For some reason, the text was later covered with a black block. Upon close inspection, it's possible to see that the people in the image have shadows, suggesting that this was from the first batch of cards printed.

Type II, without shadow, with black box

The second variation is without shadows, but interestingly, it does not have any text. However, the black block is still printed, creating consistency across the card. It's unclear whether the 30,000 pcs printed on the first variation refers only to the first batch or to all the cards produced.

Type III, with shadow, without black box

The third variation is the most unusual, as it lacks the black block but retains the shadows. These raises questions about how many batches were printed and in what quantity.

In conclusion, the three variations of the Workers' Day overprint highlight the intricacies and uncertainties of historical printing processes and raise fascinating questions about the production and distribution of these postcards.

Another unrecorded IRC

Fantails 30, 54 and 57 recorded several types of International Reply Coupons for Burma that have been seen lately for sale. Recently, yet another LONDON type has emerged; this in in the older format but for the higher amount of 62 pyas. It is stated to have been issued in March 1964.

The IRC shown above will be added to the recorded IRC as listed here.

The 1964 3p Service overprinted Stamps on Cover

5 PCs of rare service overprinted  1964 3p stamps (SGO174, Scott O80) are used on the back of the cover.  The cover was sent from Meiktila on 6^th June 1965 and the sender is the Executive Officer (Agricultural Office), the Land and Rural Development Corporation, Meiktila.  The cover is addressed to the Financial Commissioner, the Financial Commissioner’s Office, Rangoon.  The letter was delivered on 8^th June 1965.  On the front of the cover,  , in the rectangle box, is stamped.  Its direct translation is “Government Service”.  I believe this cover is the good example of usage of this stamp.