WHALING IN THE 19th CENTURY at TRISTAN DA CUNHA

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aukepalmhof
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WHALING IN THE 19th CENTURY at TRISTAN DA CUNHA

Post by aukepalmhof » Sun Oct 22, 2017 8:47 pm

Whaling during the 19th century in the waters off Tristan da Cunha was very important for the people of the island and on 29 August 1988 the island issued four stamps and a souvenir sheet which illustrate whaling scenes of the 19th century. The stamps and souvenir sheet depict sailing whaling ships and whale-boats.

The 10p value shows whalers aboard a whaler trying out whale blubber. This was the process of butchering the whale and rendering its blubber into oil. It took two to three days to process a single whale.

The 20p value depict harpoon guns. The top shows us a greener whaling harpoon gun, and the lower is a swivel harpoon gun.

The 30p value depicts the art of whale-men, known as scrimshaw. A jack-knife was usually all that was needed for carving whale teeth and bone. The designs that ornamented many of the pieces (such as the sailing ship on the whale tooth) were usually inscribed with a sail-needle and then darkened by rubbing in a mixture of oil and lamp soot.

The 50p value shows us two whaling ships (till so far not identified) and whale boats.

The £1 souvenir sheet depicts whaling ships and whaleboats in the margin.

Tristan da Cunha 1988 10p/50p sg 452/455 MS 456, scott434/438.
Source: Watercraft Philately 1993 page 74.
Attachments
1988 whaling MS 456.jpg
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