The Joy of Stamps Collection Trivia Quiz

Answer: Monkey

1980 the Year of the Monkey stamp, the first printed Zodiac stamp by China Post is the most sought-after by stamp collectors. The next series of the Monkey were in 1992 and 2016. The one produced in 2016 is a monkey with 2 children which was the year China ended the one-child policy. China implemented one-child nationwide in 1980.

Answer: Benjamin Franklin

On July 1, 1847, the first general issue postage stamps were on sale in New York City. Benjamin Franklin is on the five-cent stamp, and the ten-cent stamp pictured George Washington.

Answer: 1840

Sending letters was expensive in the UK before the postal reforms of 1840. The receiver had to pay for the delivery charge for every sheet of the paper and the distance covered. A 2-page letter sent over 160 km (100 mi) would cost about 18 pence. With the introduction of postage stamp, the same letter would cost only one penny. Postage stamps also helped to increase trade especially during festive season like Christmas.

Answer: Grace Kelly

A commemorative stamp of Grace Kelly was issued in 1993 by the USA and Monaco. The American federal law does not allow stamps to show foreign heads of state, so the stamp appeared as "Grace Kelly" while Monaco listed her with the title "Princess Grace".

Answer: Wilding

In 1952, the Wilding series was the first Queen Elizabeth II stamp series to be issued. The stamps were in use for 15 years. These stamps differ from later Wilding issues in that they bear the Tudor Watermark.

Answer: Greece

In 1896, Greece the host of the first Summer Olympics in modern times issued a set of commemorative stamps. The series consisted of 12 values (1 lepton, 2, 5, 10, 20, 25, 40 and 60 lepta, 1 drachma and 2, 5 and 10 drachmae). There were eight different designs, by Professor I. Svoronos.

Answer: Booker T. Washington

Booker T. Washington was the first to be featured in a 10-cent stamps, followed by Carver (3-cent) in 1948 and Douglass (25-cent) in 1967. In 1978, Tubman (13-cent) became the first African American woman to be honored on a U.S. postage stamp.

Answer: Cultural Revolution

During the Cultural Revolution period, 19 sets with a total of 80 stamps were issued. These stamps with their distinct designs and strong political messages are now very much sought after by stamp collectors.

Answer: David Bowie

Although the Beatles and Pink Floyd have been featured on stamps, David Bowie was the first individual British singer to be issued a set of commemorative stamps. The ten stamps issued on 17 March 2017 were "Hunky Dory", "Aladdin Sane", "Heroes", "Let's Dance", "Earthling", "Black Star", "The Ziggy Stardust tour, 1972", "The Serious Moonlight tour, 1983", "The Stage tour, 1978" and "A Reality tour, 2004".

Answer: Stephen Hawking

The six-stamp series is to honor the 100th anniversary of the publication of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. Stephen Hawking was the other scientist honored in the stamp. Hawking (1942-2018), English physicist and cosmologist is well-known for his work on black holes. His best-selling book was "A Brief History of Time" published in 1988.