Mayotte is an island of 22 to 39 kilometer, lying in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mozambique. The currency is the euro. This is because it is a French department, let's say a province. For us this island only produced 1 stamp, and that will be it for ever. This because the last postal items with Mayotte stamps have been sent at the end of 2011. Starting in 2012 French stamps must be used over there. Thus our stamp has been used for postage during 2 months only. A really used stamp will thus be a rare item.
Lady GAGA on a stamp block. It is possible. In the margin a motorcycle? It is clear that we can see a wheel and something that looks like an engine.
Fortunately the design studio of the agent that produces stamps for Guinee-Bissau uses a lot of images from internet. A little Googling delivered the answer.
When we look at her album covers it is clear that the Lady has a special relation with motorcycles. On the cover of Born This Way she is a motorcycle herself. In her shows she uses a pianomotorcycle. Nice!
During the Jingle Ball 2011 in Madison Square Garden there was a sculpture on stage existing of various motorcycles that she had already used during her shows over the years. The motorcycles were cut in pieces in different directions, welded together and put on a turning stage and that is the heap of motorcycle parts that is depicted on the block:
Now we have found for you a motorcycle stamp without any motorcycle. On the D-Day issue from Grenada (April 30th 2004) we see next to a few hot-shot stamps also a stamp with an image of a soldier. A despatch rider as we can see by his outfit (helmet), but no image of his motorcycle.
It concerns Donald Sheppard, serving the combat engineers, called Sappers. We have to get the First Day Cover to see Don sitting on what is probably a Matchless.
The image on the stamp is mirrored, as we can clearly read the registration number of the motorcycle on the envelop:
Yes, those collecting all go far, very far!
Hans de Kloet
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