It’s time for a new year for Mongolian stamps. And I’ll bet you can’t tell I’m beyond excited. Last year Mongolia’s post office revamped their website and I’m having more fun than is natural poking around. Mongol Post is offering up very high-quality scans of all their issued, including FDCs, special envelopes and postcards. So, this means a GREAT year ahead.

The good news doesn’t stop there. Mongol Post also loaded up most of their back catalogue, complete with good scans. It goes back to 1954, which means we now have an excellent research tool at our disposal. The one thing still lacking is info on the artists and designers. It’s a bit of a struggle figuring out the names, so that will still be hit and miss here. I’m still hunting for good sources in Mongolia for the artists, so this means this part will be lacking. 

Over the summer, I did a deep dive into Mongolian resources, so hopefully you will see more details about the stamps. It’s exciting! I am, however, still debating about how to handle the different graphic covers like this one released for the Year of the Rabbit:

21 different covers were released, and that’s quite a few. To go with this nearly 50 post cards were issued as well. If you are a postcard collector, this is a rich source to tap. The cards showcase different scenes and aspects of Mongolia and are beautiful. If last year is a sample, that’s too many to post here. But if you are interested in seeing them check out this link stamps (mongolstamps.com) they start with the 2013 releases. 

2024 begins with the traditional Lunar New Year stamp. This year, it’s the dragon. Keeping with tradition, I’m posting the previous releases in the current cycle.

This is such a nice way to start a year. The artist is G. Battur, who also designs a large portion of Mongolian’s stamps. I’m on the hunt for information, or maybe an interview with Battur, but so far, no luck. 

Enjoy the year.

January

Year of the Dragon
series: Lunar New Year

2 stamps, FDC, cancel

Designer: G. Battur

Release date: January 8, 2024

50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Mongolia and The Federal Republic of Germany
topics: diplomacy 

2 stamps on souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel

Release date: January 31, 2024

March

100 Years Mongolian Stamps – overprint

1 stamp, FDC, cancel

The first Mongolian stamp was issued July 1, 2024, and featured the Scepter of Indra.

Release date: March 27, 2024

May

60 Years of Diplomatic Relations Between Mongolia and Switzerland
topics: diplomacy | UNESCO intangible heritage | musical instruments

2 stamps on souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel
offset

This stamp uses musical symbols of the two mountainous countries:

• Tsuur players – a Tsuur or цуур, is a traditional wood wind instrument used predominately in the inner Mongolian area. In 2009 it was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage that is under threat.  From the UNESCO page on the instrument:
  

  Tsuur music is based on a combination of instrumental and vocal performance – a blending of sounds created simultaneously by both the musical instrument and the human throat. Tsuur music has an inseparable connection to the Uriankhai Mongolians of the Altai Region, and remains an integral part of their daily life. Its origins lie in an ancient practice of worshipping nature and its guardian spirits by emulating natural sounds. The Tsuur is a vertical pipe-shaped wooden wind instrument with three fingerholes. Simultaneously touching the mouthpiece of the pipe with one’s front teeth and applying one’s throat produces a unique timbre comprising a clear and gentle whistling sound and a drone. The Tsuur is traditionally played to ensure success for hunts, for benign weather, as a benediction for safe journeys or for weddings and other festivities. The music reflects one’s inner feelings when travelling alone, connects a human to nature, and serves as a performing art. The Tsuur tradition has faded over recent decades as a consequence of negligence and animosity toward folk customs and religious faith, leaving many locales with no Tsuur performer and no families possessing a Tsuur. The forty known pieces preserved among the Uriankhai Mongolians are transmitted exclusively through the memory of successive generations – a feature making this art highly vulnerable to the risk of disappearing.
  Traditional music of the Tsuur – intangible heritage – Culture Sector – UNESCO

• Alpenhorn players – Alpenhorn (or Alphorn) is a traditional Swiss wind instrument known for its deep notes. It was used by sheepherders to call cattle in for milking. 

Like the didgeridoo, the Indian bamboo or wooden trumpet and the African horn, the alphorn is one of the original wooden wind instruments. The alphorn in Switzerland was first documented in the mid-16th century by natural scientist Conrad Gesner….

The alphorn has long been a tool used by shepherds. It was used to call the cows from the pastures and into the barn at milking time. An engraving from 1754 shows a shepherd using the alphorn to motivate the cows to cover the last steep stretch on their big climb up into the Alps. A glass painting from the Emmental Valley dating back to 1595 shows the alphorn being blown, probably to pacify the cows during milking. The blowing of the alphorn in the evening is also a traditional theme in art. This sound served as an evening prayer, and was mainly practiced in the Reformed cantons, while in the German-speaking Catholic cantons in Central Switzerland, the call to prayer was preferred. The main function of the alphorn was, however, for communication with the herdsmen on the neighboring Alps and with the people down in the valley below. 
Alphorn – the sound of natural tones. | Switzerland Tourism (myswitzerland.com)

The Tsuur was previously featured in a stamp from Mongolia –Tsuur (Traditional Flute) 2019.

The Alpenhorn has appeared on 2 previous stamps: Alpenhorn for the Europa (C.E.P.T.) 2014 – Musical Instruments issue and Alpenhorn Blower from the
National Fete (1951) series,

Designer: G. Battur

Release date: May 20, 2024

June 

Children and Young Animals

5 stamps on souvenir sheet + label, FDC, cancel
offset

More images coming.  

Release date: June 1, 2024

Bank of Mongolia

1 stamp
offset

Decree of Kublai Khan – 100th anniversary of the bank of Mongolia.
This stamp ties two historical events together. The first is the creation of the Deposit Bank by during Kublai Khan’s reign in 1260. But the history of currency in Mongolia predates the 1260 bank. 

Upon establishing the unified Mongol Empire, Chinggis Khan introduced gold and silver coins called Sukhes and later, in the year of 1227, introduced the world’s first paper money /banknote/ into circulation. This proves that Chinggis Khan effectively used the role of trade and money exchanges when holding the nation’s political, economic, and cultural systems under strong centralized power.

As early as 1236, Mongols implemented “currency reform” by invalidating coins of various shapes, weights and values and melting them into new coins with equal weights and values. Paper currency and coins were issued in large amounts, and in 1253 the Monetary Division was established and conducted money circulation in manners such that resembles modern financial intermediaries.
History of Mongolian currency (mongolbank.mn)

In 1924, the modern Bank of Mongolia was established as the The Trade and Industry Bank of Mongolia, later renamed Bank of Mongolia. (RF Brief History Of The Bank Of Mongolia (mongolbank.mn))

Release date: June 2, 2024 

2 Khutagt Mongolians

2 stamps on 2 souvenir sheets

Release date: June 6, 2024 

Paris 2024

1 stamp, FDC, cancel
offset

Mongolia’s Bavuudorjiin Baasankhüü won silver in the women’s Judoka 48 kg division. She is also the 2024 World Judo Championship and 2024 Asian Games gold medalist. 
JudoInside – Baasankhuu Bavuudorj Judoka

Release date: June 9, 2024

August

Mongolian-Russian Joint Venture Company Ulaanbaatar Railway 75th Anniversary

1 stamp on a souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel
offset

The Ulaanbaatar Railway, Mongolia’s national rail, was established in 1949. The Mongolian People’s Republic and the Soviet Union undertook the development of the rail system, and to date ownership is 50 -50 split between Mongolia and Russia. 

Release date: August 2, 2024 

September

Hungarian Paintings

6 stamps, 2 FDCs, cancel

Release date: September 12, 2024

Posters of Mongolia

2 souvenir sheets with 4 stamps, 2 FDCs, cancel

This 8 stamp set is a brilliant retrospective of historical Mongolian posters.  The posters are interesting time capsules of Mongolian print history. print quarterly, 

 Release date: September 13, 2024

85th Anniversary of Victory in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol

1 stamp, FDC, cancel

The battle took place from May 11 to September 16, 1939 

Release date: September 16, 2024 

October

 Mongolian Folk Epic Khan Kharangui

4 stamps on souvenir sheet

Mongulai is a good site to start with if you want to explore Mongolian epic poems. Mongolian Epics – Mongulai 

Scholars believe that epics were developed into their sophisticated form in the sixth century CE. They are performed by a minstrel who is gifted at relating stories or in speech-art and can accompany themselves with a tuneful melody on a horse-head fiddle, tovshuur (two-stringed lute), ekil (western Mongolian fiddle with two strings), or huuchir (four-stringed bowed instrument) according to established rules and customs. 

They also have a page on this particular epic. The Action and Content of The Epic ‘Eriin Sain Khan Kharangui’ – Mongulai  The site is in English and very approachable. 

Khan Kharangui 
  Was born and
  Rebelled against
  The heaven, 
  He also rebelled against 
  The earth 
  With the father of one thousand and five hundred years old 
  The indomitable king, 
  Who lived in the open meadow
  By the sheltered mountain 
  With the queen Düngee, the beautiful mother 
  At the start of good time and 
  At the end of bad time, 
  Whose body is 
  Made from bronze, 
…

Release date: October 9, 2024 

There are 8 more stamps to come. I’m slowly catching up.