A postage stamp issue called "The Passions of the Kings of Romania (I)" that explores the particular interests of the Romanian monarchs beyond their official duties will become available on Friday at the Romfilatelia stores in Bucharest, Bacau, Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Timisoara, as well as online, according to AGERPRES.
According to a press statement from Romfilatelia released on Thursday, the issue consists of four postage stamps and two first-day covers.
The postage stamps illustrate well-known passions of the kings of Romania starting with horseback riding on a stamp of a face value of 1.40 lei with the visible image of Carol I, and botany, for which Ferdinand I became internationally famous, on a stamp of a face value of 1.70 lei. In the case of the other two monarchs - Carol II and Mihai - the stamps show the passion for philately of the former on a stamp of a face value of 10.50 lei, and the passion for aviation of the latter, on a stamp of a face value of 19 lei.
The stamp issue is rounded up by two first-day covers, a 20-stamp sheet, a five-stamp miniature sheet plus one label and a special block of four perforated stamps plus four labels.
Each of the two first-day covers brings together in a graphic composition stamps representing the four monarchs of Romania, issued during their reigns: between 1920 and 1944 (first cover) and between 1909 and 1945 (second cover).
The stamp album is made in a limited run of 251 pieces and it comes out with a special block of four perforated stamps and four labels as well as the set of two first-day covers with the postmark clearly applied in gold foil. Both products are numbered 001 to 251.