NON-ERRORS ?

WHAT SEEMS TO BE AN ERROR IS NOT ALWAYS WRONG...

As I am looking for errors made by others, I have to be the first to admit that I too, can make errors!

It happens indeed from time to time that a visitor writes me and explains that a stamp that I have described as incorrect, is in fact correct.

During years, I removed those stamps from the website. But this had sometimes an unexpected consequence: a message from another visitor presenting me a removed stamp as an error that was missing on the website.

Some time ago, a visitor gave me the idea to create a page dedicated to stamps which seem to be erroneous, but in fact are correct.

Feel free to get in touch if you find a stamp on this website that was incorrectly marked as an error, and explain me why. I will move the stamp to this page, and your explanation could help others avoid making the same mistake I did.

And of course, if you know of an error that is not yet shown on this website, feel free to get in touch — I’ll be happy to add it.




IRAQ    1970

Original description of the error
Stamp issued to show the Arab solidarity against the expansion of Israel into occupied territories. But one of these territories, the territory of Gazah, was represented on this stamp as belonging to Israel !

Comment received from visitor
No one has forgotten about Gaza. Simply put, if they do not recognize the existence of Israel, then they do not recognize the border between Israel and Gaza. The entire black area is Palestine, not Israel. It is a political declaration, not a mistake.




ROMANIA    1964

Original description of the error
Not easy to promote your village as a ski paradise, as there is only one seat available, moreover not equipped with a safety bar.

Comment received from visitor
It is strange there is only one seat, and this is an error. But it seems there were indeed no bars there at that time (!). See old photo https://www.bizbrasov.ro/2021/06/18/in-anii-60-in-poiana-brasov-a-avut-loc-un-grav-accident-de-teleferic-care-a-fost-tinut-ascuns-recent-au-aparut-imagini-din-timpul-prabusirii-telecabinei-din-italia-care-arata-cat-de-per/ . The designer was correct.




ITALY    1956

Original description of the error
Probably the stamp with the most errors on it : trains drive left in Italy, steamtrains never crossed the Simplon-tunnel, there is no road at the right side of the tunnel, and coaches pulled by horses were already history at the time the tunnel was built.

Comment received from visitor
I doubt there are four mistakes on the Simplon Tunnel stamp. The stamp is probably quite good. I checked Google Earth and a few photos taken at the exit of the tunnel. 1) There is indeed a road right next to it - the postage stamp is correct. 2) It seems to me that the trains leave on the same track as on the stamp. Maybe the tunnel is governed by Swiss railway rules, not Italian ones? I don´t know, a local railwayman or someone who has been to the station could decide that. 3) If you have a reliable source that a steam locomotive has never-ever passed through there, even on the opening, then okay; 4) I don´t understand the objection that there couldn´t have been a horse-drawn carriage next to it. The AI says there where 6000 cars in whole Italy in 1906 for 30 million people, and that in 1905 most people crossed the Simplon Pass using stagecoaches. Logical.




HUNGARY    1965

Original description of the error
A rocket in space, outside the atmosphere, does not leave a trail of smoke behind !

Comment received from visitor
Not only smoke. Rocket engines never work with full power when the object is so far from earth. But I noticed the rocket started somewhere from Central Europe and the flag looks like Polish. I started an investigation. And yes, this is Polish meteorological rocket Meteor-1 (abbreviated on the stamp to “M.”). And indeed, it was two-stage (“Kétlépcsős” in Hungarian). And indeed, it was a solid propellant rocket, thus a lot of smoke is correct. And indeed, one launch was probably 16 June 1965 (English Wikipedia says 17 June, but I’d believe Polish sources). But one error is obvious – that day the rocket reached level 36 km, not 20000 km, like on the stamp. And the rocket was small – only 2,5 m high and 32,5 kg at launch. But it looks giant on the stamp!




ANDORRA    1976

Original description of the error
Bishop of the 13th century, wearing modern churchclothes.

Comment received from visitor
Exactly what elements of his clothes are not good in the context of the 13th century? On coins or seals bishops of this time looks (at least in my non-professional eyes) quite similar (e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillin_of_Falmagne)




BULGARIA    1959

Original description of the error
Stamp picturing the hidden face on the moon long before it was pictured by a satellite.

Comment received from visitor
Why not check the facts? The rocket passed Moon in 1959, and on 18 October 1959 the photos were available on Earth. The stamp has been issued on 28 March 1960 (not 1959). The stamp is good.




FRENCH POLYNESIA    1973

Original description of the error
All the planets have their own moon, and are circling around the sun on the same lane, and the plane of the Moon´s orbit dances in different directions.

Comment received from visitor
No, this is not a ballet of the planets, but the Earth and the Moon shown in various places in their orbit around the Sun. But still, there is a big mistake. In the picture, the plane of the Moon´s orbit dances in different directions, instead of maintaining a constant position, and even aligns perpendicularly to the Earth´s orbit (which never happens - the Moon is never seen over the North Pole). A better title would be ´Crazy Moon.´




DOMINICAN REPUBLIC    1958

Original description of the error
This is not a 1.600 m race, but a 4 x 400 m relay race.

Comment received from visitor
The 1600m relay is a term in common use in the USA (or even Mile Relay) for the 4x400m race.




BRAZIL    1936

Original description of the error
IIII instead of IV (Roman 4), and VIIII instead of IX (Roman 9)

Comment received from visitor
The roman figures are not wrong. They are just less standard. You can find “IIII” quite often on old city clocks, and VIIII can also be found. Simply: another, more archaic tradition, not error, especially in 1936.




ARGENTINA   

Original description of the error
Correct stamp for Argentina, as they claim the Falkland Islands, and of course wrong for Great Britain.

Comment received from visitor
The Falklands are of course not an error, but a territorial claim. But the joke with this stamp is elsewhere, too. There are two versions of the stamp. In the first (easily available): not only Argentine was marked, but the borders of all South American countries. And that caused a row, because there were claims about erroneous course of the borders (I think Peru, Ecuador, but maybe I’m wrong). So, Argentina erased the borders completely and issued the stamp that you show.




AUSTRIA    1955

Original description of the error
Impossible to recognise the continents on this globe, they only exist in the imagination of the designer.

Comment received from visitor
AUSTRIA 1955 10 years of the UN, globe and flags. You are quite right that it is difficult to see the shapes of continents as they were placed rather differently to what we are accustomed to, but after a while I could see Greenland and North America, so I do not see the real problem here. The real problem is a wrong Soviet flag with a huge hammer and sickle placed centrally in the flag. The real Soviet flag had a small emblem placed in the upper left corner. The flag presented here is definitely wrong.




BELGIUM    1965

Original description of the error
According to the legend, the angel Michael is fighting a devil, not a drake.

Comment received from visitor
This is devil. Devil was often depicted as a dragon. Here you have another image, from Polish Benedictine convent in Żarnowiec. You can find a lot of them.




CUBA    1970

Original description of the error
On the shop the stamp shows TOBACOS, but below : Historia del TABACO

Comment received from visitor
I supposed that it might be an old spelling problem. I googled the phrase and found an item on eBay from an old cigar box. So, I guess there is no error, just carefully recreated real spelling. Apparent error at most.




HUNGARY    1973

Original description of the error
Incorrect presentation of the human blood circulation : there should be one down and one return path, both splitting somewhere in the middle of the body.

Comment received from visitor
I have the impression that this bloodstream – when you look at various drawings on the Internet – is not far from reality.




GERMANY    1953

Original description of the error
A printed 7 never has a small horizontal line. See other stamp.

Comment received from visitor
It is not true that ´7´ never has a horizontal line. In Poland, everyone usually writes 7 by hand with a horizontal line (it helps to distinguish 1 and 7). I always do so. I suppose that in Germany it could have been/still is like that too (you would have to ask the Germans). Yes, in printing this horizontal line is rare, but is it not allowed to use such “script” font? Maybe describe it in a different way - that is uses a rather uncommon font?




MONACO    1948

Original description of the error
Discus thrower in swimsuit, wearing gymshoes.

Comment received from visitor
A half-naked discus thrower is indeed strange, but whether the shoes are bad, you´d have to ask someone who practiced discus throwing in 1948 (or look at old photos). The lack of a shirt is probably to emphasize the musculature and resemblance to Myron´s ´Discus Thrower´ ?




POLAND    1991

Original description of the error
The sinking of the German battle-ship BISMARCK took place on May 27th, 1941 at exactly 10h40, and not on 26.V.1941 as claimed on this stamp.

Comment received from visitor
The stamp does not commemorate the sinking of the Bismarck, but the participation of the Polish ship Piorun in tracking it down. Piorun spotted the Bismarck on May 26, not May 27, and this was the great day for Piorun. That is why this date was not placed in place of the cross (when the Bismarck sank), but below (earlier). Only an apparent error.




SAN MARINO    1963

Original description of the error
Take a rest sitting on the lath, maybe convenient, but quite impossible while jumping for competition.

Comment received from visitor
SAN MARINO 1963 (and multiple other in ‘sports’ category) I’m almost sure some ‘impossible for competition’ high jumps (as well as pole jumps) you treat as errors were quite normal in the past. I googled the phrase “high jump female 1960” and many photos seem to confirm it. Strange old pictures on stamps can be real. If you can’t check the pictures for jump errors (I’m not competent to do it) maybe less critical descriptions would be better?




AUSTRALIA    1972

Original description of the error
This telegraphic line goes from East to West,, not from North to South as indicated by the position of the sun.

Comment received from visitor
If the line runs east-west, and the sun sets over the line then everything is fine, I guess? Unless the line runs north-south?




DJIBOUTI    1985

Original description of the error
Strange way to honor the winners : it seems better to finish seventh than second.

Comment received from visitor
IN fact, it´s not an error. The post of Djibouti commemorated the success of the national athletes in the Hiroshima marathon in 1985. Besides the winner, the runners from Djibouti took also the 3rd and 7th place in the competition.




AJMAN   


Original description of the error
Armstrong made an error while pronouncing his historical words : instead of ´That is one small step for a man´, he said ´That is one small step for man´.

Comment received from visitor
To this day, it is probably not 100% certain whether Armstrong said ´man´ or ´a man´. So, I wouldn´t be so categorical. But the stamp should not be wasted. There are at least two errors: the Earth low above the Moon´s horizon and the astronaut´s (ugly) face visible through the helmet, which was almost mirror-like in reality when looked from the outside.




BOTSWANA    1975

Original description of the error
The map includes a territory between the rivers Orange and Molopo that belongs to the Republic of South Africa

Comment received from visitor
Are you sure the historical map is wrong? It´s not about the Botswana protectorate? I can’t check it, but maybe it is a correct copy of some old map?




BULGARIA    1973

Original description of the error
The correct name of this deer is CERVUS DAMA, non DAMA DAMA

Comment received from visitor
In biology there is a tendency to treat some species as separate genera. In this case the first part of the Latin name changes. Dama dama is new and correct. Cervus dama is outdated.




FRENCH ANTARTIC TERRITORIES    1987

Original description of the error
Reindeers do not live in the Southern hemisphere, only in the North.

Comment received from visitor
FRENCH ANTARCTIC TERRITORY 1987 Maybe it is better to change from "error" to "apparent error"? Explanation: what you wrote was true before humans arrived to the Antarctic, but reindeers were successfully introduced in Kerguelen Island in 1956, and several thousand of them still live there wild. I think the stamp is about them. (They were also introduced in South Georgia, but exterminated recently, around 2014).




GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC    1957

Original description of the error
This tour started and ended in Prague. The last stage from Pilsen back to Prague was forgotten.

Comment received from visitor
GDR (DDR) 1957 The International Peace Race. In 1957 this tour started in Prague and ended in Warsaw, please consult: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Race so no stage is missing on the map. But there is another error here: while Berlin is represented by the Town Hall and Prague by Charles Bridge and they are easy to recognise, Warsaw seems to be represented by the Palace of Culture and Science, which is absolutely not resembling the real palace. Actually I am surprised that in communist Germany they did not know how the real building looked liked, or perhaps there was too little space in the stamp, so they flattened it a bit. Please, compare it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Culture_and_Science. The real palace is very tall, this one looks not tall, but stout and surrounded by strange buildings which in reality do not exist.




GERMANY    1933

Original description of the error
Hans SACHS (1494-1576) with an oil light that will be invented ... in 1855.

Comment received from visitor
Who said this is a petroleum lamp? This can be a lamp using e.g. olive oil and the like, known since antiquity. Mirror could be used with it, too. Not always oil = petroleum. BTW the first petroleum lamp was in use on 30 March 1853 (in the window of a pharmacy in Lviv), not in 1855.




ITALY    1926

Original description of the error
The franciscan monks have a very small round tonsure, not a bald head like showed on the stamp.

Comment received from visitor
Have a look at Saint Francesco by Cimabue (or other medieval images). My impression is the tonsure at THAT time was quite big. It doesn´t matter what tonsure the Franciscans wear 800 years later.




ITALY    1955

Original description of the error
Fra Angelico was never declared saint. The legend Beato thus is not correct.

Comment received from visitor
In 1955 it was true. The title “Beato” Fra Angelico received officially in 1982, thus technically the stamp had error. However, the nickname “Beato Angelico” that you see in the stamp has been used in Italy traditionally for centuries without implication of beatification. You cannot tell Italians how they should call their painter.




NIGER    1985

Original description of the error
Ed. Halley was never knighted, and the length of the comet is somewhat exaggerated.

Comment received from visitor
The length of Halley comet tail in 1910 may be correct. You don’t know how far you are from the buildings visible on the stamp. And in 1910 the comet was very impressive, its tail could extend to more than 30 degrees in the sky (Earth even crossed it).




NORWAY    1968

Original description of the error
Strange country name on this stamp from Norway: NOREG instead of NORGE.

Comment received from visitor
NOREG is the countryname of Norway in the second language of this country. Can indeed be very confusing for foreigners who are not aware of it !




POLAND    1967

Original description of the error
Wrong : CHAETODON FASCIATUS - Correct : CHAETODON LUNULA.

Comment received from visitor
Vanessa urticae = Aglais urticae. One must be very careful when criticizing old Latin names. Some visible on stamps are certainly mistakes, others have simply changed (there is a tendency in contemporary biology to separate individual families, genera, and species - then the Latin names also change). Who in 1967 would say it is wrong? In Poland’s encyclopaedia from the 1960’s I see it was Vanessa. The designer did not make a mistake using a name from his epoch. A similar problem may apply to many ´errors´, but I am not able to check them. This requires a biologist (and a very experienced one).




POLAND    1960

Original description of the error
Wrong : Haliaeëtus - Correct : Haliaeetus.

Comment received from visitor
In the 1960s, this Latin name was written in Poland as you see on the stamp. So, the designer did not make a mistake. Perhaps the mistake was made by Polish zoologists, but maybe this is how Latin names were written 60 years ago? If it is a mistake, then it is a mistake from the point of view of the custom of which language? This spelling can still be found in professional publications (e.g. http://www.groms.de/Species_HTMLs/Halbicil.html ).




POLAND    1978

Original description of the error
If it is a Jaguar, then it is a Felis onza. But if it is a Panther, the name would be Felis pardus.

Comment received from visitor
Jaguar = Panthera onca. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar .




RUSSIA    1975

Original description of the error
Rusland and France both issued a stamp in 1975 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Russian-French relations., but the Russian stamp put the anniversary wrongly in 1974.

Comment received from visitor
RUSSIA 1975 “Wrong year” “Rusland (??) and France both issued a stamp in 1975 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Russian-French relations., but the Russian stamp put the anniversary wrongly in 1974.” Maybe it is the French stamp with error? Russian Wikipedia is detailed about it and states the relationship was established on 28 October 1924. Yes, maybe the stamp was issued a little bit late, but there is no error ON the stamp. On the other hand, when two stamps give different dates, both are good for your collection.




MANAMA   

Original description of the error
In one of the craters the meteor which hit the moon surface did not desintegrate and is still visible.

Comment received from visitor
Maybe this is not a meteor(ite), but the so-called central peak, quite common in lunar craters? How could you tell?




SAN MARINO    1965

Original description of the error
This Brachiosaurus did not live in water, and his forelegs are too small.

Comment received from visitor
SAN MARINO 1965 “Wrong representation” (dino) Yes, nowadays we think so. But in the 1960’s the idea that such a big animal was too heavy to live on land still prevailed in science (easy to check). Yes, now we think its forelegs were longer. But we cannot blame the designer that he/she was unaware about later development of paleontology. Maybe it would be fair to start the sentence with “Now we know that Brachiosaurus…”?




UNITED STATES OF AMERICA    1966


Original description of the error
At the end of the second World War Poland became a Republic. From then the crown above the eagle was removed from the coat of arms.

Comment received from visitor
USA 1966 crown: There is an error in your description: Poland did not become a republic at the end of the Second World War, but at the end of the First WW in 1918. There is no design error here, only the question of interpretation. The stamp shows the correct arms of Poland until 1945 and from 1989 until today. When the communists occupied Poland in 1944/45 they removed the crown from the head of the Polish White Eagle and that was the only time in history when the Polish Eagle was crownless. So in 1966 this type of eagle was not the official arms of communist Poland but the crownless eagle was rejected by the Polish people and was certainly not accepted by millions of Poles living in the USA. This stamps was issued thanks to Poles living in the USA to celebrate the Millennium of Christianity in Poland, which the communists refuse to celebrate. Communist state in Poland was always very hostile to Christians, so placing a cross and a communist eagle (crownless eagle) would be unthinkable to most Poles and rather offensive. The White Eagle in the stamp represents the Catholic Poland, not the communist one, so it could not be crownless. Such eagle was chosen with purpose and it was not a mistake, as Christian and communist symbols do not go well in a stamps celebrating the Millennium of Christianity in Poland.




UNITED STATES OF AMERICA    1969

Original description of the error
During the first moon landing, the sun was situated at the right side below the earth. The illumination of the earth is thus not correct.

Comment received from visitor
More important – the Earth was not on the horizon. It was almost in zenith; it was impossible to have a photo of Earth and the lunar horizon at the same time. Whether the illumination of Earth was from right or left – I don’t know (a lot of calculation to do, and what is “right” when Earth is very high in the sky?).




ALGERIA   

Original description of the error
Who is steering thoses horses ? Certainly not the two archers who seem to have other priorities.

Comment received from visitor
Since this stamp was issued to help save the Nubian monuments, this design is based on a wall stone carving from a temple at Abu Simbel. It shows Ramses II in the battle of Kadesh.




ALGERIA    1969

Original description of the error
From where Apollo 11 landed on the moon, the earth was not visible.

Comment received from visitor
The Earth was visible from the landing site of each Apollo mission. Otherwise, there would be no radio communication with the Earth. But there is a mistake that will save the stamp in your collection. The Earth is too low above the horizon. The Apollo 11 landing site was close to the centre of the Moon´s disk, so the Earth was almost vertically overhead about astronauts (this is why there are no impressive photos of Earth made from Moon surface, like those made from lunar orbit).




FRANCE    1991

Original description of the error
Fébus is not correct, the correct name is Phoebus or Phébus.

Comment received from visitor
If they wrote Phoebus you could say it is anachronism. Febus is historically correct. See remark “b” at https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaston_III_de_Foix-Béarn




ITALY    1992

Original description of the error
Columbus with earthglobe, which was not yet invented at this time.

Comment received from visitor
I think the picture can be better than we think, maybe it is very good. Columbus could have a globe before departing. Without the globe it is difficult to imagine how could he expect to reach India travelling west. And he received huge money for the expedition – he managed to convince others. The first still existing globe is from 1492, but Behaim started his work on it in 1490, shortly after his journey to Lisbon, where he could even meet Columbus. And you can see quite nice globe on a painting from Italy, 1470: https://en.wahooart.com/@@/AQZCXA-Piero-Pollaiuolo-Justice It means the idea of the globe was then known not only to astronomers and navigators, but even to artists.




GUINEA BISSAU    1997

Original description of the error
Wrong : Hyppopotamus - Correct : Hippopotamus. Furthermore, the upper teeth are missing.

Comment received from visitor
Maybe a hippopotamus could look like this? Look at your Congo stamp (1993) – the upper teeth are barely visible. You can also look at hippo photos – many looks quite similarly.




POLAND    1994


Original description of the error
The Greek goddess Niké with mordern sportshoes.

Comment received from visitor
In my opinion this is not an anachronism, but an obvious joke. Not quite adidas.




GUINEA    1969

Original description of the error
The earth was not visible from the surface of the moon during the first moon landing in 1969.

Comment received from visitor
Of course it was visible, but not near the horizon.




COMORO ISLANDS    1977

Original description of the error
Landing with a parachute on Jupiter, where there is no atmosphere ?

Comment received from visitor
Error in description. Jupiter definitely DOES have an atmosphere. One could imagine using a parachute at some point in the flight to brake. Interestingly, the image is quite similar to https://science.nasa.gov/mission/galileo-jupiter-atmospheric-probe/ from a dozen or so years later. Was the stamp designer clairvoyant or did the NASA artist copy the vision from a postage stamp? Or is this another Leonov’ painting? The real mistake is term ´lander´ - it is pure fantasy - it is not known whether Jupiter has a solid surface, and even if it does, there is no way to send any signal from it to Earth (too dense atmosphere). And since the aerodynamic shield (bottom right) is white-hot, no parachute could withstand such speed.




AZERBAIDJAN    1996

Original description of the error
Karl instead of Carl, Lewis instead of Levis, and Los Ancelès instead of Los Angeles.

Comment received from visitor
The inscription ´LOS-ANCELES´ instead of ´LOS ANGELES´ is correct name of this city in Azeri. You can check it on Wikipedia (Azeri). If Frenchmen say “Londres” instead “London,” this is not an error. As for the spelling of Carl Lewis´s name, I don´t know if it´s correct or not. Although the Azeri Wikipedia currently has a different spelling, it´s possible that the Azeri rules for transcribing surnames were different in 1996 (that was just a few years after the abandonment of Cyrillic).




BOTSWANA    1972

Original description of the error
Orio is not visible in the sky of Botswana, only in the Northern hemisphere

Comment received from visitor
Untrue. The Orion constellation can be seen not only from Botswana, but from anywhere in Africa, and a large part of it - even from the South Pole. Orion sits on celestial equator and can be seen from both hemispheres. However, the stamp contains a terrible error. It shows the view of the constellation near the horizon on the Northern hemisphere. In the Southern hemisphere the stars are visible, but the sight is different (e.g. Rigel up, Betelgeuse south, depending on date and time: after all, people in Botswana look at the stars “heads down”). You may check it in an online planetarium (e.g. https://stellarium-web.org/ , selecting Botswana as your place and November or February as a date, it is a funny experience). “Heka” star is now called Meissa, but in 1972 that was not a mistake.




RUSSIA    1959

Original description of the error
The orbit of Lunik III is represented quite incorrectly.

Comment received from visitor
You cannot compare orbits depicted in different frames of reference. On the stamp it is mostly symbolic, with Earth-Moon line treated as a solid frame of reference (you look on the moon all the time and draw the orbit as you see it). Your other picture shows another frame of reference (you look all the time at a given star). In one of the frames of references the other is rotating and diagrams are different, but it doesn’t mean without detailed study that one of them is incorrect. Using the same argument, I could say that your sentence “I moved 10 meters upstairs”, and your picture of it, is wrong. Because at the same time in the heliocentric frame of reference you moved 600 km around the Sun (quite different picture!). In my opinion the orbit in the stamp is not terribly bad.




CHAD    1969


Original description of the error
Sheet with the 12 disciples of Jesus. Paul joined later, and thus was not one of the twelve.

Comment received from visitor
Saint Paul is often called an apostle, so he had the right to be included in this group (after all, it is probably not written anywhere that the series presents the group of original 12 apostles).




CHAD    1969


Original description of the error
Judas belonged to the 12 disciples of Jesus, but was of course not a saint.

Comment received from visitor
The stamp probably shows the apostle Jude Thaddeus, in some languages written ´Judas´. Two apostles with the same name were distinguished by their nicknames. The stamp is a bit misleading, but it does not follow from it that Iscariot was a saint. The figure of the sower in the background (probably sowing the word of God) suggests the apostleship of Jude Thaddeus, in accordance with tradition.




URUGUAY    1995

Original description of the error
The wheels of this amphibious vehicle should have been pictured at least partially covered by water.

Comment received from visitor
Maybe this vehicle is not on water, but on ice?




MOROCCO    1960

Original description of the error
Wrong shape of the lifting weights, and wrong position of the arms of lifter.

Comment received from visitor
Before 1972 there was a third competition “clean and press” (abandoned later), and the weightlifter looks are managing just this. Also, notice the shape of the bar – quite like on the postage stamp. So, it´s probably just a mistake in our modern eyes.




BARBADOS    1989


Original description of the error
There is no atmosphere and thus no oxygen on the moon, how explain the impressive flame during the landing process ?

Comment received from visitor
Yes, it´s strange. Mainly because the orbital stage is just above the lunar surface and close to the lander. Whether the atmosphere has oxygen is completely irrelevant. Rocket engines (and there are such here) do not draw oxygen from the atmosphere. In reality, the flame on the Moon was not visible (there is a recording of the lunar module liftoff from the Apollo 17 mission). However, this is a matter of the choice of fuel and oxidizer. If a black powder rocket had been used, there would have been a flame like in the picture (and clouds of smoke). But I understand the designer - if he had not drawn the flames, people would have claimed that the rocket engines don’t work.




TOGO   

Original description of the error
The Earth is much too close to Mars, and without atmosphere, combustion engines cannot be used.

Comment received from visitor
Rocket engines do not need oxygen or any atmosphere to work. Proof: successful landing on the Moon, where there is no atmosphere. The colour of the flames depends on the composition of the fuel and probably was not as in the picture, but this is nitpicking by the designer, who had to somehow show that the engines work (radio masts don’t emit visible radio waves, but they are pictured on many stamps). Earth above Mars is obviously a mistake.




MOLDOVA    1999


Original description of the error
Missing border between the Czec Republic and Slovakia, independent countries since 1992.

Comment received from visitor
There is also a second mistake - the Baltic Sea flooded the Russian Kaliningrad Oblast.




EQUATORIAL GUINEA   

Original description of the error
The passengers are leaving a sailboat with full deployed sails.

Comment received from visitor
This is a picture of the Shackleton´s Endurance stuck in the Antartic ice. It could have been a normal disembarcation situation, as I suspect rigging was not on top of the priority list.




TOGO   

Original description of the error
Without atmosphere, no combustion engines can be used.

Comment received from visitor
Rocket engines do not need oxygen or any atmosphere to work. Proof: successful landing on the Moon, where there is no atmosphere. The colour of the flames depends on the composition of the fuel and probably was not as in the picture, but this is nitpicking by the designer, who had to somehow show that the engines work (radio masts don’t emit visible radio waves, but they are pictured on many stamps). Earth above Mars is obviously a mistake.




GREECE    1988

Original description of the error
The Olympic games of 1996 were organized in Atlanta (USA), not in Athens (Greece)

Comment received from visitor
The use of the year 1996 was not a design(er) error, but rather an excessive optimism on the part of the Greek authorities that they would win the right to host the Games that year.




BENIN    1978

Original description of the error
All the continents are on the front side of the globe

Comment received from visitor
This is not a globe. This looks like Mollweide projection of Earth, and almost accurate. They only forgot about Antarctic – but right, penguins don’t play football!




NORWAY   

Original description of the error
One stick is missing, and in any case it is much too long to be really helpful /Not an error

Comment received from visitor
Years ago this was a normal way to move on the snow. With 2 poles this would have been anachronistic.




BULGARIA    2005


Original description of the error
Unknown island near to America

Comment received from visitor
I think this is deformed and misplaced New Zealand.




SPAIN    2020


Original description of the error
Thumb at the wrong side of the hand?

Comment received from visitor
No. There are two left hands (why not?), to let the stamp see upside down, too.