Female christmas child.

Cover of an airmail letter. Take a discreet look at the baby, it is a GIRL !

MEMORIAN instead of MEMORIAM

Wrong : IN MEMORIAN - Correct : IN MEMORIAM

Poor dressed Pope !

At least three errors on this stamp : the shape of the tiara is completely different from the one Pope John XXIII wore, a Pope only wears his tiara with church clothes and .. .look at the cross on the top : the tiara has to be turned by 90 degrees!

Wrong person

This is not S. Dominic, but a Spanish monk who lived 2 centuries later.

Anacronism

Bishop of the 13th century, wearing modern churchclothes.

Wrong painting

This painting of Dürer is known as The Lamentation for the Dead Christ. On this sheet it is surprisingly called Christ Weeping for His People.

Language error

Wrong : PAPA PAULUS - Correct : POPE PAULUS

Not canonised.

This bishop was never canonised, ther is thus no reason why he his featured with an halo.

Mirrored and corrected.

Correct and mirrored Bodhisattva statue

Female angel.

Angels are supposed to be sexless, but this Mexican angel obviously is equipped with a nice breast.

Wrong person.

This stamp was supposed to picture Father SERRA. Unfortunately, a picture of one of his colleagues, Father FALOU, was shown.

Inverted portrait

One of those two stamps has tot be a mirror representation of a portrait of Pope Pius XII

Wrong date

The departure of Cardinal Sarto from Venice to a Conclave in Rome occured on the 26th of July, not on the 27th of June (XXVII-VI)

With and without tower

Tower was placed on the wrong side. The same stamp was re-issued, without tower.

Inverted towers

The towers of this catheral are shown inverted

Wrong representation

The carol While Shepheards watched their flocks by night, states that the watching shepheards were all seated on the ground. On the stamp however, two are standing, one is kneeling, none is seated

Other town

The 2 statues at the left and right side of the stamp do not belong to the cathedral of Amiens, but to the cathedral of Chartres.

Religious anachronism

The death of Mary´s 'still to be born' son is already commemorated by the cross above her bed.

Controversial Buddha

Miniature of the Buddha of Bamian. A similar stamp issued in 1951 featuring the real statue was withdrawn due to compaints of the Moslim majority in the region.

Unfortunate illustration

The choice of the illustration for this Christmas airmail letter is a little bit unfortunate : it is a Doomsday Angel from Dürer's woodcut 'The whore of Babylon'

Wrong region

Girl from Vorarlberg holding an adorn with the initials IHS (Iesus Hominum Salvator), which are not used in that region. The designer of the stamp admitted that he had mixed up some sketches he once made in Liechtenstein where this adorn is typical.

Translation

The stamps with a local religious symbol was re-issued with the explanation in native language

Translation

The stamps with a local religious symbol was re-issued with the explanation in native language

Missing ring

The pastoral ring is missing on a finger of the right hand.

Wrong tower

The tower shown on this stamp was nevere built.

Transparent moon

As a symbol, a star in a moon crescent is acceptable. But not to illustrate a landscape, as this star lies behind the non illuminated surface of the moon.

Missing letter

Wrong : JUBILEUM - Correct : JUBILAEUM. See picture.

Missing crown

Stamp showing the cross and other symbols of the Cruxifiction, but omits the highly significant Crown of Thorns.

Too big

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

Wrong title

Fra Angelico was never declared saint. The legend Beato thus is not correct.

Unnecessary snake

Shipwreck of St. Paul adapted from a picture by Gustav Doré; with a snake scrambling ashore. In the Bible however, the snake does not appear until some time later. Corrected on a later issue.

Strange

Is this a flying nun ?

From three to two

El Greco's Holy Trinity has been reduced to a duo, as the dove, representing the Holy Ghost was omitted on the stamp.

Anaschronism

At the time the Christ was born, mosques with their minaret, who are symbols of the Islam, could not be a part of the skyline of Bethleem.

Discutable

When this first Christmas stamp was issued, some people argued that this was against the constitutional separation between Church and State.

Upgrade

The Pope did not look happy enough on a first stamp, so it was issued again, with an 'upgrade' around the head of Mary's statue.

Inversion

Inverted representation on the stamp, comparing to the original portrait.

Wrong star

Various Turkish stamps were overprinted with a six-pointed Christian star instead of the five-pointed islam star. This was corrected in later overprints.

Wrong name

The Bible scenery with the angel telling Maria that she will become pregnant is the Annunciation, not the Visitation.

Wrong birthdate

The Belgian Cardinal Mercier was born in 1851, not in 1856

Anachronism

A minaret tower, more than five centuries before the islam religion appeared.

Wrong scenery

This painting shows the Adoration of the Shepards, not of the Magi.

Not correct according to the Bible

According to the Bible, Jesus' parents took him to Egypt immediately after his birth. On this stamp they are travelling with a six years old boy.

Wrong star

According to the Bible, the star was leading the three Kings to Bethleem, but not leading the holy family on their way to Egypt.

Not a saint !

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

Not a member

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

Mixed up

A. Dürer's paintings : The Four Apostles. Paul's head is featured with the caption Mark, Mark's head with the caption Paul.

Western Pope ?

Really strange to see Pope John Paul II on a sheet celebrating the Western stars of Hollywood.

Mirror image

Mirrored featuring of this church

Wrong cathedral

This stamp features the cathedral of Burgos instead of Léon