Scott No: 183-184
Serial number: C22
Values in set: 2
Date of issue: May 20, 1953
Denomination: 12 fen
Designer: Sun Chuanzhe
Engraver: Liu Guotong
Size of stamps: 25*38mm
Perforation: 14
Sheet composition: 84(12*7)
Printing process: Engraving
Printing House: Beijing People's Printing Works

C22 "135th Anniversary of the Birth of Marx" commemorative stamps were issued on May 20, 1953. The set consists of 2 stamps, printed by engraving, designed by Sun Chuanzhe, engraved by Liu Guotong, and printed by the Business Branch of the Beijing People's Printing Factory. Stamp size 25 mm × 38 mm, perforation gauge 14, 84 stamps per sheet (12 × 7), with the whole set in old RMB face values; Portrait of Marx 400 yuan, circulation 4 million copies; Portrait of Marx 800 yuan, circulation 6 million copies, without gum throughout the set.

Theme of the Set

Karl Marx was born in 1818 and was the founder of Marxism and the great mentor of the proletariat the world over. 1953 marked the 135th anniversary of Marx's birth. The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued this set, which is also New China's first stamp set commemorating an international revolutionary figure, to honor Marx's historical achievements in founding scientific socialism, writing Das Kapital, and leading the international workers' movement, and to spread Marxist thought, fitting the era's background of ideological and theoretical study in the early years of the founding of the People's Republic.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Portrait of Marx

The designs of the two stamps are completely identical, differing only in color. The main subject of the design is a half-length portrait of Marx, with a dignified and expressive depiction of his face; below the portrait is printed "Karl Marx" in German, on both sides are marked the birth and death years 1818–1883, the stamp title surrounds the upper part, and the outer edge is framed by a European-style scrolling-grass pattern forming a picture-frame border. The theory founded by Marx profoundly changed the world; with a concise and dignified form, this portrait stamp freezes the mentor's image as a carrier for studying and commemorating Marxism.

Artistic Features

The set is printed by engraving; the engraving is fine and smooth, with delicate shaping of the figure's facial expression and the layers of hair and beard. The two stamps have completely identical compositions, distinguished by the two single colors of dark brown and gray-green respectively. The pattern border is elaborate and elegant, setting off the solemnity of the portrait; there is no superfluous background, and the visual focus is concentrated on the figure himself. The overall style is steady and restrained; it is the pioneering work of the early New China engraved stamps on the theme of revolutionary mentors.