1932 Belgium

Issued in 1932 to benefit Belgian war veterans, this pair of semi-postal stamps depicts a Belgian infantryman in full field kit — helmet, greatcoat, rifle, and pack — striding forward against a backdrop of ruined buildings and grave crosses, with the dates 1914 and 1918 flanking the figure. The design is a powerful tribute to the soldiers who fought and died on Belgian soil during the First World War, and the semi-postal surcharges — 3f25 on the 75-centime stamp and 4f25 on the 1f75 stamp — went directly to organizations supporting veterans and war victims. The engraving quality on both values is exceptional, with fine crosshatching and dramatic lighting that gives the soldier a monumental quality rare in stamp design of any era.

Belgium's experience in the First World War was unlike that of any other Allied nation. When Germany invaded in August 1914 in defiance of the treaty guaranteeing Belgian neutrality, the small Belgian army resisted with unexpected tenacity, delaying the German advance long enough to allow France and Britain to mobilize. The fighting that followed transformed much of Belgium into a devastated wasteland — the ruined buildings and grave crosses in the stamp's background are not artistic flourishes but accurate representations of what the Belgian countryside looked like for years after the Armistice. By 1932, when these stamps were issued, the wounds of the war were still fresh, and semi-postal issues supporting veterans remained an important part of Belgian postal policy.