The set of 31 stamps of Albania (1979 to 1986) illustrating 77 (or exactly half) of those granted the title 'Hero of the People' at the end of WW2 can be no-one's idea of a pleasing design - the portraits are crude and dwarfed by the surround, and the attributions illegible without the aid of a glass.

However, while researching the stories of each of these (mostly) young people I did come across a couple of far more dramatic, interesting and even moving illustrations, both rendered in wood- or lino-cut. They seem worth sharing and comparing:



Compare this image with the stark illustration below. The imminent fate of these young women - Bule Naipi and Persefoni Kokedhima - needs no elaboration.



The very next stamp in the series looks like this:



How much more indicative of the life and struggle of these partisans - known as The Five Heroes of Vig - is this image:



So we find that even the most apparently dull stamps can yield some pleasant artistic surprises!