Czesław Słania

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Czesław Słania [IPA: tʃɛswav swanja] (22 October 1921–17 March 2005) was an accomplished postage stamp and banknote engraver. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Słania is the most prolific of all stamp engravers, with over 1000 stamps to his credit.

Born in Czeladź, Poland, he entered the Kraków School of Fine Arts, a renowned graphics arts center, in 1945. While still a student, he was hired by Poland's printing bureau and began his career as an engraver. In 1951 he engraved his first stamp for Poland.

In 1956, Słania moved to Sweden, where he gained employment with the Swedish postal authorities in 1959. He produced numerous stamps for Sweden and 28 other countries. His work was of such recognized quality and detail that he is one of the very few "household names" among philatelists, and some specialize in collecting his work alone.

His last work was a 60 years commemorative of the UN General Assembly, issued in February 2005.