Issue date: 17 Oct, 2019
TRADITIONAL TRADES. MINERS
Mining is one of the hardest, most dangerous and difficult jobs in the world. Mines, mining areas and the culture around them are remarkably similar around the world.
The profession is also one of the most ancient. Since the dawn of civilisation, people have used stone, clay, and later, metals taken from the earth to make buildings, tools and weapons.
The oldest mine known to archaeologists is the Lion Cavern in Swaziland, which has been carbon-dated to 43,000 years ago.
It is also true that miners face a constantly changing set of circumstances. Many work in spaces with no natural light or ventilation, hollowing out the earth and trying to minimise their immediate impact on the strata around them.
Spain’s mining tradition is mostly based in Asturias and León. But there are also mines in southern Spain, for example, the mines of Riotinto.
Correos pays homage to this ancient profession with a Premium Sheet depicting miners at work. A dark, imprecise image. An image which attempts to show us the miners’ point of view, and what they see as they work below the surface. A small lamp typical of those used in mines accompanies the men at work.
The stamp dedicated to miners is printed with charcoal, alluding to coal mines. The main motif of the stamp is the profile of a miner, equipped with two of the most iconic objects of the profession, a helmet light and a pickaxe, used to dig into the earth.
The headframe of Pozo de Santa Bárbara completes the design of the stamp. Pozo Santa Bárbara is a coal mine in the Turón valley near Mieres. It was declared a Cultural Asset on 29 October 2009, and is one of the most recognisable symbols of Spanish mining.
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