New St. George and the Dragon cover

This is a new cover (issued in 2007) and new to my collection. It features one of the UK "Smiler" stamps issued for England and features a St. George and the Dragon cachet. If anyone is interested, this cover (as well as number of others) can be purchased here.

St. George & the Dragon

So far I've covered some stamps and covers celebrating the Chinese Year of the Dragon. Of course, stories and legends about dragons (and related stamps) go well beyond that. Dragons are a common theme in a number of Asian cultures - not just in China, but Japan, Korea, Vietnam and elsewhere.

In Western lore, one of the most famous stories is that of St. George & the Dragon. St. George is also traditionally the patron saint of England (though that status has changed in recent times). Nonetheless, St. George & the Dragon appear (or have appeared) on British sovereign coins, currency and postage stamps, including: