On October 3, 1995, Vatican City issued a series of five stamps commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations Organization. The Charter of the United Nations was written by representatives of fifty countries at the United Nations Conference on International Organization held at San Francisco, California, from April 25 until June 26, 1945. Poland, although not represented at the conference, signed the charter later and became one of the fifty-one founding members. The charter was signed on October 24, 1945, which, each year since, has been "United Nations Day."
The illustrations, by Paolo Guiotto, are as follows:
550-lire - many small hearts fluttering out of a big heart
750-lire - stylized human faces
850-lire - a flock of doves lifting into the sky
1,250-lire - lymph rises to bring its nourishment to the smallest branches
2,000-lire - an explosion of colors that blend without clashing
The stamps are vertical, measure 30 x 40 mm, and have a perforation of 13 3/4 x 14. The fiftieth anniversary official logo, the words CITTA DEL VATICANO, and the value are along the bottom. The Papal Tiara and Crossed Keys and the word PAX appear inside the illustrated portion of each stamp.
The stamps were printed on white, chalky paper in color rotogravure and issued in sheets of twenty. ITVF (France) printed 450,000 complete series. Around the edge of each stamp appears the inscription "1945 O.N.U. 1995."
