Diary - Archive 2003
Big Update Under Way
September 11th, 2004.
My dear friends,
after neglecting my website for a long period, it's about time for a big update.
Naturally I continued collecting and the collection grewed up to more than 2200 labels.
But the webite and trading with you was due to a lack of time on the short side.
Meanwhile I scanned over 500 new labels and most of them are already updated on the
website in the collection. About 50 labels have to be still scanned, the traders must
be updated und the page with the new labels has to be prepared. If all these tasks are
done in a few days, there will be the largest La Banana update of all-time and as
always you will get an e-mail reminder.
I'm looking forward to the big update and I'm certain you too :)
Photo album from the Banacom Mannheim
at November 22nd, 2003
November 23rd, 2003.
With the accompanying programm of the exhibition
Tanz um die Banane
the
Statemuseum für Technique and Work Mannheim
organized at November 22nd, 2003
a banana label trade fair.
12 collectors from Germany, Slovenia and Switzerland seize the opportunity
to exchange their experiences and - of course - banana labels.
My 
photo album of the convention
shows impressions from the meeting (Please note the long loading time; 16 pictures / 858 KB).
Autumn-Update
October 5th, 2003.
My dear friends,
Currently I really don't manage it at all, to keep my diary up to date. The care
of my steadily growing collection takes a more and more larger part of the time,
I spend for our common hobby. So, blank "pages" in my diary doesn't mean
coincidentally, that I neglect my collection. Quite the opposite: during the last
month my collection grows up to 1668 labels. However, already scanning this many new
labels needs a large amount of free time. But, to show you at this place that
everything precedes - and that there are also a lot of interesting news to
report -, this entry will be much longer, than usual.
A trip to Hamburg
We spent our vacation this year at a nice farm in Northern Germany, nearby the city
of Mölln, where my friend and trading partner Friedrich W. Kunze lives
with his family. Of course, we seize an opportunity, to admire each others
collections and - what else? - to trade labels mutual. Frankly I admit that I
got much more labels than Friedrich did. So the 1500th label of my collection,
the Max Havelaar Garanti came from Friedrich.
Regarding to banana labels, the highlight of our vacation was a day trip to
Hamburg, where we among others went to the O'Swald quay of the harbour. At this
quay the bananaboats will be unloaded by the yellow (at this time actually green)
cargo load. A look at our
photo album of the Hamburg trip
will show you what we had seen and experienced there. All in all I brought 140 new
labels back home from our vacation.
Exhibition "Tanz um die Banane" - Collectors Meeting in Mannheim
At another day we visted at the
Hamburg Museum of Work
the exhibition
Tanz um die Banane
(what means somewhat like "a dance around the banana"). The exhibition (and the
excellent catalogue) picks up the fascination and the economic importance
of the yellow and crooked fruits and tells the story of the trading and cultural
history during the past hundred years. They point out the way of the bananas
from the plantations in Central America up to the displays in the markets of the
industrialized countries and their far reaching influence in advertising and arts.
In Hamburg the exhibition came to an end at September 28th, but as of
October 16th, 2003 until January 6th, 2004 it takes place at its new location
at the
State Museum of Technique and Work Mannheim.
Our
photo album of our vist of the exhibition in Hamburg
gives you a preview on what you will experience in Mannheim.
Collectors of banana labels will have the chance to meet for exchanging their experiences and labels during an accompanying event, a
Banana Label Trading Meeting in Mannheim (banacom)
at State Museum of Technique and Works
Museumsstraße 1
D-68165 Mannheim Germany
The meeting takes place on
Saturday 22nd November
from 10am to 5pm.
To keep the promoters informed, how many people will participate at the banancom
Mannheim, please register obligingly with Sonja Schukat of the State Museum of Technique
and Work Mannheim until Friday the 7th of November. Either by phone ++49 621 4298-891
or (preferred) by email to sonja.schukat@lta-mannheim.de.
Please tell Sonja Schukat how much exhibition space you need. The banacom will be
located at level D of the museum (the so-called column hall). At request the museum
provides tables (approx. 150 x 80 cm).
You see, everthing is well prepared. Sonja Schukat will be pleased if you participate with the meeting. I will be pleased to, because the banacom Mannheim is a home game for me. I'm living 30 kilometers far from Mannheim. And therefore I provide a new edition of LaBanana labels on the occacion of the exhibition and the banacom Mannheim.
Tony Leigh passed away
On July 26, 2003 our friend Tony Leigh passed away. I was in touch with Tony from the beginning of my collecting hobby. I was so proud when I was able to offer him labels, which he need for his very large collection for the very first time. But our first trade was also the last one. A good friend has gone. We miss him.
New Trading Partners
As a new trading partner I welcome Noayoshi Emoto
from Chiba in Japan. He contributes 34 new labels to my collection,
most of them from
Gracio.
Also Philippos Papanikolaou from Rafina in Greece is a new
trading partner. You will learn below that Philippos is a really good
observer. Seems that he has eagle-eyes ;-)
During the past month I traded with so many of you, that the list will be too long to display it here. Besides I don't want to forget anyone of you. Therefore at this place I like to thank everyone, who traded with me during the past month. Thank you, very much.
New Labels with slight differences
Thanks to Philippos Papanikolaou hints, my attention was attracted to some interestng details. Tropy has a new label with a smaller sun on it (LBLC #1668). You need to have a closer look on it. The difference is simply recognized when looking on the spot where the sun is touching on the p in Tropy:
 LBLC #0186 |
 LBLC #1668 |
 |
As of summer 2003 Chiquita has a new labeling for the origin of the bananas. They use now a combination of letter and country code:
 LBLC #1510 |
 LBLC #1593 |
Traders Update
I had complemented my exchange material by
34 new traders.
I will be glad if you will find something new for your collection.
Also my fruit labels for trading where updated a few days ago.
As I mentioned before, I'm namely collecting only banana labels, but I'm
trading also fruit labels against banana labels.
I'm looking forward to your emails.
I'm looking forward to your emails.
We'll meet us on November 22nd at the banacom in Mannheim.
Label Spring
April 25th, 2003. After a break, this time a little longer that
usual, here is at last the new diary entry.
Peter Niessen had some new
Copalmas from Spain for me
with numbers on it. Thank you Peter, for don't forgetting me.
Also, my niece Nina was hunting labels for me, again. One of them
was new for my collection. A big thank you goes to all, who are peeling labels for me
from bananas at the grocer's shop.
Friedrich-W. Kunze from Mölln in Northern Germany has sent
me something very special: a
UBESA Ecuador,
really old and in a very good condition.
Well, the 1300the label keeps me waiting until now. At present my collection contains 1298 labels. You can see the new labels of the last weeks, again, at the statistics.
As a new trading partner I welcome Michael Riehl from Frankfurt in Germany. As well I traded with Klement Cepon, Michael Ebnet-Feit, Xavier Heyte, Gerri Lorenzo, Becky Martz, Elli Miller, Saunders Pinckard, Joan Weinmayr, Sam Winters and Fran Wolotko.
With André Habermann from Ingolstadt in Germany a new collector enters the label scene. More of him and his collection of fruitlabels you will learn at his website fruitlabels.net.
Traders Update
Today I have only a small update with
6 new traders.
But perhaps you will find something new for your collection, even so.
On the other hand I also updated my fruitlabels for trading.
Although I'm collecting only banana labels, I'm trading other fruitlabels
against banana labels.
However, I'm looking forward to your e-mails.
Traders Update
February 16, 2003. In the traders section you will find
24 new traders,
which are partially available - thanks to the generous companies Velleman &
Tas International und Sello Verde - in a large number and on original sheets.
Many thanks to Velleman & Tas and Sello Verde!
Also I'm pleased
abou two new trading partners, Michael Riehl from
Frankfurt, Germany and Atsushi Kato from Osaka in Japan.
Atsushi Kato had extended my so far few japanese labels by further
interesting labels.
New Thank-You-Labels
Lately there were only few new trading partners from new countries. Because of that we designed a new edition of thank-you-labels, with the flags of banana exporting countries in the shape of their maps. The first one from Ecuador you might have seen in the diary entry from January 5th. In February comes the next one with Costa Rica (see left above).
Today my collection contains of 1175 labels.
1100th label
January 25, 2003. I got my 1100th label, the Chiquita Ribbon-Chan at January 15th from my new trading partner John McCarthy from Loveland, Ohio in the U.S.A. This label it's all part of the 16 part Hamutaro series of Chiquita Japan, which now complements my collection.
The
1000th jubilee edition was complemented by four more labels
and is now complete. The new labels shows the bananaboats
Uranus, Horncap and Hornwind as well as the old steamfreighter
Luise Horn. All these ships are or were under way in the fleet of the
German shipping company Horn, where my trading partner
Friedrich W. Kunze was sailing for many years -
among others on the reefer Horncap between Hamburg and
Puerto Moin (Costa Rica).
Traders update
The traders section is complemented by
19 new Traders.
Not really a large update, but with some pretty nice pieces -
maybe there is also something of interest for you.
I'm looking forward to your e-mails.
A large Traders-Update
January 05, 2003.
With the first diary entry in the new year I have
a large update with
53 new traders
for you. This was possible not least because of an envelove full with labels
from Elvis Velez of Ecuador.
Thank you very much, Elvis!
As new trading partners I have to welcome
Sam Winters from
Yadkinville, North Carolina and Ruud Ham from Vlaardingen
in the Netherlands. Ruud is my first trading partner from
the Netherlands so it also gives an new thank-you-label
for him (see right).