This commemorative set honors Dag Hammarskjöld, the Swedish diplomat and second Secretary-General of the United Nations who served from 1953 until his death in 1961. Issued by the Government of Jordan on November 28, 1961, the set was released shortly after Hammarskjöld's tragic death in a plane crash in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) on September 18, 1961, while he was on a peace mission to the Congo. The stamps feature overprints commemorating his life (1904-1961) and display the emblem of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), reflecting his humanitarian work and Jordan's own experience with refugees. The basic stamps originally commemorated World Refugee Year, making them particularly appropriate for this memorial overprint. The set comprises two denominations (15 and 35 fils) and includes eight variant records featuring printing errors such as inverted overprints, double overprints, and pairs with one stamp lacking the overprint entirely. These varieties reflect the hurried production typical of memorial issues. The stamps represent Jordan's tribute to international diplomacy and humanitarian service during a critical period of the Cold War.
تكرم هذه المجموعة التذكارية داغ همرشولد، الدبلوماسي السويدي والأمين العام الثاني للأمم المتحدة الذي خدم من عام 1953 حتى وفاته عام 1961. أصدرت الحكومة الأردنية هذه المجموعة في 28 نوفمبر 1961، بعد فترة قصيرة من وفاة همرشولد المأساوية في حادث طائرة في روديسيا الشمالية (زامبيا حاليا) في 18 سبتمبر 1961، بينما كان في مهمة سلام إلى الكونغو. تحمل الطوابع توشيحات تخلد ذكرى حياته (1904-1961) وتعرض شعار مفوضية الأمم المتحدة لشؤون اللاجئين، مما يعكس عمله الإنساني وتجربة الأردن الخاصة مع اللاجئين. كانت الطوابع الأصلية تحتفل بسنة اللاجئين العالمية، مما جعلها مناسبة بشكل خاص لهذا التوشيح التذكاري. تضم المجموعة فئتين (15 و35 فلسا) وتشمل ثماني سجلات متنوعة تحتوي على أخطاء طباعة مثل التوشيحات المقلوبة والمضاعفة وأزواج بطابع واحد بدون توشيح.
| JS#: | P1961-03.01o |
| SG#: | 505 |
| SC#: | 377 |
| Color: | red grey blue |
| Perforation : | 14 x 13.5 |
| Issue Date: | 28-Nov-1961 |
| Description: |
Features the UNHCR emblem with protective figures surrounded by laurel wreath, overprinted with memorial text for Dag Hammarskjöld (1904-1961) and decorative border patterns on a grey blue background. |
| JS#: | P1961-03.02o |
| SG#: | 506 |
| SC#: | 378 |
| Color: | blue bistre |
| Perforation : | 14 x 13.5 |
| Issue Date: | 28-Nov-1961 |
| Description: |
Displays the same UNHCR emblem design with protective figures and laurel wreath as the 15 fils value, but on bistre background with blue emblem and overprinted memorial text for Dag Hammarskjöld. |
| JS#: | P1961-03.01v01 |
| SG#: | 505a |
| SC#: | (377 var) |
| Color: | red grey blue |
| Perforation : | 14 x 13.5 |
| Issue Date: | 28-Nov-1961 |
| Description: |
Same design as the normal 15 fils stamp featuring the UNHCR emblem and protective figures, but with the memorial overprint for Dag Hammarskjöld inverted. |
| Notes: | inverted overprint |
| JS#: | P1961-03.01v02 |
| SG#: | (505 var) |
| SC#: | (377 var) |
| Color: | red grey blue |
| Perforation : | 14 x 13.5 |
| Issue Date: | 28-Nov-1961 |
| Description: |
Same UNHCR emblem design as the normal 15 fils stamp, but with the memorial overprint for Dag Hammarskjöld applied twice, creating a double overprint variety. |
| Notes: | double overprint |
| JS#: | P1961-03.01v03 |
| SG#: | (505 var ii) |
| SC#: | (377 var) |
| Color: | red grey blue |
| Perforation : | 14 x 13.5 |
| Issue Date: | 28-Nov-1961 |
| Description: |
Pair featuring one normal stamp with UNHCR emblem and Hammarskjöld memorial overprint, alongside one stamp showing only the original World Refugee Year design without the memorial overprint. |
| Notes: | pair, one without overprint |
| JS#: | P1961-03.01v04 |
| SG#: | (505 var iii) |
| SC#: | (377 var) |
| Color: | red grey blue |
| Perforation : | 14 x 13.5 |
| Issue Date: | 28-Nov-1961 |
| Description: |
Pair showing one stamp with inverted Hammarskjöld memorial overprint on the UNHCR emblem design, paired with one stamp lacking the memorial overprint entirely. |
| Notes: | inverted overprint, pair, one without overprint |
| JS#: | P1961-03.02v01 |
| SG#: | 506a |
| SC#: | (378 var) |
| Color: | blue bistre |
| Perforation : | 14 x 13.5 |
| Issue Date: | 28-Nov-1961 |
| Description: |
Same UNHCR emblem design as the normal 35 fils stamp on bistre background, but with the memorial overprint for Dag Hammarskjöld printed upside down. |
| Notes: | inverted overprint |
| JS#: | P1961-03.02v02 |
| SG#: | (506 var) |
| SC#: | (378 var) |
| Color: | blue bistre |
| Perforation : | 14 x 13.5 |
| Issue Date: | 28-Nov-1961 |
| Description: |
Features the UNHCR emblem on bistre background like the normal 35 fils stamp, but with the Hammarskjöld memorial overprint applied twice, creating overlapping text. |
| Notes: | double overprint |
| JS#: | P1961-03.02v03 |
| SG#: | (506 var ii) |
| SC#: | (378 var) |
| Color: | blue bistre |
| Perforation : | 14 x 13.5 |
| Issue Date: | 28-Nov-1961 |
| Description: |
Pair containing one normal stamp with UNHCR emblem and Hammarskjöld memorial overprint on bistre background, together with one stamp showing only the original refugee year design. |
| Notes: | pair, one without overprint |
| JS#: | P1961-03.02v04 |
| SG#: | (506 var iii) |
| SC#: | (378 var) |
| Color: | blue bistre |
| Perforation : | 14 x 13.5 |
| Issue Date: | 28-Nov-1961 |
| Description: |
Pair featuring one stamp with inverted Hammarskjöld memorial overprint on the bistre UNHCR design, alongside one stamp without any memorial overprint. |
| Notes: | inverted overprint, pair, one without overprint |