Let me take you on a philatelic trip......

Protection of the Polar Regions & Glaciers, Croatia

2012-02-05T11:59:00.003+01:00

well, this Sunday's theme at Viridan's is 'anything you wish', so here I thought Id post something related to the weather outside...we've been having these polar temperatures and snow for days now...ok, not to the extent in order to earn the title 'polar region' but still :) It is beautiful outside indeed, when everything is so white, and the air feels clear....the only problem is the traffic chaos, but we'll live....as always :)

before we begin, i would like to make two questions:

1. What is it that YOU do to contribute to the protection of the environment?

2. According to you, what is a mini sheet and what is a souvenir sheet? For me, this above would be a mini sheet but the HP says it is a souvenir sheet, so I would like some input from your side

thanks! :)

I love the theme of Polar Regions and Glaciers' Protection and it is really a pity the Macedonian post office has not issued any. I mean, you don't have to be a country to be facing this problem...as far as I know, many of our neighbouring countries do pay attention to this and have issued such thematic stamps....and they are all so lovely!
I have had my eyes on this Croatian issue for a long while, and then one day it surprised me in my mailbox since dear Agi decided to send it to me for Lori's NCC RR!

What the HP had to say about the issue:
When polar areas and their endangered condition due to climatic changes are mentioned, most people immediately think of a sad picture of a polar bear that is compelled to swim over large distances in search for an iceberg somewhere in the North Pole region. Although being excellent swimmers, polar bears are unable to survive in those regions without ice. Disappearance of the ice cap during summer months and the threat to ice bear habitats have become the symbol of endangered condition of the ice-covered regions caused by recent climatic changes. The scientific community is unanimous in their confirmation of the existence of global warming, as well as of the responsibility of humans for recent changes, which has been confirmed also by the latest report of the United Nations’ committee on which several thousands of scientists worked. Of course, there are also natural exchanges of ice ages caused by the change of the Earth’s orbit or by the tipping of the Earth’s orbit, the so-called Milanković’s cycles. However, they do happen on time-scales of thousands of years and cannot be taken as an explanation for the recent accelerated increase of temperature. Although these changes are global, they do not affect equally all the regions. The most threatened ones are those in the polar circle. In summertime, almost all ice melts in the North, whereas the coastal regions in the distant South experience one of the highest temperature increases on the Earth i.e. 2.5 °C in one hundred years, on the top of Antarctic Peninsula. For instance, disintegration and melting of the ice shelf Larsen B 2002 on the Antarctic Shelf, an ice shelf with an area eight times the area of Croatia’s island of Krk, caused a surprise among the scientific community because no one could foresee such a rapid development in that direction. For all the above mentioned reasons, the period 2007/2008 was proclaimed the International Polar Year, on the occasion of which the scientists carried out a number of projects and measurements, with the specific purpose of better understanding and protecting the polar areas and glaciers. In the last 125 years of modern science, it has been the third time that the world joined its forces in the research of the polar areas, the last time in the distant year 1957/1958 on the occasion of the World Geophysical Year. The projects related to the Polar Year are due to be finished in March 2009 and therefore it is very convenient that the issue of a commemorative stamp on the protection of the polar areas coincides with the end of great effort in science to research and protect them better. An important issue has been left open: what we as individuals can do to protect the polar areas. Although we are very far away from them and our country is small, we can still make quite a difference. The atmosphere is getting warmer and warmer under the influence of glasshouse gases and it is not irrelevant where they arise from. The Western world generates enormous quantities of these gases and a fair part of them is superfluous and their emission can be reduced. As a nation we can plan the sustainable development which will not be an additional threat to the Earth and as individuals we can save and more efficiently use the energy; we can plan better and reduce our "imprint" in the emission of glasshouse gases, in order to help everyone on the planet to keep their habitats, even the polar bears.It is believed that this commemorative stamp will have a certain impact and contribute to raising of awareness on the necessity of protection of the polar regions and glaciers.

Technical details:

5kn of each stamp
Size: 112 x 73 (31,24 x 35,50) mm
Paper: white 102g, gummed
Perforation: Harrow, 14Tehnique: Multicoloured Offsetprint + Embossed print and Varnish
Date of issue: 27.3.2009

for other random themes, pay a visit to Viridian's blog

have a great snowy or sunny Sunday everyone (depending on where you live) :)

I Agi, još jednom, hvala i najviše!!! <3

Pioneers of American Industrial Design, USA

2012-01-25T19:35:00.000+01:00

well, it is time to get back this blog to life as well...you know, once you get it going, it is ok...but when you get into the hibernating mood...it is much more difficult to get out of it and start doing things...but enough of winter sleep, no?

and here is one FANTASTIC cover dear Bryon sent me last year...containing a full set of the Pioneers of American Industrial Design set which the USPS issued last year.

the whole set contains not more not less but 12 lovely stamps and Bryon as kind as he is, included them all! Thanks to him to the heaven and back for that...and for all the other amazing stuff he had sent me!
This set of stamps honours 12 of the nation's most important and influential industrial designers, where each stamp features the name of a designer and a photograph of an object created by the designer, as well as a description of the object and the year or years when the object was created.

what made me post this cover today is actually the desk-telephone stamp..the other day some friends and I were discussing about the dependence of this world on electricity and how nowadays not even landlines are functioning when electricity goes off, since those telephones need electricity in order to be operational...compared to the past when we had this kind of rotary dial telephones..and the later a bit modern version of these. As much as these new portable telephones can be handy, since you can move freely around the house while you speak, i do feel sort of nostalgic for these old times....and as much as new technology can be useful, it is not perfect and has its faults too...

ok, lets go step by step with the stamps, from left to right, top row first....

- The Eliot Noyes stamp features a photograph of the “Selectric” typewriter, which was introduced by IBM in 1961 (I still keep one at home...and I LOVED using it when I was little....I didnt usually type something particular....just random thoughts that came to my mind, but i enjoyed typing :)

- The Gilbert Rohde stamp features a photograph of a clock created for the Herman Miller Clock Company in 1933. The clock is part of the John C. Waddell Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, New York

- here is the guilty stamp :) featuring a photograph of the Model 302 Bell telephone introduced in 1937, designed by Henry Dreyfuss.

- The Dave Chapman stamp features a photograph of two sewing machines from the Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York

- The Frederick Hurten Rhead stamp features a photograph of two pitchers from the Fiesta dinnerware line designed for The Homer Laughlin China Company in 1936

- The Donald Deskey stamp features a photograph of a table lamp that Deskey designed around 1927–29

bottom row:

- The Greta von Nessen stamp features a photograph of the “Anywhere” lamp, designed in 1951 for Nessen Studio, Inc.

- The Russel Wright stamp features a photograph of a fork, knife, and spoon from the “Highlight/Pinch” line of flatware designed by Wright in 1950

- The Walter Dorwin Teague stamp features a photograph of the “Baby Brownie” camera, introduced by Eastman Kodak Company in 1934

- The Norman Bel Geddes stamp features a photograph of the “Patriot” radio, designed for Emerson Radio and Phonograph Corporation in 1940. The radio is part of the John C. Waddell Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, New York.

- The Peter Müller-Munk stamp features a photograph of the “Normandie” pitcher, introduced by the Revere Copper and Brass Company in 1935. The photograph is from The Liliane and David M. Stewart Collection at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal.

- The Raymond Loewy stamp features a photograph of a pencil sharpener prototype created in 1933

If youd like to read a bit more in-depth about each of these designers, click on the link here. It will take you some extra time, but it is worth it.

Just to mention, that these stamps belong to the Forever series.

Christmas, Dominica

2011-12-18T12:14:00.002+01:00

Here is my participation for Viridian's Sunday Stamps today on the theme Christmas

Believe it or not the Macedonian post office is DUE to issue this next week...just egregious! I really dont know what they've been thinking..but in case you are getting a Christmas card from me this year, it's gonna be with oldish Christmas stamps...which according to me, are nothing special so don't expect some 'wows' - hoping that they won't get lost in the Christmas chaos in the first place :)
Also, our postal service issues just one single stamp each year (and it is never enough for postage), unlike many other countries ive seen which issue at least two....and often a whole set of 4 or 5 stamps.

Ok, back to the stamps above, for today I picked these issued by Dominica in 1981. The entire set consists of nine stamps actually so if anyone has the three Im missing, PLEASE contact me for an exchange. Actually, with all these rare countries issuing Disney-related stamps, I am always missing a few stamps in each set coz they never seem to be sold as a whole...I don't know why, but it is sort of frustrating :) There is also a s/s coming with this set, so I would need that one too :)

Anyways, these stamps are actually like an excerpt from the Santa's Workshop cartoon. Probably you have watched it time ago...if you haven't well, click on the link below....if you have, you can still click on the link and invoke memories :)

isn't this how most of the children actually imagine what Santa's doing? This even makes you WANT to believe in Santa! Esp. the part of the letters' reading...more or less this is what I thought had happened to the letters I sent to Santa when I was little. Maybe Santa's laughing is a bit bizarre and might give some children a scare, but on the overall, this is every child's dream land ;)
And on the side note, I really prefer these older cartoons compared to those modern ones nowadays.....yeah, call me old-fashioned :)

for some more Christmassy spirit, visit Viridian's blog

Blue Whale, Canada

2011-12-11T11:24:00.001+01:00

Few days ago I received this fantastic cover from Glenn...and it came in very handy for this Sunday's theme of Viridian's blog, featuring Stamps of the Great White North...so apart from Canada being eligible for this category, the stamp itself feels very northy, so I simply had to choose it for today....and believe it or not, this cover took EXACTLY two months to reach me...from Canada!! I'll never understand the postal service, but im definitely more than happy it had arrived coz it is such a beautiful stamp and such a nice and clear cancellation! It would have been more than a pity if this had gotten lost somewhere..

On October 4, 2010 Canada Post issued a $10 definitive stamp depicting the world's largest creature, the Blue Whale (Balænoptera musculus).The stamp is the largest in size and highest denomination Canada Post has ever produced.
10 $ of face value certainly is A LOT and makes this stamp mainly interesting for collectors only coz I highly doubt it will be used for regular mail often.

The stamp was produced using a combination of intaglio (for the whale in the foreground) and offset lithography (for the colours in the background). The intaglio process (which was used to produce Canada’s first postage stamp) was recently reinvented using a new, state-of-the-art laser engraving technology.
A special printing technique called microtype was used to write the Latin name for blue whale - a feature that is normally impossible to reproduce by any other means than intaglio.
Additionally, a large cluster of krill (the whale’s food of choice), along with a diver, were introduced using tagging inks. These can only be seen under an ultraviolet lamp.

here is an image of the stamp under UV:

pretty cool, no? :)

This mammal weighs between 80 and 180 metric tonnes and reaches lengths of more than 30 metres. It can travel at speeds of 33 km/hr, accelerating to 48 km/hr when chased, making it among the fastest of whale species. This fascinating giant of the deep is also unmatched in the projection of its voice, emitting low-frequency sounds that can travel hundreds of miles (and possibly entire oceans) under water. Yet despite its outstanding stature and might, sightings of the elusive blue whale are very rare—another reason why it has fascinated us since the dawn of time.In Canada, the blue whale roams the waters along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence near eastern Nova Scotia, the south coast of Newfoundland, and in the Davis Strait between Baffin Island and Greenland. In the west it habits the coast of British Columbia.

Maybe not so appealing as dolphins coz whales are a bit scary, but I love them too....and im appalled each time when I read how in some part of the world there are mass killings of these animals...the latest I read was regarding the dolphins' killing in the Faroe Islands/Denmark...disgusted is the least i could say I've been...man's nature is just so twisted...

well, a few more technical details about the stamp:

Date of Issue 4 October 2010
Width 128.0 mm
Height 49.0 mm
Denomination 10.00 CAD
Perforations 13 by 13

For more north-related stamps, please visit Viridian's blog:

Have a great Sunday!

400 years since Rembrandt's birth, joint issue between Netherlands and Germany

2011-11-27T11:46:00.001+01:00

here comes a small piece of art for today's Sunday stamps

I picked this cover with the sheet issued in 2006, to commemorate the 400 years since the birth of this great dutch painter and etcher. He was born on 15 July 1606 and died on 4 October 1669.

Im pretty sure you know quite a lot about him, so I wont be holding on to his general life, but will try to explain what's on the stamps here.

the set consists of 5 stamps plus a vignette, containing the information.
all stamps have a face value of 0,39 euros, and this is actually a joint issue between Netherlands and Germany, which has arisen some controversies, esp regarding a 70c stamp of Saskia in the prestige booklet, which the German's found invalid, since he printing - made in the Netherlands - was different from the prinitng made in Germany for the German sheetlets. The Dutch one actually contained the text in German and in some catalogue listings was said to be good for postage only in the Netherlands, which on the overall is rather confusing as to what's what, so i wont go into depth about it here.

Anyways, as for the stamps here, they all show Rembrandt's works. The top left stamp shows us Saskia van Uylenburgh in a pompous dress (Rembrandt's wife). The portrait was done sometime around 1642 and can be found at the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen in Kassel.

The stamp next to it shows a portrait of Titus reading, c.1657-1658 (Rembrant's son) at The Kunsthistorisches Museum (or the Museum of Fine Arts) in Vienna.

The third stamp in that row shows us the painting called "Woman in a doorway", c. 1656-1657, and can be found at the Gemäldegalerie (or the Art Museum) in Berlin.

As for the bottom stamps, the both show etchings, where the one on the left shows us the "Bearded man, in a furred oriental cap and robe", from 1631, which some consider to be a portrait of Rembrand's father. This can be found at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, while the other one shows us the artist's mother seated at a table, c.1629 - 1633, which can again be found at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

for some more artistic inputs, click on the big button below

Czech Film Posters, Czech Republic

2011-11-21T21:18:00.001+01:00

Some days ago I received this great cover from Radim.
Even though in the end I was prevented from participating in the 11.11.11 group, Radim had still decided to surprise me and sent me this great cover....with such a neat cancellation coz not only he sent the covers on 11th November but also sent them after 11 am, meaning the cancellations obtained another 11 in the postmark! Awesome, no??

and apart from the great cancellation, Radim used a great set of stamps, issued just this October, portraying Czech Film Posters.

The left stamp shows the poster for the film Markéta Lazarová (1966, Czechoslovakia) directed by František Vláčil.
The poster was designed by Zdeněk Ziegler, born on October 27th, 1932 in Prague. He is the author of three hundred film, exhibition and theatre posters, and had designed a number of sleeves for gramophone records and logos and also the author of a number of postage stamps and member of the Czech Post's Stamp Graphic Design Board
The movie is a 1967 Czechoslovak historical film and is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Vladislav Vančura. The movie takes place in the Middle Ages, and tells the story of a daughter of a feudal lord who is kidnapped by neighbouring robber knights and becomes a mistress of one of them.Marketa Lazarová was voted the all-time best Czech movie in a prestigious 1998 poll of Czech film critics and publicists.

The other stamp portrays the film "Une femme douce" (1970, France) directed by Robert Bresson, while the author of the poster is Olga Poláčková-Vyleťalová, born on August 8th, 1944 in Hradec Králové and an author of overall seventy-six film posters which have won a number of prestigious international awards. The one portrayed on the stamp won the Cannes International Film Festival 1973 - Grand Prix for the Best Poster.
The movie is a 1969 French drama film and is Bresson's first film in color, and was adapted from Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story "A Gentle Creature (Кроткая)".

technical details:

Date of issue 5. 10. 2011
Face value 10 CZK
Size 40 x 50 mm
Printing method multicoloured offset

thanks a lot again Radim!

Volleyball + Football, Argentina

2011-11-13T11:14:00.001+01:00

Today's theme at Viridian's is sports and everything related to it....having quite a lot of sports' stamps, it was a but difficult to pick...and after changing my mind several times, i ended up with two sets of stamps Argentina issued in 2002

the first set consists of two stamps, each with a face value of 75c, issued on 27 April 2002 called 20th Century World Cup Football Champions, bearing the flags of championship winners (from 1930-2002). So on the left stamp you can see the flags of France, Germany, England, Argentina (of course), Brazil, Uruguay and Italy. So far, France have won in 1998, Germany in 1954, 1974 and 1990 (this last one, in the summer of 1990, i followed with great attention), England was a winner in 1966, Argentina has two titles, 1978 and 1986, Brazil is the record-holder with 5 titles - 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002, Uruguay was the best in 1930 and 1950 while Italy has won in 1934, 1938 and 1982. Following the 2002, two other championships were held, in 2006, with Italy winning and 2010, with Spain winning the trophy.The right stamp portrays Argentina in particular, and as I had already said, indicating the years it had won the championship, in 1978 and 1986.

the size of both stamps is 43.5 mm, in length and width, while the left one is also perforated on the inside in a round shape.

the second set for today shows the Men's World Volleyball Championship, 2002

there are four stamps in the set, each with a face value of 75c. issued in 28 September.

Width 33.5 mm
Height 43.5 mm
Perforations 13.6 by 13.5

The FIVB World Championship is an international men's and women's indoor volleyball competition. It is the oldest and most important of all the international events organized by the FIVB.
It is again held every four years, and Argentina was the host in 2002, where Brazil had won, beating Russia in the finals with 3-2. So far Argentina doesnt have any trophies, neither in men's nor women's competition.

Most trophies so far were lifted by the Soviet Union, 6 in total. Brazil and Italy follow with three each, Czechoslovakia has two, and Poland, US and East Germany have one. Funny to see three no more existing countries...

to get more of your sports' dose today, take a peek at Viridian's blog

Send a Hello, USA

2011-10-24T17:56:00.001+02:00

what a better way to greet you at the start of the new week, if not with these adorable stamps issued by USPS....so, Im sending a hello to all of you around the world and hope you have a fantastic and fruitful week ahead!

I fell for this issue, the moment I received a postcard with the "UP" stamp....I absolutely love that cartoon and i was so excited to have received it on a stamp...when it arrived on a cover, along with the rest of the stamps in the set, i was über-excited!!! And believe it or not, I have this fantastic set on 3 covers, where the one above and the one below, arrived on the very same day :D For the cover above, and the third one (which arrived a bit later), Bryon is to blame! For the cover in the middle, Patrick is to blame

the funny thing is, all covers have the stamps in the same order! I guess thats how they are sold :)

a few words about the stamps included here (how USPS described their issuing)

- Since 1986, the films of Pixar Animation Studios have stretched the boundaries of our imagination with stories about unlikely heroes who explore the bonds of friendship and family. Now some of those heroes are the subjects of colorful new Send a Hello (Forever®) stamps that encourage people to connect with loved ones through the mail.These new stamps capture the delight of finding a letter, greeting card, or package waiting in your mailbox. It puts a shine on the rest of the day-even before you've opened it. Despite all the ways we communicate with friends and family today, there's still nothing as personal as knowing someone took time to choose a card … write a letter … wrap a package … and even choose a special stamp simply to "Send a Hello"

-(dont you just recognize yourself as a postcrosser in the description above? I certainly do, coz one of my favourite moments of the day is when I find something in my mailbox, and see that someone has taken his/her time to choose a nice card for me, to choose the stamps, to write me a a nice message, to find something he/she knows I would like and send it to me to surprise me....the moments of the day when I go around the stores, finding nice cards and then coming home and see what to send to whom...finding a matching stamp or stamp(s) i know the recipient would love....the moments of going to the PO or to the philately and buy bunch of stamps, making sure there something in that pile for everyone's taste and preferences, finding that perfect card for someone and just jump around of excitement, wondering what the expression on their faces would be when they find that card as a total surprise in the mail.....)

Yup, those are definitely some of my favourite times of the day/week/month!

the following characters have been featured on the stamps (from left to right)

* Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars (2006)
* Remy the rat and Linguini from Ratatouille (2007)
* Buzz Lightyear and two of the green, three-eyed aliens from Toy Story (1995)
* Carl Fredricksen and Dug from Up (2009)
* the robot WALL•E from WALL•E (2008)

technical details:

Date of issue: 19 August 2011
Denomination: First-Class Forever
Type of Issue: CommemorativeStamp
Format: Pane
Manufacturing Process: Gravure
Paper Type: Nonphosphored, Type III,
BlockAdhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Stamp Size: 31.12 x 31.12 mm

thanks so much to Bryon and Patrick for these!!! I LOVE them!! And thanks to ALL of YOU who had ever sent me a card or a letter or anything and made my day happier and brighter! This post is dedicated to you all!!!

200 years since the birth of Franz Liszt

2011-10-22T17:36:00.005+02:00

this September the Macedonian post issued a stamp to commemorate the 200 years since the birth of Franz Liszt (yeah, a composer again ;-))

I must say that i really love this stamp as well as the FDC below, but again, the face value of the stamp does not really make it convenient for every day use :( It is such a pity, eh?

Franz Liszt was born on this day, 22nd October, exactly 200 years ago, in the Doborján village in Hungary. A great pianist, composer, conductor and teacher, one of the most prominent representatives of the New German School. He is said to have invented the concept of the piano recital. Before him, nobody dared to have just a single pianist for an entire concert! But Liszt’s powerful and astounding playing were enough to fill concert halls all over Europe. He changed the position of the piano on the stage as well, so that the sound board faced the audience. This meant the music was louder and the audience could see Liszt’s acrobatic hand-work on the keyboard.

His list of works is endless, so I wont go into it right now....if you are ever in the mood to listen so some virtuous fingers playing the piano, look up for Liszt's works....you wont be disappointed :)

date of issue: 21.09.2011
face value: 50 MKD
perforations: comb
printing technique: offset
Size: 40,2mm x 30,2 mm

edit: sorry, but i just have to share with you one of my favourite Tom and Jerry cartoons...i think Ive always loved this one coz of the music in it...a music piece by Liszt....enjoy!

Frédéric Chopin, Macedonia

2011-10-17T20:14:00.001+02:00

I don't usually make two different posts here in one day, but I just coulnd't seem to choose between these two...and if I had dug into my collection a bit deeper, Im sure I would have found something else to add too :)

Anyways, giving the priority to the older guy, as usually it should be.

Macedonian post issued this stamp last year to commemorate the 200 years since the birth of Chopin (huh, that's quite a long time ago....I just sometimes really lose perception of time and have the feeling that everything has happened just recently and that all the great people had lived in my time, or just a while before that:))
Well, today, 17th October, is 162 years since the death of this great artist, a child-prodigy of Polish/French origin (born in Poland, but his father was French).

He left behind a long list of great works....im sure you have heard at least some of them....if not, well, there is plenty to be found on the internet...I usually enjoy classical stuff while I have a lot of work and can't afford to be defocused by singing along some lyrics....yet, i cant really stand silence....so this kind of music just plays in the background and gets me going...

anyways, not so much rambling about myself...Im here to show the stamp and the FDC

the stamp above has a face value of 60 denars, or that would equal like 1 Euro, which unfortunately makes this stamp totally inconvenient for using it on the regular mail...only maybe letters to Australia/NZ or South America might get lucky...such a pity that some very beautiful stamps in Macedonia are issued in useless values.

Date of issue: 08.06.2010
Size: 30,2 x40,2 mm
perforations: comb, 14x14
Printing technique: offset

the stamp comes in a set of two, where the other one commemorates the 200 years since Schumann's birth....ive seen other postal services having issued these two along as well....

Kimi Räikkönen, Finland

2011-10-17T20:14:00.000+02:00

well, 17th October is also the day when Kimi was born (not my cat, but Raikkonen! :)) I was just surprised to see that I havent posted yet these two special items in my collection.

this above is a mint version of the mini sheet which I received with huge thanks to Paul, while the FDC below was sent by my dear Essi!

The Finnish postal service issued this on 5 September 2008 to celebrate the fact that Kimi won the F1 championship the year before while driving for Ferrari.
Unfortunately, since then, Kimi didnt manage to show the same success, and eventually pulled out and went to WRC (to my HUGE disappointment). I still hope that one day he'll come back behind the F1 wheel....there are some other great kids there, like Button or Vettel for example, but to me, Kimi is irreplaceable, and despite F1 turning into the boredom it did, I kept watching it for Kimi. I mean, if he wants, he can drive for one of the Cosworth teams, I would still be cheering for him, coz i havent really been a team-fan anyways.

The commemorative issue is a self-adhesive miniature sheet bearing two 1st class non-value indicator stamps.

size of Kimi's stamp: 27.3 mm x 33.0 mm
size of Ferrari's stamp: 74.0 mm x 30.05 mm
perforations: 12x12

Happy 32nd birthday to Kimi!!!!

Admission to the United Nations, Mongolia

2011-10-16T18:56:00.003+02:00

So this week's theme at Sunday Stamps is Mainland Asia...so I guess this fits in the criterion?

I really wasnt sure what to post, and in order to spare you from more trains, I went for this set of 5 Mongolian stamps issued in 1962 which commemorate Mongolia's admission to UN.
The stamps are diamond shape and their face value is 10, 30, 50, 60 and 70 мөнгө, where the middle bottom stamps represents the UN Headquarters and the Great National Hural of the Mongolian Peoples Republic.

Mongolia became a member of the United Nations on 27 October 1961.

Being rather old and from a country as Mongolia, I consider these as rather rare stamps...to which I have to thank my dear mum :)

For more Asian stamps, click the big button below

Happy Sunday All!

Churches, Mosques and Temples of Russia

2011-10-09T11:39:00.001+02:00

it is quite difficult to decide what to choose from the plethora of European stamps I have, but in the end my choice fell on this cover i had received from Russia

the reason I love it is, first, coz of the number of stamps it has and their format, second coz it is so nice and colourful...and the stamps are just so nicely arranged!

here are 8 stamps out of 14 which the Russian post office issued back on 12 July 2001, portraying Russian Churches, Mosques and Temples.
Each stamp in the set has a value of 2.50r and and are 37x37 mm in size. Offset printing process. Comb = 11 1/4. Paper = coated. The stamps you can see on this cover are as follows:

-top 3 stamps, from left to right show: 1) Nuruula Mosque in Kazan city, built in 1845-1849; its alternative names are Sennaya and Seventh Sobornaya; 2) Evangelical Pentecostal Prayer House in Lesosibirsk, built in 1999; 3) The First Cathedral Mosque in the city of Ufa, built in 1830

- middle two stamps: 1) The Renascense baptist chirch, Bezhitsy in Bryansk, built in 1996; 2) St. Petersburg's Lutheran church of St.Peter, built in 1838;

- bottom three stamps: 1) The Armenian Temple of Surb Khach built in 1792 in Rostov-on-Don + Khachkar (stone cross) from the 13th century in St.Daniel Monastery, Moscow; 2) Church of the Immaculate Conception of our Lady in Moscow, built in 1911; 3) The Choral Sinagogue in Moscow, built in 1891

there are also two 1998 definitives attached at the top right corner..

For more European pieces of art, visit the Viridian's blog

World Expo Shanghai 2010, New Caledonia

2011-10-08T18:25:00.001+02:00

i was wondering what to post for the Sunday Stamps tomorrow...and thought that before that I give you another post, featuring this great cover from New Caledonia

Great....and rare as well...I mean, how often does one receive mail from New Caledonia, esp. such nice covers as this one.
Holger from Belgium was the one who decided to surprise me with this small gem! Thanks so much to him!

The cover features a stamp issued on 12 June 2010, for the World Expo Shanghai 2010. I think many countries decided to commemorate the EXPO event. Stamp width = 48.0 mm, height = 27.0 mm.

This one in China was held on both banks of the Huangpu River, from May 1 to October 31, 2010. It was a major World Expo in the tradition of international fairs and expositions, the first since 1992. The theme of the exposition was "Better City – Better Life" and signifies Shanghai's new status in the 21st century as the "next great world city".

It had the largest number of countries participating and was the most expensive Expo in the history of the world's fairs. The Shanghai World Expo was also the largest World's Fair site ever at 5.28 square km.
On October 16, 2010, the expo set a single-day record of having over 1.03 million visitors enter the exhibition that day

well, pretty cool for sure! :)

And I love that awesome cancellation on the left side!

Roadside Attractions, Canada

2011-10-05T21:46:00.000+02:00

an amazing and perfect cover sent by Bryon!

this cover features a lovely mini-sheet showing Canadian Roadside Attractions. The Canadian post had decided to portray some roadside attractions that are simply too large and too whacky to go unnoticed.

These landmarks include:

- Davidson, MB, halfway between Regina and Saskatchewan used to be “the” place to stop for coffee before the highway was rerouted. What better way to welcome weary, caffeine-deprived drivers than with a giant, towering coffee pot It is a tribute to the town's hospitality and is 7.3 metres tall which makes its capacity to fill nearly 150,000 cups of coffee ( top left corner stamp - and probably my favourite! I mean, it is COFFEE we are talking about :))

- The Gladstone, Manitoba town mascot, the Happy Rock, is mounted on top of a tourist booth. The over 7-metre high attraction is a recognizable landmark along the Yellowhead Highway and weighs more than 700 kilograms (top right corner)

- an enormous Atlantic Puffin in Longue-Point-de-Mingan, QuebecThe Atlantic Puffin in Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Quebec is a tribute to the charismatic seabirds. The 1.8-meter high fibreglass monument was built in 1995 and is located by the seaside where the birds live (bottom right corner)

- The giant steel Wawa Goose that is perched outside Wawa, Ontario, has been around since the 1960s. The current goose is the third steel tribute to the wild geese of Northern Ontario. The 8.5-meter high, two-tonne monument is located along the junction of highways 17 and 101 (bottom left corner)

technical details:

- date of issue 5 July 2010
- Width: 35.0 mm
- Height: 41.0 mm
- Denomination: P
- Layout/Format: self-adhesive booklet

the stamps are pressure sensitive and printed on Tullis Russell paper using lithography in eight colours plus spot varnish. They are general tagged on four sides
-

Heritage Railway Stations of India, India

2011-10-01T22:58:00.000+02:00

I was a bit doubtful when preparing this update, regarding what to put and what to exclude, but in the end I decided that it would be the best if I just placed all I had regarding this issue....in case you have something additional belonging to it, feel free to contact me :)

and these are the first Indian stamps featured here as well....so Im glad to have the chance to present you this stuff.

As the title says, this issue presents the Heritage Railway Stations of India and consists of 4 stamps, as you can see above...the stations represented are as follows:
- top left corner shows Howrah Station (one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata)- bottom left corner shows the Old Delhi Station ( the first railway station to be built in Delhi)
- top right corner shows the Chennai Central Station (the main railway terminus in the city of Chennai and home of the Southern Railway and the most important rail hub in South India)
- bottom right corner shows the Mumbai CST Station (is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and historic railway station in Mumbai which serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways. It is one of the busiest railway stations in India, and serves both as a terminal for long distance trains terminating in Mumbai as well as the Mumbai Suburban Railway)

I was happy to receive this Special Cover for this issue, commemorating the Frontier Mail from Bombay to Peshawar via Baroda.

The Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway (BB&CI Rly) was a company incorporated in 1855 to undertake the task of constructing a railway line between Bombay and Baroda in India. Baroda (Vadodara) was a part of historic BBCl Railway. The first train came to Baroda on 9th January 1861 and the city was connected with Broach and Surat. In 1863 BB&CI Railway completed the Surat-Baroda-Ahmedabad line. Bombay (Grant Road) was connected with Baroda in 864 via Navsari and Bulsar. By 1879 Baroda was connected with Delhi via Palanpur, Ajmer, Jalpur and Alwar. On 5th November, 1951 the BB&CI Railway was merged with the Saurashtra, Rajputana and Jaipur railways to give rise to the Western Railway.

The frontier mail was flagged off on 1st September 1928, from Colaba Terminus, the main station on the BB&CI Railway. It was the first luxurious and prestigious train in the Indian Subcontinent. The radio facility was provided for the first time in a running train in India and it was also the first fastest train of India. After Independence, it is running between Mumbai and Amritsar. The train has now been renamed "Golden Temple Mail".

And Im honoured to have not one, but TWO fantastic FDC copies...since the stamp's arrangement is different, i can freely consider them as different and equally important for my collection!
One arrived as a lovely surprise from Laura, and the other one arrived from Som.

Indian Railways has stood as an emblem of progress spanning over 150 years. In this period, it catalyzed India's industrialization and has emerged as a lifeline of India's development. Some railway structures are monumental in nature representing significant developments in architecture and technology. On 15.08.1854 a train ran from Howrah to Panduah. This Heritage Run is commemorated by the release of a set of four stamps representing four Heritage Railway Stations in India.
A plan for railway in India was first put forward in 1832. In 1844, the Governor-General of India allowed private entrepreneurs to set up a rail system. The first train became operational on 22nd December 1851 in Roorkee. On 16th April 1853, the first passenger train ran between Bori Bunder, Bombay and Thane, covering 21 miles. The rail network then developed rapidly, radiating from Bombay, Madras, Calcutta and Delhi.
Railways in India were patrons of a style that combined the prestige and relevance of train travel with imaginative innovations of engineering. They were designed with grandeur and dedicated to the customer for eternity. Also, the four Metro Stations - Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi were monumental in scale, striking architectural creations of the 19th century, innovatively designed and incorporated local traditions and craftsmanship. They became a focal point of each city. With the coming of the Railways, there came up railway stations, Railway companies vied with each other to build imposing railway station buildings.
In 1853, India's first train should have started from Howrah but the ship bringing the coaches sank in the river Hoogly and the steam locomotive was mis-dispatched to Australia. It opened in 1854 as the first in the East and amongst the first few stations in India, as a temporary tin shed, for just two pairs of trains, a small booking office and one line along a narrow platform. The first train of the East Indian Railway, driven by Joshua Greenbo, ran from Howrah to Hoogly on 15th August 1854, a distance of 24 miles. This led to India's 1st commercial railway goods corridor from Howrah to Raniganj. The present day station became a necessity with increasing number of trains and opening of the Bengal Nagpur Railway from Howrah in 1900.
From humble beginning for just 5 carriages of only one train, Howrah Station now is among the largest railway stations in the world, catering to all major cities in India, handling over a million passengers a day through 23 platforms and over 300 pairs of trains. From within its magnificent archaic structure, huge crowds and the olden day charm of this great monument make this a wonderful destination. It became and still remains a gateway to the entire eastern and northeastern India.
The first imposing heritage station of the Railway's came up with the Victoria Terminus, housing the office of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway Company. This building was started in 1878 and it was completed and thrown open to the public on New Year's day 1888. The ceiling are very high and exude a sense of space and freedom. The magnificent monument was designed by F.W. Stevens. The decorative carved detail was executed by native carvers from models supplied by Mr.Gomez and the students of the Bombay School of Art. The buildings are faced with a light buff coloured Coorla stone with dressings, cornices and moldings in Porbandar and Seoni stones. The total cost of the whole building was about Rs.27 lakhs. All the work was entirely executed by indigenous labour. In quick succession came the large and imposing station buildings at Madras and Howrah. The landmark in Madras Central Station is the Victorian Clock Tower.The Howrah Station has a predominance of arches with a touch of contemporary British architecture and local trappings. Railways came to Delhi with the establishment of the imposing Old Delhi Railway Station constructed in 1867. The building has several Gothic features. The two-story building has deep verandas on both floors and though the original building is in a good condition, many modifications and additions have since been done. Semi-octagonal turrets rise from the corners of the building.

Date of issue: 16 August 2009
Denomination: 5.00 INR (each stamp)
Width 57.0 mm
Height 32.0 mm

Herbs, USA

2011-09-27T22:25:00.001+02:00

Quite lousy as usual with this blog....one of the major reasons is that it is always rather difficult for me to choose what to post...whenever I pick something, the next thing that comes to my mind is that I should save that for another occasion (esp. with the commemorative stamps) so in the end I post nothing. Well, I decided to change that attitude and somewhat take the thinking and deciding in a different direction, so here we go..:)

For today I chose this LOVELY cover from Bryon...one of the greatest contributors to my collections and a person who gives me great incentives to keep on posting and leave the hibernation mode :) (Plus I realized Ive never posted anything from the USA here so far...)

Bryon sent me a cover using the set of 5 herbs' stamps that the USPS issued this year. Why they make a great cover? Coz my heart gets a special beat when I see a cover with a whole set of stamps...no stamp lacking...no additional one used...pure perfection!!! I actually grew this passion not so long ago, after going through my collections and these kind of covers just stood out! And I realized I was in love! Well, ok, not literally, but I think it sort of best describes my revelation :)

These herbs' stamps are definitives (who would have thought I would love a definitives' cover so much :))
and the face value of each is 29 cents. They all feature various herbs used for fragrance, flavoring, medicine, and/or decoration. Each stamp depicts a particular species in bloom, as well as a typical leaf and flower or seed capsule. The species shown are (from left to right): Origanum vulgare (oregano), Linum perenne (flax), Digitalis purpurea (foxglove), Lavandula angustifolia (lavender), and Salvia officinalis (sage). Only the common names appear on the stamps

regarding the technical specifications:
- Issue Date: April 7, 2011
- Issue Type: Definitive
- Manufacturing Process: Gravure
- Paper Type: Prephosphored, Type II
- Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
- stamp size: 22.10 x 24.94 mm

thanks a LOT Bryon!!!

Nanji Islands, China

2011-09-04T14:16:00.000+02:00

for today's entry at Viridan's blog, i picked this set of mint stamps I have from China, portraying the Nanji Islands.

the stamps are just fantastic, so im pretty sure in real it is even more amazing!

Nanji Island is the main island of a group of 15 islands and islets, situated in the south-eastern waters of Pingyang County, Zhejiang Province, in south-east China. This was the first marine/coastal biosphere reserve in China. The 28 km long coastline consists of exposed bedrock and sharp cliffs, bays and islets. The biosphere reserve offers a multitude of diverse marine habitats which host a rich number of shellfish and algae species. Fifteen of the identified 403 species of shellfish have been found only in the Nanji waters. The shellfish and algae are intermittently distributed in the tropical and temperate marine realms, which makes this species-rich site even more important for conservation and scientific research. These species are concentrated in the core areas, which consist of two islets and a portion of Nanji Island and their surrounding waters, with an area of 663 hectares. The total area, including the transition area, is 20,629 hectares. The Nanji Island is divided into the Dasha’ao, the Sanpanwei and the Zhucaibaiyu scenic areas, where on the middle stamp you can see Sanpanwei, while the third stamp shows the Dasha'ao.
the first stamp shows the the famous Longchuan Reef

the stamps were issued on July 10th 2007, and each has a face value of 120 fen.

Size of stamps: 50 * 30 mm
Perforation: 13 * 12.5
Printing process: Photogravure

for other cool entries this Sunday, click on the button below

Trains, Mozambique

2011-08-28T12:33:00.000+02:00

It's been a while since ive been able to participate in Viridian's blog...but here we are to stop that tradition.
And well, today's theme is 'anything you want'....so in order not to think toooo much and negotiate with myself what to pick, ill go with my favourite topic of trains :) Sorry :)

And here I have two FANTASTIC souvenir sheets I received thanks to Goran who had arranged them for me!

these s/s were both issued in 1999.

The left one depicts the Railway Station in Frankfurt with the Talent DMU train in front of it. DMU stands for Diesel Multiple Unit, which is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.These trains have gained tremendous popularity in Europe, where they have proven their worth in passenger service on more lightly used intercity routes that wouldn’t be economical to operate using more conventional locomotive hauled trains.

The right s/s depicts the Anhalter Bahnhof, which is a former railway terminus in Berlin in Germany. In front of it a 2-8-2 German steam locomotive is presented. In a 2-8-2, the wheel arrangement of the two leading wheels is on one axle (usually in a leading truck), the eight powered and coupled driving wheels are on four axles, and the two trailing wheels are on one axle (usually in a trailing truck) This configuration of steam locomotive is most often referred to as a Mikado (frequently shortened to Mike), but it is also referred to as a MacArthur. The 2-8-2 was particularly popular in North America, but was also used in continental Europe and elsewhere.The German 2-8-2s were built in both passenger and freight types where the passenger locomotives were used mainly in a mountainous terrain.

to see what others have come up with today, click on this big button below

wishing you all a very nice weekend!

History of Latvian Railway, Latvia

2011-08-24T19:52:00.003+02:00

I know ive really neglected this blog, but you know that im awful in juggling between the two of them...and that in general am an awful time manager..but anyways, I hope to be able to stick to some more regular postings here...and bother you with my trains and railways in general....sorry :)

Elena sent me this fantastic Latvian FDC, said to commemorate the history of the railway in the country.

Unfortunately not much info I could come across on the net regarding this particular issue, but other sources had this to say:

-The history of rail transport in Latvia began with the construction in 1860 of a railway from Abrene (now Pytalovo) to Dinaburg (now Daugavpils), 160 km in length, as part of the Saint Petersburg – Warsaw Railway.More intensive development of railways in Latvia commenced the following year, 1861, when the 232 km long Riga - Dinaburg railway was opened. It connected with the Saint Petersburg – Warsaw Railway, and thus joined the Latvian railways with the Russian rail network. For the rest of the second half of the nineteenth century, the intensive construction of railways continued. Lines constructed during that period included Dinaburg–Radviliškis, Mitau (now Jelgava)–Muravieva, and others.From the 1890s, narrow gauge lines (750 mm) were built to complement the broad gauge lines (1,524 mm). Most of the narrow-gauge railways were later converted to broad gauge, but then dismantled in the second half of the twentieth century.

This stamp was issued on August 5, 2010.
perforation: comb13 1/4 : 13 1/2
printing: offset
face value: 40 Santimi

Thomas the Tank Engine, UK

2011-07-02T07:47:00.017+02:00

Some days ago my mailbox was again pleasantly treated and surprised by Silvan, who had ordered for me two fantastic items! I honestly didnt even know this issue was released until I opened the envelopes! And what do I see inside?? The lovely Thomas the Tank Engine!
In case you havent watched the cartoons, you should spare some time and do so...and dont worry for looking 'childish'...I personally have been downloading these series too, and try to watch an episode or two every now and then when I manage to grab some free time....Thomas is one very cute engine :)

the Royal Mail had issued several items this year, and what I must point out here (or brag about) is that the two items i had received are considered 'special issues', since they were available only on issue date and cant be purchased anymore...at least not from Royal Mail, but maybe you can find them from someone who has bought them and can give them to you.
The above envelope is an FDC with stamps, while the one below contains the mini sheet of four stamps.

Do you actually know how Thomas was born?
It all started with Wilbert Awdry, whose passion for railways had been instilled in him by his clergyman father, Vere, and when Wilbert himself had a family, he shared his railway enthusiasm with his own son, Christopher. It was while two-year-old Christopher was suffering with measles that Wilbert tried to enliven his son's bed-bound quarantine by telling stories and drawing pictures about a group of little engines. He wrote down the stories, and was encouraged by his wife to get his work into print. Eventually in May 1945, The Three Railway Engines - featuring 'Edward's day out', 'Edward and Gordon', 'The Sad Story of Henry' and 'Edward, Gordon and Henry' - was published, and soon more than 45,000 copies had been sold. Between 1945 and 1972, Reverend Awdry wrote 26 volumes in The Railway Series, and in 1983 Christopher began writing stories for the series. A year later, the engines of Sodor were brought to the small screen courtesy of television producer Britt Allcroft. Filmed in 'live-action model animation', Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends enjoyed almost instant success. Since September 1984, 348 episodes and 14 series have been broadcast, the last two series produced in full computer-generated imagery. With over 200 million books sold globally, and the programmes viewed by more than a billion households worldwide every week, Thomas & Friends continues to entertain and delight the children throughout the world.

technical specifications:

Date of issue: 14 June 2011
Process of printing: lithography
Format: landscape
Phosphor: all over
Number of stamps: 6
Size: 60mm x 21 mm
Perforations: 14.5 x 14.5

number of stamps in the mini sheet: 4
sheet size: 115mm x 89mm
Size: 41mm x 30mm
Perforations: 14.5 x 14

So if you are having a lazy weekend and the weather outside aint really convinent for outdoor activities, make some popocorn or get some snacks and enjoy some time with Thomas and his friends.

And thank sooo much Silvan for always bringing such pleasure to my mailbox!

The 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Mother Teresa (Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu)

2011-05-29T11:14:00.005+02:00

well, thanks to Viridian, i seem to be focusing on Macedonian stamps more than usual...but I cant help it when the themes are as such...I could go for many other stamps from around the world...but then, there are Macedonian ones which perfectly fit in, and it seems like a great opportunity to represent my country...if I dont, who else will :) Plus I seem to be making my updates on Sunday only...so I grab the opportunity...

and this week's theme is 'people honoured by a stamp for any reason: historical, politician, writer, artist, educator, Nobel prize winner....well I have a plentiful of stamps to show regarding this....but my choice fell on this FDC issues last year...portraying the woman whom Im sure you've all heard of, Mother Teresa.

whats so special about this FDC? well, for starters it is a limited edition...second, it is a joint issue of the post offices in Macedonia, Albania and Ksovo, and as you can see it features all the 3 stamps issued in the respective countries.
The stamps have a value of 100 lekë (Albania), 1 euro (Kosovo) and 60 denars/equal to 1 euro (Macedonia).
As I said, the stamps and FDC were issued last year, in order to commemorate the 100 years since her birth. The stamp size is 31 x 43mm, offset printing technique, comb perforation.

Now, I dont know if there is anything needed to be said about this woman....I think she is famous enough and you know quite a lot about her....but I dont know how many of you actually know that she was born in Skopje, Macedonia, on 26 August 1910? (or in Üsküb, which is the Turkish name for Skopje, since she was born during the time of the Ottoman Empire in our country). So, thats why in a way we consider this woman so close to us...coz even though she was of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, she actually started her life right here, in my hometown.
Her name Teresa comes due to the fact that when she took her first religious vows as a nun on 24 May 1931, she chose to be named after Thérèse de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries, but because one nun in the convent had already chosen that name, Agnes opted for the Spanish spelling Teresa.
Her life as you know was dedicated to charity missions and helping the people in need....and thats one long long endless list, so I wouldnt go into details, otherwise this post would be never-ending...
But it is worth mentioning that in 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace." She refused the conventional ceremonial banquet given to laureates, and asked that the $192,000 funds be given to the poor in India, stating that earthly rewards were important only if they helped her help the world's needy.

For those having doubts how to pronounce her real name, Gonxha Bojaxhiu, .....the 'xh' diphthong is pronounced as the 'j' in 'jar' for example...while the 'j' in 'Bojaxhiu' is pronounced as the 'y' in 'yo-yo' or 'yoghurt'...i hope it is not confusing :)

Some years ago, a memorial house was built in the city centre...but if you are asking me, it is one kitschy piece of architecture...and unfortunately, many people here think the same, but who are we to talk about it :)

Anyways, if there are people who'd be interested in this FDC, im sorry I have to say this, but I cant guarantee anything coz of its limited print-out. But I do usually have Mother Teresa postcards in stock, so if someone's interested, you know where to find me.

so, that was my entry for today's Sunday Stamps...to see other famous people portrayed, please click the big button below

Handicrafts, Macedonia

2011-05-22T16:59:00.002+02:00

I guess Im lucky that Viridian has chosen Sunday as a day for featuring stamps coz it seems to be the only day of the week when I can dedicate some time to it.
This week's theme are handicrafts....being that Macedonia is rich in these, and there are also a number of stamps issued featuring handicrafts, I decided to dedicate this post to my country again....and will save the other nations' handicraft stamps for some post in the future.

Ive chosen two sets of stamps for today....the first one is actually a definitive issued in 2007, representing a traditional woven bag from the 20th century from the Skopje region

this is one of the typical designs that can be seen on the Macedonian traditional clothes as well as tapestries, carpets, bed-covers, curtains and other household items used in the Macedonian rural and urban houses. Each Macedonian region has its unique designs but in general they are all rich in colours and ornamental details.
This kind of bag is something which people used to put bread loaves and cheese and maybe peppers inside when they went on the pasture fields and had to stay there all day...or by school children who had to travel many many kilometres in order to get to their school. These kind of bags have often been described in the traditional Macedonian legends and stories and to those familiar with them and the Macedonian people and culture in general, they bring an image of a freshly baked bread, perfectly hot, where the cheese is put inside between two slices and melts...a very simple but delicious meal for many.
Recently I went to the Night of the Museums event...well, sadly it only took place at one museum, but something is better than nothing. And the museum has this permanent exhibit of ethnological items among which these kind of bags are portrayed too....I have to say I loved that part, showing so many different traditional clothes and accessories, coming from different regions in Macedonia.

The stamps has a face value of 12 denars, comb perforation and comes in a sheet of 25 stamps. The offset printing technique has been used. And what I like about it is its size...it is rather small (28x25 mm) and fits very well on postcards among other additional stamps (coz this one is not enough for postage).

The other set of stamps I chose for today was issued in 2009 and consists of two stamps, under the Cultural Heritage subject:

the 10 denars stamp (the one on the left) depicts an anvil....it is something that is still used today by the craftsmen, blacksmiths in particular...even though as a walk of life it may be disappearing, if you walk around the Old Bazaar in Skopje, for example, you will come across old small blacksmiths' workshops. From what Ive heard, a craftsmen chamber has been established in Macedonia, which offers help and support to the craftsmen people.
Here is one video, which unfortunately is in Macedonian, but it is a nice example to see what I was talking about...the video has been taken in the Old Bazaar in the blacksmith street, where years ago it was full of blacksmith's workshops...nowadays, the remaining people who still perform these activities complain how the modern industry simply destroys the crafts and how they only work for little money and that young people nowadays are totally disinterested in these so-called, old-fashioned activities.

http://www.makdenes.org/video/4654.html

the second stamp of a 20 denars face-value represents a horse-shoe. I dont know if this belief is present in other cultures as well, but here in Macedonia it is believed that if one hangs a horse-shoe on the wall in the house, that should bring luck to that family or that they will protect you from the evil spirits and goblins :)
The open part of the horseshoe should look downwards according to its position in the horse....so as the horse runs forwards, so the fortune should go forwards inside the house.

the size of both of these stamps is 40.2x30.2mm, offset printing technique in a sheet of 9 stamps. When used together, both stamps are postage-perfect for postcards.

well, sorry for the longish post...I hope you werent bored :) For more crafty posts please visit Viridian's blog...just click on the button below:

EXPO '70 (Osaka, Japan) - Ajman

2011-05-15T18:48:00.002+02:00

I was thinking for a long while about what to choose for the latest Sunday Stamps post....since it is a free theme, one has his hands open to pick whatever he wants...and yeah, my initial itch was to pick again some of my train stamps...but then I thought that I wouldnt want people to get bored and tired of constantly seeing train stamps...so after some thinking and browsing through my collections, the choice fell on something rather unique and according to some, controversial, when it comes to validity...but first let me present you my today's choice of 9 stamps, coming from Ajman. Ajman??!! Where on Earth is that??!!!
Well, Ajman is indeed a real place on Earth, one of the seven emirates constituting the UAE. Its area is only 260 square km, making it the smallest of the Emirates. Its name means 'small city' in Arabic.

Very few stamps from Ajman are considered postally valid. There have been many stamps issued for Ajman, but a great number of them had limited, if any, postal use. The Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue only recognizes Ajman stamps from 1964 and 1965 as valid. The remaining Ajman issues, primarily from 1967 through 1972, are excluded as their postal use appears to be questionable. The stamps I have here date from 1970, so they fall into that latter category...plus, if my observation is good, they are CTO's....but nevertheless, I think the stamps are really beautiful, plus, how would I have learned about Ajman, and their stamps validity issue, if it wasnt for this...

well, sorry if the scan is too big, but this was like the only way to be able to present all of the stamps without them being too cluttered and yet include them all.
They all portray Japanese paintings, as follows:

- 1 dh. stamp shows the "The Actor Sawamura Sojuro" a painting by the Japanese painter Katsukawa Shunsō;
- 2 dh. stamp portrays an "Intimate Kitchen Scene" by the Japanese painter and printmaker Kitagawa Utamaro, considered one of the greatest artists of woodblock prints;
- 3 dh. stamp shows the "The Beautiful O-Sen of Kasamori" by Suzuki Harunobu, a Japanese woodblock print artist, one of the most famous in the Ukiyo-e style;
- 4 dh. stamp shows another of Utamaro's works, called "Portrait of a Woman";
- 5 dh. stamp brings one more of Utamaro's works called "Melancholy Love";
- 10 dh. stamp is by an unknown artist portraying Japanese Ladies;
- 15 dh. stamp is again by an unknown artist, called "A Picnic Party"

the two stamps at the bottom are considered as airmail stamps:

- 1 rl. stamp shows a painting by Uemura Shoen, the first woman recipient of the Order of Culture, Japan's highest award for cultural achievement.
- 5 rls. stamp shows a painting called "Woman in the Wind" by Kaigetsudô Ando.

This issue also should contain a minisheet of 12 rls. value, presenting a Japanese Bathhouse scene. Unfortunately, I do not have it, but if anyone could send it to me, it would be more than welcome in my collection!

To see what others have picked for today, please visit Viridian's blog....just click on the button below :)

Anniversary of Iraqi Railways, Iraq

2011-05-08T11:16:00.003+02:00

Well, im REALLY happy that today's Sunday Stamps topic is Transportation! This of course includes planes, trains, cars, trams....but even though I can say I have stamps of each of these, it would feel extremely illogical that I post something NOT regarding trains....I mean, how can I neglect my favourite topic! Thanks so much to Viridan for choosing this subject. To see what others have come up with, please visit Viridian's blog by clicking on this big 'button' below:

Well, while looking at my train stamps, I was wondering which ones should I choose for today...I really wanted for it to be something special, and eventually the final choice fell on this amazing Iraqi issue...so not only that the stamps are amazing, but they come from such a rare country that Im extremely happy and proud to have them in my possession (the WHOLE set!!) and all that is thanks to dear Joey from Norway!

The stamps were issued in 2010, commemorating the Anniversary of the Iraqi Railways.
We have three stamps issued, face valued of 750, 500 and 250 dinars ( I guess that apart from doing a lousy scan, I put the stamps in a reverse order, but I hope you dont mind it so much). The funny thing about the dinars is that it ALWAYS reminds me of Yugoslavia, coz the dinar was the currency we used back then...so it is kind of funny to find this currency in other countries too...\
The date of issue is 25 January 2010 and the size of the stamps is 50 x 40 mm.....perforation is 13 x 13

and apart from the three great stamps, the issue contains one FABULOUS mini sheet! I feel for this ever since I saw it long time ago, and I still cant believe it that it is actually mine right now!
It is imperforated and its size is 80 x 80 mm, with a face value of 1000 IQD.

Well, a few words about the Iraqi Railways.... The Iraqi Republic Railways Company (IRR), founded in 1905 (Im honestly confused about the anniversary here, coz ive come across several different data). It runs over approximately 1,900 kilometres of standard gauge track and runs from Rabiya in the north southward through Mosul, Bayji and Baghdad to end at Basra, with a number of branch lines.
The first section of railway in what was then the Ottoman Empire province of Mesopotamia was a 123 kilometres length of the Baghdad Railway between that city & Samarra opened in 1914.
(So it seem like the anniversary is something in-between.)
IRR uses Soviet-style SA3 automatic couplers. In order to allow interchange with CFS and Turkish State Railways which both use screw couplers, IRR locomotives and most wagons are equipped with screw couplings and buffers. In Iraqi service the buffers do not make contact and the screw couplings hang down unattached.

Have a great Sunday everyone, and let me know if you've had the chance so far to travel with IRR or if you're gonna do it so in the future :)

Grigor Prlichev, Macedonia

2011-05-01T12:00:00.001+02:00

I was almost convinced that I wont be able to find a suitable stamp for today's Sunday Stamps topic on poets and poetry, coz I dont seem to have such stamps in larger amounts...and then I realized that I dont have to look any further than my own country coz I have the perfect stamp for it..and I must admit I am also extremely proud and happy that I can feature a Macedonian stamp and have the chance to introduce you to at least a bit of the Macedonian culture.
To see what others have chosen for today, please visit Viridan's blog

The stamp im featuring today was issued on 10 September 2010 by the Macedonian post office in order to commemorate the "150th Anniversary of awarding a Laurel Wreath to Gligor Prlichev for his poem 'The Sirdar'. The face value of the stamp is 100 denars, which is around 1.7 euros. Which makes this stamp totally useless for sending the majority of mail, but from a collector's point of view, i really love it, and I love such stamps which do not follow the usual shape.

Grigor Prlichev was born in Ohrid on 18 January 1829 and died in the same city on 6 February 1893. He was a poet, a translator, an orator, a chronicler, an educator, a national activist and one of the biggest creative geniuses of Macedonia in the 19th century. The Sirdar is one of his most famous works and among else he had translated the Homer's Iliad.
On 25 March 1860 he was awarded the Laurel Wreath for the Sirdar at the traditional literature contest held in Athens and was named the Second Homer, something that hasnt happened before. The prize hasnt stayed long with him, but that involves political issues and I wouldnt want to go into it right now.
In this poem, he delineates in epic form the difficult position of the Macedonians, and their struggle against the Turks taking as a basic motive the Macedonian folk song about Kuzman Kapitan.

Following is an excerpt of the poem, translated in English. The translation is in courtesy of one of my university professors, Mr. Graham Reid.

From Galichnik to Reka sighs and shrieks of sorrow rise;
What dire disaster hounds
The men and women thus to waken Echo with their cries?
What New-found ill abounds?

Have the hailstorm's sharp stones shattered the field of standing wheat?
Have locusts stripped the fields?
Has the Sultan sent hard-hearted taxmen early for receipt
Of their most bitter yield?

No, the sharp stones have not shattered the field of standing wheat;
Nor locusts stripped the fields;
Nor the Sultan sent hard-hearted taxmen early for receipt
Of their most bitter yield.

if you are interested in reading the whole poem, you can click on the link here.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Railways of 1900 and 2000, Czech Republic

2011-04-24T14:23:00.001+02:00

Well, being a Sunday, I think I can finally participate in the Sunday Stamps! And being the theme for today is 'anything you wish', my choice fits in rather well I think :)
If you want to join as well, just follow this link:

Well, im posting today this fantastic cover that Radim sent me, featuring a railway mini sheet.

Unfortunately, the information with regards to it are rather scarce, but still, it shouldnt be an obstacle of posting it here, no? :) And I know I have some Czech readers here, so if they could provide some more detailed info, Id be very grateful!
These stamps were issued on 09.05.2000 where the stamps at the top show a train from 1900 with a steam locomotive, service coach and carriages for passengers, while the bottom ones show a type 371 locomotive. The coupon in the middle features a map of the main railway corridors which run across this country.
The face value of the sheet is 23 CZK.

Again, thanks a million to Radim for such a great contribution to my collection!

Lighthouses of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

2011-03-27T17:16:00.002+02:00

An amazing FDC sent to me by Trudy!

The port of Hong Kong has always been key to business prosperity of the territory. It not only acts as a hub port of the South Asian Pacific region, but also an entrepot for the Mainland of China. Standing guard at the entrance of a harbour, a lighthouse serves as a navigation aid to mariners. A system of lenses at the top of the tower casts flashing light to guide incoming and outgoing vessels away from danger. This set of special stamps depicts five surviving pre-war lighthouses in Hong Kong. With clarity and realism as their themes of design, the stamps show a map and a compass in the upper half of the backdrop and the latitude and longitude coordinates at the bottom. The layout highlights the important role of lighthouses in the maritime history.

$1.40 - Cape D' Aguilar Lighthouse - the first of its kind in Hong Kong, was lit up to help vessels navigate on 16 April 1875. The round stone tower is 9.7 metres high and white in colour. Its base, arched doorway and spiral staircase are of fine masonry. The iron door is adorned with geometric decoration at the top. The opening of Waglan Island Lighthouse years later in 1893 rendered Cape D' Aguilar Lighthouse superfluous and it became inoperative in 1896. In 1975 the latter was automated and re-lit. Cape D' Aguilar Lighthouse was declared a monument on 3 March 2006.

$1.89 - Old Green Island Lighthouse - this lighthouse began guiding seafarers across the waters on 1 July 1875. The small circular tower is constructed of granite, measuring about 12 metres in height. Its doorway features projected rough-faced quoins. The two cross-shaped openings on its wall, resembling gun-posts found in medieval European castles, facilitate ventilation and light penetration. Immediately after the new Green Island Lighthouse came into operation, the old lighthouse was decommissioned and later declared a monument on 7 November 2008.

$2.40 - New Green Island Lighthouse - standing next to its predecessor, the new Green Island Lighthouse was constructed in 1904 and completed in 1905. The circular tower, built of granite and concrete, stands 1.5 metres high with a steel lantern at the top. It is painted white for high visibility, thermal insulation and structural protection. Its spiral staircase is made of fine masonry complete with beautiful railings. The entrance and windows, in the form of segmental arches, are decorated with ornamental plaster mouldings. The tower has been fully automated since the 1970's. Both the new and old Green Island Lighthouse were declared monuments on 7 November 2008.

$3 - Tang Lung Chau Lighthouse - it commenced helping mariners navigate the coastline on 29 April 1912. The skeletal steel tower is 11.8 metres high and painted white at the top. The adjoining brick house, furnished with a bedroom, a kitchen, a latrine and a storeroom, was the living quarters of the lighthouse keeper. With no well or fresh water supply on the island, rainwater was collected from the roof and diverted to an underground tank for storage and use. The now automated Tang Lung Chau Lighthouse was declared a monument on 29 December 2000.

$5 - Waglan Lighthouse - the first flash of light was beamed from Waglan Lighthouse on 9 May 1893. Its then state-of-the-art lamp burned mineral oil and was equipped with rotating apparatus floating on mercury. During the Second World War, the lighthouse was extensively damaged and repairs began from 1945. Fully automated since August 1989, the lighthouse serves not only as a navigation aid but also an outpost for collecting meteorological data from the eastern part of the territory for analysis by the Hong Kong Observatory. Waglan Lighthouse was declared a monument on 29 December 2000.

Date of Issue: 29 December 2010
Width: 28.00 mm
Height: 45.00 mm
Number in set: 5
Stamp layout: pane of 25 stamps
S/S size: 150mm x 85mm
Perforation: 13.5 x 13.25 (one elliptical perforation on each vertical)
Paper: paper with security fibres

125 Years of the Frontier Railway Spielfeld-Strass – Bad Radkersburg, Austria

2011-03-20T11:49:00.000+01:00

Today I have these two fantastic items to show, thanks to Andrea who was very kind and eager to help me with my Austrian collections.

She sent me both the FDC and a cover with the same stamp coz as you may or may not, I have this odd urge to have the train stamps in all possible versions....so for example if I have a mint version of a stamp, I wont be satisfied with it, but I just want to have it all =/ One can call it greediness, or passion....I would choose the latter :)

In 2010, the Spielfeld Strass – Bad Radkersburg frontier railway celebrated a round anniversary; exactly 125 years ago, in 1885, this railway commenced operations. The commemorative is an impressive reminder of this proud birthday. The stamp motif, designed by Ernst Sladek, shows both a historic steam locomotive of the time and a modern train of today, thus reflecting the history and development of this southern Styrian frontier railway in an original pictorial language.

Technical details:

Release Date: 10|07|2010

Number of Copies: 300.000

Printing Style: Offset

Type: Special issue stamp

Width: 42.0 mm

Height: 32.25 mm

Denomination: 0.65 €

Number in set: 1

Layout/Format: sheet of 50

Perforations: 14 by 14

Dutch Trains, The Netherlands

2011-03-13T21:27:00.001+01:00

In 2005, the Netherlands issued stamps on railways and Paul was very kind and sent me both the FDC and the set of mint stamps!

It is a set of four stamps showing typical Dutch trains, issued in a sheet of 10, on the occasion of the reopening of the Utrecht Railway Museum which was renovated.

The stamp in the top left corner shows the Blue Angel. It got its name from the famous movie "Der Blaue Engel" from 1929 featuring Marlène Dietrich. This train is now to be seen in the Utrecht railway museum. Its official name is DE 41 and it was introduced in 1953. It could contain 73 passengers.

Next to it, in the top right corner is the steam locomotive 3737. It ran services till 1957. One still survives and is operational. It sometimes carries out special rides.

In the bottom left corner is the Intercity Express train. It is a German ICE train which can reach speeds up to 330 kilometers per hour on special high speed track, not available in the Netherlands at the moment these stamps were issued.

Next to it, in the bottom right corner is the Front Runner (Koploper), which is in use since 1977. The train driver is high above the passenger compartment, which makes it possible to couple carriages without obstructing the way through to the next carriage. It was also the first train in which benches were not only placed opposite each other but behind each other as well

Technical Details:

Date of issue: 14.10.2005
Value of each stamp: 0,39 euros
Paper: non-phosphorescent with phosphorescent beam
Print: offset
Perforation: 14½
Watermark: none

Thank you so much again Paul!!!!

Classic Locomotives of England, UK

2011-02-26T17:40:00.001+01:00

Once again Silvan made me and my mailbox overwhelmed with joy with this absolutely fantastic surprise! It is hard to describe how fantastic it is! And this is a very recent issue, which makes me even more proud to have it :)

Royal Mail pays tribute to the ‘workhorses’ of the railways; many of which had working lives of several decades before diesel and electric technology completely took over in the 1960s.

Classic Locomotives of England is the first in a new series featuring steam locomotives, used not just on the public railway network, but also in many industrial locations like factories, quarries and docks.

1st Class Stamp – BR Dean Goods No. 2532
A Newbury bound British Railways local service Dean Goods Class locomotive at East Garton photographed in 1951. These sturdy Victorian goods locomotives saw a great deal of use in both world wars, but by the 1950s they had been relegated to light duties, such as hauling passenger trains on rural branch lines.

60p Stamp – Peckett R2 Thor
This Peckett 1689, named Thor was built in 1925 for the Tunnel Cement company of Purfleet, Essex. Compact, powerful and rugged, industrial locomotives were the all-purpose workhorses of plants such as Tunnel Cement and many were used continuously for several decades. The loco spent its entire life at Thurrock - where the photo was taken - and it was scrapped there in March 1965.

88p Stamp – L & YR 1093 No. 1100
The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway locomotive photographed here at Liverpool Exchange Station in 1909 is pulling the 2.10 to Hull. From the middle of the 19th century, British companies offered integrated travel to continental Europe, combining rail services with steamships which sailed from ports around the United Kingdom

97p Stamp – BR WD No. 90662
During the Second World War heavy-freight “Austerity”’ locomotives were built for military service, transporting goods and troops. Before the Normandy Landings, the Army had very little use for these locomotives, so they were loaned to the "Big Four" railway companies. After June 1944, "Austerity" locomotives were shipped out to France. Eventually British Rail had 733 of these locos.

Technical Details

Number of stamps: four
Size of sheet: 179mm x 74mm
Stamp Format: Landscape
Stamp Size: 41mm x 30mm
Print Process: Lithography
Perforations: 14.5 x 14
Phosphor: All over
Gum: PVA

Technical monuments - Narrow gauge railways, Lithuania

2011-02-20T12:09:00.000+01:00

A great Lithuanian cover franked with the two train stamps issued in 2002.

In Lithuania the first narrow-gauge railways were built at the end of the 19th century. In 1939, the total narrow-gauge network was comprised of 407 kilometers of lines.
Later narrow-gauge railways were dismantled or replaced by broad-gauge railways.
In 1996, the remaining narrow-gauge railway lines between Panevėžys and Rubikiai, Panevėžys and Biržai, and Joniškėlis and Linkuva were included into the Register of Immovable Cultural Values of Lithuania.
At present, the narrow-gauge railway line between Panevėžys and Rubikiai is used for the local tourism purposes.

Date of Issue: 8 June 2002
Width: 39.0 mm
Height: 26.0 mm
Perforations: 12 by 12

the 1,30 Lt Face value stamp shows a Diesel Locomotive TU2, while the 2 Lt stamps shows a Steam locomotive PT4.

EUROPA, Liechtenstein

2011-02-13T22:51:00.002+01:00

Dear Sara sent me this very nice envelope from Liechtenstein with the EUROPA stamps from 2010. You know (probably) that EUROPA is not my primary theme of collection, however, I can never say no to a nice cover with EUROPA stamps. And the envelope is so fitting to the theme :)

For the 2010 theme, Liechtenstein immortalised on a commemorative stamp a classic of Liechtenstein children’s literature: “Lisa and Max” (face value CHF 1.40). Since 1992, when the first book in this series (“Der Wunschhund“/“The Perfect Dog”) appeared, these popular picture-books have followed the twins Lisa and Max and their dog Mischa on their adventures in Liechtenstein. Each of the stories published to date takes place in a different month and in a different one of the Principality’s eleven communities. Each of these monthly books focuses on a distinctive Liechtenstein tradition: “The Shrovetide Procession”, “The Spark Sunday Witch”, “The Easter Treasure”, “The Birthday Castle”, “The Phantom of the Corpus Christi Procession”, “The Mountain Walk”, “The Prince’s Birthday”, “The Return from the Mountains”. In 2011 the series will be continued with the October book. In 2007 the “Lisa and Max Fairy-tale Trail” was opened in Malbun in the Liechtenstein Alps.

The subject depicted on the stamp and designed by Mariagrazia Orlandini is that illustrated on the title page of the August story “The Prince’s Birthday” which appeared in 2001. The “Prince’s Birthday” is synonymous with Liechtenstein’s national holiday, celebrated every year on 15th August. This festive occasion, which was first held in 1940 and arose from combining the Feast of the Assumption (15th August) with the birthday of the then Prince Franz Josef II (16th August), has since 1990 always taken the same form: The official act of state begins with an open-air mass followed by festive speeches on the castle meadow. Afterwards the Prince and Princess invite everyone to a public reception in the castle gardens. In the early afternoon in the centre of Vaduz the informal celebrations begin, which every year bring thousands of visitors into the “Städtle” and whose climax includes a firework display from the castle rock.

technical details:

Date of Issue: 6 September 2010
Subject: Europa 2010 - For Children
Width: 30.0 mm
Height: 34.0 mm
Denomination: 1.40 CHF
Number in set: 1
Layout/Format: sheet of 20
Perforations: 14 by 14

Great Australian Railway Journeys, Australia

2011-01-31T22:54:00.001+01:00

Another amazing railway-related FDC...this time coming from Australia.

The Aussie PO issued this last May, celebrating the country's most scenic railway trips. There were 4 different stamps issued, which of course you can see attached to the FDC as well.

Australian trains like The Ghan and the Indian Pacific cross the continent from south to north and east to west respectively, covering great distances, often over isolated and difficult terrain. Other routes, such as the West Coast Wilderness Railway on the west coast of Tasmania and Kuranda Scenic Railway in northern Queensland traverse much smaller distances in rugged and precipitous mountainous country. These railways were once the primary means of linking isolated Australian settlements with more populous cities. Today tourists include these routes among the great railway journeys of Australia.

The great Australian railway journeys featured are (from left to right):
* 55c – The Ghan
* 55c – West Coast Wilderness Railway
* 55c – The Indian Pacific
* $2.10 – Kuranda Scenic Railway

Stamps' Width: 37.5 mm
Stamps' Height: 26.0 mm
Perforations: 13.86 by 14.6
Date of Issue: 7 May 2010

Toše Proeski 1981-2007, Macedonia

2011-01-25T18:49:00.001+01:00

This FDC was issued by the Macedonian Post Office in 2007 in honour of one of the most famous Macedonian people ever, Toše Proeski.

Some of you know him, some have no idea who he was, but he was a very important part of the Macedonian music and culture in general, who had touched the hearts of many, not just in Macedonia, but across the Balkans as well, and was, I can freely say so, the best ambassador of our country.
I think that whatever I say about him, wont describe his greatness...you really had to know him in order to be at least a bit aware of it so I wont go into details about his biography or career. And for any info youd be interested in, there are many sources about him on the internet. But I just do want to commemorate this day at least somehow.
If the destiny hadnt twisted the paths on 16 October 2007, today this great man would have celebrated his 30th birthday....unfortunately, it is his fans and all the Macedonian people who are left to do so, by attending or organizing all sorts of commemorative concerts and events. But of course, without the celebrator, it is not even close to same.
RIP Toše!

Technical Specifications about the stamp:

Face value: 12 denars
Perforation: Comb
Size: 30.2x40.2mm
Printing technique: Offset
Date of issue: 15/12/2007

The FDC comes with two different cancellations, one with the town of Kruševo, and another one with the city of Skopje. Being that Toše's hometown was Kruševo, I prefer this FDC. And I think that this picture with the pigeon in his hands, pretty much describes the heart and soul this man had.

Railway Construction, China

2011-01-22T20:27:00.001+01:00

A lovely cover I received from China, featuring a set of train stamps issued in 2006.

All stamps are of the same value and represent the following respectively:
- the top left stamp is called "Raising Speed and Increasing Capacity"
- the top right stamp is called "Material Transportation"
- the bottom left stamp is called "Border Port Transportation"
- the bottom right stamp is called "Transportation in Agriculture"

the stamps' technical details are:

Date of issue: December 28, 2006
Size of stamps: 50 * 30 mm
Perforation: 13
Sheet composition: 16
Printing process: Photogravure

the issue also includes a souvenir sheet featuring a high-speed train, which according to some sources has been printed with a special technique which allows you, under UV lights, to see the control numbers, a map of China as well as a route map of the Chinese railway. I havent tested this in order to confirm it or deny it (need to find UV lights somewhere first), but if it is true, then that's really interesting.

Size of S/S: 127 * 76 mm
Stamp of S/S: 90 * 40 mm
Perforation: 13.5 * 13

Thanks a lot to Huang for sending these great stamps to me!

World Champion in Water Polo - Melbourne 2007, Croatia

2011-01-15T22:02:00.023+01:00

Apart from tennis and Formula 1, sport related stamps and cards are not really in my scope of collecting...but when something great is received, it is worth to show it, and this cover is a perfect example for that!

Goran used this mini sheet on his letter, which portrays the Croatian water polo team, the world champions of 2007, at the tournament held in Melbourne.

The event lasted from March 19 to April 1, where Croatia had not lost a single match throughout the tournament and had beaten Hungary 9-8 in the final game.
Stipe Karadžole says "Though it may sound unfair in respect to them, but all of the sudden, just like that – quite suddenly – the words “Croatian water polo players” came upon the lips of all of us and at this moment all the adjectives modifying these four words blend into one – magnificent"

no description can demonstrate what water polo players go through in their careers; along with that, they always find themselves shadowed by the more powerful sports and spend their time in swimming pools and fitness centres. Hours, weeks, months and years of training often remain unpaid for at the competition itself. Despite all this, the Croatian water polo had never lost its status in the world framework (or better to say in European frameworks because the almost complete top can be placed within them) but the medal was like the “forbidden fruit”. Particularly the golden one. In the seventies, the water polo players stepped onto the pedestal “only” three times – always a step below the gold: it was silver at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, and silver medals at the European championships in Florence and Kranj. But now the Croatian water polo touched the shiniest pedestal and this is what makes the gold from Melbourne historic. The goalkeepers Vićan and Pavić, the players Hinić, Smodlaka, Đogaš, Vrdoljak, Barač, Burić, Bošković, Bušlje, Kunac, Joković and Marković, the selector Ratko Rudić and the other numerous strong accompanying trumps, all these are the reasons why the Croatian water polo recorded the finest moments in its history in March 2007. The whole scenario had become even more perfect on account of the rivals who were part of their battling path. For years Hungary was the first letter in the ABC of water polo, and not infrequently they were flanked by Serbia. A rough qualitative description would even divide the representative world of water polo in two parts – Hungary and Serbia had made one and all other national teams made the other half of the world. In Australia, though, Rudić’s players managed to break through among the “elevated”. They had won against Serbia in the semi-finals in a wondrous way and then, in the great finals they beat Hungary. This is a team that can be best described in such a way as to compare them to the Brazilians in football. Because Hungary has dominated the water polo since the 19th century; this sport is their national pride, but in the finals Croatia was – “the water polo Brazil”. Frano Vićan rose to the surface from the swimming pool like an octopus and it is one of the unjust matters of this championship that he was not proclaimed the best goalkeeper. The offensive players Smodlaka and Hinić dealt with the foulest business in the swimming pool, Vrdoljak dragged on as a captain in some delicate moments, Bošković showed that what he held in his hands was a canon; Đogaš routinely used his great qualities, while Marković and Joković displayed the fact that they were the future of the Croatian water polo. Referring to Rudić, it suffices to say that he has 21 medals from great competitions to his credit and that he is the coach with the greatest number of trophies of all times. This is why his strong hand, in the water polo intelligence, was priceless. Along with all the individual qualities, what has been built upon, was a top-grade defence, a rationally conceived attack and what the team sport cannot do without: the water polo players have, from the very beginning been cast one into another – the positive team spirit and belief in success have led the thirteen players toward the greatest success of the Croatian water polo in history.

Technical details:

Value (of each stamp): 5 kn

Size: 105 x 68 (31,24 x 35,50) mm

Paper: white 102g, gummed

Perforation: Comb,14

Tehnique: Multicoloured Offsetprint, Foil blocking

Date of issue: 3.5.2007

Centenary of Railway Service in Hong Kong

2011-01-12T01:48:00.002+01:00

An absolutely stunning piece of mail!!!!

This is the official souvenir cover issued by the Hong Kong post regarding the Centenary of its Railway Service. The issue consists of 6 stamps and all can be seen on this cover.

Over the past century, along with the rapid development of Hong Kong, local railway services have expanded to cover an extensive network of destinations. The railway system has advanced in stages with the times and introduced many new trains, from the earliest steam engines to diesel locomotives of the 1950's, to the automated electric trains of today - all for the purpose of providing our community with convenient and reliable train services. On 1 October 2010, the centenary of the railway service in Hong Kong was celebrated. To mark this occasion, Hongkong post issued a set of six stamps showcasing trains from different periods to commemorate important milestones in local railway history.

$1.40 Steam Train - The first train began to steam along the track of the section within Hong Kong of the Kowloon-Canton Railway, from Tsim Sha Tsui to Lo Wu, on 1 October 1910. The steam engines from the early days were gradually replaced by diesel locomotives from the 1950's onward until they were all retired from service in 1962. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the Hong Kong railway museum.

$1.80 Diesel Train - In 1955, diesel trains opened a new page in local railway history. The first two diesel locomotives in Hong Kong, No.51 and No.52, were named Sir Alexander and Lady Maurine respectively. Locomotive Sir Alexander is now kept at the Hong Kong railway museum for public viewing. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the Clock Tower of the then Kowloon-Canton Railway terminus in Tsim Sha Tsui.

$2.40 Electric Train - The 1980's saw an era of electrification in Hong Kong's railway history. The first generation of electric trains, with the driver's cab front painted yellow as shown on the stamp, was in operation from 1982 to 1999. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the old Hung Hom terminus.

$2.50 MTR Passenger Train - Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) commenced construction in 1975 and was officially opened on 1 Octobr 1979, with trains running between Shek Kip Mei and Kwun Tong. Th Metro-Cammell Train or M-TRAIN for short, depicted on the stamp is the longest-serving model used by the MTR. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the International Finance Centre situated above the MTR Hong Kong station.

$3 Kowloon-Guangzhou Through Train - The Kowloon-Guangzhou Through Train (Ktt) has been providing non-stop train services between Hong Kong and Guangzhou since August 1998. The Ktt is the only train service using double-decked direct passenger train. A journey between Hung Hom and Guangzhou East Station takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the MTR Hung Hom Station.

$5 Airport Express Train - Airport Express Train started operation in mid 1998, take as little as 24 minutes to complete the 35.3-kilometre journey between the Airport and Central. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the Hong Kong International Airport from aerial view.

Stamp Printing Details:

- Date of issue: 28 September 2010
- Paper: Paper with security fibres
- Process: Lithography
- Stamp size: 28mm x 45mm
- Stamp Layout: Pane of 25 stamps
- Perforation: 13.6x13.25 (one elliptical perforation on each vertical)
- Design: Clement Yick
-Illustration: Roxy Lau

Thanks a lot to Edward for this one!

125 Years of the Orient Express, Serbia

2010-12-25T16:46:00.001+01:00

A fantastic FDC issued by Serbia on 09.06.2008!!!!

Ive already posted about the Orient Express joint issue between Austria and Romania....but this is what the story behind the Serbian FDC is.

The Orient Express, luxury passenger train which connected West with East Europe, ran for the first time on October 4th in 1883. Its creator, Georges Nagelmackers introduced, on European railways, first luxury sleeping cars and restaurant cars. That was the time when political and economic relations, progressing trade and the beginning of modern tourism resulted in the big augmentation of the number of passengers. However, in those days, long trips by land were very strenuous and unpleasant. That is the reason why trains belonging to Nagelmackers CIWLT company (Compagnie internationale des Wagons - Lits et du Tourisme) achieved very fast a great success and set up new standards for travelling through Europe.
After several long routes, Nagelmackers decided to introduce a luxury train which connected Paris with Vienna, and by them also London and Berlin with countries in the Balkans and the capital of Turkey, Istanbul. Since the railway road through Serbia and Bulgaria was not yet finished, the first Orient Express communicated from Paris to Bucharest where passengers were ferried across the Danube and the Black Sea. This train, still called in those days the "Lightning train", passed through Serbia for the first time on November the first in 1885, reaching Niš which was its terminus. In 1888, when the railway to Sofia was finally finished, the train which, in the meantime, got a new name the "Orient Express", began to run on its direct route to Istanbul. After World War I, actual political relations brought up changes of this train's route. France and England wanted a faster connection with the Balkans and Turkey, so this train shortened its route through the Simplon Tunnel and was named the Simplon Orient Express. This period represents the culmination in the development of this train.
World War II and the political changes that followed significantly influenced the famous train. Damaged tracks and problems on boarders in relation with the Iron Curtain made the journey on the Orient Express problematic. Very soon, airplanes occupied the free space and took over the passengers. The most luxurious European train became an ordinary express train. in 1977, as a pale shadow of the legendary train, the famous Orient Express was withdrawn completely with the last Paris-Istanbul service.
Connecting for decades, on the most luxurious way two worlds, the Orient Express became the symbol of a lifestyle By using it, rulers, politician, rich men, artists, adventurers and spies have magnified its fame.
Immortalized in several literary works and films, the Orient Express is also well known to the younger generation.
For Serbia and other countries in the Balkans, the greatest significance of Orient Express was the highest quality connection to the most developed parts of Europe.

some technical details regarding the two stamps on the FDC:

Width: 35.0 mm
Height: 29.0 mm
Denomination: 20 CSD/50 CSD
Layout/Format sheet of 8
Perforations: 13.25 by 13.25

The Cyprus Railway, Cyprus

2010-12-09T23:22:00.001+01:00

Dear Silvan had prepared yet another great surprise for my mailbox, sending me these two fantastic FDC's!

And what sort of goes into my favour is that the Cyprus post issued two stamps instead one as planned (you can see them both on the on the FDC above. While the FDC below comes with a mini-sheet.

They were issued on 4th June 2010, and they portray a narrow gauge railway, that originally ran from Nicosia to Famagusta and was eventually extended to Kalo Chorio and Morphou, 1905-1951.

The technical characteristics of the stamps are:

Width 38.0 mm
Height 30.0 mm
Denomination 0.43 €
Layout/Format sheet of 8
Perforations 13 by 13

while the mini-sheet stamp has the following characteristics:

Width 38.0 mm
Height 30.0 mm
Denomination 0.85 €
Layout/Format miniature sheet of 1
Perforations 13 by 13

thanks to Silvan AGAIN for being such a kind visitor of my mailbox! :D

150th Anniversary of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, Great Britain

2010-11-28T16:21:00.000+01:00

Recently I got this fantastic surprise in my mailbox from Laura. She saw this and reminded her of me and thought I may like to have it! This is one of the times when I think that a simple 'thank you' aint good enough but i just dont know which are the right words to show my appreciation for the thoughtfulness. Do you also get stuck with words like I do?

The Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the world's first regular passenger-carrying railway, opened on 15 December 1830. Many distinguished guests, including the Duke of Wellington, then Prime Minister, attended the occasion. The day was marred when the member for Liverpool, Mr. William Huskisson was struck by the Rocket and died that evening.
Many prints and lithographs recorded the appearance of the Railway and its surroundings both during construction and after completion. These have provided the inspirations for the stamp designs, which show a train running through a landscape, which includes five familiar features of the Liverpool-Manchester route.

From left to right, the first stamp shows the Rocket in its most original form and livery. Probably by the time the line had opened, the Rocket had been modified but the original form is more familiar. The background shows the Moorish Arch, just short of the tunnel into Liverpool.

The second stamp shows first and second-class carriages. The setting is the deep Olive Mount Cutting, a few miles up the line.

The third stamp shows an open third-class coach and a two-storey cattle truck full of sheep. These would not normally have been found together in the same train, but serve to emphasize the crudity of the arrangements provided for the poorer passengers. The landscape behind is Chat Moss.

The fourth stamp shows the first-ever rail-drive: an open coach carried on a truck and its owner's horse box. The background shows a cottage near the bridge over the Bridgewater Canal.

The fifth stamp shows a truck-load of merchandise covered by a tarpaulin and a red Post Office Mail van with its guard bringing up the rear of the train. The overcast industrial Manchester background highlights the commercial importance of the Railway.

The mixture of goods traffic is, of course, symbolic of the railway's scope rather than strictly accurate. Actual trains were either passenger or freight.

The five se-tenant stamps, issued on 12 March 1980, were designed by David Gentleman and printed in photogravure on unwatermarked, coated, phosphor treated paper by Harrison & Sons (High Wycombe) Ltd.
Format: Horizontal size 41x30 mm
Perforations: 15x14
number per sheet:100

The FDC was designed by David Gentleman

Laura, thank you again so much!! Thank you thank you thank you! This feels like such a precious item to own!

Lighthouses, Croatia

2010-11-06T21:15:00.000+01:00

Sorry I havent posted ANYTHING here for over a month...true that in general I havent had much time for my blogs, but also gathering all the right information for this one in particular requires more time and patience, so I guess thats why I dont post here as often as on my postcard blog...but I promise from now on ill try to organize my time better and divided more fairly :)

Well, you know that my very soft spot goes to trains...but lighthouses are the closest behind them...and I cant possibly ignore this fantastic Lighthouse FDC coming from Croatia!

The FDC bears the three lighthouse stamps issued for this occasion...all bear the value of 3,10kn, where the first stamp shows the Vir lighthouse, the second one shows the Veli rat lighthouse, and the last one, the Tajer lighthouse.
Technical details about the stamps

Size: 29,82 x 48,28 mm
Paper: white 102g, gummed
Perforation: Comb,14
Tehnique: Multicoloured Offsetprint
Date of issue: 7.9.2010
Quantity: 100000

And some details about each of the lighthouses:

Vir
The lighthouse Vir is situated 40 km away from Zadar, to the north-west, and 20 km away from the historic town Nin. The nearest village is Križine, at a distance of two kilometres. Navigating from Zadar, parallel to the south coast of the island Vir, this lighthouse is easily spotted in the central part on the south-western coast, between the Cape of Pedink and the western Cape of Vrulje. The lighthouse Vir gives a recognisable character to the south capes of the island and marks the navigating direction to yachtsmen at night time. Built in 1881 at the north entrance to Zadar Channel, also today it sheds the light that can be seen from ten nautical miles away. The location of the lighthouse had been chosen by the Austro-Hungarian Office for Safe Navigation with the aim to mark for the night navigation the way to Zadar harbour, since the sea bottom in the wider aquatorium of the lighthouse slowly rises toward dangerous, shallow waters. The lighthouse building is a vast one-storey building. In the ground floor there used to be rooms for the lighthouse man while the dormitories and the apartment for his family were in the first floor. The facade is dominated by 11 meters high stone tower. Today, there is a deadly silence in the old building. Next to the lighthouse building there is a storeroom which once served as fuel storage and later as machinery room. The old water reservoir is also preserved. There is a legend about Vir and the hidden treasure from which only rare florins have been found to date. Today, the lighthouse is closed; its crew had been withdrawn after the automation of the lighthouse.

Veli rat
The lighthouse Veli rat is 20 nautical miles air distance away from Zadar, to the north-west. Its strong light can not be seen in Zadar Channel since it is covered by islands that build a barrier in the aquatorium between Zadar and Dugi otok (Long Island), on which north-western cape the lighthouse stands. Not far away from the lighthouse there are settlements Veli Rat, Verunić and Polje. North from the lighthouse there is Pantera Bay to which the light of Veli Rat is a safe guidance for navigators sailing through this aquatorium. The Austro-Hungarian Office for Safe Navigation was carefully preparing technical documentation for the lighthouse tower of Veli rat. The south-western part of the Long Island (Dugi otok) is flat in configuration and the navigating route through this aquatorium is marked by a number of shallows in the south-western, western and north-western part. The light of the lighthouse is the guidance in the night to the mentioned Pantera Bay and the harbour Solišćica, the only shelter in this part of the island. The lighthouse was finished in 1849. The light beam of the power of 2000 watt at the 40 metres high top of the tower is visible from the distance of 20 miles. Interesting to mention is the fact that while building the tower more than 10,000 hen eggs had been added into the concrete mixture. The purpose of adding eggs was to provide higher consistence and better resistance to sea salt. Because of this peculiar additive the colour of the tower is specific and the tower is different from all other towers in the Adriatic. Even today, 160 years later, the surface texture of the concrete tower of Veli rat is in excellent condition. The interior of the lighthouse building has been completely renewed. There lives the lighthouse man with his family while the unoccupied rooms have been adapted according to tourist valorisation. The lookout – a platform at the top of the tower – can be reached over 176 stairs. From above one can enjoy a unique panorama of the nearby islands Molat, Ist, Sestrunj and Rava. South-east and south of the lighthouse there rests endless open sea and to the north, in the haze, the panorama is closed by the peaks of the mountain Velebit. After finishing the building of the lighthouse and making it functional, in the north part of its stone paved court, a small chapel was erected - the sanctuary of St. Nicholas, the patron of sailors. Veli rat is considered to be among the most beautiful lighthouses in the whole Mediterranean

Tajer
The lighthouse Tajer was built on the bigger of the Two Sisters Islands situated in the vicinity of Grpašćak cliffs. From the 15 miles distant Zadar the lighthouse can be reached through the labyrinth of islands, islets and rocks. The last barrier to reach it is a narrow straight Small Proversa, north of the Tajer Sisters. Already at this point the unusual, metal, red-white tower of the lighthouse Tajer can be noticed. When navigating from the other direction and passing by the cliffs of the Nature Park Telašćica at night, the light of Tajer is awaited as the announcement of the nearby shelter situated in a deep and safe bay. Tajer and the Tajer Sisters border in the north and east on the Koranti National Park, but belong to the Nature Park Telašćica. The lighthouse was built in 1876 on the Big Sister (Sestrica vela). The huge stone building dominates a small island valley, where at the time when the lighthouse was built a dense pine-tree wood had been removed and turned into a clear land. In comparison to other Adriatic lighthouses, the building is connected to the protruding metal tower by peculiar stone bridge on high arches. The building is a vast one-storey construction with the attic of a total area of about 500 square metres. The steel tower is 47 meters high. Recognisable red and white stripes of the Tajer tower have not been changed for decades, which is the reason why the lighthouse has become the tourist symbol of the surrounding archipelago. The turning light signal is today automated and the energy is provided by solar panels and converters. A strategic position and the density of the nautical traffic in the area in high tourist season are the reasons why also today there is crew at the lighthouse, though it is fully automated and remotely controlled. On the Tajer Sisters there is also a small meteorological station, regularly collecting data which the lighthouse men check and forward by a radio station to the national Meteorological and Hydrological Service. The stone waterfront was also built by the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The lighthouse is surrounded by vast stony terraces offering an excellent view to Dinara mountains. To the west, there are the cliffs of Telašćica while the south horizon is the desert open sea. The dense pine-wood covering the greater part of the Big Sister Island is also an ornithological reserve. .

Orient Express, Austria

2010-09-25T12:01:00.000+02:00

One great train cover from Edna showing Orient Express!

This is a joint issue between Austria and Romania, in order to mark the special cultural relationships between Bucharest and Vienna, built over time.
This attractive block in the background image shows a map on which the corresponding track is recorded, the Paris Ostbahnhof, the Giant Ferris Wheel and the famous mosque “Hagia Sofia"

The first stamp (which is placed a bit higher on this sheet) represents the Orient Express train in May 1921, at Sinaia station. It had been pulled by a Pacific engine, type 2C1-h4, which belonged to the Bucharest Travelers Depot and was used on the route Bucharest North – Ploiesti – Sinaia – Brasov and back.
The other stamp represents the Orient Express train, in 1909, at Salzburg station, consisted of a four-axle restaurant car and pulled by a compound engine, type 2B-n2v from the Austrian series K.k.St.B. 206.01-206.70 belonging to Depot Wien II and which was used to pull the Orient Express train on the route Salzburg – Vienna and back.

The Orient Express train made the connection between Paris and Constantinople, namely between the Occident and Orient, and was undoubtedly the most famous and romantic of all trains. Though it belongs today only to the nostalgic tourism – by the trains “Nostalgia Istanbul – Orient Express” (N.I.O.E.) and “Venice Simplon – Orient Express” (V.S.O.E.) which ran and continue running through Romania – its echoes have never died away. Writers, musicians, painters and cinematographers got inspired from the history of this famous train and contributed to the creation of its legend.

This train began operating in June 5th 1883, under the name of Le Train d’Orient or Express d’Orient and its first route, Paris (East Station) – Nancy – Strasbourg – Stuttgart – Munich – Salzburg – Vienna – Bratislava – Budapest – Jimbolia – Timisoara – Caransebes – Varciorova – Craiova – Pitesti – Bucharest – Giurgiu – Smarda, 2,638 kilometers long, lasted for 59 hours and 15 minutes. The first Orient Express left Giurgiu for Paris on June 8th 1883, at 13:30, arriving into the capital city at 15:00 and, after a 15 minutes halt, it left on its route to Paris.

The official inauguration of the Orient Express train took place on October 4th 1883; on this occasion, they introduced sleeping coaches with bogies, the first of this kind in Europe. The new cars of Orient Express train had 4 axles, were 17.5 meters long, they were made of Teak wood and had crystal glasses. Heated by steam and illuminated by gas, they were “as comfortable as a luxury suite in Paris”. Between two-axle baggage cars, they introduced two four-axle sleeping coaches, having a 20 seats capacity, and also a four-axle restaurant car. The restaurant car (CIWL 151D) was draped in tapestries from the famous Gobelin manufactories, as well as in Cordoba leather and Genovese velvet; it consisted of a large saloon, a smoking lounge with a library, a boudoir, an office and a kitchen.

Since 1st of June 1889, a second Orient Express train made a direct link between Paris and Constantinople, through a new route via Serbia and Bulgaria, the 2,504 kilometers long course lasting for 67 hours and
35 minutes.

After the commissioning of the Danube bridges, in 1895, the route of the Orient Express train through Romania was extended up to Constanta Harbor on April 19th /May 1st 1896.

During the World War I, the services of the European luxury trains, including the Orient Express train, were cancelled. After the hostilities ended, on April 15th 1919, a new international luxury train called Simplon – Orient Express, was introduced to connect London and Paris via Constantinople. On May 1st 1921, the route of the Orient Express train through Romania was included again in the course, up to Bucharest, via Arad, Teius, Brasov and Sinaia.

The last Orient Express train of the C.I.W.L.T. Company left Paris for Istanbul on May 19th 1977 on the route Paris – Milan – Venice – Zagreb – Belgrade – Sofia – Istanbul (Sirkeci), the entire journey lasting for about 56 hours.

(The cancellation is from the 50 years of OPEC)

Great British Railways, UK

2010-09-09T15:17:00.001+02:00

Sometimes I dont know how I have managed to meet such great people, but they surely have been a treasure to have in life coz they so selflessly love to surprise me with not only great postcards, but fantastic philatelic items as well.

The last great surprise came from dear Silvan from Malta, who especially for me had ordered this amazing FDC which made me jump of joy when I found it in my mailbox!
It was issued by the Royal Mail in order to commemorate the 50th anniversary of British Rail’s last steam locomotive, the 9F Class ‘Evening Star’.

This is the first in a series of Special Stamp issues commemorating classic British locomotives, which will continue with a number of Miniature Sheets from 2011 onwards!!!!!!!!!!!

Number of stamps: six
Date of issue: 19 August 2010
Stamp Format: Landscape
Stamp Size: 41mm x 30mm
Print Process: Gravure
Number per Sheet: 25/50
Perforations: 14.5 x 14
Phosphor: All over
Gum: PVA

In 1923 over 120 railway companies were merged into the Big Four, comprising the London, Midland and Scottish (including the Northern Counties Committee NCC in Northern Ireland), the Londong & Northern Eastern, the Great Western and the Southern Railways. Together they combined traditional British engineering excellence with innovative publicity. After the Second World War, however, the railways had become so run down that they were nationalised as British Railways in 1948. In March 1960, Evening Star brought to an end more than 130 years of steam-locomotive building for Britain's mainline railways.

Some details about each stamp:

1st Class – LMS Coronation Class

The streamlined Coronation Class locomotive ‘Coronation’ of the London Midland and Scottish Railway is seen here at Euston Station in 1938. Named in honour of the accession of King George VI, a Coronation Class locomotive was displayed at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

1st Class – BR Class 9F

This photograph of ‘Evening Star’, the last of the British Rail Class 9F locomotives was taken at Midsomer Norton in 1962. The 9F was originally designed to pull heavy freight trains, but a few, like Evening Star, were used on passenger services, particularly on the steeply graded Somerset and Dorset line.

67p – GWR King Class

The photograph shows the Great Western Railway’s King Class locomotive ‘King William IV’ near Teignmouth in 1935. The Kings were the GWR’s star locomotives, able to pull heavy holiday trains and as well as expresses. Hailed as the UK’s most powerful steam engine, the ‘King George V’ toured the USA in 1927.

67p – LNER Class A1

This London North East Region Class A1 locomotive, ‘Royal Lancer’, was photographed in 1929. The LNER’s most famous A1 was the ‘Flying Scotsman’, the first UK steam engine to reach 100mph. Modernised from the 1930s, A1s were still pulling important passenger trains right into the 1960s.

97p – LMS NCC Class WT

The London Midland and Scottish Northern Counties Committee Class WT, ‘Engine No 2’, is pictured at Larne Harbour in the late 1940s. Based on a standard LMS design but built for the wider Irish track, the WTs were the last new steam locomotives delivered to the NCC and were widely known as ‘Jeeps’.

97p – SR King Arthur Class

This Southern Region King Arthur Class locomotive, ‘Sir Mador de la Porte’, was photographed at Bournemouth Central Station in the late 1930s. These fine locomotives once handled the Southern’s heaviest express trains, but were relegated to pulling less glamorous services from the 1940s.

Thank you soooo much Silvan!!!!

125th Anniversary of the Railroad in Serbia

2010-08-22T16:51:00.001+02:00

Seems like there are a lot of 125th railway anniversaries around the world :)

This lovely FDC comes from Serbia, in order to commemorate their 125th railroad anniversary.

The first railways on the territory of Serbia were already built in the middle of the XIX century in Banat which was part of the Habsburg Monarchy at the time. Although the construction of the railway in the Principality of Serbia was already considered, the conditions for it were created just after the Congress of Berlin, in 1878, when the Principality got its complete independence. During this Congress, decisions were made to establish routes which would connect Europe (through Serbia and Bulgaria) with Turkey and Middle East. In accordance with those decisions, on 15th September 1884, Serbia opened its first public railroad route from Belgrade to Niš so that day represents the birthday of the Serbian Railroad. The first train had a steam locomotive CS No.1. This was one of the most important events in the newer history of the country. The railroad route from Belgrade to Niš was the biggest and most expensive project accomplished during the XIX century in Serbia. With the later construction of the railroad system this route had a great influence on the modernization and lifestyle in Serbia, its connecting with European countries, economic development and position in the scope of international relations. Even nowadays, this route as a segment of Corridor X represents one of the most important railways in Serbia and South-East Europe. It is an electrified railroad with modern electric locomotives.
The railroad route Belgrade-Niš is 243,5 km long and is constructed as a narrow-gage railroad with 23 stations. The biggest and most beautiful station buildings were at the time erected in Belgrade and Niš. The building of the Belgrade station has undergone many wars but preserved its beautiful original architecture. The original building of the station in Niš was so damaged, during the Anglo-American bombing in 1944, that it couldnt be renovated. After the many years of use of a provisory building, a new one was solemnly opened in 1973 as one of the biggest and most beautiful in Serbia.

Motifs on the stamps:
- stamp face value 22,00 dinars: the first steam locomotive CS No.1 of the Railroad of Serbia and in the background the building of the station in Belgrade;
- stamp face value 46,00 dinars: electric locomotive series JŽ 441, in the background is the building of the station in Niš.

Date of Issue: 8 September 2009
Stamps' Width: 30.0 mm
Stamps' Height: 37.5 mm
Layout/Format: sheet of 25
Perforations: 13.25 by 13.25

125 Years of the Malayan Railways, Malaysia

2010-08-08T13:02:00.002+02:00

One of the greatest surprises that have arrived in my all time mail-career! Sooo many trains, I feel like in train heaven! And all thanks to my dear Caroline!

Here I have the FDC, and the stamp booklet

And here is the envelope in which all these goodies arrived...again, soo many train-stamps attached + the mini sheet! I just couldnt believe it to myself :)

Here are some technical and other details regarding this issue:

Stamp Value: 30sen (setenant); 50sen; RM1
Sheet Content: 20 Stamps
Paper: SPM Watermarked, Phosphor Coated
Printing Process: Lithography
Printer: Percetakan Keselamatan Sdn Bhd
Stamp Designer: Hazel Design Sdn Bhd

First Day Cover Value: RM 1,80
Miniature Sheet Value: RM3.00
Stamp Booklet Value: RM3.00

Date of Issue 22-Jun-2010

Starting with the opening of the first 12.5 km track from Taiping to Port Weld (Kuala Sepetang) Perak on 1 June 1885, the railway service in Malaysia is reaching 125 years of its existence by 1 June 2010. It evolves from a steam locomotive to an electric-powered train, and from single track to electrified double track. KTM Berhad is determined to become the heartbeat of the nation which stays relevant and on track in moving 1 Malaysia.

Miniature sheet and stamp 30 Sen - The T class locomotive was made by the W.G.Baghall Limited, Englad in 1927. The first locomotive was acquired in 1929 and it last ran in 1964. The existing engine has been contributed to the Malaysian National Museum in May 1975.

Miniature sheet and stamp 30 Sen - Class 2 Diesel Hydraulic locomotive engine was manufactured by Kisha Seizo Kaisha Ltd. Japan. The first engine was attained in 1965 and the last engine, train no. 21102 was last used in 1994.

Stamp 30 Sen - Class 83 EMU (Electric multiple unit) is a South Korean made engine, manufactured by the Marubeni/Hyundai Corporoation. The first EMU was acquired in 1997 and still operates until present under the KTM Komuter services.

Stamp 30 Sen - The ETS (Electric train set) is the latest and most modern electric train owned by KTM Berhad. Class 91 ETS is made by Hyundai-Rotem Corporation, South Korea. The train able to run at its maximum speed of 160 km/h, is by far the fastest running train on the one meter gauge. The first unit was received in December 2009 and the final one arrived in April 2010. ETS is expected to run commercially by July 2010 for the Seremban-Kuala Lumpur-Ipoh route.

Stamp 30 Sen and Stamp 50 Sen - The Class 26 High Powered locomotive is a German made engine, manufactured by the General electric - Bombardier. The first engine was purchased in 2003 and the series is still being used until present. This engine is one of the most recent and modern locomotive owned by KTM Berhad, and is used by the cargo services.

Stamp 30 Sen and Stamp RM 1 - Class 56 locomotive is the last steam engine used in Malaysia (1939-1946). Manufactured by the North British locomotive Company LTD, Glasgow, there were 39 locomotives in operation in Malaysia during the era. The engine named Temerloh with the number 546.36 is the last steam locomotive which ran in 1997 and the only surviving unit.

Stamp 30 Sen - Class 20 diesel locomotive was made by the English Electric, Vulcan Foundry, England. The first locomotive obtained in 1957 and the service was launched on 31 July 1957. The engine was last used in 1992. A unit of the train is put on display at Shah Alam Museum, Selangor.

Smurfs' 50th Anniversary, Belgium

2010-07-25T13:51:00.000+02:00

I know that I have been neglecting this blog much more than my postcard one, but I promise I will try to change that...problem is, I often am in doubts of what to post here exactly, and eventually I end up posting nothing...and my indecisiveness has proved once more to be a bad way of solving things....

So here we are today with this fantastic miniature sheet portraying one of the most famous cartoon characters, The Smurfs

The set of stamps + one mini sheet was issued by the Belgian Post in 2008 in order to commemorate the Smurfs' 50th Anniversary. I have to say that the sheet looks just amazing!

Issue date: 29/09/2008
Sheet size: 186mm x 156 mm
Denomination: 0,54
Composition oh the sheet: 5 stamps

The commemorative stamps include five Smurf Stamps: 1) Smurf Kissing Smurfette Stamp, 2) The Smurf Handshake Stamp, 3) Smurf Cake Stamp, 4) Smurf Eats Chocolate Cake Stamp, and 5) The Party Smurf Stamp.

The whole big picture is a celebratory Smurf Party! The Miniature Sheet depicts Smurfs having a fun time with party hats, streamers, great food and a little bubbly!

Austria

2010-07-03T01:16:00.001+02:00

More fantastic trains have arrived...this time from Austria, thanks to Edna!

It is also a registered cover...I dont usually get those, unless the postage covers it or some special mail items are sent...and I do the same with the outgoing mail.
This cover has 4 different train stamps, and ill try to give a brief, or not so brief, description about each of them.

1. The top left

Date of Issue: 20 June 2009
Primary theme: Transportation (Rail) (Locomotive & trains)
Subject: 100 Years of the Wachau Railway
Width: 42.0 mm
Height: 32.0 mm
Denomination: 0.75 €
Number in set: 1
Layout/Format: sheet of 50
Perforations: 13.5 by 13.5
Stamp issuing authority: Osterreich Post AG
Number of Copies: 500.000
Printing Style: Engraved-recess printing

The romantic railway line has operated through the Danube regions of Wachau, Nibelungengau and Strudengau since 1909, linking the towns of Krems, Grein and St. Valentin. The journey is full of variety, running past vineyards and historical sites, always following the course of the Danube.

2. Top right :

Date of Issue: 10 September 2008
Primary theme: Transportation (Rail) (Locomotive & trains)
Subject: Railways - CS "Empress Elizabeth Western Railway"
Width: 42.0 mm
Height: 32.25 mm
Denomination: 1.00 €
Number in set: 1
Layout/Format: sheet of 50
Perforations: 14 by 14
Stamp issuing authority: Osterreich Post AG
Number of Copies: 500.000
Printing Style: Photogravure and Intaglic

The Austrian Western Railway was originally known as the Imperial and Royal Privileged Empress Elizabeth Railway, and runs from Vienna to Salzburg via Linz, with a branch line running from Wels to Passau. Although at that time the link between Vienna and Salzburg was relatively insignificant as compared with the north-south routes, a railway connection was agreed as early as 1851 in a treaty between Bavaria and Austria

3. Bottom left

Date of Issue: 4 October 2009
Primary theme: Transportation (Rail) (Locomotive & trains)
Subject: 120 Years of Drösing-Zistersdorf local railway
Width: 42.0 mm
Height: 31.9 mm
Denomination: 1.00 €
Number in set: 1
Layout/Format: sheet of 50
Perforations: 13.5 by 13.5
Stamp issuing authority: Osterreich Post AG
Number of Copies: 400.000
Printing Style: Offset

The Drösing – Zistersdorf local railway is a branch line in Lower Austria that has yet avoided closure above all because of the importance of its freight traffic. It branches at Drösing from the Northern Railway towards Zistersdorf, where there used to be a connection to the former Stammersdorf local railway, to Dobermannsdorf and via Bad Pirawarth and Gross Schweinbarth to Stammersdorf

4. Bottom right

Date of Issue: 4 August 2007
Primary theme: Transportation (Rail) (Steam engines)
Subject: Bregenz Forest Railway
Width: 42.0 mm
Height: 32.25 mm
Denomination: 0.75 €
Number in set: 1
Layout/Format: sheet of 50
Perforations: 14 by 14
Stamp issuing authority: Osterreich Post AG
Number of Copies: 500.000
Printing Style: Photogravure and Intaglic

The Bregenz Forest Railway, a typical Austrian 760 mm narrow-gauge railway, provided access to the area of the Bregenz Forest that had previously only been reachable from the Rhine Valley via mule tracks. The first section of the route was 19 km long, and ran from the Vorarlberg capital Bregenz through the wild and romantic valley of the Bregenzer Ache to Egg, the largest town of the Bregenz Forest.

Canada

2010-06-27T18:45:00.000+02:00

Here is one fantastic cover i received from Canada, sent by Laura. The stamps she had chosen are just more than precious!

I will start with the 3 cents one, with the redish colour, which was issued in the distant 1937....it portrays the coronation of H.M. George VI and H.M Queen Elizabeth. George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions from 11 December 1936 until his death (6 February 1952). He was the last Emperor of India (until 1947), the last King of Ireland (until 1949), and the first Head of the Commonwealth. Elizabeth was the Queen consort of King George VI and the British Dominions from 1936 until his death in 1952. After her husband's death, she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. She was the last Queen consort of Ireland and Empress consort of India.
The coronation took place on 12 May 1937.
And this stamp IS somehow related to trains since King George and Queen Elizabeth were present at the
New Zealand government offices in London, 19th October, 1939, when a model of “J” Class locomotive was presented to the New Zealand government railways by the manufacturers, the North British Engineering CO. LTD., Glasgow.

The small grey 6c stamp is a definitive from 1970.

The stamp in the top right corner is from a set of 3 Christmas stamps issued in 1979.

The 64c stamp was issued in a set of 4 stamps in 1983, and it shows the Adam Brown locomotive, type 4-4-0, while the other two 32c stamps were issued the following 1984, also in a set of four. The one on the left shows the Countess of Dufferin type 4-4-0 locomotive, which was the first steam locomotive to operate in the Canadian prairie provinces.The stamp next to it shows the Scotia 0-6-0 type locomotive.

Sorry if you are getting an overdoes of trains here..but you know i simply LOVE them!

And thank you sooooooo much Laura for such a precious cover!

Steam Locomotives, Croatia

2010-06-20T14:21:00.000+02:00

Another train ride...this time in Croatia, featured by these two great steam-locomotive stamps sent by Agi!

Value: 7,1 kn
Author: Tatjana Strinavić, designer, Zagreb
Motifs: a steam locomotive of SüdB 18 series and a steam locomotive of MÁV 326/JŽ 125 series
Size: 48,28 x 29,82 mm
Paper: white 102g, gummed
Perforation: Comb,14
Technique: Multicoloured Offsetprint
Date of issue: 29.3.2010
Quantity:100000

2010 is the year when Croatian railroads celebrate their 150th anniversary, so these two locomotives were chosen to be portrayed on the stamps issue. These two locomotives were among the first participants in the Croatian railroad traffic and they, therefore, tell their own story of this year’s anniversary.
Steam locomotives of the SüdB 18 series were designed by Austrian constructors between 1859 and 1872. They were used to pull the passenger trains on the lowland railroads and also pulled trains on the first Croatian railroad tracks between Čakovec and Kotoriba, and Zidani Most, Zagreb and Sisak. The locomotive’s power amounted to 258 kW (350KSi), it was 8105 millimetres long, weighed 32.90 tons and could reach the maximum of 60 km/h. The locomotives were a part of the Croatian traffic since 1922. Not a single locomotive of this series remains preserved in Croatia today. A steam locomotive of the MÁV 326/JŽ 125 series Steam locomotives of the MÁV 326/JŽ 125 series were built between 1882 and 1897 in factories in Vienna, Linz and Munich, and since 1888 in Budapest as well. They were primarily used to pull the cargo trains but they were used for transport of passengers as well. These locomotives first operated on a railroad track between Budapest and Zagreb, and then they were also used on the Rijeka railroad. The power of the locomotive amounted to 302kW (410KSi), it was 15.131 mm long, including the tender, it weighed 48.750 kg, also including the tender, and it could reach a maximum of 45 km/h. Locomotives of this series were used for transport for sixty years. Only one locomotive of this series (mark 125-052) has been preserved in Croatia. It is now a part of the Croatian Railway Museum and it is on display on the Main Railway Station in Zagreb. The locomotive was built in 1891 in Budapest and it is the oldest vehicle in the Museum’s collection.

125 Years of the Macedonian Railways, Macedonia

2010-06-18T18:38:00.000+02:00

This could probably be considered as my favourite Macedonian FDC...no need to explain why :)

It was issued back in 1998 when I was only admiring stamps and went to the philately in order to get them for my letters to my penpals...my mum was the one in charge of getting the stamps for the collection...but she never got FDC's....and not so long ago, during my last stamps-shopping, I was more than happy and excited to add this FDC on my purchase list :D

As the title says, the issue is commemorating the 125 years of the Macedonian Railways, and on the picture you can see the railway line from Skopje to Thessaloníki in Greece, showing the stops in Veles, Gradsko and Gevgelija...Gevgelija is also the border-control town if you are going by train and it also acts as a rail depot between Macedonia and Greece.

Details about the stamp on the left:

Face Value: 30 denars (equals to 0.50 euros)
Sheet: 9 stamps
Perforation: Comb 13 1/4
Size: 30 x 40,5 mm
Printing Technique: multicolour offset
Motif: The Railway station in Gradsko, showing a locomotive, while the background shows a Turkish bond.

Details about the stamp on the right:

Face Value: 60 denars (equals to 1 euro, more or less)
Sheet: 9 stamps
Perforation: Comb 13 1/4
Size: 40,5 x 30mm
Printing Technique: multicolour offset
Motif: The first locomotive in Macedonia

EUROPA, Estonia

2010-06-13T14:50:00.000+02:00

An EUROPA CEPT cover I received from Janek.

Well, actually, im not sure if this was intended to be sent as a cover, since the main purpose of sending this was on what was INSIDE...but still, it turned out to be a perfect item to post it here as well :)
Im not gonna speak of the Macedonian issue with the EUROPA stamps...every year, same story...even though i should be happy i managed to get my hands on this year's stamp, i did miss the FDC.
But ill show that one another time....lets focus on Estonia today.

The Estonian post office issued two stamps this year (with normal value, unlike the Macedonian).
As you know (if you are a philatelist), this year's theme for the EUROPA's was Children's books.

The middle of the 19th century can be regarded as the beginning of the Estonian literature for children although secular stories for children had been published before, notably by Friedrich Gustav Arvelius in 1782 and by Otto Willem Masing in 1795. The author of the first Estonian book of fiction for children is Carl Körber and that of the first poetry book Johann Voldemar Jannsen. Like everywhere else, Estonian children`s books often have very beautiful and imag-inative illustratsions and some of the illustrators have won inernational acclaim, Vive Tolli and Jaan Tammsaar being perhaps known the best. The postage stamps feature illustratsions by Viive Noor and Jüri Mildeberg, while the FDC has a new edition of Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald`s Old Estonian Fair Tales (first published 1866) with illustratsions by Günter Reindorff.

Denomination: 9.00 - (0,58 euros)
Date: 06.05.2010
Print: offset
Designer: Jaan Saar
Perforation: 14 : 13¾
Sheets: 2 x 5
Quantity issued: 75 000

Kim II Sung, North Korea

2010-06-07T02:32:00.000+02:00

As I read somewhere recently, collecting North Korean stamps is a real challenge.
Not as much is known about North Korean stamps. The major overseas catalogs do not agree in their listings, and few dealers enjoy a comprehensive inventory. Although the 1946-52 stamp issues endured the Korean War, many stamps were destroyed and data is incomplete. Quantities issued are listed in the German-language Michel Middle and East Asia catalog (Mittel und Ostasien, Vol. 9 in the multivolume world catalog).

Well, due to that, I dont know how I should feel for owning this s/s, issued in 2004, commemorating the birthday of the Great Leader or the Eternal President of North Korea, where his birthday is celebrated as a national holiday. He led North Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death and was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-il.
So I really cant find much detailed information about the North Korean stamps but from the listings i saw, they are FASCINATING!! I just dont get it, why they issue so many and such beautiful stamps, when the entire country is sort of closed for external communication. Not that there is NO mail coming out from North Korea, but really, where would they use all those stamps? And I wonder how are the North Korean philatelists managing their collections, whether they are able to freely communicate or no, knowing that the NK government has it ALL under control. Really, the more I get to read about NK, the more it fascinates me, coz instead of getting to learn more about the country, by reading more about it, it actually turns to be more and more mysterious!
Im often curios about the perception of the reality of the North Koreans, not about their own country, but the entire world and universe in general...
Well, Im also wondering if the NK government is following the entire internet network and if they are being alerted each time a post about NK appears somewhere in the world....and if they are gonna track mine as well :)

Czech Republic

2010-05-30T03:34:00.001+02:00

Here is a great cover Milan sent me....well, it has train stamps on it, it cant be anything else but great :)

the train stamp in the middle was issued in 2009 in order to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Former Pardubice-Liberec South-North German Junction Line.

Width: 43.5 mm
Height: 26.0 mm
Denomination: 10 CZK
Number in set: 1
Layout/Format: sheet of 50
Perforations: 11.5 by 11.5
Stamp issuing authority: Czech Post

the third stamp was issued in 2008, representing The Tradition of Czech Stamp Production

Width: 23.0 mm
Height: 40.0 mm
Denomination: 10.00 CZK
Number in set: 1
Layout/Format: sheet of 30
Perforations: 12 by 12
Stamp issuing authority: Czech Post

and we shouldnt forget the flower stamp....coz if it wasnt for it, to cover up for the postage, i wouldnt have received this cover in the first place :)
It was issued in 2007 under the subject Beauty of Flowers, and shows a Cyclamen. It comes from a set of two stamps, where the other one shows a Greanium.

Thank you SOOOO much Milan!

Viet Nam

2010-05-26T01:53:00.000+02:00

I think that this is not just the loveliest Vietnamese cover I have received, but one of the loveliest covers in general as well.

The initial purpose of the trade was a postcard or more precisely a maxi-card, which i honestly never expected to arrive packed in something like this.
The stamps are from 2008/2009.
The 2008 stamps are the one in the top-right-corner, which is from a joint issue with Singapore, presenting Flora, and here the (in)famous Durian is shown. Regardless of all the stories I had heard about the Durian, I would LOVE to try it.
And the other 2008 stamp is the Olympic one, or the only one which is not put the way it should be. It represents the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008, and this stamp in particular presents the Wushu, which is a full-contact sport derived from traditional Chinese Martial Arts.

Regarding the 2009 stamps, the most present is the Fish one (set of 4 stamps), whose scientific name is Botia Macracanthus, or if you find that hard to remember, you can use its widely accepted name of Clown Loach.
Another 2009 stamp is the Year of the Tiger one (from what ive seen, EXTREMELY popular philatelic topic). It comes in a set of 2 stamps.
And the last one is the stamp with the flower, again coming from a set of 4 stamps.

Thanks Dao!

Railways Centenary, Montenegro

2010-05-21T02:15:00.002+02:00

My favourite Montenegrin stamps, issued in 2008, arrived at their final stop, my mailbox, few days ago!!!!!

If you know at least a bit how much I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVEEEEEEEE trains, than you could MAYBE get the idea how thrilled and happy and delighted and ecstatic i went when i found this MOST FANTASTIC cover in my mailbox!!! These train stamps are finally mine mine mine miiiiiiinnneeeeee!!!!

And all that thanks to my dear Rajko! Yeah Rajko, I know you are blushing again now, but sorry, I just cant help it...and its your *fault* either way coz you sent it to me! :P

The stamps were issued in a set of 6 stamps in 2008 in order to commemorate the 100 years since the first Montenegrin Railway.
Each stamp depicts a different *story*....where on the first stamp (starting from the top row), you can see a part of a rail...the second stamp shows the Lovćen Locomotive on its final stop in Virpazar at the shore of Skadar Lake, while the third stamp from the top row shows again the Lovćen Locomotive at the Sutorman staion, on the Bar-Virpazar line.
The bottom row starts with the port in Bar portrayed in 1908. The second stamp shows the First Locomotive at the entrance of Nikšić, while the last stamp shows a reprint of a postcard of Bar from 1910, showing the departure of the steam motor train for Virpazar.

the dimensions of the stamp are 42,00 x 35, 00 mm
Perforation: Comb

Hvala Rajko još jednom!

Peter Pan, Grenada

2010-05-16T00:07:00.000+02:00

Here is one fantastic souvenir sheet!!!

Grenada itself has issued dozen of these Disney related souvenir sheets, where you just cant decide which one is more adorable...I have some single stamps from such issues which my mum bought me when I was little, but I must admit that nothing measures to having the ENTIRE set!

This one was issued in 1987 and is featuring 9 stamps, showing Peter Pan as well as Tinker Bell, Wendy Darling, Captain James Hook, The Lost Boys, Tiger Lily, John Darling, Michael Darling....

Motoring - 55 Years of "Zastava 750"

2010-05-07T02:27:00.001+02:00

A Fantastic FDC from Serbia....which many older people (from this part of the world) will probably find it sentimental, remembering the good old days, when whole families would pack themselves in this card and drive hundreds of kilometres for their summer vacations....the legendary Zastava 750, or as widely known here, Fićo!

In 1955, in SFR Yugoslavia started the production of "zastava 750", more popular under the name of "fića".
This vehicle was largely derived from Fiat 600 D, which had at first an engine of 633 cc, and later of 767 cc with 23 to 27 HP.
Although intended for the transportation of smaller passengers on shorter distances, whole families have used it to travel from one side of the country to another, in order to visit their relatives.
Some time earlier, Fiat's general engineer. dr. Dante Giacosa (1905-1996), got the task to construct a small vehicle which would enable comfortable driving of four passengers. He succeeded to create the Fiat 600, which was, according to many, the most successful and most popular Fiat of all times. Shorter than his predecessor for 130 mm, this Fiat was a miniature four-seat vehicle with two doors. It had a four cylinder engine of 633 cc with 16kw, placed behind the rear axle, with an independent shock absorber setup on all wheels. The whole vehicle weighed only 585 kg.
Fiat 600 instantly won the hearts of many drivers so that five years after the car's launch, the millionth "600" was produced.
Definitevly "fića" had a crucial role in the Yugoslavian motoring. This car was used as a police car, an ambulance, for military needs, and in driving centres. In April 2000, at the Motor Show in Belgrade, "zastava 750" (the popular "fića"), was declared to be the car of the century and millennium, according to the opinion of the Serbian drivers.

Well, you know what they say, Best things come in small packages :)))))))))))
Our family never had a fićo....and i feel like i am missing a great part of history coz of that.
Even nowadays in the streets here, you can see these cars on the street...people who have them, often cant give them up....sentiments :)

Festivals, Argentina

2010-04-20T01:07:00.001+02:00

A very nice and colourful FDC coming from Argentina representing Festivals, issued 20th Feb. 2010

Аll 4 stamps have a $1.50 value and they all represent 4 different Festivals.
Еdition: 100,000 copies of each design
Stamp size: 34x44 mm
Layout: 20 copy-sheets
Perforation: 14
Colour: four colours, metalized ink
Paper: without any watermark, or phosphorescence
Printing process: offset

1. National Apple Festival - Reinterpretation of the Apple Monument - street sculpture by architect Leonardo Martin Frullani, 2006, located in the centre ofthe city of General Roca, Province of Rio Negro - from which an allegory of the festivals's queen comes forth. Sparkles representing this fruit's importance for the area.

2. National Sun Festival - Allegory of the festival's queen in the middle of a sun where the beams are the arms held high by the celebrating public. Background: extended fragment of the sun beams of festival's isotype. Isologotype of the May Revolution's Bicentennial.

3. National Students Festival - Allegory of a carriage with the festival's queen coming forth from an open book. Letters and numbers decorate the carriage, the queen's dress and accompany the festivities' diverse items.

4. National Tradition Festival - Allegory of a Fleur-de-Lis, one of the elements in the city of San Antonio de Areco's escutcheon - made up of a man on horseback and a lady dancing a traditional dance. Background: synthesis of the Puente Viejo (Old Bridge) (c.1857), declared National Historic Monument since 1999.

the above description of the 4 stamps is taken from the booklet below, that came inside the cover.
Thanks a lot to Viviana for sending it to me!

XIII Games of the small states of Europe, Cyprus

2010-04-18T00:32:00.000+02:00

Here is a nice FDC coming from Cyprus.

It was issued 1st of June in 2009, presenting the Games of the small states of Europe, where in 2009 these games were held.
The small countries of Europe are defined, for purposes of participating in the Games of the Small States of Europe, as those whose population is under one million. There are currently eight countries meeting this criterion and eligible to participate in the GSSE. The Faroe Islands, although recognised by FIFA, the governing body of football, do not have a separate Olympic Committee. Montenegro, whose National Olympic Committee was recognised in 2007, has not yet requested to join the GSSE.

The stamps issued show Tennis, Cycling and Sailing, although the games are not confined to these 3 sports only.

25 Years An Post, Ireland

2010-04-07T03:15:00.000+02:00

Not many covers from Ireland in my collection, so each one feels precious.

In 2009, 10 stamps were issued to illustrate the integral relationship between "An Post" and the people of Ireland. Each image is placed on a silver background to highlight the 25 years in business and together they show their involvement in many aspects of the community, from people carrying out transactions in their local post office to companies doing business globally.

Out of all those 10 stamps, i have these 2 only. If anyone could send me the whole set, id be EXTREMELY thankful and happy :)

TECHNICAL DETAILS:

Date of Issue: 3 April 2009
All 10 stamps in the set have a value of 55c.
Stamp sizes 20mm x 24mm
Colour: Multicolour with phosphor tagging
Make-up: Self-adhesive
Printing Process: Lithography
Perforations: 14x14

XXI Winter Olympic Games. Vancouver-2010, Ukraine

2010-04-03T18:36:00.000+02:00

A FANTASTIC FDC/Cover!

I know the Olympics are way behind us now, but such great stamps are always more than appreciated.

The Ukrainian post office issued these on 05.02.2010, and the details about them are as follows, starting from left to right:
freestyle, face value – 2.00 UAH
ski race, face value – 1.50 UAH
luge, face value – 2.00 UAH
biathlon, face value– 1.50 UAH

Size of stamps – 24,36 х 50,46 mm.
Comb perforation – 11 1/2

Potection of stamps: microprint "В. Таран"; light elements of stamps luminesce under UV-light
Stamps are multicolored; printing process – offset, foil embossing

Finland

2010-04-02T01:38:00.000+02:00

Here is a nice Finish cover.

Why I particularly like it is coz it has 4 different stamps from the same set. The flower stamps are self-adhesive and were issued back in 2002 in a set of 10. All the 10 stamps represent the Forget-me-not and the Lily of the Valley.
The two top stamps show Lily of the Valley, the one on the left is called Two Flowers, the one next to it, five flowers. As for the Forget-me-not, the one on the left is Group of Five, while the one next to it is called Cluster.
And of course, we have an intruder stamp in the form of Kimi Raikkonen :D Issued in 2008 to commemorate his championship title. The first and the last one. Have I mentioned that Ive stopped watching F1?

Charles Darwin, Italy

2010-03-28T04:46:00.000+02:00

Here is a nice cover from Italy.

It features the last year's Charles Darwin's stamp, which I think was issued if not in all then in the majority of countries, regarding the Bicentennial of Darwin's birth. Macedonia issued a Darwin stamp as well.
As you most probably know, he is most famous for his Origin of Species theory which is considered to be the foundation of the evolutionary biology.
This cover also came with a nice and neat cancellation, thanks to Riccardo.

DDR

2010-03-25T21:50:00.000+01:00

This actually wasnt something sent to me, but to my neighbour who used to live across my house and who had probably had a penpal in DDR back then. Since both she and her mum knew that my mum was interested in stamps, they gave her a number of envelopes years ago. And of course, it is me who had inherited them :)
It actually feels special to own these, coz personally

There are three stamps on the envelope, issued in 1980.
The small green one on the left is a definitive from a set of 3 representing Birds, while the other one is also from a set of 3, dedicated to the Olympic games in Moscow, representing Judo.

EUROPA, Bosnia & Herzegovina

2010-03-19T23:47:00.001+01:00

Probably one of the most collected series of stamps among the philatelists, the EUROPA.

While in most of the world it seems to be functioning normally, Macedonia seems to be having serious issues when it comes to EUROPA series...I wonder how this 2010 will be or if history is going to repeat itself.

As for this great mini-sheet, it is from the 2008, when the EUROPA theme was Letters.
For this "Pišem ti pismo" (I am writing you a letter) sheet, the BiH post received the most beautiful sheet award in the international contest for The most beautiful stamp issued in 2008, held in Beijing.
I do love it as well!

Cartoons, The Netherlands

2010-03-17T00:01:00.001+01:00

Today I received a bunch of stamps, and they arrived in this fantastic envelope!

We are again at the issue of Comics without Disney, by total coincidence :)
These were issued by the Dutch post office in 2001 in a set of 5 stamps dedicated to some of the Cartoon Network and Turner Entertainment Cartoons. I am missing only one of the stamps, but these 4 look lovely as well.
You can surely recognize Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, Johnny Bravo and Dexter. On the missing stamp are the Powerpuff Girls, so honestly, i dont feel that disappointed for not having it :)

Mercosur, Bolivia

2010-03-15T02:46:00.000+01:00

My one and so far only one cover from Bolivia sent back in 1998.

I sometimes wonder if any of these people who had sent me letters and postcards and with whom i had totally lost touch, if maybe they had ever accidentally come across my blogs and maybe recognized themselves in some of my posts....
The Mercosur stamp is of a value of 3.00 Bs and was issued in 1997.
Mercosur (Southern Common Market) is a Regional Trade Agreement (RTA) among& Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay founded in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunción, which was later amended and updated by the 1994 Treaty of Ouro Preto. Its purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, people, and currency.
Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru have an associate member status. The four *shining starts* represent each of the main member states.

Comics, Great Britain

2010-03-14T00:36:00.001+01:00

A cover from another *used-to-be-penpal*. Karin from Scotland.

I really like this stamp and I wish i had the whole set. Its a set of 5 stamps issued in 1998 showing Comics (without Disney). Funny this separation is...Comics with or without Disney.
On my stamp you can see Peter Cook, who was a famous British satirist, writer and comedian and a very influential figure within the British comedy itself, described as "the funniest man who ever drew breath".
The stamp has a nice clear cancellation from 27 April 1998, postmarked in Glasgow. Only it is upside-down :)

World Food Conference, Ghana

2010-03-10T01:43:00.001+01:00

I used to have a penpal in Ghana too....yeah....another *used to* here....well, its not as if the postal service with Africa was the most reliable one, but im still not sure what happened with this one

In 1993 Ghana issued a nice set of 5 stamps regarding the World Food Conference, where the first one was held back in 1974 in Rome and is famous for one of the statements how within 10 years, no child would go to bed hungry.
Well, we are all pretty much aware where that statement stands today, no?

On the stamp you can see fish, peanuts, runner beans, meat....or all together, as the stamp says *Body building foods*

Zofia Bosniaková (1609-1644), Slovakia

2010-03-07T14:46:00.001+01:00

A very nice cover decorated with a nice s/s and two small definitives.

Both, the s/s and the small stamp were issued in 2009.
The s/s was issued to commemorate the life of Zofia Bosniaková, who during her life was well-known for her help she gave to the poor and sick and other good deeds. She died at the age of 35 and it is said that her body, almost undamaged, was found 45 years after her death in the castle crypt, despite the fact that it hadn't been embalmed.
The small stamp is from a set of 12 definitives depicting the Cultural Heritage of Slovakia, and this one shows The Church of St John the Baptist in Sedmerovec - Pominovce.

Thanks a lot to Milos for this really beautiful cover.

Queen Elizabeth II, Tanzania

2010-03-05T12:47:00.000+01:00

One of the letters I had received from my former penpal in Tanzania, Piller...from this point of view, feels really sad to see with how many people I had lost touch actually...

The stamp on the cover was issued in 1996, in a set of 3 stamps in order to commemorate the 70th Birthday of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II . Honestly, i think these Tanzanian stamps are much much much more appealing than those ones that the English post issues on every occasion and which "decorate" every second thing I receive from England.

Fauna, Croatia

2010-03-02T13:08:00.000+01:00

Well ok, Ill admit that this is a cover im EXTREMELY biased towards to...and when I found it in my mailbox, i honestly didnt pay any attention to the stamps, and also, i totally forgot about the rest of mail...I was simply blinded by that bottom left corner *cough cough*.

the guilty one for all this is of course Goran...and apart from putting the effort to make this such an adorable cover, I love the stamps he used to and I love that here I actually have the whole set of them.
These are stamps issued in 2007, under the subject of Croatian fauna, showing the River Crayfish (stamp on the left), Lobster (middle stamp) and Norway Lobster - Scampi (stamp on the right).
Really, I couldnt have wished for a lovelier cover :)

Hvala ti Gorane!!!!!!!!

Ski Jumping, Austria

2010-02-26T03:31:00.000+01:00

While the Winter Olympics are still going on, a nice cover from Austria from one of my former Austrian penpals....

the stamp issued in 1996, represents Ski jumping held at Tauplitz/Bad Mitterndorf, which back in 1996 was the host of Ski Jumping World Cup, held at the Kulm Ski Flying Hill.

470th Anniversary of Preveze Naval War and Naval Forces Day, Turkey

2010-02-21T22:09:00.001+01:00

I wish I had envelopes like this from many other countries....so far i have them only from Turkey and Russia.

And the great envelope is accompanied with a great stamp too, from an issue of two stamps from 2008, in order, as the title says, to commemorate the 470 years of the Preveze Naval War. The stamp presents the design of the first national warship, a Milgem class corvette, F-511 TCG, The Heybeliada.

Spa Autoraces, Belgium

2010-02-19T04:12:00.000+01:00

Due to the fact i had many Belgian penpals back in time, I also have a lot of lovely Belgian covers....this is one of the many favourites...

In 1996 the Belgian post issued 4 stamps in order to commemorate the 100 years since racing has taken place on the Spa Francorchamps circuit. All stamps have a value of 16 Belgian francs. Here on the cover, my former penpal Lies, used two of those, showing Ferrari 330P from 1967 (the left stamp) and Alfa Romeo P2 from 1925 (the right stamp). Lovely!

Development of the Railway, Yugoslavia

2010-02-14T23:47:00.000+01:00

This is one of the most precious and greatest postal items I own....shouldnt be hard to guess why!

Its a booklet of stamps...on the subject of RAILWAYS!!! Just A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!
It was issued back in the now distant 1998 in the back then Yugoslavia, so you could call it a rarity too :)
On the upper picture you can see the front and the back side of the booklet, while on the bottom one, you can see the booklet from the inside.
The booklet contains 6 stamps, all with a single value of 2.50 dinars, while the booklet itself cost 15 dinars.

"The appearance of the railway is one of the most important events of the 19th century and it represents the turning point not only in the history of the traffic, but also in the history of the whole society. The most important elements of the railway, the iron road - the gage and the steam engine were known much earlier but it was the most famous English engineer, George Stivenson who succeeded i uniting all those elements in one functional totality.
The first railway in the world was put into circulation on 27.09.1825, between Stockton and Darlington in England. The first Stivenson's locomotives attained the velocity of 18km/h and they could pull the trains of weight of around 100 tons. but it was only the beginning of an incredible development. Around the middle of the 19th century the fastest locomotives passed the limit of dreams of 100 km/h. The culmination of development of steam locomotives was achieved by the years of thirty of this century when in England they reached the speed of 202 km/h. In this period the most powerful steam locomotives of all times were constructed in America. They pulled easily the trains of weight of over 6000 tons. The inventions of the electric and diesel motors were the base for the construction of the more effective electric and diesel locomotives. After the Second World War, these locomotives replaced almost completely the popular steam locomotives in the traffic. The most impressive event, after the construction of the first railway for great speed in the world in Japan in 1964 was the development of the electric traction. Big trains called "bullets" ran on this railway by the speed of 210 km/h. The railways of this kind are being built in many countries last years. French excel in this field with their famous train TGV which achieved a new world record of 515 km/h.
The railway employees in our country always tried to keep pace with the development of the railway. The experiments on the aerodynamic locomotives for great speed were made in our country way back between the two world wars. Nowadays, the construction of the railways for great speed is also planned on all major directions in our country and the first works have already begun.
Motifs on the stamps represent development of the railway in the continuity."

- from inside the booklet

Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Canada

2010-02-13T01:17:00.003+01:00

There is no better time to post this than today!

the miniature sheet was issued regarding the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, that begin today and will last until 28th February. In the sheet the 5 different stamp designs are presented, among which the 3 Official Olympic Mascots, Miga - the Sea Bear, Sumi - the Thunderbird and Quatchi - the Sasquatch.

None of the three mascots actually exist in real life: Miga the Sea Bear is a combination of an orca and a sea otter. Sumi, the Paralympic mascot, is a Thunderbird but looks more like a bear with wings.
And Quatchi is the first Sasquatch in history to actually make an appearance before human beings.

I doubt ill be able to catch much of the Olympics (lots of work + bad time zone), but however it is more than great to own this mini sheet.

Too all those that are gonna be following the broadcasts, enjoy it and let the best ones win!

UNICEF, Sharjah & Dependencies

2010-02-12T01:58:00.001+01:00

Something from my old collections....

In 1970 Sharjah and the dependencies (which included Kalba, Khor Fakkan, and Dibbah), issued a lovely set of stamps on the subject of UNICEF with Paintings of Children. The whole set consists of 18 stamps, and unfortunately, I only own 9 of those, or to be more precise, I only have the 5 dh ones, which were intended for regular postage. The other 9 stamps in the set have different values, raging from 20dh to 3 rl, intended for air mail.
The paintings are from famous artists like Goya, Renoir, Murillo etc.
The titles of these paintings are as followed, starting from top...left to right:

- The Dance, Watteau
- Don Sebastian de Bonabon, Goya
- Children eating grapes and melons, Murillo
- Children playing with dices, Murillo
- Princess Margareta Theresia, Velasquez
- Julie Manet with cat, Renoir
- Portrait of a child, Rubens
- Little Peasant o balcony, Murillo
- The little fruit merchant, Murillo

It would be more than great if anyhow I could get the rest of the stamps in the set, though I find it rather unbelievable.

As for Sharjah...it opened its own post office On 10 July 1963, and began to issue its stamps and postal stationery. Sharjah and its dependencies joined the UAE on 2 December 1971, but it continued to issue its own stamps. On 31 July 1972, the UAE assumed full postal responsibilities. Nevertheless, Sharjah continued to use its own stamps until the issuance of the first UAE definitive series on 1 January 1973.

75th Anniversary of the Birth of Y.A. Gagarin, Russia

2010-02-10T02:24:00.000+01:00

This is one of my most special and most favourite covers. Reasons....a bunch

This stamp was issued in 2009 in order to commemorate Gagarin's birthday, who if he was alive, would have turned 75....sad to see what a short life he had (born 1934 - died 1968)...a one that ended in tragic death.
I dont know if its just me, but this stamp just radiates with some warmth,and thats why i love it..plus it was sent from such a dear friend of mine, who always uses such nice and different stamps....my dear Anastasia.
And im more than thankful that she included the vignette too...makes it so special!

lets not neglect the small stamp below, which is a definitive issued in 2002 in a set of four stamps representing architecture, and this is "Oranienbaum Chinese Palace". Its also a self-adhesive one.

60 Years of the Philatelic Society in Macedonia

2010-02-08T20:31:00.000+01:00

Well, I thought that this would be the most appropriate way to make the REAL inauguration of this blog (leaving aside the intro post).

29th of January was a commemorative day since it was the 60th anniversary of the Macedonian Philatelic Society, and due to that they published this commemorative envelope which could have been bought at the philately on the actual date with the special postmark of course.

It was designed by one famous Macedonian artist, Živko A. Popovski, who mainly paints flowers, and on this envelope, the Macedonian flag is symbolized (the red and the yellow colour).
Well, since it had a special postmark, I had to grab this and send it to myself (sending it on any other day wouldnt have been possible, neither it would have made any sense....). And it arrived, safe and sound in exactly 4 days, which compared to the postcard, is an improvement.
I just dont like it that they didnt issue a special stamp either...it would have been MUCH MUCH better, instead using some "left-in-stock" ones (it was issued in 1999 in a set of 4 stamps)....I guess they used this one coz of the flower (since it relates to what this man mainly paints).
Unfortunately, if you wanted to send some of these abroad, you had to add other totally random stamps (depending whats available)....so quite a disappointing point, but still...i preferred to have it than not have it at all, since 60 year anniversaries dont happen every day....I only dont know why it is "60" and not "50" which would make more sense.

On 31st January there was also a meeting held at the Philatelic Society....nice event, where probably I was the youngest one...I also got a signed picture from the above mentioned Mister, who had brought some of his work to be shared with the fellow philatelists.

Some sort of an intro....

2010-02-07T04:08:00.000+01:00

Well, finally, after so much wondering, thinking, negotiating...I decided to create a new blog dedicated to philately only...so no postcards :)

What made me make this decision......well, for a long while now I've been looking at all the letters I had received throughout the years and which have such great stamps on them, but which I realized, would never get to see the light of day, and that sort of made me sad...coz there are some extraordinary ones there....so there, I decided to create another blog where I would show only covers, stamps, FDC's, mini/souvenir sheets and tell small stories that are behind them, but i PROMISE i wont go into useless ramblings as I do with my Postcards' blog....I will save those for my Postcards' Blog still :D
I have already posted there some covers when postcards came inside an envelope...I will still re-post those here, since some of them are just way too beautiful and are worth to be shown.

Im not sure how often I will be able to make updates here but it certainly wont be more than one cover a day....so whenever I have the chance I will pick something from my collection or something I will receive, and will post it here. So will just take it spontaneously, with no pressures imposed or anything....the main point is to enjoy it, right? :)))

On the right side of the blog you can actually see a list of the themes im interested in...I know that like every other philatelist, I should narrow it down, but I just cant...there are such wonderful issues out there and so many things im interested in in real life and which fascinate me, that it is just impossible to take something out.
So, from now on instead of postcards, you can also send me covers and mint stamps and such...however, you may still want to check with me first if I already have something or no....

I will also create a box for Wanted Stamps, where you can see what I am in a hunt for, and in case you can help me with it, I would be more than thankful and delighted :)

I will make my first post here as soon as possible....but in the meantime, I will leave it open for suggestions and ideas and critics....

the template was the best one I could have found which fitted the purpose of the blog...Im not too happy with so much purple, but Ill live with it...I guess that ones I start posting all those covers, it will become more vibrant and colourful :)

well....that would be it....thanks a lot in advance for the attention you may give to this place in the future, and as always, your contribution in any way is more than welcome.

If you are interested in Macedonian stamps, just let me know and I will check what can be found....however, please note that the EUROPA stamps are almost equally to non-existent, but Ill leave that story for some other time :)