Herbs, USA

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!!!