Russia - Moscow, Olympics 2014

Cover showing the logo of XXII Winter Olympic Games and quick response (QR) code stamp. The postmark is the same as the stamp.

One of the many stamps issued by Russia, host of the Winter Olympic Games. This stamp was issued on September 18, 2012 and had an encrypted link which, when scanned, brings you to the official site of Sochi 2014.

Russia - Chelyabinsk

Even though the postmark is a bit smudged, I thought I should still post this cover because it shows whales - one of my favourite themes on stamps.

These two stamps come from the Fauna of Russia - Cetacea series issued on February 8, 2012. The RUB15.00 stamp features the killer whale (Orcinus orca) and the RUB20.00 features the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).

Russia


An official card from postcrossing. The sender liked Vincent Van Gogh and had sent me a postcard of one of his paintings. This was a welcome addition to my collection because I also like Van Gogh. 

Painting by Vincent Van Gogh

One of the stamps used was a Christmas themed stamp issued on October 26, 2005 and a New Year themed stamp issued on December 12, 2006. 

The other stamps were definitive stamps from a series issued on August 29, 2008. There are 15 stamps in the series with values ranging from RUB0.10 to RUB25.00. The designs on these stamps were of a rabbit, fox, lynx, moose and bear.