Brazil - Taubate

Two covers from Brazil with some Brazilian fauna and professions stamps.

Macedonia

A wonderful postcard from Ana showing two of my favourite themes - traditional clothes and musical instruments. 

The girls shown in the front of the postcard are wearing traditional Macedonian dress.

Ana used stamps issued on February 19, 2003 showing Macedonian traditional musical instruments. The complete set of stamps show the bagpipes (MKD9), tambur (MKD10), kemene (MKD20) and drum (MKD50). 

Czech Republic - Olomouc

This cover from the Czech Republic has an extra number making the date stamp 12.12.12.12. I don't actually know what the extra 12 is for - perhaps this was mailed at 12 o'clock on December 12, 2012?

The stamps used on the cover were issued on November 7, 2012 featuring images from Ctyrlistek in the King's Service. Ctyrlistek is one of the most popular children's comic books first published in 1969.

To make up the postage, the sender also used a 1Kc stamp from the May 9, 2007 flowers issue. 

Estonia - Tallinn, Toompea

For lovers of trains and train stamps, a beautiful cover with a special 12.12.12 date postmark. The envelope also shows the Sindi rail - a 1928 road bridge over the Parnu River.

The stamps are from a joint issue of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia celebrating railway bridges - issued October 25, 2012. There are four stamps in the set howing the Narva Bridge in Estonia (EUR0.45 and EUR1.00), the Carnikava Bridge in Latvia (EUR1.00) and the Lyduvinai Bridge in Lithuania (EUR1.00). 

Canada - Christmas Island, Nova Scotia

One of the cover exchanges I joined was for a Christmas themed cover and this is what I received from Canada. The postmark of Christmas Island makes this cover more interesting and theme focused. I'm really chuffed that the sender made a special effort to have this cover postmarked at Christmas Island. 

For 2012, Canada Post issued the Permanent domestic rate stamp above on October 15, 2012. This traditional Christmas stamp features the image of the Madonna and Child in stained glass is from one of the stained glass windows at St. Mary's Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Kingston, Ontario. 

On the same day three other Christmas themed stamps were issued featuring gingerbread cookies for Permanent domestic, US and International rate stamps.  . 

Did you know that the stamps above are enhanced with augmented reality? You can download a free StampsAlive app, hover your phone over the domestic permanent stamp with your device and choose from several decorating ideas. A good way to entice kids to stamp collecting!

USA - Santa Claus, Indiana

What started me on this hobby of collecting covers is discovering the varied and interesting places all over the world.

The cover below is an example of this - a Christmas themed cover with a special postmark from Santa Claus, Indiana.

 

 

Yes there is such a place as Santa Claus in the US. Apparently the town of Santa Fe, established in 1854, was denied its application for a post office since there was already a Santa Fe recorded with USPS. A town meeting was held and the townspeople elected instead to rename it as Santa Claus.

 

It is the only post office in the world to bear the name and as such receives thousands of letters to Santa from all over the world. Every year a Christmas pictorial postmark is chosen from designs submitted by art students from Heritage Hills High School.

 

On the cover are two stamp issues from October 2012. The first is a Forever stamp (45c) depicting the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt. Interestingly enough, this stamp was unveiled at the Bethlehem Chapel of the Washington National Cathedral.

 

The second stamp is actually a composite of four self-adhesive Forever stamps featuring Santa and his sleigh circling around snow-covered rooftops.

 

 

Cyprus

Not a country I usually get a cover from so this one definitely belongs here.

 

Cyprus issued commemorative sheet (EUR0.68) and two stamps (EUR0.22 and EUR0.51) on November 14, 2012 in time for the holiday season. All the stamps depict the Virgin and Child. These icons were on exhibit at the Byzantine Museum of the Archbishop of Makarios III Foundation.

 

2012 Cyprus stamp - EUR0.68 Virgin and Child

Argentina - Villa Maria

Argentina issued one stamp for the Christmas season on November 17, 2012 . The ARS3 stamp illustrates the traditional Birth scene made of clay and minerals extracted from the hills of Purmamarca. The same illustration can also be seen on the envelope and the stamps have been cancelled with a special Christmas postmark which I think shows a Kolla woman and child.

 

The other stamp used to make up the postage is from the Argentine Culture set issued on August 30, 2000. Comprising of ten stamps ranging in denomination from 10c to ARS9.40, each of the stamps show artefacts from the different cultures that make up the people of Argentina. The one above is of a funerary urn from the Belen culture.

 

 

Croatia - Velika Gorica

On the theme of Christmas, an exchange partner from Croatia sent this cover to me.



On the cover is a stamp  (issued November 15, 2012) illustrating the star that guided the Three Wise Men to where the Holy Child was born and a New Year stamp issued on December 4, 2012. The illustration for the New Year stamp was done by Sara Saravanja, a 7th form pupil from Slavonski Brod who was one of the many students who were asked draw how they see Santa. She drew Santa lighting the star system and lots of presents as a desire for abundance in the new year.

China - Lhasa, Tibet

Postcard from Lhasa, Tibet. Peter was travelling there and had offered to send a postcard in exchange for one of mine.

 

 

 
I like that the postmark is the same as the temple, Gadan Songzanlin, shown in the postcard. It is the largest Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Yunnan.

Malaysia - Penang

These hexagonal shaped stamps on cover are really lovely. 



2012 Malaysia stamp - Banknote stamps miniature sheet

Malaysia issued these stamps - the second in a series - on July 16, 2012. Eight 60 sen stamps show the front and back of the new coins issued by Bank Negara Malaysia. Six new banknotes were also issued and are depicted in RM5 stamps in two separate pieces containing 3 miniature sheets each. These set of stamps are printed with hot stamp foiling and the 60sen stamps are embossed to bring out the details of the coins. The RM5.00 stamps featuring the banknotes contain silver foil hot stamping to represent the security thread on the notes. 

Canada - Rothesay, NB

This cover from Canada is franked with a minisheet to commemorate the wedding of  HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton. A really good cover apart from the spray cancel.

Canada Post issued these two stamps on April 29, 2011. The domestic PERMANENT rate stamp shows a photo of the couple when they announced their engagement while the international rate stamp (CAD1.75) features their official engagement picture.

Ukraine - Sholokhove

I thought this cover had to be included here because one of the stamps used came from a minisheet (shown below) showing stamps on stamp. 

This minisheet, issued on August 13, 2012, shows postage stamps issued in 1923. The four stamps have a denomination of UAH2.00, UAH2.50, UAH4.30 and UAH4.80.

The other two stamps are from a definitive series issued on February 3, 2012 showing the European ash (Fraxinus excelsior). Other stamps in this issue were rowan or mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) - UAH5.00, horse chestnut or conker tree (Aesculus hippocastanum) - UAH50.00, 

English oak (Quercus robur) - UAH2.00.

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.