My Postage Stamps Collection

This is a blog of my personal stamps and covers collection. I am an avid collector of postage stamps, miniature sheets, FDCs and covers addressed to me from across the world, an accumulator and hoarder of stamps. It is my attempt here to show you all of my collection in the posts that I'll add and update regularly. I hope to add more to the collection in the process, interact with you other collectors out there and share thoughts and information about anything and everything related.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Some packages received this year, Countries #47 and #48

I got some packages from Thailand, Vanuatu and Namibia of philatelic stuff ofcourse. Thailand earlier this year and Vanuatu and Namibia just this month. Here are the covers of Thailand and Vanuatu, I got my stuff in. Interesting Thailand cover with the exotic stamps.

Those are real grains on the stamps and the other two are authentic Thai silk material used on the stamps. Of the six stamps only one stamp's got the grain missing on it. Shows how well the grain has been stuck to the stamp. Love the stamps

The Thai silk stamps. This is the one in blue. The other ones in gray.

And the Vanuatu cover

Beautiful Champagne Beach stamp. The clear cancellation shows that the cover came from Port Vila and was sent on 08 Dec 2011.

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Cover - Israel, Country #46

Here's my first cover from Israel. It is not exactly an all Christmas cover but it does have a Christmas label on it. Thanks Jacob Goldstein.

And this is the label on the cover that says, "Seasons Greetings From The Holy Land". Now I have to get all these christmas labels issued in Israel. If Im not mistaken the first one was issued in the year 2000.

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More Christmas Covers - Switzerland

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Covers - Home country, INDIA, Country #45

I have been putting up a lot of posts on covers Ive received from all over. Its high time I did a post on covers Ive received from India. Since I started collecting covers I have received quite a few from around here sent by family. But there have been some that I received from stamp purchases made.

Here are two covers I received recently. These were sent via speed post. One of these has a mini sheet on the back of the cover.

Front of the second cover

Back with the mini sheet.

This one below was sent to me by my wife. She was in Bangalore a week before Christmas and thought of sending me this. The sweetest gesture!!! Thanks Soraya.

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Monday, December 26, 2011

Another Christmas Cover

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Cover - Belgium

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Covers - Ireland, Country #44

Willie from Ireland sent me these beautiful covers and as I received them today, I couldn't stop admiring them enough. I received three covers with stamps, each of different topics. This is a true example of what covers are made of. Thank you Willie for this wonderful send.

Christmas

Flowers

Birds

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Christmas - Jersey

Some Christmas stamps from Jersey.

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Sunday, December 25, 2011

More Christmas stamps from across Europe

Here are some more Christmas stamps from France, Germany and Italy,

France

Germany (West and the Federal Republic)

Italy

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Merry Xmas!!!! .......... Christmas - Malta

It is Christmas day today!! Here's wishing all my blog readers and trade friends all across the world, a wonderful and joyful day and season. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

And for some christmas stamps from Malta now...Of all the christmas stamps issued across the world by various countries, Maltese christmas stamps stand out in my opinion for their varied designs and shapes. I have been fortunate enough to have only some of these in my collection so far. However a definite gap to fill is all these stamps issued till date.

The first christmas stamps issued in Malta were in 1964, a set of 3 stamps. I dont have any of them and the ones I got that you see up here are arranged year wise but huge gaps remain. The first is the complete set of 3 from 1967.

And below is the complete set of 3 from 1968. These two sets are my favourites as they fit perfectly into both my topics of collection interests. Christmas and odd shaped.

And the rest of the ones in my collection are
1995 Christmas. 5c. The horizontal design is the rest of the three stamps of the set combined in one.

Children with crib

Children with lanterns

Boy with lantern and balustrade

1996 Christmas. 5c. The horizontal design is the rest of the three stamps of the set combined in one.

Angel facing right

Madonna and Child

Angel facing left

1997 Christmas. 6c. The horizontal design is the rest of the three stamps of the set combined in one.

Joseph with donkey

Mary and baby Jesus

Shepherd with lamb

1998 Christmas. 6c. Paintings by Mattia Preti

1999 Christmas. 6c.

2000 Christmas. 6c.

2002 Christmas. 7c.

2003 Christmas. 7c.

2005 Christmas. 7c.

2007 Christmas. 8c. 0.19 Euro

2008 Christmas. 0.19 Euro

2009 Christmas. 0.19 Euro

2010 Christmas. 0.19 Euro

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Cover - South Africa

I received this nice treat from Benjamin. A lovely cover from Bloemfontein, South Africa with three FDCs from SWA, Transkei and Venda. Thanks Benjamin. Unfortunately the cover was damaged in transit. See the cancel of the postal authority indicating it was received torn. Always wonder if there's a way to ensure these things don't happen to covers being sent by post.

Here's the one from South West Africa. SWA is the modern day Republic of Namibia.

Transkei.

and Venda

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Another awesome cover from the US of A

Howard sent me this wonderful cover from America. Again one of my best covers as its got stamps of the same theme with a souvenir sheet too.
The stamps on the cover are the 1998, Sylvester and Tweety and the 2001, Porky pig issues.

Thanks a lot Howard!!!

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Christmas - Sweden

My christmas stamps of Sweden

Christmas, 1989 Booklet

Decorated tree and straw goat - 2k.10

Candelabra and food - 2k.10

Star, poinsettia and tureen - 2k.10

Decorated tree and straw goat - 2k.10

Girl watching television - 2k.10

Family with present - 2k.10

Christmas, 1990

Four of the set of six

Christmas, 1997 & 1999

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Thursday, December 15, 2011

It is Christmas Season...

What a nice cover to start off receipt of christmas covers this year!! This one is from Alaska, USA. Antoinette sent me this cover and a FDC for which I cant thank her enough. Don't miss the cancellation on the cover. It says Happy Holidays and has got Santa riding his reindeer drawn sleigh. And the stamps are the complete set of four stamps depicting Christmas baubles issued by the USPS this Christmas.

Here's the back of the cover

And this is the FDC sponsored by the Anchorage Philatelic Society. The idea of doing a hand-coloured cover came from chairperson, David Schwantes. The cachet for this cover was produced from an original pen and pencil drawing by Leroy Plum, a retired military veteran from Anchorage.

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Cover from Tunisia, Country #43

Well I had received this cover a couple of months back. I dont know how posting it here slipped out of my mind. Anyway nice cover, nice stamps. Thank you Faouzi Belaid.