Christmas Mail 2012 - 11

The Italian Christmas stamps from this year came in on this lovely cover sent across by my good friend Sal. Thank you so much for the treat.

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Christmas Mail 2012 - 10

This lovely cover from Canada has the complete set of this years Christmas stamps on it. And the cancellations are brilliant. Thanks Maryam.

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US High Face Values - Pt 5

2001 Priority Mail
$3.50 U.S. Capitol Dome: Unlike previous Priority and Express Mail issues, which featured pictures related to the U.S. space program,  stamps of 2001 use photographic images of Washington, D.C., landmarks. The self-adhesive Priority Mail stamp shows the Capitol Dome gleaming against a dark sky. Looking at the stamp through a special U.S.P.S. decoder will reveal scrambled identifying marks saying, "Priority Mail."

2002 Priority Mail
$3.85 Jefferson Memorial: This Priority Mail stamp features the Jefferson Memorial. Thomas Jefferson’s signature can be seen at the lower left when viewed through a special decoder lens. This is the third stamp in the National Monuments Series.

2002 Express Mail
$13.65 US Capital Dome: This stamp's also got a hidden image on it. The US flag on the top right corner of the stamp can be seen through a decoder lens.

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Cover - Poland

Another lovely cover from Poland. Thanks Greg.

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Cover - India - 12.12.12

A cover from Stamp Sathi, Bhavnagar, India I received a week back. Sent on 12.12.12. 

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Cover - Turkey

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Cover - Poland

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Christmas Mail 2012 - 9

Here now are this year's Christmas stamps of Poland on cover. Polish Post issued this Christmas set of stamps featuring little angels flying in the sky together with the Star of Bethlehem and bringing Christmas gifts. The stamps were designed by Agnieszka Sobczynska. Thank you Greg.

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US High Face Values - Pt 4

1991-95 Priority mail stamps

$2.90 Space Vehicle
$3.00 Space shuttle challenger

1998 Regular Issue Stamps

$ 3.20 Space shuttle landing

2007 Regular Issue Stamps

$ 4.60 Air force one

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US High Face Values - Pt 3

1975-81, Americana Series

$1 Rush Lamp

$2 Kerosene Lamp

$5 Conductor's Lantern

1990-95, Flora and Fauna Series

$2 Bobcat

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US High Face Values - Pt 2

In continuation to my earlier post on high face value US stamps, here are ones from the presidential / famous personality / great americans series

1938 Presidential Series

$1 Woodrow Wilson, 1913-1921
$2 Warren Harding, 1921-1923
$5 Calvin Coolidge, 1923-1929
Known affectionately as the “Prexies,” the 1938 Presidential series is a favorite among us stamp collectors. The $5 denomination pictures Calvin Coolidge.

Calvin Coolidge first served as Vice President and then as the 30th President of the US, following Harding's death in 1923. His ability to stabilize the adverse effects of the Teapot Dome oil scandal earned him a second term in office. Chief Justice William Taft administered the Presidential oath and became the first former President to do so. When it was broadcast by radio, Coolidge's inaugural address was the first one to be heard throughout the country and around the world.

1954-61 Liberty Series

$1 Patrick Henry, Statesman-Lawyer
$5 Alexander Hamilton, Statesman-Politician
The image of Alexander Hamilton on the $5 stamp is based on a painting by John Trumbull. This stamp is generally considered one of the most beautiful U.S. portrait stamps of the 1900s. It was also one of the last U.S. stamps printed on the Flat Plate Press. Due to its high face value it was used primarily on registered mail, typically to mail money between small post offices and Federal Reserve Banks.

1986-94 Great Americans

$1 Bernard Revel, Educator
$1 John Hopkins, Philanthropist
$2 William J. Bryan, Statesman
$5 Bret Harte, Author
A writer of fiction about the American West, Bret Harte's stories centered around his life in California. Capturing the characteristics and speech of the gold miners, gamblers, and prostitutes like no other writer, his style of "local color writing" brought him instant success. Today, his tales are considered American classics. Harte is pictured on the $5 Great Americans stamp.

1994-95 Regular Issue Stamps

$1 Surrender of Gen. John Burgoyne
$5 Washington & Jackson
This diamond-shaped stamp is based upon an essay whose design had been created about 125 years earlier. The exact source of the design is unknown, but it is speculated the stamp was created as a three-cent design by a printing contract.

Two of America's most famous Presidents, George Washington and Andrew Jackson, are featured in the vignette of the five-dollar stamp. The image of Washington is taken from a Gilbert Stuart portrait, but was reversed in order to make Washington face right instead of left. A portrait by John Wood Dodge is the basis of the Jackson image.

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Christmas Mail 2012 - 8

A lovely cover from GB with the complete set or should I say near complete set of Christmas stamps on the cover. Thanks Pete.

The GB Christmas stamps this year have been designed by Webb and Webb using new illustrations by Axel Scheffler - the artist who illustrated the children’s classic The Gruffalo. As usual the stamps are in standard and large letter definitive size and self adhesive.

There is also a conventionally-gummed miniature sheet containing all stamps, booklets of 12 x 1st and 12 x 2nd stamps, and a Smilers Generic sheet with - probably - 2nd, 1st, 68p & £1.10 stamps.

Since 2006 all Christmas stamps are standard definitive size except for the 1st and 2nd Class Large stamps,  where the 1st and 2nd Class images are repeated but with more detail revealed on the wider format stamps. The 1st and 2nd Class Large stamps are not on this cover but Pete's promised me the whole set along with the miniature sheet for my Christmas collection so really looking forward to that now.

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Cover - MONGOLIA, Country #71

My first ever cover from  Mongolia. A new addition this time to the list of countries. Complete set of stamps of strong animals issued on April 22 2012. It contains a set of 4 stamps with a total value of 1300T.

100t Dragon
200t Lion
400t Tiger
600t Khan Garuda

The dragon and the Khan Garuda stamps are diamond shaped.

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Cover - France

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Cover - Malaysia

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Christmas Mail 2012 - 7

This is the perfect Christmas cover for me. Dennis sent me this cover with the same Santa and Sleigh stamps on the cover again. However this time round, the cancellation is special and shows the three kings following the north star. Beautiful beautiful Christmas cover. Thanks Dennis.

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Christmas Mail 2012 - 6

Got this lovely cover from Australia unexpectedly and I was super excited. Although I would have wished that all the stamps on the cover would be the recent christmas releases.

Two of the three stamps on the cover are Christmas issues. This year Australia post issued five Christmas stamps, two of which present the traditional Christmas story. I don't know why, but I usually prefer the traditional Christmas stamps. A little more waiting I guess before I get my hands on the entire set.

The other three stamps in the issue are non-religious. Here on the cover are two. The brightly coloured, celebratory subjects are suggestive of familiar Christmas carols "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas", "Jingle Bells" and "Ding Dong Merrily on High".

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Christmas Mail 2012 - 5

Oleg sent me this cover with one of the two recent Christmas stamp issues of 2012. Thanks Oleg for the lovely cover. Earlier this year he had sent me one with the 2010 Christmas issue.

Latvia Post has been releasing stamps dedicated to Christmas since 1992, and two new additions to the series are made this year.

The design of the new stamps draws on traditional Christmas themes – a Christmas tree and gifts hidden under it and a winter scene with a house surrounded by fir trees covered with snow and a snowman, which is on the cover here. The new stamps were designed by artist Lilija Dinere.

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Christmas stamps - Palau

These stamps are by far the most beautiful stamps of Christmas I have of any country so far. Please let me know if you know of or think of any other that are more unique or beautiful than these. These stamps also happen to be the only ones of Palau that I have as of date.

Palau, the western section of the Caroline Islands (Micronesia), was part of the US Trust Territory of the Pacific, established in 1947. By agreement with the USPS, the republic began issuing its own stamps in 1984, with the USPS continuing to carry the mail to and from the islands.
On Jan. 10, 1986 Palau became a Federation as a Sovereign State in Compact of Free Association with the
US.

The first stamps for Christmas were issued by Palau in 1983. From 1986 onwards Palau issued Christmas stamps in se-tenant strips of five and I have eight (1986 - 1993) of the fourteen strips with the last one being issued in 1999.

The pictures you see above and below are of these strips arranged in my stock book. Absolutely beautiful and brilliant designs on each of these.

Nov. 26, 1986
The theme of this Christmas stamp set is the famous Christmas carol "Joy to the World" by Issac Watts and Handel. The strip of five stamps features Palauans celebrating Christmas with various activities; the five stamps form a continuous design.

Nov. 24, 1987
This strip of five stamps, features verses from the Christmas carol "I Saw Three Ships," biblical characters, Palau landscape, and Palauans in outrigger canoes.

Nov. 7, 1988
This strip of five stamps illustrates, in a continuous design, the song, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing."

Dec. 18, 1989

This is a beautiful strip of 5 stamps, illustrating the Christmas carol "Whence Comes this Rush of Wings". 

Nov. 28, 1990
This strip of five Christmas stamps features "Here We Come A-Caroling," "Girl with music, poinsettias, doves," "Boys playing guitar, flute," "Family," and "Three girls singing." Palau, a group of 100 islands in the West Pacific Ocean, is a former U.S. Trust Territory.

Nov. 14, 1991
The art on this strip of five stamps illustrates, in a continuous design, the song "Silent Night," with a different verse from the song inscribed on each stamp.

Oct. 1, 1992
The Friendly Beasts carol depicting animals in Nativity Scene.

Oct. 22, 1993
Christmas carol, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” with Palauan customs.

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Cover - Ukraine

One more from Ukraine with loads of stamps inside. Absolutely made my day on Saturday though I was working through the weekend. Thanks Vlademer.

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Christmas Mail 2012 - 4

A couple of days back, received this wonderful cover from USA with the latest Christmas stamps issues. Dennis also sent me a small lot of stamps including the mint Santa and sleigh stamps.

On October 11, 2012, the U.S. Postal Service continued their annual Christmas celebration with the release of five Christmas stamps. The Holy Family Stamp and the Santa and Sleigh stamps depict traditional Christmas scenes with Forever postage. In recent years, the USPS has issued at least two Christmas stamps per year, with one stamp being a more traditional and beautiful Christmas scene and one stamp being a more whimsical and modern Christmas scene. The 2012 issues are no exception

The colorful Santa and Sleigh Forever stamps depict a scene with Santa and his reindeer flying above a snowy village. The sleigh is landing on a snow-covered rooftop so Santa may deliver toys to the children of the house. The scene is divided into a block of four stamps, each stamp with a Forever denomination.

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Cover - Italy

Another lovely cover from Italy. The cancellations are not missing this time Salvatore. Thanks.

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Christmas Mail 2012 - 3

Ivana sent me this beautiful cover with Christmas stamps of Croatia from 2010, 2011 & 2012 on the cover. Beautiful cover but unfortunately damaged in transit. The 2010 stamp on the cover is damaged. Nevertheless  a great cover. Love the special Christmas postmarks. Thanks Ivana. Merry Christmas!!!

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Cover - Canada

A nice cover from Canada with one of my favorite stamps from the high face value wild life definitive series. Thanks Robert.

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Christmas Mail 2012 - 2

IT IS THE CHRISTMAS SEASON.....My second Christmas cover this year.

Received this beautiful cover from Canada. Thank you Sonali for the beautiful card and matching envelope and most of all, for the wishes. Merry Christmas to you and the family too!

'Twas the night before Christmas',written by Clement Clark Moore, is a popular poem, often recited by families on Christmas Eve. For me, living in the south of India, I've never been able to relate to cards that portray a scene of small cottages, snow covered paths, snowmen or falling snowflakes. For us, here, Christmas is about midnight mass, loads of home-made goodies, decorated plastic tress, stars hanging in front of houses, a few carolers, what we'd describe as a winter chill (approx 18°C) and a rambunctious gathering of friends and family over the holiday season.

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Christmas Mail 2012 - 1

My first Christmas cover came in already, with this cover from USA. Thanks Harry for the cover and stamps. Merry Christmas to you.

The stamps are self adhesive christmas stamps issued in 1993. This is the complete set of 4.
29c Jack in the box
29c Reindeer
29c Snowman
29c Soldier

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US High Face Values - Pt 1

Some of my favourite US stamps, these high face value stamps are not very rare, but I am one happy collector to have them in my collection of US stamps. There are about 35 to 40 or so of these stamps featuring the bald eagle, space ships, moon landing, bridges, forests etc.
I will post all of these in parts, as I keep adding them to my personal collection. As of now I have some 16 or so of these HFVs.

In this first part, I am putting up the first express mail and priority mail stamps issued by the USPS. Before I get to the stamps though, a little about these services and the difference between the two.
Priority Mail and Express Mail services are two of the most popular USPS mail classes.
Express Mail guarantees delivery by noon or 3:00 pm next-day to most U.S. locations. Priority Mail is delivered in an average of 2-3 days (without any guaranteed delivery times). Priority Mail is often delivered the next day if sent within the same postal zone.
Both letters and packages can be sent using the services
Express mail is automatically insured against loss. Priority mail does not include any insurance.
Express mail is priced higher than priority mail.

To compete with Federal Express the USPS started its own Express Mail Next Day delivery service in 1983. This bold and beautiful $9.35 Bald Eagle stamp would deliver a package up to 2 pounds overnight and was, at the time, the highest face value stamp ever issued.
The U.S. $9.35 express mail stamp was issued at the Kennedy Space Center on August 12, 1983.

The most expensive stamp ever issued in 1985. It covered the postage for Express Mail Next Day Service, and allowed users to drop Express Mail packages in collection boxes or give them to route carriers.

In an effort to compete with independent, overnight-delivery companies, the USPS lowered its rate from $10.75 for an 8 oz. letter to $8.75. As with previous Express Mail issues, the new stamp featured an eagle's head against a full moon. And like the design, the format was also the same.

Postal officials, who had admired the quality of the Migratory Bird hunting stamps, asked the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to use the same intaglio off-set printing technique. Even the size, shape, and perforations were copied! Rather than being printed in sheets of thirty, however, it was printed in mini-sheets of twenty.

Featuring a fierce-looking eagle, this stamp replaced the $2.40 stamp (Moon Landing - 20th Anniv..coming up in subsequent parts to this post) issued in 1989 to meet the then-current Priority Mail rate.










Issued to prepay postage for overnight Express Mail, this denomination covered the rate for an eight-ounce package. Like its predecessors, this stamp featured a bald eagle, but it also carried something new - the Olympic logo.








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Vietnam

Viet Nam, which included the former French territories of Tonkin, Annam and Cochin China, became an Associated State of the French Union in 1949. The Communist Viet Minh obtained control of Northern Viet Nam in 1954, and the republic of South Viet Nam was established in October, 1955.

SOUTH VIET NAM, (Republic of Viet Nam), (Viet Nam Cong Hoa)
Between 1963 and 1976, the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (the NLF or "Viet Cong") issued their own stamps. These were printed in Hanoi. When the Republic of Vietnam was toppled in May 1975, the NFL government became the sole stamp issuing authority, until the reunification of Vietnam one year later. The two stamps in the third row are NLF stamps issued in 1965 and 1976 respectively

REPUBLIC OF NORTH VIET NAM
Many North Vietnamese stamps are roughly perforated, especially issues before 1958. The stamps in the first two rows of the first sheet on the left below are stamps of North Vietnam

Socialist Republic of Viet Nam
The reunification of Vietnam took place in July 1976 and brought about a unified postal service. From the stamps in the third row of the sheet on the left below, all the stamps are of Vietnam post unification.

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