Cover - Malaysia

Maryam sent me this nice FDC from Malaysia. The stamps on the cover were issued on 21-06-12 in denominations of 80 sen and 1 RM depicting traditional livelihoods in Malaysia.

This one seems to have gotten wet in transit. Thanks Maryam for the lovely cover.

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Cover - Great Britain

Another cover and this time from UK with pen marks for cancellation and no postmarks. I was really surprised to know and see that this can happen with a postal authority like Royal Mail too.

This cover is still special to me because of the lovely Christmas stamps on it.

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Cover - Phillipines

Last week I received a nice cover from Phillipines with a sheet on Phillipine endemic lizards. Unfortunately some postal employee decided to cancel it with pen marks across the sheet too. You can see the three pen marks in blue across the stamps.

The sheet was issued between July to September 2011 and features Phillipine endemic lizards.

Luckily the stamp on the back of the cover was saved.

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Not so bad a treat from Spain!

I received four covers last week and three of them had pen marks across the stamps. I was almost beginning to think that the pen marks were being made deliberately by someone in the post offices in transit here. But these are not so frequent and then I received another cover from Malaysia which came clean.

Anyway I received this one from Spain with some nice covers and postcards inside the cover.

Here are the postcards

And the covers

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Canada 1972 - 1981

Of the years 1972 to 1981, here are short descriptions of some of the complete sets in my collection.

Caricature and Landscape Definitives
Caricatures: 1973-77: This low value series was probably the most controversial of all Canadian definitive issues. Not only was the reigning monarch replaced on all but the first-class issues, but many felt that the single-colour steel engraved caricature designs did not do justice to the Prime Ministers and to Queen Elizabeth II.

Landscapes: 1972-77: The Landscapes definitive series debuted with the large sized $1 and $2 values in early 1972. The five medium values were released towards the end of summer in the same year. The  $2 stamp is the only missing one from the set in my collection.
Mar 9, 1973: Royal Canadian Mounted Police, centenary.

Aug 2, 1973: Visit to Ottawa of Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, July 31-Aug. 4, and meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government, 

Sep 20, 1973: 21st Olympic Games, Montreal, 1976.

Mar 22, 1974: “Keep Fit.” 21st Summer Olympic Games, Montreal, 1976. When stamps are observed at an angle the Montreal Olympic Games emblem can be seen.

Nov 1, 1974 Christmas (Paintings):
6c, Nativity, by Jean Paul Lemieux
8c, Skaters at Hull, by Henri Masson
10c, The Ice Cone, Montmorency Falls, by Robert C. Todd. 
15c, Village in the Laurentian Mountains, by Clarence A. Gagnon.

May 15, 1975: Birth centenary of Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942), writer and author of “Anne of Green Gables”; Louis He´mon (1880-1913), writer and author of “Maria Chapdelaine.”

Jun 11, 1975: 21st Olympic Games, Montreal, July 17- Aug. 1, 1976.
Oct 22, 1975: Designs by Canadian School Children: “What Christmas Means to Me.”


Nov 3, 1976: Christmas

May 26, 1977: Tom Thomson (1877-1917), landscape painter, birth centenary.

Sep 16, 1977: Joseph-Elz´ear Bernier (1852-1934), explorer; Sandford Fleming (1827-1915), mapped route for Intercolonial Railway and designed Canada’s first stamp.

Jan 18, Jun 10, 1978: CAPEX ’78, Canadian Intl. Phil. Exhib.,Toronto, June 9-18 (cent. of Canada’s admission to UPU).


May 11, 1979: Charles-Michel d’Irumberry de Salaberry (1778-1829), and John By (1779-1836), Cana- dian colonels. 

Nov 18, 1981: Christmas; bicentenary of 1st illuminated Christmas tree in Canada.

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Canada 1961 - 1971

1964-66: Floral Emblem Series
The first stamp in the 1964-66 "Floral Emblem" series was a stamp designed to promote Canadian unity. The three maple leaves featured on the stamp symbolized the English, French and other groups which joined together to form a united country.
Since 1868, Canada and the provinces of Ontario and Quebec had three conjoined maple leaves as elements in their coats of arms.
The Unity stamp was issued on May 14, 1964,

White trillium and arms of Ontario

White garden lily and arms of Quebec. 

Mayflower (trailing arbutus) and arms of Nova Scotia. 

Purple violet and arms of New Brunswick. 

Prairie crocus and arms of Manitoba. 

Dogwood and arms of British Columbia. 

Lady’s slipper and arms of Prince Edward Island.

Prairie lily and arms of Saskatchewan. 

Wild rose and arms of Alberta.

Pitcher plant and arms of Newfoundland.

Fireweed and arms of Yukon.

Mountain avens and arms of Northwest Territories. 

The Canada Coat of Arms stamp completing the Floral Emblem series was issued on June 30, 1966. 

I have marked red the three stamps missing from the series in my collection.

1964: Christmas

Canada's first Christmas stamps were issued on October 14, 1964.
The stamps showed the  silhouette of a family group of a man, a woman and two children walking off towards a Christmas star in a typical Canadian winter scene. Please also see my earlier post on Christmas stamps of Canada,

1965: Christmas, 3c and 5c, Gifts of the wise men
1966: Christmas, 3c and 5c, Praying hands by Albrecht Duhrer

1967: Centennial Definitive Stamps

The Centennial definitive series issued on February 8, 1967 consisted of twelve stamps. The five lower denomination stamps featured the image of Queen Elizabeth combined with a regional view of Canada.
Canadian art was featured on the seven higher denomination stamps.

1970: Christmas

The 1970 Christmas stamps, issued on October 7, 1970, featured twelve drawings submitted by children to a Canada Post Office national stamp design project. My favourite stamps.


1971: The Maple in Four Seasons

The maple leaf has been a Canadian emblem since the 17th century. Canada Post Office issued a set of four maple stamps over the course of 1971, showing the maple in each season, spring, summer, autumn & winter.
1971: Christmas, Snowflake in denominations of 6c, 7c, 10c & 15c.

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Canada Collection: 1900 - 1960

Canada's first stamp was the Three-Penny Beaver. I will not talk about it much as I don't have the stamp in my collection of Canadian stamps. Mine starts from early 1900. Actually my firsts of Canada are from the Queen Victoria set of 1898 - 1902.

I have two stock albums for my Canandian stamps. I will have separate albums for the souvenir and mini sheets as and when I get them. For now though here are stamps from 1900 to 1960 in my collection. Again a whole lot of gaps for missing stamps. Also I am not concentrating on varieties in perforations but only on designs. I just want to keep it simple for now.

1951 - 55 : Prime Minister Series
The second set in the Prime Ministers series was issued on November 3, 1952 to honour John Abbott and Alexander Mackenzie. The first set in the Prime Ministers series was released on June 25, 1951, during the reign of George VI. The 3 cent stamp honouring Sir Robert Laird Borden is the only stamp from this series I do not have here yet.
The third set in the Prime Ministers Series was issued on November 1, 1954 to honour John Thompson and Mackenzie Bowell.
The fourth and final set in the Prime Ministers Series, issued on November 8, 1955, honoured Conservative Prime Ministers Richard "R.B." Bennett and Charles Tupper.

1953 - 57 : Wildlife Series
From 1953 to 1957 the Canadian Post Office Department issued stamps depicting Canada's wildlife. The issue dates coincided with National Wildlife Week.
The 1953 set, issued on April1 1953, consisted of three stamps:
2 cents Polar Bear
3 cents Moose
4 cents Bighorn Sheep
The 1954 set, issued on April1 1954, consisted of two stamps:

4 cents Walrus
5 cents Beaver
15 cents Gannet

The 1955 set, issued on April1 1955, consisted of three stamps:

4 cents Musk Ox

5 cents Whooping Cranes 

The 1956 set, issued on April1 1956, consisted of three stamps:

4 cents Caribou

5 cents Mountain Goat

And in 1957, a single 5 cent stamp featuring the Loon, was released on April 10, 1957

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Another christmas FDC - Cook Islands

An FDC from 1968.

Christmas Paintings:
1c, Virgin and child, by Titian
4c, Holy Family, by Raphael.
10c, Madonna of the Rosary, by Murillo.
20c, Adoration of the Magi, by Memling.
30c, Adoration of the Magi, by Ghirlandajo.

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Christmas FDC - Montserrat

Montserrat was one of the four presidencies of the former Leeward Islands colony until it became a colony itself in 1956. The following FDC is from 1972.

1972, Christmas paintings

10c, Madonna of the chair, by Raphael
35c, Virgin and Child by Bernardino
50c, Magnificat Madonna, by Botticelli.
$1, Virgin and Child with St. John and Angel, by Botticelli.

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Cover - Japan

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1998-2000 Celebrate the Century Complete 10 Sheet Set - Pt 2

Celebrate the Century is the longest commemorative stamp series in the US history. It contains the first stamp subjects chosen by postal patrons.
The panes feature an unusual layout, with rows of stamps at a slight angle.
Here's a look at all the sheets from the 1900s to the 1990s.

1900s Dawn of the 20th Century
1910s America Looks Beyond Borders

1920s The Roaring Twenties
1930s Depression & New Deal

1940s World War II Transforms America
1950s Family Fun, Suburbia & Nuclear Threats

1960s Rebellious Sixties, Man on the Moon
1970s Bicentennial, Watergate & Earth Day

1980s Space Shuttle Launched, Berlin Wall Falls
1990s Cold War Ends, Economy Booms

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1998-2000 Celebrate the Century Complete 10 Sheet Set - Pt 1

The US Postal Service issued the first Celebrate The Century souvenir sheet on February 3, 1998, in Washington, DC. It began the longest stamp series in U.S. history. Highlighting the important events of the century, each sheet pictures subjects of a decade from the following categories: People and Events, Arts and Entertainment, Lifestyles, Sports, and Science and Technology.

This is the first sheet here of the 1900s. I have been fortunate enough to have all the ten sheets of the series and it is a highlight of my USA collection

The series involved 150 stamps issued over the two years leading to the new century. A short description of each stamp is on the back. A large photo representing the decade and a summary of events, including new words that came into use are on the background of each sheet.

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Valentines Day - Scented Sheet - Taiwan

Another lovely sheet in my odd shaped stamps collection is this miniature sheet from Taiwan. Chunghwa Post issued the odd shaped scented stamp on 10 Feb 2012 to mark the Valentine’s Day 2012.

Within the heart-shaped stamp are two pale orange roses which signify mutual love and affection. The pink background's also got   the wordings "Happy Valentine's Day" through out.
This sheet was printed in scented ink. The first time by Taiwan.

India has a few scented stamps and sheets of its own. You can click on the links below to get directed to the stamps/sheets.

26th Apr 2008: Jasmine Flowers

7th Feb 2007: Fragrance of Roses

13th Dec 2006: Sandal wood









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Cover - Turkey

A nice cover from Turkey sent by Vural Oguz. Thanks so much Vural.

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Taiwan - Odd shaped souvenir sheets

Really unique sheets here from Chunghwa post. A sheet consisting of four stamps on Taiwan butterflies was issued on June 25, 2009. The sheet was cut around in the shape of a butterfly with a butterfly cut out on each stamp.

1. Papilio xuthus, NT$5
2. Troides aeacus formosanus, NT$5
3. Graphium agamemnon, NT$12
4. Papilio paris nakaharai, NT$12

Issued in April 2011, the sheet features Euploea butterflies. It is also printed in the shape of a butterfly, with a butterfly-shaped cut out on each stamp.

The butterflies on the four stamps:

1. Euploea eunice hobsoni (Butler), NT$5
2. Euploea sylvester swinhoei Wallace & Moore , NT$5
3. Euploea tulliolus koxinga Fruhstorfer, NT$12
4. Euploea mulciber barsine Fruhstorfer , NT$12

One of the cut outs on the 2009 and 2011 issues respectively. Each of the cut outs from the stamps is shaped differently.

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Round shaped embossed stamps

Of countries that have issued odd shaped stamps, Bhutan has loads of them from all kinds of shapes to 3D, holograms and even material other than paper. Thus far I have been able to get hold of only a fraction of these and here are some round shaped stamps from 1975.

The entire set consists of 9 stamps issued on King Jigme Singye Wangchuk’s 20th birthday. Ive got six here. The missing ones are the 1 Nu, 2 Nu and 3 Nu emerald colored stamps.

A similar set of 9 stamps was also issued in 1966.

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Cover - Sweden

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Cover - Japan

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Cover - Cyprus, Country #63

My first cover from Cyprus. Always such an excitement when there is a new addition to the list of countries I have received covers from. Thank you Nasia for the lovely cover.

The stamps are a complete set of two Europa stamps issued on May 2nd 2012. The theme is "Visit Cyprus"

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Twentieth Century Poets FDC - USA

Antoinette sent me this lovely FDC from the US that has three stamps from the Twentieth-Century Poets (Forever®)stamp sheet, Elizabeth Bishop, Joseph Brodsky and Gwendolyn Brooks.

These forever stamps honor ten great twentieth-century poets including several who served as United States Poet Laureate. The many awards won by this illustrious group — Elizabeth Bishop, Joseph Brodsky, Gwendolyn Brooks, E. E. Cummings, Robert Hayden, Denise Levertov, Sylvia Plath, Theodore Roethke, Wallace Stevens, and William Carlos Williams — include numerous Pulitzer Prizes, National Book Awards, and honorary degrees.

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My collection of Rwandan stamps - Pt4

Ok this is the last part here. These are all the Rwandan stamps I have. I am looking hard for all of the issues of Ruanda Urundi too. It will be good to have most of the stamps of Ruanda Urundi, Burundi and Rwanda in my African stamps album.

1981, Meat eating animals, Cerval
1981, Paintings and Frescoes of St. Benedict
1981, Intl. Year of the disabled
1981, National rural water supply year
1982, World food day
1982, Flowers
1982, Soccer players
1982, 10th Anniv. of UN Conference on human environment
1983, Scouting year

1983, Nectar sucking birds
1983, Soil erosion prevention
1983, Gorillas
1984, Local trees
1984, World communications year
1989, Medicinal plants
1989, Rural organization year
1989, Cardinal Lavigerie, Founder of the Order of White Fathers and Sisters, Death Cent.

1998, Wildlife
1998, Plants
1998, Remembrance of genocide victims





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