Christmas Mail 2013 - 14

The first time I've received a cover from Slovenia with Christmas stamps. The stamps on this cover were issued on 26th November 2010. What's also interesting about this cover is the 11.12.13 date on the postmark.

The first stamp depicts the pouring of molten lead into water, which was used as a method of foretelling future events and the second features an Advent wreath with decorations made of beeswax.
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Cover - Costa Rica

This time a much better cover from Costa Rica. Love the stamps on the cover. The orchid stamps are from the set of 10 stamps issued in 2007. Reasonably clear post marks on the cover also make it ideal for my album.

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Cover - Slovenia

I received this beautiful cover from Novo Mesto, Slovenia yesterday. This is one of my favourite covers. That miniature sheet on the cover depicting the white stork really stands out.

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Coffee Cup Shaped Stamps

New Zealand Post's stamp issue from 2005 commemorated New Zealand's thriving cafe scene by presenting stamps in the shape of coffee cups.

Specially die-cut, the stamps were the first ever produced in New Zealand in a shape other than the standard rectangle, triangle or circle.
The five-stamp series traces the evolution of cafes in New Zealand.

The 45-cent stamp depicts NZ's first tearoom-style eating establishments, which were set up by European immigrants in the early twentieth century. By the 1940s and 1950s these had developed into the milk bars and coffee bars featured on the 90-cent stamp. From the 1970s late-opening coffee bars were replaced by the delicatessens pictured on the $1.35 stamp.
Finally, the $1.50 and $2.00 stamps capture the renaissance that took place in New Zealand's cafes during the 1990s.

The stamps were designed by the Stamps Business at New Zealand Post and printed by Wyatt & Wilson.

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Cover - Philippines

Received this cover from the Philippines only yesterday. Its got on it the complete set of Wild Ducks of Philippines 2007, se-tenant block of four.

The stamps were issued on 3rd August 2007. A set of four stamps in the form of a se-tenant block and a miniature sheet depicting eight species of wild ducks was issued.

7p Mallard
7p Green-winged Teal
7p Tufted Duck
7p Cotton Pygmy Goose

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Cover - Indonesia

My second cover of the special date cancellation, 11.12.13-14. This time from Indonesia. Really beautiful cover. Love it.

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Christmas Mail 2013 - 13

Cover from Great Britain. One of my favourites. This one has the Complete set of the seven 2013 Christmas stamps of GB with the Special Pictorial Postmark: "Diwrnod Cyhoeddi Cyntaf, First Day of Issue, Bethlehem, Llandeilo, 5.11.2013"

First Class Stamp (Artwork by Francesco Granacci), Small and Large
In Madonna and Child (c.1520), painted in the High Renaissance style, Francesco Granacci depicts the Virgin in her traditional garments of red and blue, earthly and divine, while the bird in Christ’s hand alludes to the coming Passion.
Second Class Stamp (Artwork by Antoniazzo Romano), Small and Large
In Antoniazzo Romano’s Virgin and Child with the young St John the Baptist (c.1460–80), in the Early Renaissance style, Mary holds Jesus on her left arm and points towards him with her right, indicating that he is the way to salvation.
88p Stamp (Artwork by Jacques-Louis David)
Jacques-Louis David’s St Roch Praying to the Virgin for an End to the Plague (1780), which is painted in the neoclassical style, is a deeply Catholic painting, depicting the Virgin Mary in her role as protector and intercessor.
£1.28 Stamp (Artwork by William-Adolphe Bouguereau)
In La Vierge au Lys (1899), painted in the French Academic style by William - Adolphe Bouguereau, the Virgin and Child are enthroned, with Jesus held close by his mother, his outstretched arms suggestive of the crucifixion to come.
£1.88 Stamp (Artwork by Fadi Makhail)
In Theotokos, Mother of God by Fadi Mikhail, which is painted in the Neo-Coptic style, Christ’s white tunic indicates his divinity, while the Virgin Mary’s blue mantle likens her to the sky, as in the icon of The Flight into Egypt.
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Christmas Mail 2013 - 12

This cover from USA has got the complete set of the gingerbread stamps. A similar cover I received earlier had only three of the set of four stamps.

These stamps were issued on November 06, 2013. These stamps feature four different gingerbread houses set against a bright blue background. Made with gingerbread and royal icing, each house has sugary fruit slices for shingles, peppermint sticks for support beams, and round, candy-coated chocolate for doorknobs and holly berries.
Sally Andersen-Bruce photographed the houses, created by baker Teresa Layman. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps.

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Endangered Malau - Egg shaped Miniature Sheet

A latest addition to my odd shaped stamps collection. This sheet was issued on 9th April 2002 by the Tonga Postal Services General Post Office depicting the Endangered species - 'Malau' Megapodius pritchardii.

Niuafoʻou is a small island located in the northern most part in the kingdom of Tonga. The name literally means many new coconuts. It is a volcanic rim island of 15 km². Because of its unusual geography, Niuafo'ou used unconventional means to receive its postal communications known as 'Tin Can Mail'. At one time passing steamers would seal incoming mail for the island in 40-pound biscuit tins which were then thrown overboard to native swimmers. The swimmers towed the outgoing mail out in tins. The swimmers and ship would exchange mail containers and each would be on their way. From this unique method of mail delivery, the island became known as Tin Can Island and the letters carried thus are called Tin Can Mail. The swimming mail lasted until 1931 when a shark killed a swimmer. From then on, mail was brought in by outrigger canoe. In 1983, an airstrip was completed eliminating the need for Tin Can Mail.

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Postcard - Vietnam

A postcard of the same stamp issue of the death centenary of Rudolf Diesel came in a couple of days later.

Front

Back

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Cover - Vietnam

Received this FDC from Vietnam commemorating the death centenary of Rudlolf Diesel recently.

Rudlof Diesel, the famous German engineer, was born on 18/03/1958 in Paris France. He invented the diesel engine. On 29th of September 2013, the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) issued this stamp: "Death Centenary of Rudlolf Diesel (1858-1913)" denominated 2000d.

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Cover - Israel

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Cover - Hong Kong

This beautiful cover with a complete set of stamps and the beautiful clear cancellations was sent to me from Hong Kong. I have no idea who sent it yet. No sender's address anywhere. Great cover with beautiful stamps.

Hongkong Post issued this set of four stamps, featuring the artwork of four local disabled artists, to give tribute to their artistic achievements and to foster an inclusive community. Date of Issue: 15 October 2013.
To highlight the theme of inclusive arts, Braille embossing is used for the first time on stamps issued by Hongkong Post to denote the different denominations.

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Covers - Taiwan

The same sheet on two different size covers. Thanks A N  Chaung. This sheet features the 2009 World Games, Kaohsiung.

The World Games is a quadrennial sports event. It was first held in the USA in 1981. The eighth World Games was held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan from July 16 to 26, 2009. The Taiwan Post Office commemorated the grand sporting event of the World Games, by issuing a set of two stamps and a souvenir sheet featuring the Kaohsiung Arena and the Main Stadium.

The Kaohsiung Arena is shown on the NT$5.00 stamp.
The Main Stadium for the World Games is pictured on the NT$12.00 stamp.
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Cover - Taiwan

Got this cover from Taiwan today. The cover's great and there is something special about it too. The date it was sent, 11.12.13-14. To think that 11.12.13 itself wasn't special enough.

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Christmas Mail 2013 - 11

This lovely Christmas cover from Japan came in today too. I like it a lot. Its got part of a souvenir sheet titled “Greetings – Winter”.
Japan Postal Corporation issued these sets of stamps “Greetings – Winter” to be used on Christmas and New Year greeting cards. The stamps issued in two souvenir sheets feature snowmen dolls on the first and Christmas decorations: snow jewelry (sapphire, emerald, aquamarine, peridot and ruby), glass pairs, candles and candle reindeer stand on the second. I must get my hands on both these sheets.

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Christmas Mail 2013 - 10

The U.S. Postal Service unveiled two Christmas Forever stamps during the American Stamp Dealers Association stamp show in New York on October 11, 2013. Here is one of the two on this lovely cover I received only today.

The new Virgin and Child stamp by Jan Gossaert features a detail of Gossaert’s 1531 oil-on-wood painting, Virgin and Child, from the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This is the second time a Gossaert painting has appeared on a U.S. stamp. In 2002, the U.S. Postal Service issued a Christmas stamp that featured a detail of Gossaert’s circa-1520 oil-on-panel Madonna and Child.

Waiting now for a cover with the other traditional Christmas stamps issue of the year, the Holy Family Forever Stamp.

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Cover - China

A really beautiful cover from China. Received it only today. Its got on it this beautiful complete set of stamps from 2012 and a couple of stamps from 1992.

On August 01 2012, China National Philatelic Corporation issued this set of four special stamps and a souvenir sheet titled "The Silk Road" with a total face value of 10.80 yuan.

The Silk Road is a series of land routes developed by Zhang Qian during his exploration of the West in the Western Han Dynasty, connecting other land routes (and sea routes afterwards) of Mediterranean countries through Gansu and Xinjiang to Central Asia and Western Asia. The Silk Road gets its name from the lucrative Chinese silk trade that took place along this long route.

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Cover - Canada

This cover was sent to me by a dear friend. Unfortunately the cover is slightly damaged. If you look closely there's a tear at the bottom. However the stamps on the cover are intact.

The stamps fit perfectly into my thematic interest of comics/cartoons/animation on stamps. There are five stamps in the set and the stamps were released on September 10, 2013 commemorating the 75th anniversary of Superman's appearance in action comics.

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Cover - Great Britain

This beautiful cover from England came just a week back. Its a nice cover especially because of the clear cancellation on it. Royal Mail rarely puts good or for that matter any cancellation on stamps on cover. See my earlier posts of covers from Great Britain.

The stamps on the cover are from the set of 10 1st class stamps on prehistoric animals issued by Royal Mail on 10th October 2013. The two stamps here depict the Ichthyosaurs and Baryonyx

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Christmas Mail 2013 - 9

This year's Christmas stamps in Canada were issued on October 22, 2013 and the three-stamp issue features Christmas-themed work in cross-stitch, one of the oldest forms of embroidery.

The first stamp on the left of the sheet features an image of a cross-stitched festive holiday horn. Stamp is in denominations of $0.63, the current rate for standard domestic Lettermail.
The second stamp features an image of a cross-stitched prancing reindeer with a holiday wreath. Stamp is in denominations of $1.10, the current rate for standard letters bound for the U.S.

The third stamp features the quintessential image of the holidays – a decorated evergreen tree. These are in denominations of $1.85, the current rate for standard letters bound for the international destinations other than the U.S..

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Christmas Mail 2013 - 8

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Christmas Mail 2013 - 7

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Christmas Mail 2013 - 6

Another lovely Christmas cover and this time from Croatia. The stamps depict a Christmas tree decoration of a lovely coach filigree. Stamp has been issued in 20 stamp sheet and in booklet of 10 self-adhesive stamps and there is also a First Day cover (FDC) issued by Croatian Post. Printed using offset printing in gold colour + gold foil, the cover with the stamp fits well into my unusual and odd shape stamps on cover collection too. Here on the cover are five stamps, both the regular and self-adhesive formats.

Thanks a lot Ivana.

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Cover - Belarus, Country #86

My first cover from Belarus. Not exactly what I would like to receive but nonetheless a first. I like the stamp. It is from a set of four issued on July 9, 2013 depicting a Siberian Tiger from Zoos in Belarus.

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Cover - Indonesia

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Cover - Italy

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Cover - Italy

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Christmas Mail 2013 - 5

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Christmas Mail 2013 - 4

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Christmas Stamps Pack 2013 - Australia

Another pack received in my mail today. This one is a stamp pack of the 2013 christmas stamps and mini-sheet from Australia.

 Front:

Back:

Printed on the back of the pack:
This year's Christmas stamps combine a modern with a more traditional approach. The two stamps in the minisheet depict the biblical story of how shepherds were "out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night". An angel appeared, bringing "good news of a great joy": Christ the lord was born in Bethlehem. The shepherds are shown adoring the child who is in his mother Mary's arms, watched over by Joseph. The other four stamps are a more modern interpretation of the festive season.

The stamps and the sheet inside:

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Christmas Stamps Pack 2013 - Christmas Island

Just arrived in my mail today. A Christmas stamp pack of the latest Christmas stamps from Christmas Island.

Front:

Back:

Printed on the back of the pack:
The Christmas Island Christmas stamp issue takes a colourful approach to the festive season through illustrations of Santa and Christmas Island fauna. The island was named by Captain William Mynors, who sailed past it on 25 December 1643.
Santa has taken to the air, but not in his traditional mode of transport. Here, he rides on the back of a Frigatebird, with a banner streaming out behind him, announcing tidings of the festive season.
In the other design, a Frigatebird and a Red Crab ferry a payload of presents in a hot-air balloon, while Christmas Island can be seen far below in the blue waters of the Indian Ocean. The skies in the minisheet are alive with a menagerie of local inhabitants: Green Turtles, Golden Bosunbirds, Frigatebirds, Abbott’s Boobys, Red Crabs and a Blue Crab.

The stamps and the sheet inside:

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Cover - South Korea

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Table Tennis FDC - China

On September 27, 2013, China national philatelic corporation issued this FDC carrying a set of two special stamps titled "Table Tennis". The stamps depict shot styles in the game and are titled Loop drive and Forehand service respectively.

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Cover - Indonesia

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Cover - Indonesia

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Cover - Indonesia

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Unusual Stamp on Cover - Singapore

This one from Singapore is another great addition to my collection of unusual and odd-shaped stamps on cover. To commemorate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Egypt, a joint stamp issue by Singapore Post featuring Significant Rivers was issued on 17 October 2011. Whats so unusual about these stamps anyway?

To the best of my knowledge these stamps are the longest or widest, as you may call it ever issued in the world so far. From perforation to perforation these measure 16.2 cm. I am hoping to add the Egyptian counterparts of these to my collection soon too. They aren't this long.

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Cover - Indonesia

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Cover - Indonesia

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Cover - Indonesia

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Unusual Stamp from Hongkong on Cover

Recently received this FDC from Hong Kong. A beautiful addition to my collection of unusual and odd-shaped stamps on cover. The FDC and stamp are part of the Special stamp issue - "Hong Kong Buses" released on 24th September 2013.

The $20 Stamp is printed in lithography and has a lenticular effect. Three Euro V buses are set against a backdrop of the magnificent views of Victoria Harbour in the daytime, at twilight and at night to signify the round-the-clock bus services in Hong Kong. Here is a closer look at the stamp.

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Euro V Bus - Hong Kong

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