Saturday, July 27, 2013

Cover - Algeria

My second cover from Algeria and this time its a perfect cover. Complete set of stamps on the cover with cancellations. The last one I received had no cancellations at all.


The stamps on the cover were issued on May 5 2013, depicting antique roman glassware. These were discovered for the first time in Tipaza in 1985. The three different urns depicted on the stamps are:
Roman colourless glass urn
Roman light green glass urn
Roman colourless glass urn with blue handles

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NOTE: Please click on the images for a larger view / closer look.

How I Store my Covers?!!

I always wanted to store my covers in an album and not all in boxes as I have been doing until now. The option of using commercially available albums wasn't a viable one, as most of these albums are all limited to mostly C6 and or DL size of covers.

My covers are of different sizes and I needed to store all of them in an album irrespective of size. I came up with this simple solution or method of using hard thick paper in 4D binders for storing them. What you see in the adjacent picture is two such albums in which I have been able to store some of my covers.

The covers can be placed on the thick stiff paper with the help of photo corners, and the papers can be put inside sheet protectors. All these items (binders, thick stiff paper roll and sheet protectors) are easily available in office stationery stores. The photo corners are not so easy to come by around where I live, but these can be made very easily at home too and I made them myself. As for the paper, I got a roll of the thick paper and had them cut into A4 size pages. This may seem like a lot of work but it isn't really and the end result is very economical and effective.


Here are some pictures of covers in my album. One sheet per country would mean about 200 sheets and three to four albums would be enough to store all your covers. Also if you chose to put covers on both sides of the sheet you could have all your covers put in half the number of sheets and albums. I put a cover per sheet .  In some cases I have three or four covers of the same country put in...a general topic cover, a cover with Christmas stamps on one sheet front and back and another general topic cover, a cover with odd shaped stamps on another sheet front and back.


Needless to mention, I chose only the best covers for the album. Clean covers and or covers with a complete set of stamps, with undamaged stamps and clear clean cancellations. There may be exceptions only in some rare cases but I always attempt to put only the best covers in.





This method is really effective, easy to use and dynamic enough for my needs. The sheet protectors also protect the covers and the albums also make it easy to display my covers to family and friends.

Do feel free to add your thoughts, comments or suggestions
NOTE: Please click on the images for a larger view / closer look.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Cover - USA, The Civil War

With this cover, I now have all the stamps of the civil war series issued so far on cover.


The Civil War: 1861
In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service began a series commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, to pay tribute to the American experience during the tumultuous years from 1861 to 1865.
A souvenir sheet of two stamps is issued each year and will be done through 2015. For 2011, one stamp depicts the beginning of the war in April 1861 at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, while the other depicts the first major battle of the war three months later at Bull Run, near Manassas, Virginia.
Here are both the stamps on cover, another cover I received quite sometime back.

The Civil War: 1862
One stamp depicts the Battle of New Orleans, which was marked on April 24, 1862, by the heroics of Flag Officer David G. Farragut, soon to become the U.S. Navy’s first full admiral.
The other stamp depicts the Battle of Antietam, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s invasion of the North that resulted in the bloodiest day of the war on September 17, 1862.

The Civil War: 1863
One stamp depicts the Battle of Gettysburg, the largest battle of the war, while the other depicts the Battle of Vicksburg, a complex Union campaign to gain control of the Mississippi River.

Do feel free to add your thoughts, comments or suggestions
NOTE: Please click on the images for a larger view / closer look.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Cover - Poland

Another cover with a complete set of stamps. This time its from Poland with the complete set of fresh water flora and fauna from 2004. Thanks Janusz.


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NOTE: Please click on the images for a larger view / closer look.

Cover - Croatia

This cover from Croatia has got three of the four stamps from the 2012 issue of Olive Bee-hawk Moth (WWF). The set of four was issued in a se-tenant strip. 


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Cover - Russia

Cover with complete set of Mig fighters, 2005.


On the top, on the right or left corners of the stamps you can see the names of the MIGs. The MIG 29, MIG 25, MIG-21, MIG-15 and MIG 13.

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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Cover - Malaysia

A beautiful cover from Malaysia. Clean clear cancellation indicating it was sent on 11.7.13. Reached me on 22.7.13. The cover's got a miniature sheet featuring underwater life priced at RM5. The miniature sheet is part of the recent release of "Living Corals in Malaysia" issued on 28 June 2013. It has the table coral design in the background with other corals in the foreground.


Do feel free to add your thoughts, comments or suggestions
NOTE: Please click on the images for a larger view / closer look.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Covers Galore - China

In the last three weeks or so, Ive received six covers from China thanks to a new found friend. I've already put up two of these on the blog before. Here are four more. Beautiful stamps, great cancellations. Though most of these reached me all crumpled, I managed to save them with a little flattening overnight as luckily all the stamps on the covers were intact.





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Sunday, July 7, 2013

Cover - Isle of Man, Country #79

A lovely cover from Isle of Man. Peter also sent me some stamps and a couple or more sheets of IOM for my collection. Thanks a lot Peter.


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Saturday, July 6, 2013

FDC - Taiwan, Country #78

Boaz Chen sent me this lovely FDC from Taiwan. My first cover from Taiwan. Its a complete set of stamps on the cover.


After releasing “Owls of Taiwan” stamp sets in 2011 and 2012, Chunghwa Post has followed up with another set of four stamps released on June 26, 2013 featuring
1. Otus lettia (NT$5)
2. Tyto longimembris (NT$5)
3. Ketupa flavipes (NT$10)
4. Otus elegans botelensis (NT$25)

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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Cover - South Korea

One more from South Korea.


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Cover - South Korea

Cover from Park Choonjong with Slovakia-Korea joint issue stamps. Very neat and clear cancellation.


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Monday, July 1, 2013

Cover - Poland

A beautiful beautiful cover from Poland. I received it just today but it is one of the best covers Ive received so far. What makes it so desirable is the sheet on it.


The miniature sheet is a recent issue. Think it was issued sometime in April earlier this year. It depicts the common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis). Thank you so much Janusz.

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Cover - Mexico, Country #77

I received my first cover from Mexico on Saturday. The cancellations on the cover are smudgy but the stamps are attractive. Thank you Ivan. I will need to get more covers from many of these South-American countries and put aside only the best for my album.


Do feel free to add your thoughts, comments or suggestions
NOTE: Please click on the images for a larger view / closer look.