A nice little cover from Tel-Aviv. The stamp on the left from 2015 commemorates the importance of military railways during the First World War in what is now Israel. And the stamp on the right from 2003 is from a set that commemorated olive oil production. A festival I believe. I don't think the applied postmark is related to the stamp.
On this cover from Gibraltar is the souvenir sheet from the 2023 "Visit Gibraltar" stamp set, showing Gibraltar's Windsor Bridge. It's a pedestrian suspension bridge with an impressive view of the city and the African coast across the strait.
Sent to me from San Salvador: the capital city of El Salvador. The stamps, which feature images of philatelic covers from the past, and the blue magnifying glass postmark, commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Salvadoran Philatelic Association: AFISAL.
This was sent to me from the village of Colnago in northern Italy. The stamp on the right from 2023 shows a jar of Santa Rosa fruit preserves, from a set of stamps that commemorates popular Italian food brands. And the stamp on the left from 2025 commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Loacker biscuit company. Tasty.
Sent from Gujarat's largest city Ahmedabad. The flower stamps on this cover are from a 2013 set of twelve showing wild flowers from various regions around India. The stamp commemorating Mother Teresa bottom left is a 2009 definitive.
This is a first-day cover for the latest stamp issue in an ongoing series meant to raise awareness about the negative impact residential schools have had on the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. The artwork on these stamps shows three sides of the Brentwood box that was commissioned by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2009. This box was carved from a single piece of red cedar with imagery representing the First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. It was brought to several national events where those looking to heal spiritually could leave items in the box : photographs, books, memorabilia. Thousands of items were placed in the box. It now resides at the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The postmark commemorates the 10th anniversary of the reintroduction of Toyoda Beer by the Ishikawa Brewery Company. It was one of the first beers brewed in Tokyo's Tama region in the 19th century. This new iteration of Toyoda beer is made from 100% locally grown barley. The stamps are Year of the Tiger stamps from 2022.
These stamps and first-day postmark from South Korea commemorate the inauguration of Lee Jae Myung as the 21st president of South Korea. The stamps were issued on his 100th day in office on Sept 11. He's officially the 14th elected president but the 21st person to hold the office.
It hasn't even been a year since the last one. Technically, postal workers here have been on strike for several months but their actions were not having an impact on letter mail. But that changed yesterday after the Canadian government recommended changes to the way Canada Post operates in order to remain solvent. One of the changes is to permit Canada Post to phase out door-to-door delivery. Doing that would mean reducing the workforce and that's a non-starter for the union. So... back to the picket line they go.
The last strike in 2024 was never really resolved. The employees have been working without a collective agreement for nearly two years now. It's hard to imagine when this current strike action will end. The last work stoppage was closer to Christmas and they only returned to work after the government intervened.
From the Brazilian city of Caxias do Sul. The block at the top from 2001 is a WWF issue showcasing Brazil's endemic parrots. And the block below that also from 2001 features old Brazilian automobiles. The little 2005 definitive on the left depicts a showshiner.
From Germany with a nice "Wacken" postmark. Wacken Open Air (W:O:A) is a large annual heavy metal music festival held in the town of Wacken in northern Germany. It typically averages around 85,000 attendees and 2025 was another sold-out year featuring (I believe) 180 bands. The stamp from 2022 features a fire salamander. It's a semi-postal with the added value going to children's benefits.
