Freddie Mercury, FDC Germany

This stamp is the second in Deutsch Post's "Legends of Rock" stamp series. I don't think Freddie Mercury needs any kind of introduction from me. There was a limited edition version of this stamp made of gold selling for €99.90. It has a postage value of €0.85 so it could be used to mail a 20g letter from Germany. Provided you could figure out a way to attach it to an envelope. 

Flowers in Daily Life, FDC Japan

First-day postmarked in Osaka. These are fall greeting stamps from two sheets of ten. The stamp on the left is titled "Around the summer solstice" and the stamp on the right is a dandelion.

 

200 Years of German Immigration in Brazil

Postmarked at the Berlin mail processing center 10. The stamp commemorates 200 years of German emigration to Brazil. Just a standard postmark but I like the little graphic with the outline of the city of Berlin. Just because it's an everyday postmark, doesn't mean it has to be boring. 

Turin, Italy

I just can't read enough of the postmark to pinpoint the post office but the 10148 postal code is a neighbourhood in Turin so that's good enough for me. From left to right, a 2020 stamp featuring the Isola del Tino lighthouse, a 2021 stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Fréjus rail tunnel, and a 2022 stamp from the "Italian artistic and cultural heritage" series featuring "The Passion of Sordevolo". Every five years the citizens of Sordevolo participate in a huge open-air re-enactment of the passion of Christ. Forty performances of 100 days. 

 

Marion Dufresne OP2 2024, Tromelin Island

From the French research and supply ship Marion Dufresne via Tromelin Island in the Scattered Islands of the French Southern and Antarctic Territory. Sent during it's second rotation of 2024 through the islands of Amsterdam, Kerguelen, Crozet and Tromelin. On the front and back are the handstamps of captain Ganor Ginat, information agent Vanessa Larose, chief mechanic Armel Derrien, telecommunication manager Florent Payet and Crozet island chef Anne-Adelaïde Lasbareilles.

Sécurité Civile Canadair FDC

Canadair was an airplane manufacturer in Canada that operated from the 1940's until it's assets were acquired by Bombardier in 1986. The CL-215 scooper, and later the the CL-415 super scooper, is an amphibious aircraft used for aerial firefighting, aka waterbombing. They are able to land on large lakes, glide along the surface and suck up water, and then pick up speed and take off again. The water collected is then dumped to suppress a burning fire or prevent it from spreading.

France's civil defense agency: the Direction générale de la sécurité civile et de la gestion des crises or just sécurité civile, operates 12 of these planes. The first was a CL-215 purchased in 1969. Their current fleet are all CL-415s. LaPost issued a stamp commemorating this fleet in July of 2024.

This card is a little too glossy and was slipped back into the return envelope before the postmark ink was completely dry. So some of it was left in the envelope. I suppose I was really lucky it didn't smear all over the place.

Burundian Parrots

A nice crisp cover from the East African nation of Burundi. I have no idea what city this was sent from as the perfectly applied postmarks are just general post office postmarks. But the stamps are from a 2023 souvenir sheet featuring parrots. On the right is a Psittacus erithacus or grey parrot and on the left is a Poicephalus robustus, or Cape parrot. Although I wonder if it's supposed to be a brown-necked parrot (Poicephalus fuscicollis) which can be found in Burundi. The cape parrot is endemic to South Africa.

Fruit from India

The strip of stamps is from a sheet of 12 that showcases fruits grown in different regions of India. From left to right, Mahabaleshwar Strawberries, Allahabadi Surkha Guava, Shahi Litchi and Naga Tree Tomatoes aka Tamarillo, which is a member the nightshade family.

German Reptiles for the Youth

First-day postmarked in Berlin, the stamps on this cover are surcharged in support of youth services. The reptiles featured are all native to Germany. On the right is an Eastern green lizzard, a grass snake top left and a European pond turtle bottom left. All three are considered endangered in Germany. 

Pratovecchio, Italy

Three stamps from 2023 on this cover from the Tuscan commune of Pratovecchio. At the bottom are  stamps commemorating the 100th birth anniversary of Italian film director, producer and politician Franco Zeffirelli, and the 120th birth anniversary of Italian economist Pasquale Saraceno. And the top stamp is an International Women's Day stamp commemorating women entrepreneurs. 

Polch, Germany

From the Rhineland-Palatinate town of Polch. The stamp top right features the Hulk on a 2024 Marvel "Superheros" stamp. I've seen Ironman and Spiderman on stamps from prior years. I assume this one is part of an annual series. The sticker on the bottom left: "Gemeinsam für den Frieden" (together for peace), refers to an initiative by the Volksbund, the German war graves commission, to collect funds to support their work.

Shaker Design, USA FDC

A nice FDC from the States. Three stamps from a set of 12 issued on 20 June 2024 to coincide with the arrival of the first Shakers in the Americas. Shakers, aka United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, were a Christian sect founded in the mid 18th century. The stamps in the set depict iconic examples of Shaker design: minimalist with high quality craftsmanship.