OSIRIS-REx sample return FDC, USA

First-Day covers I made for the US OSIRIS-REx stamp that commemorated the successful return of an asteroid sample from space. NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft was launched in September 2016. It took two years to reach the half km wide Asteroid 101955 Bennu. Then spent two years orbiting and studying the asteroid. After a quick touchdown to collect a sample, it left Bennu for a 7 month trip back to Earth.

As OSIRIS-Rex flew by the Earth it released it's 80x50 cm return capsule which landed in the Utah desert at 8:52AM MDT on 24 September 2023 carrying a 70g sample of asteroid rock and dust.

Another Year or the Dragon FDC from Japan

This time it's the Yokohama first-day postmark (横浜 in the text at the bottom of the postmark). The stamps are added value lottery stamps. 

Year of the Dragon FDC, Japan.

From Osaka. The Year of the Dragon starts on February 10th, 2024 and ends on January 28th, 2025. The stamps were designed by stamp artist Ayumi Yoshikawa. On the right is a toy dragon woodblock print by Japanese artist Kawasaki Kyosen. And on the left is an added value lottery stamp.

100th Anniversary of the First Planetarium Projector, FDC

The stamp commemorates 100 years since the worlds first planetarium projector was introduced. The first official public event was at the Deutsches Museum in Munich on October 21, 1923. My flatbed scanner could not capture the metallic foil finish on the stamp. But it is much more apparent in this image taken with my phone.

Vienna, Austria

A Europa 2023 stamp on the right on this cover from Austria. And seven 10c make-up stamps that feature the Bodensee (Lake Constance) lace bonnet.

Finland in NATO and Finnair

On the left is a stamp from celebrating Finland's NATO membership. The stamp was issued on September 9th which was the 350th anniversary of Finnish postal service Posti. And on the right is a stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of Finnish airline Finnair on November 1st.

Traditional Music in Algeria, FDC

First-day postmarked stamps from a recent set about traditional music in Algeria. The stamp on the left shows a Ghayta which is an oboe-type instrument popular in North Africa. And the stamp on the right depicts Urar l'Khalath: ancestral female singing.

UN World Post Day in Voluntari, Romania

This was sent to me from a Postcrosser in Romania who organized a meetup event at the Voluntari Post Office outside of Bucharest, Romania. The event was held to commemorate UN World Post Day on  October 9. He had a special postmark and postcard produced for the occasion. The pair of stamps on the left are Europa 2008 "Letter Writing" stamps. And the label on the right is an image of the postcard that was included in the cover.

Otfried Preußler, Germany FDC

On this cover from Germany are stamps commemorating 100 years since the birth of famous German children's writer Otfried Preußler. The character on the stamps is "The Robber Hotzenplotz" from his popular book series of the same name. Preußler's image appears in the middle of the postmark.

180th Anniversary of the Brazilian Bull's Eye Stamps

The first postage stamps issued by Brazil on the 1st of August, 1843, had the appearance of bull's eyes. This was the second non-local stamp issue in the world with the first being the Penny Black in 1940. These 2023 stamps commemorate the 180th anniversary of the Bull's Eye stamps as part of the UPAEP joint issue for which this years theme is philately and postage stamps.

The Dresden Frauenkirche, FDC

This stamp is part of a series that shows before and after images of famous places in Germany. On this stamp is Frauenkirche in Dresden. It was destroyed by allied bombing during WW2. The stamp shows a famous image of the church ruins from 1957 on the right. And a modern image of the restored church in 2015 on the left.

Royalty in Malaysia

Postmarked at one of Malaysia's national mail centers. The stamp on the left commemorates the 2015 coronation of Sultan Ibrahim Ismail Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar Al-Haj as the the Sultan of Johor. The state of Johor is at the southern end of the Malaysian peninsula and is controlled by a constitutional monarchy. The 2017 stamps on the right commemorate the state visit of the Prince of Wales & Duchess of Cornwall.