Friday, May 31, 2013

Germany - Europa 2013

This first day cover from Germany has a pair of 2013 Europa stamps on it. Postal Vehicles are the theme for the Europa series this year. Thanks Martin.


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

London England with a Doctor Who postmark

This cover from the UK, with a pair of 2012 Olympic stamps on it, is postmarked with the Sci-Fi Collector's Doctor Who postmark. It doesn't actually refer to the show but the image of the police box in the postmark is the Doctor's time machine : the TARDIS. The BBC are very protective of Doctor Who and were requesting fairly large licensing fees of those wishing to create commemorate postmarks to go along with the Doctor Who stamp issues. So groups like Sci-Fi Collector (a store in London specializing in Doctor Who memorabilia) left out the reference to "Doctor Who" in their postmark design to avoid the licensing fee.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Brazil - World Youth Day

The stamps on this cover from Brazil commemorate the coming of World Youth Day, to be held in Rio de Janerio, 23-28 July 2013. The last few events have been held every 3 years but 2014 is a World Cup year (to be held in Brazil) and they didn't want a conflict. World Youth Day is organized by the Catholic church and this year Pope Francis will be in attendance.


Sunday, May 26, 2013

Harrogate, England

This cover is postmarked with the Royal Mail's Harrogate postmark. I believe the image on the postmark is that of the Royal Pump Room in Harrogate. It's currently a museum but at one time would have pumped sulphur water for a health spa.


One of the stamps commemorates the "College of Arms Quincentenary" in 1984 (500 years). The Colleage of Arms is the official archive of Commonwealth family coats of arms. The other stamp is the (much) more recent Bobby Moore stamp from Royal Mail's Football Hero's stamp set issued on 9 May 2013. Bobby Moore is considered to be one of the greatest football players of all time.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Great Britons

This was cancelled at one of the Special Handstamp Centers but I can't make out which one. The two stamps are from the the Royal Mail's "Great Britons" set issued in April 2013. John Archer : the prize-winning photographer who became the first Afro-Caribbean London Mayor, and Benjamin Britten : One of the UK’s finest classical composers.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

USA, Modern Art FDC

The stamps on this cover are from the "Modern art in America 1913-1931" series: American Landscape (1930) by Charles Sheeler, Painting, Number 5 (1914-15) by Marsden Hartley, and Brooklyn Bridge (1919-1920) by Joseph Stella.


Hartley's "Number 5" is an abstract portrait of a German officer, Karl von Freyburg, who died during the First World War. And Stella's "Brooklyn Bridge" is suppose to represent the tension between technology and spirituality.