From Yokohama, Japan. The stamps are from a set of five marking the 50th anniversary of the return of Okinawa to Japanese control. The stamp on the left represents the culture and entertainment of Okinawa and the stamp on the right represents its history. The US occupied the islands after the end of the Second World War and maintained control of them until 15 May 1972.
From the Hong Kong town of Ma On Shan. The stamp on the left shows the small island Po Pin Chau on the eastern edge of Hong Kong. And the two on the right are 2022 stamps from a set commemorating the third anniversary of the ambitious Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Outline Development Plan. The goal is to integrate these cities around the bay into one large business hub. The area already accounts from something like 12% of China's GDP and 37% of the country's exports.
I know it's from somewhere near Athens but I can't make out the postmark to know exactly. The stamp on the left is a Dusky Grouper from 2012 and on the right is an anti-bullying stamp from 2020. I believe this one specifically deals with social isolation.
From Germany. The postmark commemorates Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton died of a heart attack on 5 January 1922 in South Georgia at the start of the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition. The stamp on this cover was issued in 2001 and shows an image of the RV Polarstern: Germany's polar research vessel.
FDC postmark on a Polar Lights stamp from Germany. Specifically the Northern Lights over Lofoten, Norway. It is the latest stamp in a series that feature celestial events. The 5c definitives on the left are waterlilies but if you look closely you'll notice the flowers are actually made of letters and pencils. Smart. All are 2022 stamps with new matrix codes.
I'm pretty sure I sent this to the Crozet Islands but it came back from St Paul. The stamp at the top shows the Meurthe at Crozet Island so I'm pretty sure I would have sent this there. No matter. Came back intact. Signed by the station postmaster Christophe Bouchet. Also stamped by Romane Nespoulet who mentions her stamp in her blog.
A nice first day cover from South Korea celebrating the birth anniversary of composer Yun Yong-ha.
A selection of New Zealand Christmas stamps from Whanganui, New Zealand.
The stamp on the right has a pair of Steinhendl (Stone Chickens) on it, cancelled with a first-day postmark. Steinhendl is an old breed of chicken that used to be found on farms in the Eastern Alps but it is nearly extinct today. The Stone chicken is a good flyer and I guess it makes more sense to raise chickens that can't easily get away.
Anurans: frogs and toads. These three stamps are from a set of five issued in Brazil in 2021. From top to bottom: a Striped tree frog, a Manaus slender-legged tree frog, and a Monkey tree frog.
Not only does this cover feature a USPS digital color postmark but the two stamps on the right are not die-cut. USPS have been making press sheets of self-adhesive commemorate stamps available without die-cuts for collectors but apparently they sell out quickly.
Three stamps from a set of six issued by Correios in December of 2021. Each stamp represents a group of beneficial insects using watercolour and coloured pencil artwork. From top to bottom: bees, dragonflies and praying mantis.
From the City of Taguig which is part of the Manilla metropolitan area. The stamps were a 2019 joint issue with Singapore celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations. On the right is a Common rose butterfly which is the national butterfly of Singapore. And on the left a Luzon lacewing butterfly which is endemic to the Philippines. The stamp values and "Philippines" are printed in red foil. The stamps are much nicer than they appear in this scan.
Stamps from left to right are an "Occasions" stamp from 2010, a definitive stamp from 2009 and a Healthcare Heroes stamp from 2021. Marsa sits a short distance southwest of Valletta at the end of Malta's Grand Harbour.
From the British Antarctic Survey's Rothera research station and carried aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough (the ship pictued on the stamp). This is the first season in the Antarctic for this vessel.
The 2004 souvenir sheet on this cover from Adelaide Australia commemorates a visit to the Cocos Keeling Islands by Queen Elizabeth in 1954. The islands were transferred to Australia from the UK in 1955. Google street view has fairly good coverage of the islands which surprised me. The population of the two main islands is around 600 which is quite a few more than I thought it would be.
From the Sydney suburb of Fairfield Height. Lots of stamps on this little cover. Clockwise from top left:
From Ahmedabad, India. The top half of a souvenir sheet from 2010. It is a joint issue with Mexico that commemorated 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
From Chișinău, the capital city of Moldova. The stamp on the left is a Moldovan cheese and dill pie from a series about traditional foods. The stamps on the left are from a series about the months of the year as they relate to farming and agriculture.
The stamps on the left are from a 2015 set commemorating the 70th anniversary of China's victory against Japan during World War II. The the two on the right are 2021 Year of the Ox New Years stamps.
Processed through the mail center in Neubrandenbug, in the northeast corner of Germany.
