Laghouat Genocide FDC, Algeria

This first-day cover from Algeria commemorates the 1852 slaughter of more than 3700 residents of the city of Laghouat by the French army. Laghouat was a center of resistance towards French occupation. So on November 21nd of 1852 the French laid siege to the city. And on December 4th the siege ended with the French entering the city to begin the massacre of its residents. This was the first time a chemical weapon had been used on a civilian population. Specifically chloroform (CHCl₃), which is depicted in the postmark.

Loriot FDC, Berlin, Germany

Another cover from Germany commemorating the 100th birth anniversary of comedian, writer and cartoonist Bernhard-Viktor Christoph-Carl von Bülow who published under the pseudonym Loriot. But this time the first-day postmark city is Berlin. Both of the stamps are the gummed variety.

Merry Christmas from Sannohe, Japan

A nice Christmas postmark from the town of Sannohe in northern Japan. I received this a few days ago. The postmark features Santa Claus (a cat) eating a tayaki which is a fish shaped pastry usually filed with sweet red bean paste.

Kenbuchi, Japan

This is from the town of Kenbuchi up in the northern part of Hokkaido, Japan. The town mascot is a llama named Puchi-na, featured in the right side of the postmark. And the frame around the postmark is in the shape of an open book that surrounds the Kenbuchi Picture Book Museum in the center of the postmark (the round structure in the middle of the postmark is part of the museum).

Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, USA

I sent this down there last October. Not much extra going on. Just the postmarks. I'm not really surprised. The US post offices in the Antarctic don't normally put a lot of additional handstamps and markings on outgoing mail. It's all business at the USPS. But at least the postmarks clearly say it came from the South Pole. 

The US post offices in the Antarctic at McMurdo and Amundsen-Scott are operated as APOs : Army Post Offices. The US Air Force has been running a continuous mission to support the National Science Foundation and their actives in the Antarctic which includes delivering the mail. 

Christmas Island, Nova Scotia

I send a few letters to this tiny post office in Nova Scotia every year and I usually include an extra to have sent back to me. The postmark design changes every few years. They are always well applied and available in green or red ink.

Loriot FDC, Germany

Stamps from Germany commemorating the 100th birth anniversary of comedian, writer and cartoonist Bernhard-Viktor Christoph-Carl von Bülow who published under the pseudonym Loriot. On this cover are both gummed and self-adhesive versions of the stamp with first-day postmarks for each.

Scott Base, Ross Dependency

Mail from New Zealand's Scott Base always comes back to me fairly quickly. The US Air Force operates flights between Christchurch and McMurdo Station to support US activities in the Antarctic. And Scott Base is only a few kms away by ice road from McMurdo.

The Ross Dependency stamps from left to right are a 2023 stamp commemorating the planned refurbishment of Scott Base, a 2012 definitive showing Mount Erebus: the southern most active volcano, and finally a 2022 stamp commemorating scientific research involving sea ice. I believe this stamp shows sheets of coloured plastic on the ice used to study they way micro-organisms in the ice survive under different lighting conditions.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Puerto Rico

October was breast cancer awareness month. This cover was postmarked in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is a US territory in the Caribbean Sea.

Casey Station, Australian Antarctic Territory

Australia's Casey Station is one of the three permanent Antarctic research stations managed by the Australian Antarctic Division. It is reachable by air which is why the station is a hub for Australian activities in the Antarctic. And it is also why this cover came back to me so quickly. Quickly as in the same year that I sent it.