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.
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.
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.
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.
From the residential area of Toa Payoh in central Singapore. An interesting spray-on postmark. The stamp in the right corner is a 2024 Olympic stamp from a set of 10. This stamp represents sailing.
From Riga, the Latvian capital. On the left is a 2017 stamp commemorating the 500th anniversary of the reformation of the church. And on the right are a pair of Europa "think green" stamps from 2015.
From the Glorieuses: a small group of islands that are part of the French Scattered Islands. Part of the French Southern and Antarctic Territory of TAAF.
Since I'm heading to Osaka tomorrow I should post this Osaka cover I received last week. The stamps are from this year's letter writing day issue, first-day postmarked with the Osaka postmark.
In 2007 the postal administrations a few countries with Arctic interests participated in a joint issue of stamps that recognized the International Polar Year. This souvenir sheet from Finland features a foil snowflake that shimmers. The stamps on the left are from a 2007 set called "Memories of Finland".
The souvenir sheet on this first-day cover from Algeria depicts a caravan of camels carrying weapons for the National Liberation Army across the Sahara desert.
The Indonesian city of Parepare is on the south west coast of the island of Sulawesi. The souviner sheet on the right with the European bunnies is from a 1999 stamp set featuring domesticated animals. And the pair of stamps on the left are year of the rabbit stamps from 2011.
Portugal's greatest poet was Luís de Camões. His death on 10 June 1580 is commemorated every year with a national holiday known a Portugal Day. That's how famous he was. He led an adventurous life and spent many years in Africa and Asia before being taken by the plague. I'm sure some of what I've been reading about his life has been heavily romanticized over the centuries but I still find it very fascinating. Thank you Pedro.
The stamp on this First-Day cover is part of a crypto stamp issue. The stamp features an interpretation of the Cologne Cathedral by the DALL-E AI system. I was confused by the out of place grey box sticking out of the upper left side of the structure but I understand now that it is scaffolding for restoration work. Would have been nice if the AI could have provided an image of what it would look like without the scaffolding.
On July 3rd the Bank of Japan issued three new banknotes with new designs to replace previous designs that were first issued 20 years ago. The new notes are 1000, 5000 and 10000 yen. Japan post issued a sheet of stamps to commemorate this with stamps that feature design elements from the new notes. The stamp on the right features a portrait of Japanese bacteriologist and Nobel prize winner Kitasato Shibasaburō. He is featured on the front of the 1000 yen note with "The Great Wave of Kanagawa" on the reverse. The pattern in the postmark represents one of the anti-theft elements that appears on the notes.
"Baba" referring to Baban-cho: a neighbourhood in the Aoi ward in the city of Shizuoka on the south coast of Japan between Tokyo and Nagoya. The stamps are 2021 Year of the Ox lottery stamps.
A commemorative envelope issued in Germany in 2023 to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of mathematician and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. The stamp at top-right that is pre-printed on the envelope is the 2009 Europa stamp for which the theme was astronomy. The €0.30 label below it is also pre-printed on the envelope (because €0.55 was not enough for domestic postage in 2023).
On this cover is an Alice in Wonderland souvenir sheet commemorating the book's 150th anniversary. It was issued for the channel island of Alderney on behalf of Guernsey Post and postmarked recently in Alderney.
The stamps on this FDC from Algeria commemorate the start of the third agriculture census to be conducted in Algeria during 2024. A group of government enumerates will enter the countryside to record the current state of agricultural production in Algeria and the data gathered will be used to improve policies necessary to ensure food security.
Another post about long delays receiving mail from Antarctic research stations. This showed up a few days ago and I've been trying to figure out when I sent it to myself. The stamp is from 2014 but I know it was well after that. Judging by the address label I used, I'm guessing 2019. I need to keep better records.
A pair of stamps from 2018 commemorating the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, the end of the First World War, on this cover from Christchurch, New Zealand. The stamp on the left represents the air force and on the right, the navy. New Zealand did not have its own air force or navy at the time but did contribute to the war effort as part of the British empire. New Zealand established its own air force and navy in 1937 and 1941 respectively.
From Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao, off the coast of Venezuela. The souvenir sheet commemorates the 35 anniversary of flag of Curaçao which was adopted in 1984. The postmark on the souvenir sheet is the first-day postmark from 2019 although it's hardly a "first day" postmark as this was mailed to me in May of this year.
A first-day postmark applied at Church Creek, Maryland, to a recent Underground Railroad stamp from the USA. This stamp features an image of Harriet Tubman and was one of a set of ten stamps issued to commemorate some of the men and women who either escaped slavery or assisted others to escape. Harriet Tubman escaped slavery and devoted her life to helping others do the same. The underground railroad was a network of secret routes, safe houses and sympathizers used by the enslaved to escape to free states and Canada. Church Creek, Maryland, is home to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park
This is a pair of stamps from a recent set of ten issued by the UK's Royal Mail to commemorate 100 years since the issuing of their first commemorative stamp on 23 April 1924. The first British commemorative stamp was issued on the occasion of the first day of the British Empire Exhibition.
On this cover, postmarked in Alderney, are a pair of Atlantic puffin stamps from 2023. In the middle is a squat lobster stamp from a 2007 set that commemorated the 2005 recognition of the west coast of Alderney as a Ramsar "wetland of importance". And on the right is a 2007 Guernsey definitive that shows rock outcroppings at Albercq on the north short of the island of Guernsey.
