Friday, August 29, 2025

Small collection of stamps from Israel

No postmark on this one. From left to right is a 2017 stamp commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the occupation of Jerusalem, a 1991 stamp commemorating the 14th Hapoei games with karate on the top and table tennis underneath, and a 1990 Memorial Day stamp depicting the artillery corps monument in Zikhron Yaaqov. And then there's the triangle shaped stamp in the bottom corner. That is one quarter of a sheet that was issued in 1957 for TABIL: an international stamp exhibition held in Tel Aviv in September of that year.

Monday, August 25, 2025

Wheat Varieties of Algeria, FDC

This pair of stamps from Algeria was issued on the 27th of July, 2025. On the left is Massinissa Durum Wheat, well suited to growing in Eastern Algeria's interior plains. And on the right is Mawuna Soft Wheat, developed in the Algerian province of Guelma to be resist to extreme environmental conditions and diseases.

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Luminous Nature from Antwerp, Belgium

The stamp on this cover from Antwerp is from a 2024 sheet of 5 stamps that feature things in nature that glow in the dark. On this stamp it's a firefly. The stamp has spots of glow in the dark ink applied to the back-end of the firefly, the denomination (2) and a blob in the bottom right corner which is part of the wing of an insect in the background image on the stamp sheet.


Wednesday, August 13, 2025

National Archaeological Discoveries of Latvia, Europa 2025

On this cover from the Latvian capital of Riga is a 2025 EUROPA stamp showing the Razbuki neck ring. It is an incredibly well preserved example of Roman Iron Age jewelry from the 3rd century.

Monday, August 11, 2025

Celestial Bodies in Our Solar System from Florianópolis, Brazil

I've received a few covers from Brazil now with solar system stamps on them and with this one I have now received a complete set. The stamps were issued in 2020 as a sheet of nine. On this cover are the Sun, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury (the one I was missing) and Uranus.
 

Friday, August 8, 2025

Iqaluit, Canada

From Iqaluit: the capital city of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Situated at the head of Frobisher Bay in the south part of Baffin Island, it is Canada's northern most city. The image in the postmark is an inunnguaq which is a stone marker constructed to resemble a human with legs, arms and a head. These structures have spiritual meaning and are not quite the same as inuksuk which are stone markers without specific human form. Inuksuk are used to mark places or directions.

Monday, August 4, 2025

Sea Life in Japan, FDC

First-day postmarked in Osaka. The two stamps on this cover are from a sheet of 10 issued on 7 July and it is the 9th issue in this annual series that features sea life from the waters around Japan. This year the stamps depict spotted seals.

Friday, August 1, 2025

The Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, Italy

On this cover from Turin is a 2025 stamp depicting the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. It is the oldest basilica in the Western world, founded in the year 324. This stamp is one from a set of four that feature the four papal basilicas in the city of Rome.