AAT Macquarie Island 2011

Isle of Man - Europa, SEPAC and Christmas 2011

Not only is this set the 2011 Christmas issue for the Isle of Man but it also includes their forest themed Europa issue (68p) and their scenery themed SEPAC contribution (58p). Painted by local artist Jeremy Paul, the birds featured on the stamps from least to greatest denomination are a Robin, Redwing, Goldfinch, Siskin, Waxwing and the Long-tailed Tit.

TAAF Joint Issue with St Pierre and Miquelon

A new joint issue for TAAF and SP&M to be issued on 3 November 2011 for TAAF and 8 November 2011 for SP&M. The sheet commemorates the fact that the frigate Forbin passed close to two rare rock formations in French territory: Pointe du Cap Perce on St Pierre in 1978 and L'arche des Kerguelen on Kerguelen Island in 1980.

Both issues are 1.10€ and apart from the names of the territories on the stamps and the order of the names on the sheet, the two issues appear identical. 70,000 sheets for the TAAF issue and 64,000 for the SP&M issue. The fact that the rate is 1.10€ makes me wonder if TAAF postal rates for international small letters has increased from 1.00€.

Ross Dependency 2011 - Race to the Pole

New Zealand Post will be issuing Ross Dependency stamps for 2011 on the 2nd of  November. The set will consist of 5 issues commemorating Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott's separate journeys to reach the South Pole in 1911

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Alaska State Fair Cancel

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands - Frozen Planet

A new commemorative issue for South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. Frozen Planet is a new BBC nature series that documents life in the extreme environment of the polar regions. Some of the footage was filmed in South Georgia. This issue date for this set was 15 September 2011 and consists of a set of 4 stamps and a souvenir sheet. See more here

New TAAF issue for September 2011

The Orre House in St Pierre, Reunion. It is the current residence of the TAAF prefect and is listed as a historical site. Print run is 65,000 copies and this stamp is to be issued on 19 September 2011. You can see the actual house here

Uruguayan research station Artigas

The Uruguayan Antarctic Institute operates Artigas Base on King George Island. It has a maximum summer population of 60 and resides in an ice free zone on the island. King George Island is home to several research stations owned by different nations.

I sent this cover to the base through Punta Arenes, Chile back in September. And I put Chilean stamps on the cover and asked that it be sent back through Frei Base and Correos Chile. It came back in good shape. The back is covered with past Artigas cachets with the one for the season that just ended is on the front.

I sent another cover to Artigas through the IAU in Montevideo with the hopes that it would get down there and back within a year through Correo Uruguayo. For that I had to put Uruguayan stamps on the envelope. I'm looking forward to getting that one back.

Mailing addresses can be found here

Centenary of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition

New AAT stamps coming out 2nd August to start a series commemorating the 100th anniversary of the AAE. The plan is to issue a set of 5 stamps each year leading up to 2014. The first Australian Antarctic Expedition left Hobart in December of 2011 under the command of Douglas Mawson and returned in February 1914.

I like the AAT issues but find acquiring them to be rather expensive. I like to order stamps from the Australia Post stamp shop but shipping is rather expensive and Australian stamp issues tend to go off sale not long after issue so I can never justify the shipping cost for the few issues I want that are available to purchase. But I think I'll find a way to get these. Maybe use them on a cover to one of the bases or something.

Eureka Nunavut Maxi Card

I had to try. And actually, despite a little slip that messed the cancel up a bit the post master did an ok job. It isn't smugged, it's straight and it's well placed. But looking at it now, I have to say I'm not crazy about that stamp. I should have waited for Canada Post to issue something better. I didn't want to use a bigger stamp though and the self-adhessives are so much easier to place. Maybe I'll try again someday when they get a new cancel.

After looking at this postcard a bit, it seems obvious to me now that it is not a real image. Polar bears are solitary animals. They don't spend time together, lying around on the ice. If you look at the bear on the left, clearly he was "added" to the image. He's sitting on the ice yet it looks more like he's sitting in a hole. It was probably an image of a bear sitting in the snow and someone photoshopped him out and onto this image. It's a shame really. as it doesn't add to the image. And now that I know it's fake I can't look at this card without seeing how obvious it is. 

Korea Preserve the Polar Regions 2011

Another "Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers" issue, this time from South Korea. These stamps were issued on 3 June 2011 as a setenant pair in sheets of 20..

French Andorra Europa 2011

This is a self adhesive stamp made with a paper that has a simulated wood grain. At least I think it is simulated. Could it be real wood? It's very thick yet flexible and the ink applied to it is also thick and shinny. It would have been interesting if the stamp was actually made from a wood veener.