Dinosaur on registered cover from China

This mini sheet is part of set Chinese Dinosaurs. I received bigger sheet from this set before, and you can see it here. So, I finally got smaller sheet, with one, but big and very nice stamp featuring Mamenchisaurus. Mamenchisaurus is a sauropod dinosaur genus including several species, known for their remarkably long necks which made up half the total body length. It is known from numerous species which ranged in time from 160 to 145 million years ago, from the Oxfordian to Tithonian ages of the late Jurassic Period of China, and the largest species may have reached 35 m in length and possibly weighed 50 to 75 tons. This set is issued on 19.5.2017.

Rest of stamps on cover:
Wanfeng Peaks Forest, issued on 12.5.2016.
And rest are from set Greeting Stamps, issued on 8.8.2013.


Thank you Li Ming!

Cover from Vanuatu

I received my first cover from Vanuatu, a Pacific island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is 1,750 kilometres east of northern Australia, 540 kilometres northeast of New Caledonia, east of New Guinea, southeast of the Solomon Islands, and west of Fiji. The prehistory of Vanuatu is obscure; archaeological evidence supports the theory that people speaking Austronesian languages first came to the islands about 3,300 years ago. Pottery fragments have been found dating to 1300–1100 BC. In the 1880s, France and the United Kingdom claimed parts of the archipelago, and in 1906, they agreed on a framework for jointly managing the archipelago as the New Hebrides through an Anglo–French condominium. An independence movement arose in the 1970s, and the Republic of Vanuatu was founded in 1980.

Stamps on cover:
Olympic Games - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, issued on 11.5.2016.
And two stamps from WWF set Giant Grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus), issued on 4.10.2006.


Thank you Jinesh!

Postcard from Eritrea, missent to India

Eritrea is a country in the Horn of Africa, with its capital at Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast. Name Eritrea is based on the Greek name for the Red Sea, which was first adopted for Italian Eritrea in 1890. At Buya in Eritrea, one of the oldest hominids representing a possible link between Homo erectus and an archaic Homo sapiens was found by Italian scientists. Dated to over 1 million years old, it is the oldest skeletal find of its kind and provides a link between hominids and the earliest anatomically modern humans. It is believed that the section of the Danakil Depression in Eritrea was also a major player in terms of human evolution, and may contain other traces of evolution from Homo erectus hominids to anatomically modern humans.

This postcard was missent to India, so i have cancellations from two countries and two nice stamps on this card:
First one is from set Progress and National Symbols, issued on 17.3.2000.
Second is from set Paintings by Ghide Ghebremicael, issued on 12.7.2004.


Thank you Burak!

Stamps from Azores

I received wonderful cover from Azores with one mini sheet and four stamp sets. Cover was sent from Angra do Heroismo, and on this beautiful mini sheet you can see old map of Angra do Heroismo, and this historic city center is today UNESCO World Heritage Site. Mini sheet was issued on 4.6.2001.

All this 3 stamp sets are dedicated to transportation:
Inter-island Transport, issued on 15.11.1991.
Means of transportation, issued on 7.11.1986.
Transport of the Azores - Ships, issued on 7.10.1992.

This stamps set is also dedicated to UNESCO World Heritage - Angra do Heroismo, and is released on 4.6.2001.

Inside cover were also two postcards. This one shows Praia da Vitória (translated as the Beach of the Victory), the second largest administrative authority on the island of Terceira.

And this postcard shows fumaroles on Terceira Island, one of the larger islands of the archipelago, which capitol city is  Angra do Heroísmo.

Stamps on cover:
Café Athanásio, historic café from Azores, issued on 27.10.2016.
Azores Handicraft (ceramics), issued on 8.5.2015.
Traditional Portuguese Festivals, issued on 21.2.2011.


Thank you Maria!

Azores: Pico Island

This is postcard from Portuguese Autonomous Region of the Azores, my last missing country/territory/region from Europe which have own postal system or stamps. Correios de Portugal have separate stamps for Azores and Madeira, but you can also use stamps intended for use in continental Portugal. On this postcard you can see Pico Island, part of Central Group of the Portuguese Azores. The landscape features an eponymous volcano, Ponta do Pico, which is the highest mountain in Portugal, the Azores, and the highest elevation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In the tradition of the Portuguese poet, Raul Brandão, Pico is referred to as the Ilha Preta ("Black Island"), for its black volcanic earth, responsible for its UNESCO-designated historical vineyards that allowed the development of the island.

Sender used mixed stamps, first for continental Portugal, second for Azores. But on first stamp is Café Athanásio, historic café from Azores, issued on 27.10.2016. Second stamp is from set Azores Handicraft (ceramics), issued on 8.5.2015.


Thank you very much Maria!

Formula 1 stamps from Monaco

Monaco have long history of F1 Grand Prix races, with first race organized in 1929.  Monaco F1 street circuit is today most prestigious race in F1 calendar. So it's not surprise to see many Formula 1 related stamps in Monaco. Last few years they regularly issue stamps related to this sport, and i recently received few F1 sets from Monaco:


Formula 1 Legends - Jim Clark and his Lotus 33 (1965)
Formula 1 Legends - James Hunt and his MacLaren M23 (1976), issued on 8.3.2017.
Legendary Race Cars - Matra MS80 (1969) and Ferrari 156 (1961), issued on 8.3.2017.

Thank you Ismael!

France: Heroes of World War I ATM label

I received cover from France with two ATM labels. Postmarks shows this cover was sent from stamp shop Le Carré d'Encre in Paris. First label is issued for Paris-Philex 2018 stamp show. On this label you can see four portraits of heroes of the World War I. Label is designed by Paul Flickinger. Second label is additional value for full postage for this cover.

Thank you Ismael!

Faroe Islands: Mykines

Mykines is the westernmost of the 18 main islands of the Faroe Archipelago. The only settlement on the island is also called Mykines. It has been suggested that the name Mykines is pre-Norse in origin, coming from muc-innis, a Celtic term for pig island. This may be a reference to whales, which are known as muc-mhara (sea sows) in Gaelic.

Stamps on postcard:
Landscapes: Village of Syðrugøta, issued on 13.2.2006.
75th Anniversary of The Faroese National Flag, issued on 24.4.2015.


Thank you Wolfgang!

Spain: Catalan folk costume

We received unique postcard from Spain, young couple in traditional Catalan folk costume. Postcard itself is usual postcard, but dress (pubbila) is made of real and very fine cloth. A pubilla in ancestral Catalan tradition was the female that would inherit the whole rural estate in the absence of a brother. Boy wears male version of inheritance clothing - d'Hereu.

Postcard arrived in cover with stamp Europa CEPT 2017 Castle Manzanares el Real, Madrid, but cover is not cancelled.


Thank you Tajana & Kristijan!

Greetings from series: Seychelles

Seychelles is an archipelago and sovereign state in the Indian Ocean. The capital of the 115-island country, Victoria, lies 1,500 kilometres east of mainland East Africa. With a population of roughly 94,228, it has the smallest population of any sovereign African country. The Seychelles were uninhabited throughout most of recorded history. Some scholars assume that Austronesian seafarers and later Maldivian and Arab traders were the first to visit the uninhabited Seychelles. This assumption is based on the discovery of tombs, visible until 1910. Independence was granted in 1976 as a republic within the Commonwealth.

Stamps on postcard: The 100th Anniversary of Lions Clubs International, issued on 30.5.2017.


Thank you Anastasia!