Postcard with Komodo dragon sent from Komodo Island, with matching stamp

The Komodo dragon is a species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. A member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae, it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres in rare cases and weighing up to approximately 70 kilograms. This postcard is sent from Komodo Island, one of the 17,508 islands that comprise the Republic of Indonesia.

There is matching komodo stamp on the right side, issued on 12.8.2000. On the left side is also two stamps from set Year of the rooster, issued on 21.1.2017.


Thank you, Wiwiet!

Machu Picchu on postcard from Peru

This is my third postcard from Peru, but second from Machu Picchu. Previous postcard was without hand cancellation, but this one is properly canceled. Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel, located in the Cusco Region. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was constructed as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often mistakenly referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it is the most familiar icon of Inca civilization.

This is complete set The 50th Anniversary of the First Europa Postage Stamps, issued on 24.11.2005.


Thank you, Erick!

Birds of the Year on cover from Estonia

This is cover from Estonia with long running series of stamps Bird of the Year. From 2001 Estonian post every year release one stamp in this series. So, we can see birds from three different years:

Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio), issued on 13.5.2010.
Gray Partridge (Perdix perdix), issued on 7.3.2013.
Black Grouse (Tetrao tetrix), issued on 3.4.2008.

Thank you, Patrik!

Postcard from Heart's Content, Canada

Heart's Content is an incorporated town in Trinity Bay on the Bay de Verde Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The natural harbor that makes up the town is located on the east side of Trinity Bay and it is built along the northeast side and the southeast base of this harbor. Heart's Content is another small Canadian town with nice pictorial postmark.

My friend Trevor sent this Star Trek postcard dedicated to classic episode Amok time, and you can say this postmark and card are matching, cause plot of this episode is: "Suffering through his first infliction of pon farr, the Vulcan biological mating urge, Spock must return to Vulcan to marry his betrothed or he will die. " Nice matching, mate!


Thanks, Trevor!

Cover with personalized stamps from Netherlands

In some countries you can make personalized stamps, and Netherlands is one of them. They use them there quite a lot, and i received some before, but only on postcards. So, this is my first Dutch cover with personalized stamps, and sent from author of this stamps!


Thank you so much, Riek!

Endangered animals in Germany: Harbour porpoise

The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is one of six species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest marine mammals. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers. On this cover you can see both version of stamp Endangered animals in Germany: Harbour porpoise, both gummed and self-adhesive. Stamp is issued on 2.1.2019, and postmarked at World Money Fair, held in Berlin in first three days of February.


Thank you, Holger!

Train on cover from Indonesia

These Indonesian cover is franked with two mini sheets from set Trains, issued on 10.8.1998. It's sent from Bandung, capital of West Java province.

Thank you Lia!

Star Trek postcard sent from Orion, Canada

Orion is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada. The hamlet is located approximately 78 kilometers south of Medicine Hat along Highway 61. You can see wonderful postmark (ruined with machine cancellation) with constellation Orion! Orion is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous and recognizable constellations in the night sky. It was named after Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology. Its brightest stars are the supergiants: blue-white Rigel (Beta Orionis) and red Betelgeuse (Alpha Orionis).

This postmark is perfect match for another Star Trek postcard in my collection, this time dedicated to episode "A piece of the Action". You can see trailer for episode bellow.

Thank you very much, Trevor!

Star Trek: Mirror, Mirror, sent from Mirror, Canada

Mirror is a hamlet in Lacombe County, central Alberta, Canada. It was named for The Daily Mirror of London, England. Founded in 1870, Mirror was incorporated as a village on July 12, 1912 and remained a village until January 1, 2004, when it was dissolved to become a hamlet under the jurisdiction of Lacombe County.

This Star Trek postcard is dedicated to classic episode Mirror, mirror, and it's sent with that fantastic matching postmark.

Thank you so much, Trevor!

International Year of the Periodic Table on cover from Algeria

The Periodic Table of Chemical Elements is one of the most significant achievements in science, capturing the essence not only of chemistry, but also of physics and biology. 1869 is considered as the year of discovery of the Periodic System by Dmitri Mendeleev. 2019 will be the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements and has therefore been proclaimed the "International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT2019)" by the United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO. To mark this event, Algerian Post issued this stamp on 2.1.2019.

There is also two additional definitive stamps on the back, Bordj El Kiffan, issued on 5.8.2015.


Thank you, Hocine!

World Stamp Exhibition THAILAND 2018 - Tourist Destinations

The World Stamp Exhibition in Thailand 2018 was  one of the world'€™s highest-profile philatelic event,  with approximately 2,500 frames of exhibits from all FIP member countries, the total value worth over 4,000 Million Baht (100 Million Euros). There's a three different postmarks on cover, and it's interesting to see year 2561. Thailand use the Thai solar calendar, based on the Gregorian calendar. Four upper stamps on cover are part of set Tourist Destinations,  issued specially for this exhibition on 28.11.2018 (2561!). There's also two definitive stamps: King Rama X, issued on 28.7.2018, and Thai Sala, issued on 15.1.2018.


Thank you very much, Siti!

Solar System on cover from Indonesia

The Solar System is the gravitationally bound planetary system of the Sun and the objects that orbit it, either directly or indirectly. Of the objects that orbit the Sun directly, the largest are the eight planets, with the remainder being smaller objects, such as the five dwarf planets and small Solar System bodies. Of the objects that orbit the Sun indirectly—the moons—two are larger than the smallest planet, Mercury. Indonesian Post issued this beautiful set on 1.1.2001.


Thank you, Irene!

Komodo dragon on cover from Indonesia

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is a species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. A member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae, it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of 3 metres in rare cases and weighing up to approximately 70 kilograms. This beautiful mini sheet is issued on 13.8.2000.


Thank you, Lia!

Cover from McMurdo Station in Antarctica

The McMurdo Station is a United States Antarctic research center on the south tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand-claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the United States Antarctic Program, a branch of the National Science Foundation. The station is the largest community in Antarctica, capable of supporting up to 1,258 residents, and serves as one of three United States Antarctic science facilities. All personnel and cargo going to or coming from Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station first pass through McMurdo. All US mail from Antarctica is processed by United States Air Force, and you can see on postmark military postcode APO AP 96599. And of course, standard US stamps are used, Greetings from South Carolina, issued on 4.4.2002, and Year of the Rooster, issued on 30.12.1992.


Thank you so much, Li Ming, for this great surprise!

Trains of Estonia: Locomotive 3368

I received nice postcard from Estonia with Locomotive 3368. Technical data:
Wheels:     2-10-0
Builder:     Maffei, München
Build Date:     1943
Construction No.:     16494
Driver Diameter:     1400mm
Tractive Effort:     Unknown
Boiler Pressure:     230psi
Cylinders:     600x660mm
Gauge:     1524mm
Location: Estnisches Eisenbahnmuseum

This two fantastic shaped stamps are from set Christmas, issued on 24.11.2017.


Thank you, Patrik!

Map postcard from Honduras

Honduras is a country in Central America. In the past, it was sometimes referred to as "Spanish Honduras" to differentiate it from British Honduras, which later became modern-day Belize. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras, a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea. Honduras was home to several important Mesoamerican cultures, most notably the Maya, before the Spanish invaded in the sixteenth century.

Stamps on postcard:
First stamp is from set Clams and Sea Snails, issued on 19.7.2004.
Yellow-naped Amazon (Amazona auropalliata ssp. caribea), issued on 16.2.2001.
Caesar's mushroom (Amanita caesarea), issued on 6.10.2014.
Hawkwing Conch (Strombus raninus), issued on 19.7.2004.


Thank you, Cesar!

Postcard from Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa that covers 36,125 square kilometres, with an estimated population of 1,815,698. Guinea-Bissau was once part of the kingdom of Gabu, as well as part of the Mali Empire. Parts of this kingdom persisted until the 18th century, while a few others were under some rule by the Portuguese Empire since the 16th century. In the 19th century, it was colonized as Portuguese Guinea. Upon independence, declared in 1973 and recognised in 1974, the name of its capital, Bissau, was added to the country's name to prevent confusion with Guinea. Guinea-Bissau's GDP per capita is one of the lowest in the world, and its Human Development Index is one of the lowest on earth. That's why is this country one of hardest to receive, cause there simply you can't find any collectors there.

Postcard is sent with stamp Coat of arms, issued on 28.7.2011.


Thank you so much, Peter!

Insured registered cover from Serbia with personalized stamps

This is insured registered cover from Serbia, my first with personalized Serbian stamps. This cover is specially made for personalized stamps dedicated to Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS), a state-owned electric utility power company with headquarters in Belgrade, Serbia. It was founded in 1991 and it has around 29,150 employees, making it the largest enterprise in the country.You can see embossed logo of EPS in upper left corner. They issued sheet of 15 stamps in booklet, and all that comes in this cover. You can see two stamps frrm this personalized set on cover (on left side), and complete set Digital Serbia, issued on 7.6.2011, on the left side. There is also one ad stamp on far left, with painting by Serbian painter Branko Vasiljević.

This sheet shows various EPS facilities and daughter companies of EPS, and also EPS logo in the middle. This sheet is only sheet with various stamps issued as a personalized stamps in Serbia. All other issued have only one stamp design per sheet. Sheet is printed in October 2007, print run is 2000 sheets.

I also received this stamps in same cover. First is complete set of Serbia and Montenegro - 50 Years of EUROPA Stamps, issued on 31.3.2005. Last stamp is personalized stamp 58th Zmaj Children Games.


Thanks, Uglješa!

Disney stamps from USA

Five years in a row, from 2004 to 2008, USPS issued Walt Disney Characters series on stamps. I was lucky to receive whole series recently! Here they are, from oldest to newest set!

Stamps arrived in this cover with 3 nice stamps:

Eastern Tailed-Blue Butterfly, issued on 24.9.2016.

Endangered Species - Tiger, issued on 20.9.2011.
Balloons, issued on 31.3.1983.

 

Inside was also this postcard from National Animal series, and as you can see, American bison is national animal of USA.


Thank you, Diana!

The 30th Anniversary of Cross-Strait Exchanges on registered cover from Taiwan

Cross-Strait relations, Mainland–Taiwan relations, or Taiwan–China relations refer to the relationship between the following two political entities, which are separated by the Taiwan Strait in the west Pacific Ocean. Their relationship is complex and controversial due to the dispute on the political status of Taiwan after the administration of Taiwan was transferred from Japan at the end of World War II in 1945 and the subsequent split of China into the above two in 1949 as a result of civil war.
This to stamps set is issued on 20.9.207. to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of Cross-Strait Exchanges. There is also one definitive fruit stamp on left side, issued 18.8.2017.


Thank you, Li Ming!

Kites on cover from Canada

This beautiful set on cover from Canada is Stamp Collecting Month, issued on 1.10.1999. We can see four different types of kites, and kites on stamps are really rare. Through 2000 years of development, kites have taken many forms and have been used for many purposes. Originally flown by the Chinese for military, religious and ceremonial purposes as well as for sport, they were the world's first airborne craft. For many, history's most memorable image of the kite is the moment in 1752 when Benjamin Franklin hung a key from a kite line during a storm to demonstrate the electrical nature of lightning. Many persons have subsequently been killed trying to replicate this experiment. There is also one more stamp Tom Thomson  - Dans le Nord 1915, issued on 31.10.2016.


Thank you, Marie!

Postcard sent from ship MS Berlin during stop in Belize

The Berlin is a small classic cruise ship, with a maximum capacity of 412 passengers. Berlin can stop at small, special ports due to its maneuverability and small size. During one of cruses this postcard was sent during stop in Belize. This ship have it's handstamp, and my friend Wolfgang used it, as you can see on the back of the card.

Two nice postmarks, one from ship, other from post office in Belize. Stamp on postcard is Goff's Caye, from set Ecological and Cultural Heritage, issued on 31.8.2005.


Thank you so much, Wolfgang!

Cover sent from Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, through American military post service

My friend Li Ming arranged this cover for me from Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, sent through American military post in South Pole, as you can see on postmark APO AP 96598. The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station is a United States scientific research station at the South Pole, the southernmost place on the Earth. The station is located on the high plateau of Antarctica at an elevation of 2,835 metres above sea level and is administered by the Division of Polar Programs within the National Science Foundation under the United States Antarctic Program. It is named in honor of Norwegian Roald Amundsen and Englishman Robert F. Scott, who led separate teams that raced to become the first to the South Pole in the early 1900s. Stamp on cover is Christmas Evergreen Wreath, issued on 23.10.2014.


Thank you, Li Ming!

Cover from Scott Base in Ross Dependency

The Ross Dependency is a region of Antarctica defined by a sector originating at the South Pole, passing along longitudes 160° east to 150° west, and terminating at latitude 60° south. It is claimed by New Zealand. The Dependency takes its name from Sir James Clark Ross, who discovered the Ross Sea, and includes part of Victoria Land, and most of the Ross Ice Shelf. Ross Island, Balleny Islands and the small Scott Island also form part of the Dependency, as does the ice-covered Roosevelt Island.

This cover was sent from Scott Base, research facility located at Pram Point on Ross Island near Mount Erebus. The research facility was named in honor of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, leader of two British expeditions to the Ross Sea area of Antarctica. The base was set up as support to field research and the center for research into earth sciences, and now conducts research in many fields, operated by Antarctica New Zealand. By road, the base is 3 kilometers from the larger U.S. McMurdo Station.

First two stamps on cover are from set Life in Antarctica, issued on 20.1.1982. Third stamp is Cape Adare, issued on 21.11.2012.


Thank you so much, Trevor!

China: The 10th Anniversary of Three Direct Links Across the Taiwan Strait

The Three Links was a 1979 proposal from the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China to open up postal, transportation (especially airline), and trade links between China and Taiwan, with the goal of unifying Mainland China and Taiwan. Before the establishment of the "Three Links", communication between the two sides were routed through intermediate destinations, primarily Hong Kong; Macau; Jeju, South Korea and Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The "Three Links" were officially established on 15 December 2008, with the commencement of direct flights, shipping and post.

Stamps on cover:
Wanfeng Peaks Forest, issued on 12.5.2016.
Greeting stamps (two from set of four), issued on 8.8.2013.
The 10th Anniversary of Three Direct Links Across the Taiwan Straits, issued on 15.12.2018.


Thank you, Li Ming!

Copán, UNESCO WHS from Honduras

Copán is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization in the Copán Department of western Honduras, not far from the border with Guatemala. It was the capital city of a major Classic period kingdom from the 5th to 9th centuries AD. The city was in the extreme southeast of the Mesoamerican cultural region, on the frontier with the Isthmo-Colombian cultural region, and was almost surrounded by non-Maya peoples.

Stamps on postcard:
Green Iguana, issued on 6.10.2014.
Hawkwing Conch (Strombus raninus), issued on 19.7.2004.
Airmail - Telethon, issued on 4.12.2003.


Thank you Cesar!

Flags of the World Series: Maldives

The Maldives is a country in South Asia, located in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 1,000 kilometers from the Asian continent. The chain of 26 atolls stretches from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south. Comprising a territory spanning roughly 298 square kilometers, the Maldives is one of the world's most geographically dispersed sovereign states as well as the smallest Asian country by land area and population, with around 427,756 inhabitants. Malé is the capital and the most populated city, traditionally called the "King's Island" for its central location.

Stamp on postcard is from set Marine fauna, issued on 25.5.2018.


Thank you, Kiran!

Flags of the World Series: Peru

Peru is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the west by the Pacific Ocean. Peru is a megadiverse country with habitats ranging from the arid plains of the Pacific coastal region in the west to the peaks of the Andes mountains vertically extending from the north to the southeast of the country to the tropical Amazon Basin rainforest in the east with the Amazon river.

This is my second postcard from Peru, but first with hand cancellation, even though it's a bit pale and unreadable. Stamp on postcard is Christmas stamp, issued on 8.1.2017!


Thank you, Adolf!

Latvian Birds on cover from Riga

This is cover from Latvia, sent from capital city Riga, with two stamps from two different sets from series Latvian Birds. First one is Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava), issued on 14.7.2017. The western yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava) is a small passerine in the wagtail family Motacillidae, which also includes the pipits and longclaws. This species breeds in much of temperate Europe and Asia. It is resident in the milder parts of its range, such as western Europe, but northern and eastern populations migrate to Africa and south Asia. Second stamp is Common Redshank (Tringa totanus), issued on 8.6.2018. The common redshank or simply redshank (Tringa totanus) is a Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae. The genus name Tringa is the New Latin name given to the green sandpiper by Aldrovandus in 1599 based on Ancient Greek trungas, a thrush-sized, white-rumped, tail-bobbing wading bird mentioned by Aristotle.


Thank you, Holger!