Classic Santa Claus on cover from USA

USPS issued four stamps and a souvenir sheet showcasing classic images of Santa Claus painted by famed commercial artist Haddon Sundblom. Each stamp portrays a close-up of Santa’s face. The four images featured in the booklet are details from larger paintings created by Sundblom and originally published in ads for The Coca-Cola Company from the 1940s through the early 1960s. Sundblom is the man credited with refining the modern image of Santa Claus. The souvenir sheet includes a semi-jumbo stamp as part of a wider scene of one of Sundblom's paintings chosen for the Sparkling Holidays stamp booklet. In it, Santa is depicted standing by a fireplace holding a book that lists good boys and girls. Stamps are released on 11.10.2018.

Inside cover was this mint minisheet.

Thank you so much Carlos!

Cover from New Caledonia

I received my first cover from New Caledonia, a special collectivity of France in the southwest Pacific Ocean, located to the south of Vanuatu, about 1,210 km east of Australia and 20,000 km from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Chesterfield Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of Pines, and a few remote islets. The capital of the territory is Nouméa.

Cover was sent from 72nd Autumn Philatelic fair in Paris to New Caledonia, and then it's postmarked and sent back to me. Sender used one beautiful stamp The 20th Anniversary of the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre, issued on 7.5.2018.


Thank you so much Eric!

Year of the Pig on First day cover from Liechtenstein

The Pig is the twelfth of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. Pig was late because he overslept. Another story says that a wolf destroyed his house. He had to rebuild his home before he could set off. When he arrived, he was the last one and could only take twelfth place. In Chinese culture, pigs are the symbol of wealth. Their chubby faces and big ears are signs of fortune as well. Liechtensteinische Post AG is one of many postal operators which issue stamps with Chinese zodiac signs, and they were one first to issue stamps dedicated to Year of the Pig on 12.11.2018.


Thank you Mirek!

Fauna cover from Indonesia

I received another wonderful cover from Indonesia, with 3 beautiful animals on stamps and one flower stamp. First se-tenant pair of stamps is pair of cuscuses. First one is Common Spotted Cuscus (Phalanger maculatus), and second is Sulawesi Bear Cuscus (Phalanger ursinus). This pair is issued on 22.3.1996. Third stamp is Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus), from set Flora and Fauna, issued on 5.11.1998. And the last one, on bottom, is 50th Anniversary of ASEAN - National Flowers, issued on 8.8.2017.


Thank you Irene!

Turkey: Nature Protection 2018

This beautiful Turkish cover is from series Nature Protection, and is dedicated Sultan Reedy National Park, established on March 17, 2006, and it's located in central Turkey. Sultan Reedy National Park  has important freshwater bodies and salt springs. It is one of the rare ecosystems which have both freshwater lakes and salty lakes, and it is also important for nearly extinct bird species which live in the national park. Since Sultan Reedy is on migration routes, and is an important region for these species to take shelter and reproduce, it is included by the Ramsar Convention, which is for protecting the wet lands which are important internationally for water birds. More than 130.000 water birds and 251 different bird species place a particular importance to the national park. This beautiful flamingo minisheet is issued on 26.9.2018.


Thank you Jean!

USA: All American Presidents

I received an interesting postcard with all presidents from USA, 45 of them. The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term by the people through the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.

Nice matching stamps:
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in April 1865, issued on 12.2.2014.
Uncle Sam's Hat, issued on 18.2.2017.
Patriotic waves, issued on 12.1.2015.


Thank you Charlotte!

Damaged cover from Czech Republic

I received damaged and torn cover from Czech Republic. It's completely opened on left side, but I'm really surprised, because minisheet from inside is completely untouched! Such a shame, this would be nice cover for my collection.

Stamps on cover:
Definitive flower stamp Lily of the valley, issued on 20.6.2018.
Definitive flower stamp Tropaeolum, issued on 5.9.2007.
St. Martin’s Day, issued on 24.10.2018.

And this arrived undamaged in cover: minisheet International Philatelic Exhibition PRAGA 2008 and WIPA '08, Joint issue with Austria, issued on 12.9.2008.


Thank you Katarina!

Postcard from Tarawa, capital of Kiribati

Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, in the central Pacific Ocean. It comprises North Tarawa, which has much in common with other, more remote islands of the Gilberts group; and South Tarawa, which is home to 56,284 people as of 2010 – half of the country's total population. The atoll is best known by outsiders as the site of the Battle of Tarawa during World War II.

This two fantastic stamps are from set Whales and Dolphins, issued on 1.10.1998.


Thank you Wolfgang!

Russia: Zabivaka, the official mascot of the 2018 FIFA World Cup

This postcard was probably stuck long time somewhere in postal system. It arrived damaged and after many months of traveling. Zabivaka (Russian: Забива́ка, "Goalscorer") is the official mascot of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Russia. The mascot was selected by internet voting in Russia, and its author is student designer Ekaterina Bocharova.

Stamps on postcard:
Novgorod Kremlin, issued on 1.10.2009.
FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia - Group E, issued on 10.5.2018.


Thank you Olga!

100 years since the WW1 Armistice, on cover from Compiègne, France

The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice that ended fighting on land, sea and air in World War I between the Allies and their opponent, Germany. Previous armistices had been agreed with Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Also known as the Armistice of Compiègne from the place where it was signed at 5:45 a.m. by the French Marshal Foch, it came into force at 11:00 a.m. Paris time on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a defeat for Germany, although not formally a surrender. French post celebrated this event with special postmark in Compiègne on that day.


Thank you Axel!

Indonesia: Participation in United Nations Peacekeeping Missions

Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role held by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations as "a unique and dynamic instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace." Indonesia is one of the countries which provides personnel for many peacekeeping operations, so they issued this nice stamp set on 5.10.2013. to commemorate their involvement. 


Thank you Juned!

50th Anniversary of The first Europa issue on registered cover from Republika Srpska

In 2005 and 2006, many European postal operators (and some outside Europe), decided to celebrate 50th Anniversary of Europa CEPT stamps. Many of them issued stamps both in sheetlets and minisheeets, and also imperforated versions, and same thing did Post of Republika Srpska on 30.8.2005. I had several copies of this minisheet, and my friend from Istočno Sarajevo, capital city of Republika Srpska, helped me and sent me this cover. Thank you Goran!

Indonesian Railways on First Day Cover

 

 On 28th September 2018, Indonesian Post issued stamps and First Day Cover dedicated do Indonesian Railways. On first stamp you can see rail clinic and on second is light rail transit, and these stamps are cancelled with superb tricolored postmark, which represents conductor hat!
The majority of Indonesia's railways are on Java, used for both passenger and freight transport. There are three noncontinuous railway networks in Sumatra (Aceh and North Sumatra; West Sumatra; South Sumatra and Lampung) with two new networks is being developed in Kalimantan and Sulawesi. Indonesia has finalized its plan for a national railway network recently. According to the plan, 3,200 km of train tracks that will criss-cross the islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi, it has been touted as the most extensive railway project in Indonesia since its independence from the Dutch in 1945.

Thank you Jc Lee!

Flags of the World Series: French Polynesia

French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of the French Republic. It is composed of 118 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over an expanse of more than 2,000 kilometers in the South Pacific Ocean. Following the Great Polynesian Migration, European explorers visited the islands of French Polynesia on several occasions. Traders and whaling ships also visited. In 1842, the French took over the islands and established a French protectorate they called Etablissements des français en Océanie (EFO). In 1946, the EFOs became an overseas territory under the constitution of the French Fourth Republic, and Polynesians were granted the right to vote through citizenship. In 1957, the EFOs were renamed French Polynesia. Since 28 March 2003, French Polynesia has been an overseas collectivity of the French Republic.

Stamps on postcard:
First and third stamps are from set The 60th Anniversary of D'Air Tahiti, issued on 11.1.2018.
Second stamp is Aviation in French Polynesia, issued on 17.2.2017.


Thank you Ismael.

The 80th Anniversary of the Financial Guardian Historical Museum

I received this cover from Italy with stamp The 80th Anniversary of the Financial Guardian Historical Museum, issued on 21.11.2017. This theme is not common for museums or stamps. Stamp depicts in the foreground an officer's jacket from the Royal Guardia di Finanza and, in the background, bordered on the upper right by a tricolor band, the entrance to the Historical Museum of the Guardia di Finanza (Museum of Italy's Customs Service) in Rome. Sender also used meter label worth 1,15 € for additional postage.

Thank you Marcello!

The Big Five series on cover from Tanzania

I received wonderful cover from Tanzania with minisheet The Big Five series, issued on 30.7.2013. They issued five stamps on minisheets, and this one is with African bush elephants. The Big Five is name in Africa, for five big animals: the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo. The term was coined by big-game hunters, and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot, but is now also widely used by safari tour operators. Africa's Big Five have become major concerns for wildlife conservationists in recent years. The African lion, African leopard and African bush elephant are all classified as vulnerable. The southern white rhinoceros is classified as near threatened while the black rhinoceros is classified as critically endangered, so hunting them is greatly restricted for the latter.



Thank you very much Henrik!

Cover from Uruguay

I received my first cover from Uruguay, country in the southeastern region of South America. It borders Argentina to its west and Brazil to its north and east, with the Río de la Plata to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. Uruguay is home to an estimated 3.44 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Montevideo. With an area of approximately 176,000 square kilometers, Uruguay is geographically the second-smallest nation in South America, after Suriname. Stamp on cover is one of two stamps from Mercosur Issue : National Museum, issued on 28.8.2018.

Inside cover was this beautiful minisheet International Conference on Small Bodies of the Solar System, in Montevideo, Uruguay, issued on 9.4.2017.


Thank you Jorge!

Taiwan: Juguang Tower in Kinmen

Juguang Tower was completed in 1953, originally built to commemorate the battles of Guningtou and the 823 Artillery War (aka Second Taiwan Strait Crisis), two battles in which the KMT forces held back the Communists from invasion. It was built in Nanjing style, the original capital of the ROC. The tower is three stories high with galleries and historic exhibits throughout its halls. Now the tower also has many exhibitions featuring the local art and culture of the Kinmen people.  Often it is the first stop for tourists visiting Kinmen.

Nice red postmark and 3 wonderful stamps on postcard:
Fruit definitives: Annona × atemoya and Litchi, issued on 28.1.2016.
Non-denominated Postage Stamp, issued on 1.8.2017.


Thank you Li Ming!

Locomotives on cover from Croatia

Croatian Post issued set with two stamps with locomotives on 5.10.2018. On left stamp is Steam Locomotive No. 7,  built to pull light passenger and mixed trains at low railways. Small in terms of dimensions, but light and fast, the locomotive was simple to maintain. Locomotive no. 7 had flat steam valves, a Heusinger steering wheel and a lever handbrake. This type of a locomotive was built in the Orenstein and Koppel factories in Berlin Drewitz between 1923 and 1930. Today, the steam locomotive no. 7 can be seen at the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum in Zagreb. The locomotive's power is 44 kW (60 KSi), its length is 6380 mm, empty locomotive mass is 10 t, operating locomotive mass is 12 t, water tank is 2.5 m3, coal supply is 0.5 t, and the greatest permitted speed is 25 km/h.

On second stamp you can see Diesel-electrical Motor Train DEV I. The construction of the first aluminium train was instigated by Milan Holjevac, an engineer and the Director of Gradska željeznica Zagreb that was operating on the Samobor Railway from 1950. The train's drive was combined and realised with a four-stroke diesel motor with six cylinders of the FR type and the 140 KS power manufactured in the Famos factory in Sarajevo and electrical engine motor manufactured in the Končar factory in Zagreb. Due to its attractive appearance and aerodynamic shape, the aluminium trains got their popular nickname – Silver Arrows. Three years after the transport was abolished on the Samobor Railway, in 1983 all four aluminum train compositions were disassembled. Only one motor wagon in a very bad state managed to escape the scrap yard. Train length is 46.1 m, width is 2.5 m, height is 3.3 m, mass is 42.2 t, the greatest axle load bearing is 5.5 t, and the highest speed is 60 km/h

Thank you Maja!

Postcard from Saint Martin

Saint Martin (French: Saint-Martin; Dutch: Sint Maarten) is an island in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately 300 km east of Puerto Rico. The 87-square-kilometre island is divided roughly 60/40 between the French Republic (53 km2) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (34 km2), but the two parts are roughly equal in population. The division dates to 1648. The southern Dutch part comprises Sint Maarten and is one of four constituent countries that form the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The northern French part comprises the Collectivity of Saint Martin and is an overseas collectivity of France. This card is sent from French part of the island, and on card you can see Simpson Bay, which is also divided between two sides.

Saint Martin used regular French stamps, unlike Dutch part,witch have their own stamps. Stamp on postcard is The 100th Anniversary of the Death of Sully Prudhomme, issued on 19.9.2007.


Thank you so much Wolfgang!

Flags of the World Series: Taiwan

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, is a state in East Asia. Its neighbors include the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. It is the most populous state and largest economy that is not a member of the United Nations. The Chinese Civil War led to the ROC's loss of the mainland to the Communists, and the flight of the ROC government to Taiwan in 1949. Although the ROC continued to claim to be the legitimate government of China, its effective jurisdiction had, since the loss of Hainan in 1950, been limited to Taiwan and several small islands, with the main island making up 99% of its de facto territory. As a founding member of the United Nations, the ROC represented China at the UN until 1971, when it lost its seat to the PRC.

Stamp on postcard is Regalecus glesne (The giant oarfish), from set Deep-Sea Creatures in Taiwan, issued on 12.12.2012.


Thank you Brendan!

Cover from Japan

This is another cover from Japan, sent from Mukojima in Tokyo, on 5th October 2018, with two special cancellations dedicated to trains and regular postmark. It's interesting to see Japanese year on special cancellations, which is now in The Heisei period. The Heisei period started on , 11 of January 1989 after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, when his son, Akihito, acceded to the throne as the 125th Emperor. The Heisei period will likely end on 30 April 2019 (Heisei 31), the date on which Emperor Akihito is expected to abdicate the Chrysanthemum Throne. On regular postmark you can see regular solar year date 2018.

Two stamps are used on cover:
Mount Myoko Across Lake Nojiri, issued on 15.3.1965.
Jules Rimet Cup, from set (FIFA World Cup Historical Posters & Jules Rimet Cup), issued on 31.5.2010.




Thank you Li Ming!

Postcard from Lhasa, capital of Tibet

Lhasa is a city and the administrative capital of the prefecture-level city Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region of China.  Tibetan Buddhism and monastic life have been dominant aspects of the local culture since the 7th century. Most of the monasteries were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, but since then many have been restored and serve as tourist attractions. The prefecture-level city roughly corresponds to the basin of the Lhasa River, a major tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. It lies on the Lhasa terrane, the last unit of crust to accrete to the Eurasian plate before the continent of India collided with Asia about 50 million years ago and pushed up the Himalayas. The terrain is high, contains a complex pattern of faults and is tectonically active. The temperature is generally warm in summer and rises above freezing on sunny days in winter. Most of the rain falls in summer. The upland areas and northern grasslands are used for grazing yaks, sheep and goats, while the river valleys support agriculture with crops such as barley, wheat and vegetables. Wildlife is not abundant, but includes the rare snow leopard and black-necked crane.

Stamps on postcard:
Children’s Games, issued on 31.5.2018.
Conservation of water, issued on 1.4.2002.
Greeting Card Stamp, issued on 8.8.2013.


Thank you Li Ming!

Map postcard from Gagauzia

Gagauzia or Gagauz Yeri is an autonomous region of Moldova. Its name comes from the Gagauz people. According to some theories, the Gagauz people descend from the Seljuq Turks who settled in Dobruja following the Anatolian Seljuq Sultan Izzeddin Keykavus II (1236–1276). They may be descended from Pechenegs, Uz (Oghuz) and Cuman (Kipchak) peoples. According to other theories, Gagauz are descendants of Kutrigur Bulgarians. In the official Gagauz museum, a plaque mentions that one of the two main theories is that they descend from the Bulgars.

Support for the Soviet Union remained high in Gagauzia, with a referendum in March 1991 returning an almost unanimous vote in favor of remaining part of the USSR. Many Gagauz supported the Moscow coup attempt in August 1991, and Gagauzia declared itself an independent republic on 19 August 1991. On 2 February 2014, Gagauzia held a referendum. An overwhelming majority of voters opted for closer ties with Russia over EU integration. They also said they preferred the independence of Gagauzia if Moldova chooses to enter the EU.

Gagauzia doesn't have separate postal system, they use Moldovan post and Moldovan stamps.


Thank you Patrik!

Sbiba Festival on cover from Algeria

The inhabitants of the town of  Djanet, in the state of Illizi (Algerian south), celebrate the Sbiba that took place in the Doghia Square.It is an annual festival originating in the ancient history of the war waged by the two main Tuareg tribes of Tassili N'adjjers and the Pact of Peace which they will sign after years of confrontation. This festival is held since the first day of the year of the Hegira (Moharrem) until the day of the Ashura, on the initiative of the Office of the Tassili National Park (OPNT) and the town of Djanet (the capital of Tassili). All the inhabitants are dressed in their finest traditional costumes with colorful colors. This two beautiful stamps are issued on 27.9.2018. Additional stamp is  High Commission for Amazigh, issued on 27.5.2014.


Thank you Hocine!

Postcard from Transnistria

Transnistria, officially the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, is an unrecognised state which split off from Moldova after the dissolution of the USSR and mostly consists of a narrow strip of land between the river Dniester and the territory of Ukraine. Transnistria has been recognised only by three other mostly non-recognised states: Abkhazia, Artsakh, and South Ossetia. The region is considered by the UN to be part of Moldova.

After the dissolution of the USSR, tensions between Moldova and the breakaway Transnistrian territory escalated into a military conflict that started in March 1992 and was concluded by a ceasefire in July of the same year. As part of that agreement, a three-party (Russia, Moldova, Transnistria) Joint Control Commission supervises the security arrangements in the demilitarised zone, comprising twenty localities on both sides of the river. Although the ceasefire has held, the territory's political status remains unresolved: Transnistria is an unrecognised but de facto independent semi-presidential republic with its own government, parliament, military, police, postal system, currency and vehicle registration. Its authorities have adopted a constitution, flag, national anthem and coat of arms. It is the only country still using the hammer and sickle on its flag.

Even though PMR have it's own stamps, all their mail goes through Moldovan postal system, which don't recognize their stamps, so sender user regular Moldovan stamp when he sent this map postcard from Tiraspol, capital of PMR.


Thank you Patrik!