Mars 2020 launch on cover from Cape Canaveral, USA

 

My friend Trevor Ashman designed this cover dedicated to Mars 2020 launch, when rocket Atlas V carried rover Perseverance and the small robotic coaxial helicopter Ingenuity to their mission to Mars. USPS made this awesome postmark to celebrate this event in Cape Canaveral. 

 

 

Thank you, Trevor!

Successful docking of the Crew Dragon Endeavour with the ISS

 

Crew Dragon Endeavour is a Crew Dragon spacecraft manufactured and operated by SpaceX and used by NASA's Commercial Crew Program. It was launched into orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket on 30 May 2020 and successfully docked to the International Space Station on 31 May 2020 as part of the Crew Dragon Demo-2 mission; this was the first crewed flight test of a Dragon capsule, carrying Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. It is the spacecraft used in the first crewed orbital spaceflight from the United States since STS-135 in July 2011 and the first crewed orbital spaceflight by a private company. On 2 August 2020 it returned to Earth.

 

This nice cover is designed by Trevor Ashman to commemorate this unique event. He sent his covers to Houston cause of this awesome special postmark. Thank you very much, mate!

Military working dogs on cover from USA

 

US Post issued stamps set dedicated to military working dogs: German shepherd, Labrador retriever, Belgian Malinois, and Dutch shepherd.  DKNG Studios created the stamp artwork by first hand-sketching the dogs, then using Adobe Illustrator to bring them to life with basic shapes and layers of color. The red, white, blue, and gold color scheme represents the American flag and the patriotism displayed by military working dogs. Stamp set is issued on 1.8.2019. This nice cover is sent from Randolph Air Force Base, located at Universal City, Texas.

Thank you so much, Ria!

Leap year on cover from USA

I received one more cover dedicated to Leap year, but this time from USA. A leap year is a calendar year that contains an additional day added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year or seasonal year. Because astronomical events and seasons do not repeat in a whole number of days, calendars that have the same number of days in each year drift over time with respect to the event that the year is supposed to track. By inserting an additional day or month into the year, the drift can be corrected.On this cover from Miami you can see stamps dedicated to Year of the Rat and in the middle definitive stamp with American eagle.

Inside cover was this FDC dedicated to wild orchids. There are more than 30,000 species of wild orchids in the world. And these two stamps are from set of ten stamps which shows orchid species from USA.

Thank you, Mike!

USA: Cactus Flowers sent from Cactus, Texas!

Last year USPS issued set of ten stamps dedicated to cactus flowers. Cactus flowers generally occur singly, although many separate blossoms might appear on a plant at the same time. Flowering occurs at different times of the year and even different times of the day or night. Most cactus flowers are large and flamboyant, with colors of white, red, pink, orange or yellow. This cover is sent from small American city Cactus in Texas, nice matching with stamps!

Thank you, Ria!

Map of Texas on big shaped postcard

I received inside cover this nice nice big shaped postcard with map of Texas, a state in the South Central Region of the United States. It is the second largest U.S. state by area (after Alaska) and population (after California). Texas is nicknamed the "Lone Star State" for its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico. The origin of Texas's name is from the word taysha, which means "friends" in the Caddo language.The term "six flags over Texas", refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory.

Postcard arrived in this cover with souvenir sheet The Art of magic, printed in lenticular technique. This wonderful minisheet is issued on 7.8.2018.


Thank you, Ria!

USA: Train cover from Randolph Air Force Base

This stamp set with is issued on 10.5.2019. to commemorate The 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad. The Transcontinental Railroad was a 3,077 km continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs, Iowa with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on San Francisco Bay.

Cover was cancelled with personal handstamp number 1 issued in post office located in Randolph Air Force Base located at Universal City, Texas.

Inside cover was a lot of nice things, like postmarked cut outs, FDC, mint stamps...

Thank you so much, Ria!

Tyrannosaurus rex stamp set on cover from USA

USPS issued set of four stamps dedicated to Tyrannosaurus rex on 29.8.2019. Extinct for some 66 million years, the carnivorous Tyrannosaurus rex dominated the Cretaceous period, which was the tail end of the dinosaur age. With powerful jaws packed in its 4-foot-long skull and banana-sized teeth serrated like steak knives, T. rex easily bit through the flesh and hefty bones of even large dinosaur prey. Its full-grown weight was six to ten tons. Its maximum length was about 40 feet. Although the name “Tyrannosaurus rex” means “tyrant lizard king,” and “dinosaur” means “fearfully great lizard,” they were not lizards at all. Dinosaurs were from a separate reptile lineage, whose closest living relatives are birds and crocodilians.

 Inside was this awesome gift - patch set with space theme from National Geographic.


Thank you so much, Mike!

Tyrannosaurus rex on cover from US military base

Extinct for some 66 million years, the carnivorous Tyrannosaurus rex dominated the Cretaceous period, which was the tail end of the dinosaur age. With powerful jaws packed in its 4-foot-long skull and banana-sized teeth serrated like steak knives, T. rex easily bit through the flesh and hefty bones of even large dinosaur prey. Its full-grown weight was six to ten tons. Its maximum length was about 40 feet. Although the name “Tyrannosaurus rex” means “tyrant lizard king,” and “dinosaur” means “fearfully great lizard,” they were not lizards at all. Dinosaurs were from a separate reptile lineage, whose closest living relatives are birds and crocodilians.

USPS issued set of four stamps dedicated to Tyrannosaurus rex on 29.8.2019. There's a 3D effect on right stamp, but is not very good, it's hard to see difference. I took two pictures in different angles, but this is the best i can do to show you this effect. Upper picture shows much smaller T-rex head turned to the right, than the bottom one, which is much bigger and clearer.

Thank you, Kathleen!

Military Working Dogs on cover sent from US military base

US Post issued stamps set dedicated to military working dogs. On this cover you can see two stamps with German Shepherd and Labrador Retriever. 

The German Shepherd is a breed of medium to large-sized working dog that originated in Germany. Despite its primitive, wolf-like appearance the German Shepherd is a relatively modern breed of dog, with their origin dating to 1899. As a herding dog, German Shepherds are working dogs developed originally for herding sheep. Since that time, however, because of their strength, intelligence, trainability, and obedience, German Shepherds around the world are often the preferred breed for many types of work, including disability assistance, search-and-rescue, police and military roles and acting.

The Labrador Retriever is a medium-large breed of retriever-gun dog. A favourite disability assistance breed in many countries, Labradors are frequently trained to aid those with blindness or autism, act as a therapy dog, or perform screening and detection work for law enforcement and other official agencies. The breed is best known for their obedience, loyalty, and playful composure. Additionally, they are prized as sporting and hunting dogs.


Thank you, Kathy!

The 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad on cover from American military base in Germany

This fantastic stamps set with gold foil is issued on 10.5.2019. to commemorate The 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad. The Transcontinental Railroad was a 3,077 km continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs, Iowa with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on San Francisco Bay. The resulting coast-to-coast railroad connection revolutionized the settlement and economy of the American West. It brought the western states and territories into alignment with the northern Union states and made transporting passengers and goods coast-to-coast considerably quicker, safer and less expensive.

On scanned copy you can't see beauty of gold foil printing, so i decided to took couple of shots with mobile phone camera.

Thank you so much, Kathy!

USA: The Mule Train Mail in Supai, Arizona

Supai is a census-designated place (CDP) in Coconino County, Arizona, United States, within the Grand Canyon. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a population of 208. The capital of the Havasupai Indian Reservation, Supai is the only place in the United States where mail is still carried out by mules. Supai has been referred to as "the most remote community" in the contiguous United States by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is accessible only by helicopter, on foot or by mule. Supai is 13 km from the nearest road and has no automobiles in the community.


Thank you, Trevor!

Cover sent by US military post in Germany

This cover is sent by US military post in Germany, from one of many US military facilities in Germany. APO is short for Army Post Office and AE is used for armed forces in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Canada (AP is for the Pacific; and AA is the Americas excluding Canada), and number behind them is a ZIP-code. Nice army related stamps on right side: Purple heart, issued on 11.10.2014. and World War I - Turning the Tide, issued on 27.7.2018. 

The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after April 5, 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, which took the form of a heart made of purple cloth, the Purple Heart is the oldest military award still given to U.S. military members – the only earlier award being the obsolete Fidelity Medallion. 

Additional stamp on left side is definitive stamp Grapes, issued on 24.2.2017.


Thank you, Kathy!

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!

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!

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!

Registered jumbo cover from USA

I received registered jumbo cover from Miami, Florida, with very cool gifts inside. This cover was stuck very long on customs, they probably played with one of the gifts lol! Mike used interesting high value stamps on cover: Statue of Freedom stamps (recess print), issued on 27.6.2018. and highest value stamp from set Waves, issued on 1.12.2012.

Inside cover was this replica of Star Trek communicator!

The communicator is a fictional device used for voice communication in the fictional universe of Star Trek. As seen in at least two instances, the Original Series episodes "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" and "Day of the Dove," it can also serve as an emergency signaling device/beacon, similar to a transponder. The communicator allows direct contact between individuals or via a ship's communication system.

Inside cover was also two sets of stamps. This one is The History of Hockey (joint Issue with Canada), issued on 20.10.2017.

Second sheet is The Art of magic, printed in lenticular technique. This wonderful minisheet is issued on 7.8.2018.

On this GIF picture you see lenticular magic at work!

Thank you very much Mike!

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!

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!

Registered cover from USA

Another fine cover from USA arrived, and again ruined by Customs, with big ugly yellow tape, which i removed to save a cover, but you can see damage anyways. Stamps on cover:

Girl Scouts, issued on 12.3.1987.
Sea Surface Temperatures, issued on 22.4.2014.
Pears, issued on 23.3.2017.
Black Heritage:Richard Allen, issued on 2.2.2016.
Rosa Parks, issued on 4.2.2013.
Uncle Sam's Hat, issued on 18.2.2017.
Star-Spangled Banner, issued on 28.1.2014.
Star fruit, issued on 25.4.2008.
American Toleware, issued in 2007.
Snowflake, issued on 23.10.2015.

Inside cover was nice mint American stamps and several postcards. I asked my friend for some stamps, and Sally Ride ( first American woman to travel into space) was one of them. But i didn't expected to receive this small bundle with four Sally Ride stamps and fantastic patches dedicated to American space programs! This stamp was issued on 23.5.2018.

 Hear you can see this beautiful patches dedicated to important NASA missions and four stamp strip as well.

And there was more mint stamps in this cover:

The Art of Magic, issued on 7.8.2018.

Vintage Circus Posters (four of eight), issued on 5.5.2014.
Dragons, issued on 9.8.2018.
Scooby Doo, issued on 14.7.2014.
Pickup Trucks, issued on 15.7.2016.
Soda Fountain Favorites, issued on 30.6.2016.

Inside was also various postcards

Famous Indianapolis motor speedway and famous race Indianapolis 500.

Gordon Johncock is an American former racing driver, best known as a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and the 1976 USAC Marlboro Championship Trail champion.

 NGC 1316 (also known as Fornax A) is a lenticular galaxy about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Fornax. It is a radio galaxy and at 1400 MHz is the fourth-brightest radio source in the sky.

Painting  by Margaret Keane, famous "big eyes" artist. The work was originally attributed to Keane's husband, Walter Keane. After their divorce in the 1960s, Margaret soon claimed credit, which was established after an in-court "paint-off" in Hawaii. A resurgence of interest in Margaret Keane's work followed the release of Tim Burton's 2014 biopic Big Eyes (nice movie by the way).

And this is comic book card by Robert Crumb, American cartoonist and musician. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contemporary American culture.


Thank you Charlotte!