USA: Complete FDC set Views of Our Planets

I have received another wonderful complete FDC set - Views of Our Planets. During the modern era of space exploration, the planets of our solar system have been viewed with increasing clarity, thanks to the distant voyages of unmanned spacecraft and the development of ever-more powerful telescopes. With this pane of 8 stamps, the U.S. Postal Service® showcases some of the more visually compelling full-disk images of the planets obtained during this era.

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest planet in the Solar System (0.055 Earth masses). Mercury has no natural satellites; besides impact craters, its only known geological features are lobed ridges or rupes that were probably produced by a period of contraction early in its history. Mercury's very tenuous atmosphere consists of atoms blasted off its surface by the solar wind.

Venus is close in size to Earth (0.815 Earth masses) and, like Earth, has a thick silicate mantle around an iron core, a substantial atmosphere, and evidence of internal geological activity. It is much drier than Earth, and its atmosphere is ninety times as dense. It is the hottest planet, with surface temperatures over 400 °C, most likely due to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Earth is the largest and densest of the inner planets, the only one known to have current geological activity, and the only place where life is known to exist. Its liquid hydrosphere is unique among the terrestrial planets, and it is the only planet where plate tectonics has been observed. Earth's atmosphere is radically different from those of the other planets, having been altered by the presence of life to contain 21% free oxygen.

Mars is smaller than Earth and Venus (0.107 Earth masses).  Its surface, peppered with vast volcanoes, such as Olympus Mons, and rift valleys, such as Valles Marineris, shows geological activity that may have persisted until as recently as 2 million years ago. Its red colour comes from iron oxide in its soil. Mars has two tiny natural satellites (Deimos and Phobos) thought to be captured asteroids.

Jupiter, at 318 Earth masses, is 2.5 times the mass of all the other planets put together. It is composed largely of hydrogen and helium. Jupiter's strong internal heat creates semi-permanent features in its atmosphere, such as cloud bands and the Great Red Spot. Jupiter has 67 known satellites. The four largest, Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa, show similarities to the terrestrial planets, such as volcanism and internal heating. Ganymede, the largest satellite in the Solar System, is larger than Mercury.

Saturn, distinguished by its extensive ring system, has several similarities to Jupiter, such as its atmospheric composition and magnetosphere. Saturn is the only planet of the Solar System that is less dense than water. The rings of Saturn are made up of small ice and rock particles. Saturn has 62 confirmed satellites composed largely of ice. Two of these, Titan and Enceladus, show signs of geological activity. Titan, the second-largest moon in the Solar System, is larger than Mercury and the only satellite in the Solar System with a substantial atmosphere.

Uranus, at 14 Earth masses, is the lightest of the outer planets. Uniquely among the planets, it orbits the Sun on its side; its axial tilt is over ninety degrees to the ecliptic. It has a much colder core than the other giant planets and radiates very little heat into space. Uranus has 27 known satellites, the largest ones being Titania, Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel, and Miranda.

Neptune, though slightly smaller than Uranus, is more massive (equivalent to 17 Earths) and hence more dense. It radiates more internal heat, but not as much as Jupiter or Saturn. Neptune has 14 known satellites. The largest, Triton, is geologically active, with geysers of liquid nitrogen. Triton is the only large satellite with a retrograde orbit. Neptune is accompanied in its orbit by several minor planets, termed Neptune trojans, that are in 1:1 resonance with it.


Thank you very much Charlotte!

Serbia: Children's Stamp 2016

Serbian Post will release tomorrow four new stamps and two First Day Covers! This four stamps depicts story "The frog is reading newspapers" by famous Serbian poet Jovan Jovanović Zmaj. Jovan Jovanović Zmaj, was one of the best-known Serbian poets. He was a physician by profession. He wrote in many of the genres of poetry, including love, lyric, patriotic, political, youth's, etc. But he is best known for his children's poetry.

His family was an old and noble family. In his earliest childhood he showed a great desire to learn by heart the Serbian national songs which were recited to him, and even as a child he began to compose poems. His father, who was a highly cultivated and wealthy man, gave him his first education in his native city. After this he went to Ofenpesth, Prague, and Vienna, and in these cities he finished his studies in law.

 This was the wish of his father, but his own inclinations prompted him to take up the study of medicine. He then returned to his native city, where a prominent official position was offered him, which he accepted; but so strong were his poetical instincts that a year later he abandoned the post to devote himself entirely to literary work.

USA: Complete FDC set Star Trek 50th Anniversary

I have received beautiful complete FDC set Star Trek 50th Anniversary. Star Trek is my favorite TV show franchise. USPS had issued for stamps and four covers on 2nd September 2016. Starship Enterprise is used as postmark.

On September 8, 1966, Star Trek premiered. Centered on the interstellar voyages of the U.S.S. Enterprise, the prime-time television program's mission was to boldly go where no man has gone before.With an intricate futuristic setting, multicultural cast, and story lines that touched on social issues, Star Trek pushed past the boundaries of popular science fiction and became a worldwide phenomenon.

Each of the four self-adhesive Star Trek stamps showcases one of four digital illustrations inspired by elements of the classic TV show: the Starship Enterprise inside the outline of a Starfleet insignia against a gold background, the silhouette of a crewman in a transporter against a red background, the silhouette of the Enterprise from above against a green background, and the Enterprise inside the outline of the Vulcan salute (Spock's iconic hand gesture) against a blue background.

This FDC set arrived in nice registered cover wit a lot of stamps

Stamps on cover:
Breast Cancer Research, issued on 29.07.1998.
Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), issued on 11.09.2011.
Pluto: New Horizons, issued on 31.05.2016.
Gingerbread Houses, issued on 06.11.2013.
Bobcat (Lynx rufus), issued on 01.06.2012.
Winter Fun, issued on 23.10.2014.
Global: Silver Bells Wreath, issued on 23.10.2014.
Batman 75th Anniversary, issued on 09.10.2014.
Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele), issued on 10.02.2014.
Pickup Trucks: 1938 International Harvester D-2, issued on 15.07.2016.


Thank you very much Charlotte!

Syria: Damascus

I have received my first postcard from war-torn Syria. Damascus is the capital city of Syria, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. First settled in the second millennium BC, it was chosen as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 750. After the victory of the Abbasid dynasty, the seat of Islamic power was moved to Baghdad. Damascus saw a political decline throughout the Abbasid era, only to regain significant importance in the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. Today, it is the seat of the central government and all of the government ministries.

Damascus was built in a strategic site on a plateau above sea level and about 80 km inland from the Mediterranean, sheltered by the Anti-Lebanon mountains, supplied with water by the Barada River, and at a crossroads between trade routes: the north-south route connecting Egypt with Asia Minor, and the east-west cross-desert route connecting Lebanon with the Euphrates river valley. The estimated population of Damascus in 2011 was 1,711,000. Damascus is the center of an over-crowded metropolitan area with an estimated population of 5 million.

Both stamps are National Environment Day, issued on 25.11.2015.

Thank you Tanya!

Fantastic cover from Costa Rica

I have received fantastic big cover from Costa Rica, with a lot of postcards, 3 mini sheets, 3 banknotes and one coin, map of Costa Rica, key chain and coaster! And it's very hard to tell what is my favorite from all this amazing stuff! Let's start with stamps.

This mini sheet is Art of Costa Rica, issued on 03.07.2008. On this stamps you can see art of Rudy Espinoza, Crisanto Badillo, Miguel Hernandez and Lola Fernandez.

Seconds mini sheet is Archaeological Sites, issued on 23.06.2016. This mini sheet is unique because statue on left side have rough surface, it feels like stone under your fingers!

Third mini sheet is National Park Marino Las Baulas, issued on 24.08.2016. Turtles (Dermachelys coriacea) on this mini sheet are embossed! You can see embossing on the back side on picture below.

This is fantastic set of 21 postcards with flora, fauna and nature of Costa Rica.

This is another set of postcard - Birds of Costa Rica

There is also a map of Costa Rica

Banknotes are 5 colones (24.01.1990), 50 colones (07.07.1993), and 100 colones (28.09.1993.)

This is backside of banknotes, and smallest banknote is beautiful!

Front and backside of 100 colones coin from year 2014.

Front and backside of beautiful leather key chain. On front side is Costa Rican volcano Arenal, and on backside are birds of Costa Rica and national motto Pura Vida - Pure Life.

And for the end, one nice coaster!

All that is received in this registered cover

Thank you very much Randall!

Bahrain: Falconry

This beautiful postcard dedicated to falconry is my first postcard from Bahrain! Kingdom of Bahrain is a small Arab monarchy in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain consists of a group of islands between the Qatar peninsula and the north eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. It is an island country situated near the western shores of the Persian Gulf in the Middle East. The population in 2010 stood at 1,234,567, including 666,172 non-nationals. It is 780 km2 in size, making it the third smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore.

Falconry is the hunting of wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. It is very popular in Arabic world. Evidence suggests that the art of falconry may have begun in Mesopotamia, with the earliest accounts dating to approximately 2,000 BC.

Stamps:
Charity stamp, unknown release date
Shaikh Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, issued on 15.07.2002.
50th Anniversary of Bahrain Garden Club, issued on 26.02.2015.


Thank you Edwin!

United States Virgin Islands: Saint John island

Saint John is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea and an unincorporated territory of the United States. Saint John was first settled by the Taíno Indians who migrated north from coastal areas of present-day Colombia and Venezuela around AD 300. Christopher Columbus, traveling on behalf of the Spanish Crown, is credited with being the first European to see the Virgin Islands in 1493, during his second voyage to the New World.The Danish West India and Guinea Company represented the first Europeans to settle the island in 1718. In 1917, during the First World War, the United States purchased the U.S. Virgin Islands for $25 million from the Danish government in order to establish a naval base.

United States Virgin Islands use same stamps as USA:

Penguins, issued on 01.06.2015.
Pets: Guinea pig, (from set of 20), issued on 02.08.2016.   
Star Trek 50th Anniversary (from set of four), issued on 02.09.2016.


Thank you Leanna!

Legends of Kyrgyzstan - Yeti, and 50th Anniversary of the First Spacewalks

Second postal operator in Kyrgyzstan is KEP - Kyrgyz Express Post, and they have few really, really nice stamps! That's why i ordered this two sets of beautiful stamps.

I've never seen before stamps with Yeti, and these are beautiful!

This series is intended to attract the attention of as many people from the Kyrgyz Republic. It is also dedicated to the Yeti - a peculiar character, well known around the world. In the folklore of Nepal, the Yeti is an ape-like entity taller than an average human that is said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, Bhutan and China, and also India, Mongolia and Russia. Stories of the Yeti first emerged as a facet of Western popular culture in the 19th century.

At a 2011 conference in Russia, participating scientists and enthusiasts declared having "95% evidence" of the Yeti's existence. However, this claim was disputed later; American anthropologist and anatomist Jeffrey Meldrum, who was present during the Russian expedition, claimed the "evidence" found was simply an attempt by local officials to drum up publicity.

Stamps are issued on 19.05.2016.

Souvenir sheet consists of two stamps depicting the "spacewalks" of the Soviet cosmonaut Alexey Leonov and the American astronaut Edward White. Issue date is 02.07.2015.

Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov became the first human to conduct extravehicular activity, exiting the capsule during the Voskhod 2 mission for a 12-minute spacewalk. At the end of the spacewalk, Leonov's spacesuit had inflated in the vacuum of space to the point where he could not re-enter the airlock. He opened a valve to allow some of the suit's pressure to bleed off and was barely able to get back inside the capsule.

During the Gemini 4 mission on June 3, 1965, Ed White became the first American to conduct a spacewalk. The spacewalk started at 3:45 p.m. EDT on the third orbit when White opened the hatch and used the hand-held maneuvering oxygen-jet gun to push himself out of the capsule. The EVA started over the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii and lasted 23 minutes, ending over the Gulf of Mexico. Initially, White propelled himself to the end of the 8-meter tether and back to the spacecraft three times using the hand-held gun. After the first three minutes the fuel ran out and White maneuvered by twisting his body and pulling on the tether.

Very nice of KEP for using one of Yeti stamps on cover!

Map of Algeria

This nice map card has traveled five long months! Algeria is a state in North Africa on the Mediterranean coast. Its capital and most populous city is Algiers, located in the country's far north. With an area of 2,381,741 square kilometers, Algeria is the tenth-largest country in the world, and the largest in Africa. Algeria is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia, to the east by Libya, to the west by Morocco, to the southwest by the Western Saharan territory, Mauritania, and Mali, to the southeast by Niger, and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea.

Stamp is World Day of Autism, issued on 02.04.2016.

Thank you Meriem!

Serbia: Museum Exhibits 2016

Every year Serbian Post have edition Museum Exhibits. Topic for this year is stećak (plural stećci). Stećak is the name for monumental medieval tombstones that lie scattered across Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the border parts of Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. An estimated 60,000 are found within the borders of modern Bosnia and Herzegovina and the rest of 10,000 are found in what are today Croatia (4,400), Montenegro (3,500), and Serbia (4,100), at more than 3,300 odd sites with over 90% in poor condition.

Appearing in the mid 12th century, with the first phase in the 13th century, the tombstones reached their peak in the 14th and 15th century, before disappearing during the Ottoman occupation in the very early 16th century. The epitaphs on them are mostly written in Cyrillic alphabet.Stećaks was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016.

Their most remarkable feature is their decorative motifs, many of which remain enigmatic to this day; spirals, arcades, rosettes, vine leaves and grapes, lilium, stars (often six-pointed) and crescent moons are among the images that appear. Figural motifs include processions of deer, horse, dancing the kolo, hunting, chivalric tournaments, and, most famously, the image of the man with his right hand raised, perhaps in a gesture of fealty.

Release date for this fantastic stamps is 3rd November 2016.