Tuesday 3 December 2013

Thailand - Yannawa, Bangkok

From Thailand, the 3D stamp on the right is one of two lenticular stamps depicting a Thai puppet show. This stamp was issued for the Philatelic Exhibition on August 9, 2009.

 
2009 Thailand stamp - BHT25 lenticular Thai puppet show
This is a very special cover for me because I like unusual stamps. I have shown the other stamp in this set. Also on the cover is from an April 13, 1998 issue of a wild cat - Panthera pardus.


China - Lhasa, Tibet

Postcard from Lhasa, Tibet. Peter was travelling there and had offered to send a postcard in exchange for one of mine.
 
 
 
I like that the postmark is the same as the temple, Gadan Songzanlin, shown in the postcard. It is the largest Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Yunnan.


USA - Palatine, Illinois

The two covers here came from an exchange partner in Stampboards (http://www.stampboards.com/).




Stamps from the cover above are from the joint issue between France and USA featuring Edith Piaf and Miles Davis. Both stamps were issued on June 12, 2012, the first time since 1989 that France and USA have jointly issued stamps. And for the first time, a QR code is printed on the back of the stamps that when scanned opens to a page with the option of listening to music from Miles Davis while viewing photographs and a timeline of the lives of the two artists. 


The second cover features Disney Pixar Films on stamp issued on June 1, 2012.

Both covers are very beautiful with the added pictures printed on the envelope itself.

Czech Republic

For those who collect fauna on stamps, the one shown below would be a delight.


2009 Czech Republic stamp - Nature Protection Krivoklatsko Region 17Kc Tyto alba (Barn owl)
Issued for the Nature Protection of the Krivoklatsko Region on September 2, 2009, the pane above is one of four designs in the miniature sheet. The Krivoklatsko Region is among the UNESCO Biosphere reserves. The rest of this beautiful miniature sheet is shown here. Other animals shown are the CZK14 Bubo bubo (Eurasian eagle-owl), CZK10 Eudia pavonia (Emperor moth) and CZK12 (Red deer). 

Also on the cover is a stamp from May 27, 1998 showing Frantisek Kmoch, a Czech composer and conductor. 





Ukraine - Kharkiv

 Here is a refreshing cover from Ukraine.



2012 Ukraine Summer Flowers souvenir sheet
The sender has used two stamps from the Summer Flowers issue on September 1, 2012 - a AUH2.50 Alcea rosea and a AUH3.30 Fragaria vesca (strawberry). Other stamps on this issue (which actually comes in a miniature sheet) are AUH2.00 Cerasus vulgaris (sour cherry) and UAH2.00 French marigold.

Now if only I can read Ukrainian language so I'll know what's written on the picture on the envelope.  

Malaysia - Penang

These hexagonal shaped stamps on cover are really lovely. 



2012 Malaysia stamp - Banknote stamps miniature sheet
Malaysia issued these stamps - the second in a series - on July 16, 2012. Eight 60 sen stamps show the front and back of the new coins issued by Bank Negara Malaysia. Six new banknotes were also issued and are depicted in RM5 stamps in two separate pieces containing 3 miniature sheets each. These set of stamps are printed with hot stamp foiling and the 60sen stamps are embossed to bring out the details of the coins. The RM5.00 stamps featuring the banknotes contain silver foil hot stamping to represent the security thread on the notes. 

Malaysia - Johor

Cover showing Malaysian holidays. The envelope must have caught in the sorting machine because there is quite a bit of ink smudge in the second and third stamps.


The second in the Malaysian Festivals series, these stamps were issued on September 27, 2012. The set of stamps, all with a denomination of 60sen, depict the festivals of Hari Raya Aidiladha, Thaipusam, Moon Cake Festival, Regatta Lepa and Kaul Festival. The first three festivals are celebrated nationwide while the Regatta Lepa and the Kaul festival are celebrated only in Sarawak and Sabah respectively. The stamps have a special diffractive holographic foil. 

Russia - Chelyabinsk

Even though the postmark is a bit smudged, I thought I should still post this cover because it shows whales - one of my favourite themes on stamps.


These two stamps come from the Fauna of Russia - Cetacea series issued on February 8, 2012. The RUB15.00 stamp features the killer whale (Orcinus orca) and the RUB20.00 features the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).

Canada - Rothesay, NB

This cover from Canada is franked with a minisheet to commemorate the wedding of  HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton. A really good cover apart from the spray cancel.


Canada Post issued these two stamps on April 29, 2011. The domestic PERMANENT rate stamp shows a photo of the couple when they announced their engagement while the international rate stamp (CAD1.75) features their official engagement picture.

India - Bangalore

A first day cover from India celebrating  the Festival of Lights. This is a joint issue celebrating 20 years of diplomatic relations with Israel .


The stamps were issued on November 05, 2012. Both Deepavali and Hannukah mean Festival of Lights. The stamp from India shows a row of traditional earth lamps representing Deepavali and is issued in denominations of INR5 and INR100. The stamp from Israel features a menorah with a Star of David and is issued in NIS2 denomination each.

Ukraine - Sholokhove

I thought this cover had to be included here because one of the stamps used came from a minisheet (shown below) showing stamps on stamp. 


This minisheet, issued on August 13, 2012, shows postage stamps issued in 1923. The four stamps have a denomination of UAH2.00, UAH2.50, UAH4.30 and UAH4.80.

The other two stamps are from a definitive series issued on February 3, 2012 showing the European ash (Fraxinus excelsior). Other stamps in this issue were rowan or mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia) - UAH5.00, horse chestnut or conker tree (Aesculus hippocastanum) - UAH50.00, 
English oak (Quercus robur) - UAH2.00.

Russia


An official card from postcrossing. The sender liked Vincent Van Gogh and had sent me a postcard of one of his paintings. This was a welcome addition to my collection because I also like Van Gogh. 

Painting by Vincent Van Gogh

One of the stamps used was a Christmas themed stamp issued on October 26, 2005 and a New Year themed stamp issued on December 12, 2006. 

The other stamps were definitive stamps from a series issued on August 29, 2008. There are 15 stamps in the series with values ranging from RUB0.10 to RUB25.00. The designs on these stamps were of a rabbit, fox, lynx, moose and bear.