USA - Arizona

Canada - Burlington, Ontario


This cover from Canada held some pretty cool stamps as part of an exchange. Canada is one of the countries where the post office uses a rectangular postmark instead of the circular date postmark.

The stamp used in this cover show moose calves (see photo on left) from the 2012 Baby Wildlife series (January 16). The second in the multiyear series this set also show racoons for the domestic rate PERMANENT stamp, caribou for the US rate stamp (CAD1.05), loons for the oversized mail rate stamp (CAD1.29) and moose for the international rate stamp (CAD1.80). It also comes in a souvenir sheet showing the habitat of the animals in the background.

2012 Canada Baby Wildlife souvenir sheet



Canada - Rothesay, NB

I really love it when I get a letter with a miniature or souvenir sheet is used on the cover.

Issued on May 17, 2012 the souvenir sheet above was issued to celebrate 100 Years of the Calgary Stampede. It bears the permanent domestic rate stamp (CAD0.61) showing a horse with classic western riding gear and the US rate stamp (CAD1.05) showing the 2012 Calgary Stampede belt buckle.

The other stamps used to make up the postage was a block of CAD0.05 northern bumblebees from the Beneficial Insects series (issue date October 12, 2007). The first in this series, this set of low value definitives also feature the convergent ladybug, the Canada darner, the golden-eyed lacewing and the cecropia moth. 

Canada - Christmas Island, Nova Scotia

One of the cover exchanges I joined was for a Christmas themed cover and this is what I received from Canada. The postmark of Christmas Island makes this cover more interesting and theme focused. I'm really chuffed that the sender made a special effort to have this cover postmarked at Christmas Island. 

For 2012, Canada Post issued the Permanent domestic rate stamp above on October 15, 2012. This traditional Christmas stamp features the image of the Madonna and Child in stained glass is from one of the stained glass windows at St. Mary's Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Kingston, Ontario. 

On the same day three other Christmas themed stamps were issued featuring gingerbread cookies for Permanent domestic, US and International rate stamps.  . 

Did you know that the stamps above are enhanced with augmented reality? You can download a free StampsAlive app, hover your phone over the domestic permanent stamp with your device and choose from several decorating ideas. A good way to entice kids to stamp collecting!

USA - Santa Claus, Indiana

What started me on this hobby of collecting covers is discovering the varied and interesting places all over the world.

The cover below is an example of this - a Christmas themed cover with a special postmark from Santa Claus, Indiana.

 

 

Yes there is such a place as Santa Claus in the US. Apparently the town of Santa Fe, established in 1854, was denied its application for a post office since there was already a Santa Fe recorded with USPS. A town meeting was held and the townspeople elected instead to rename it as Santa Claus.

 

It is the only post office in the world to bear the name and as such receives thousands of letters to Santa from all over the world. Every year a Christmas pictorial postmark is chosen from designs submitted by art students from Heritage Hills High School.

 

On the cover are two stamp issues from October 2012. The first is a Forever stamp (45c) depicting the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt. Interestingly enough, this stamp was unveiled at the Bethlehem Chapel of the Washington National Cathedral.

 

The second stamp is actually a composite of four self-adhesive Forever stamps featuring Santa and his sleigh circling around snow-covered rooftops.

 

 

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.

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.