Switzerland: EUROPA - "Castles"

Switzerland issued two different stamps for the 2017 EUROPA theme. The stamps show three different Castles in Bellinzona: Sasso Corbaro, Montebello and Castelgrande. Bellinzona's castles and their fortified walls form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Their history dates back to the Palaeolithic Period. Castelgrande - depicted on the right-hand stamp - is the oldest of the three castles and was first mentioned in 590. From 1506 it became the seat of the federal governors of Canton Uri.Castello Montebello is the fortification in the middle. It was built towards the end of the 13th century, just as the Gotthard Pass was becoming the most important route across the Alps. It was home to the governors of Canton Schwyz. Castello di Sasso Corbaro, shown on the left, is the smallest and newest of the three castles, but enjoys the most elevated position. In 1506 the castle fell into the hands of Canton Nidwalden and remained there until it was passed on to newly founded Canton Ticino in 1803.

Stamps:
EUROPA "Castles" (Full Set) - Issued: 11-05-2017


Many thanks to Hansjürg for this nice Cover!

Liechtenstein: EUROPA - "Castles"

Liechtenstein issued two different stamp for this year's EUROPA theme. The first stamps shows Vaduz Castle. Vaduz Castle (German: Schloss Vaduz) is the palace and official residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein. The castle gave its name to the town of Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, which it overlooks from an adjacent hilltop. I got the stamp on a special Fair Cover from the International Stamp Fair in Essen including a special Fair Cancellation.

The second stamp shows Gutenberg Castle (German: Burg Gutenberg). It is a preserved castle in the town of Balzers, Liechtenstein, the centre of the municipality of Balzers. Gutenberg is one of the five castles of the principality and one of two that have survived preserved until the present day. Unlike Vaduz Castle, Gutenberg Castle does not serve as a residence of the princely family of Liechtenstein and is open to the general public as a museum.

Stamps:
EUROPA - Palaces and Castles (full Set) - Issued: 06-03-2017

Canada: Star Trek - Year 2

After last year the Canadian Post issued also this year a series of stamps dedicated to Star Trek. This series is called "Year 2", so one can expect more stamps to come? We will see. I received this nice Cover with the complete set on it. It shows five legendary leaders of the so-called Starfleet. Featured on the stamps are: Kirk (William Shatner), Picard (Patrick Stewart), Sisko (Avery Brooks), Archer (Scott Bakula) and Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). As an addition a permanent domestic rate stamp was also issued (you can see it one left). It shows the Shuttle Galileo. It appeared in episode "The Galileo Seven” and was deployed to navigate the treacherous parts of space that the U.S.S. Enterprise could not.

Stamps:
Star Trek - Year 2 (full Set) - Issued: 27-04-2017


Many thanks to Tristan for this great Cover!