Spain: EUROPA 2018 "Bridges"

The stamp issued by Spanish Postal Administration for this year's EUROPA theme shows the Puente de la Maza in San Vicente de la Barquera (Cantabria). It was built in the 15th and 16th century. Its famous for its 28 arches which are illustrates also on this stamp. It is said that if you cross the bridge and hold your breath you make a wish and it will come true.

Stamp:
EUROPA "Bridges" - Issued: 23-04-2018


Many thanks to Ricardo for this great Cover!

Åland: EUROPA 2018 "Bridges"

The Åland 2018 Europa stamp shows the small Bomarsund Bridge, one of only two arch bridges in Åland. The bridge was completed in 1958 and connects Bomarsund with the Prästö island in the Sund municipality. I'm happy to receive this nice cover with a postmark from Sund Postoffice.

Stamp:
EUROPA "Bridges" - Issued: 09-05-2018

Germany: EUROPA 2018 "Bridges" - FDC

This year's theme for the EUROPA stamps is Bridges. On this cover you can see the german stamp. It features the so-called "Rheinkniebrücke" in Düsseldorf in the front and, if you look carefully, the Oberkasseler Brücke in the background. These bridges are two of the of the 7 bridges built (between 1951 and 2002) in Düsseldorf to cross the Rhine river.

To note the label on the left. It is part of the Deutsche Post environmental protection program "GoGreen". If you put this label on your covers you can neutralise your CO2-Emisions which arise from delivery. You can buy these labels in the Deutsche Post Shop in a set of 36 for 1,80 EUR.

Stamp:
EUROPA "Bridges" - Issued: 03-05-2018 with First-Day-Cancellation

Vietnam: "The 200th Anniversary of Karl Marx (1818-2018) - FDC"

Karl Marx (5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, political theorist, sociologist, journalist and revolutionary socialist. Marx thought that if a place that works together runs on wage-labor, then there would always be class struggle. Marx thought that this class struggle would result in workers taking power. He believed that no one should have power over another, that everyone should be equal. His most famous book was the Communist Manifesto. He wrote it together with Friedrich Engels in 1848. It is about the ideas and aims of communism. His ideas are called Marxism. His most important work is 'Das Kapital', or The Capital. It is commonly known in English as simply 'Capital.' He spent many years working on the three parts of the book. 'Das Kapital' describes how "capitalism" works and the problems it creates, such as division of labour and exploitation.

I'm very happy to receive this nice FDC from Vietnam sent on 05th May (Marx's Date of Birth) from Ha Noi.

Stamps:
6x 200th Anniversary of Karl Marx - Issued: 05-05-2018


Many thanks for this perfect cover Pham Ngoc Son!

Iceland: Iceland Qualifies for World Cup 2018

The 16th of June was a historic date for Icelandic sport history. On that date Iceland played its first ever World Cup match against Argentina (2x World Cup Winner!). The match ended 1:1, which can been seen as a big surprise. (This year the FIFA World Cup takes place in Russia and was opened on 14th June with a match between Russia and Saudi Arabia.)
It's was an remarkable achievement for the national soccer team of Iceland to qualify for this years World Cup. Iceland with its 346.000 inhabitants becomes the smallest nation ever to participate in the World Cup. To celebrate this achievement a stamp was put into circulation on 26th April 2018 and I'm very happy to receive a cover with two stamps on it (domestic value) sent from the capital of Iceland.

Stamps:
2x Iceland Qualifies for World Cup 2018  - Issued: 26-04-2018

Poland: Champion Kamil Stoch

Kamil Wiktor Stoch (born 25 May 1987) is a Polish ski jumper. He is one of the most successful ski jumpers from Poland, as well as in the history of the sport, having won two overall World Cup titles, two consecutive Four Hills Tournaments, three individual gold medals at the Winter Olympics, individual and team gold at the Ski Jumping World Championships, and individual silver at the Ski Flying World Championships. Stoch is only the second ski jumper in history, after german Sven Hannawald, to win the "grand slam" of all four competitions in a single Four Hills Tournament.

Stamps:
2x Champion Kamil Stoch - Issued: 14-04-2018

Malaysia: "Malaysian Citrus - FDC"

On April 24th Pos Malaysia issued a stamp series featuring the well-known lime flavours frequently used in Malaysian cooking. The three stamps issued - and seen on the first cover - are the Calamondin Lime or Limau Kasturi (60sen), Kaffir Lime or Limau Purut (60sen) and Key Lime or Limau Nipis (60sen). A very nice minisheet was also issued. It can be send on the second cover. The sheet is printed with a gloss varnish finishing to accentuate the pomelo’s flesh. I'm very happy to receive both official FDC's.

Stamps:
Malaysian Citrus (stamps + m/s) - Issued: 24-04-2018


Many thanks to Henry for this great Covers!

Germany: The 150th Anniversary of the Technical University of Munich (TUM)

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) (German: Technische Universität München) is a research university with campuses in the cities Munich, Garching and Freising-Weihenstephan. It is a member of TU9, an incorporated society of the largest and most notable German institutes of technology. TUM is ranked 4th overall in Reuters 2017 European Most Innovative University ranking. 16 Nobel Prize winners have studied, taught and researched at the TUM. The university was founded in 1868 to provide the state of Bavaria with a center of learning dedicated to the natural sciences. This year it celebrates its 150th Anniversary.

With official First Day Cancellation:

Stamps:
The 150th Anniversary of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) - Issued: 12-04-2018

Portugal: Cascais - 2018 European Youth Capital

The European Youth Capital (abbreviated EYC) is the title awarded to a European city for the period of one year, during which it is given the chance to showcase, through a multi-faceted programme, its youth-related cultural, social, political and economic life and development. The European Youth Capital is an initiative by the European Youth Forum, and the first capital was chosen in 2009. The current, capital for the 2018 calendar year is Cascais. It is a coastal town and a municipality in Portugal, 30 kilometres (19 miles) west of Lisbon. On this nice minisheet used on this letter from Portugal, you can see Saint Martha's Lighthouse and the House of Saint Mary (Casa de Santa Maria) in Cascais.

Stamp:
Cascais – European Youth Capital 2018 (m/s) - Issued: 08-09-2017


Many thanks to Antonio for this great cover!

Indonesia: Marine Life - Joint Issue with Singapore FDC

These nice stamps on this FDC from Indonesia were issued as a joint Issue between Singapore and Indonesia to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the bilateral ties between both countries. It follows a 2009 collaboration with stamps featuring tourist attractions of both countries. This time the stamps features coral reefs of both countries. Like the many interdependencies in coral reefs it was intended to reflect the many ways in which Singapore and Indonesia are working together.

I'm very happy to receive this FDC also with a special First-Day Cancellation from Bandung.

Stamps:
Marine Life - Joint Issue with Singapore - Issued: 07-09-2017


Many thanks to Jc for this nice FDC!

Faroe Islands: Flag Stamps

Today is a special day for all the people of the Faroe Islands. The 25th April is National Flag Day. On this day the people commemorates the British recognition of the Faroese flag during World War 2. The Merkið, as the flag is called in Faroese, was created by Faroese students in Copenhagen in 1919.

This cover from Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands, is my first cover ever from this country, so I'm very happy to show it on this special date.

Stamps:
The 75th Anniversary of The Faroese National Flag (full Set) - Issued: 24-04-2015

Liechtenstein: Year of the Dog

Chinese new year started on Friday, February 16, 2018. The Dog (狗) is the eleventh of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. A Dog’s most defining characteristic is their loyalty. They will never abandon their friends, family or work. Famous people born in a year of the dog include:  Issac Newton (1643 – 1727), Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790) or Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965).

Like the years before, Liechtenstein Post issued a very nice stamp dedicated to Chinese New Year. It can be seen on this cover from Liechtenstein sent from the City of Triesen.

Stamp:
Chinese New Year "Year of the Dog" - Issued: 13-11-2017

Hong Kong: Weather Phenomena - "Registered Cover"

In collaboration with the Hong Kong Observatory, Hongkong Post issued a set of special stamps with the theme of "Weather Phenomena", introducing seven common weather phenomena in Hong Kong, namely rainbows, frost, clouds, lightning, fog, rain and typhoons. The stamp issue will help the public understand the changes in our weather. I'm very happy to receive this nice cover with almost the full set. Only the $ 5 "Rain" stamp is missing. The postage is completed with two stamps from the 2014 issued Definitives Series.

Stamps:
Weather Phenomena (5 from a set of 6) - Issued: 27-03-2014
Definitives Landscape of Hong Kong (from a set of 12) - Issued: 24-07-2014


Many thanks to Edward for this great Cover!

Luxembourg: Cycling Stamps

This Cover is all about Cycling. Both stamps used to frank this cover from Luxembourg are related to Cycling.

The right one was issued because in 2017 two stages of the Tour de France led trough Luxembourg.  On 3 July, the riders came across Luxembourg from north to south over 115 km. On 4 July the fourth stage started from Mondorf-les-Bains along the Mosel up to the French city of Vittel in the Vosges region.

The left one commemorates the 100th Anniversary of the foundation of the "Fédération des Sociétés Cyclistes Luxembourgeoises (FSCL)" (Luxembourgish Cycling Federation) in 1917. Today, Luxembourg is widely associated with cycling, not only, but because of the "Schleck Brothers", Andy and Fränk Schleck.

Stamps:
left: 100 years of the Fédération du Sport Cycliste Luxembourgeois (FSCL) - Issued: 04-07-2017
right: The 2017 Tour de France's starting stage in Mondorf-les-Bains - Issued: 04-07-2017

Slovakia: EUROPA - "Castles"

The stamp for the 2017 EUROPA Series of Slovakia depicting the Lietava castle in Northern Slovakia. The castle was built after 1241, most likely as an administrative and military centre. In the 16th century when the Thurzó family gained it, it was reconstructed and fortified, and given its own military garrison. After the death of Imre Thurzó in 1621, it was divided between his heirs. After the ownership disputes in 1641, they lost interest in it. The castle report in 1698 said that the castle was uninhabited and there was only an archive, which was moved to the Orava Castle (Hungarian: Árva) in the 1760s. After that, the castle was abandoned and not used any more. Today the castle is in the hands of the non-profit organisation Združenie na záchranu Lietavského hradu, which takes care of the castle and oversees it's conservation.

As you can see by the postmark on the left, this cover was sent during the International Stamp Fair in Sindelfingen 2017.

Stamp:
EUROPA - Castles - Issued: 05-05-2017

Germany: The 500th Anniversary of the Reformation - Joint Issue with Brazil

October 31, 2017 was the date of the 500th anniversary of the so-called "Reformation". On this date back in 1517, Martin Luther (1483-1546) pinned his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, which brought a series of reforms not only within the Christian religion, but also in all areas of life. Because of this special Occasion the German and the Brazilian Post jointly issued a stamp showing Martin Luther. I'm happy to receive not only the german stamp but also the brazilian one.  

German Version:

- with special First-Day of Issue Postmark

Stamp:

The 500th Anniversary of the Reformation - Issued: 13-04-2017

Brazilian Version:

Stamp:
The 500th Anniversary of the Reformation - Issued: 13-04-2017


Many thanks to Helio for sending me this nice Cover!


On this card you can see an Illustration of Martin Luther pinned his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church. The stamp on this card commemorates the the so-called "Luther-Bible".

Stamp:
Luther-Bible - Issued: 02-01-2017

Turkey: Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar - 2015 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

Aziz Sancar (born 8 September 1946) is a Turkish-American biochemist and molecular biologist specializing in DNA repair, cell cycle checkpoints, and circadian clock. In 2015, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Tomas Lindahl and Paul L. Modrich for their mechanistic studies of DNA repair. He has made contributions on photolyase and nucleotide excision repair in bacteria that have changed his field.  Sancar is currently the Sarah Graham Kenan Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Stamps:
Aziz Sancar - 2015 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry - Issued: 10-12-2015


Many thanks to Baris for this nice Cover!

USA: The History of Hockey

On October 20th the US Postal Service and the Canada Post jointly issued a stamp dedicated to one of the most famous sports in North America: Ice Hockey. In the 1800s, the sport truly began to take shape in Eastern Canada. By the late 19th century, the game had grown popular in the United States. American Malcolm Greene Chace became interested in the game and assembled a group of players from various universities. In 1896, a team from Yale, which included Chace, faced Johns Hopkins University in the first college hockey game. The National Hockey Association began play in 1910 and evolved into the National Hockey League in 1917.

I'm happy to receive some covers with this nice stamp with first-day cancellation and even one cover showing a very nice souvenir sheet.

Stamps:
The History of Hockey (stamps + m/s) - Issued: 20-10-2017


Many thanks to Richard, A.W. Welch and Geoffrey!

South Korea: The PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games

Only three day left and one of the major world wide sport events is going to start. The XXIII. Olympic Winter Games will take place from 9 to 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Korea. The 2018 Winter Olympics will feature 102 events in 15 sports, making it the first Winter Olympics to surpass 100 medal events. Four new disciplines in existing sports were introduced to the Winter Olympic programme in Pyeongchang, including big air snowboarding, mixed doubles curling, mass start speed skating, and mixed team alpine skiing. And of course for this special event Korea Post issued a series of stamps dedicated to this event. The design of the stamps includes the official mascot, Soohorang, participating in a number of winter sports including curling, speed skating and bobsleigh, as well as images of Olympic stadiums. I'm happy to receive this nice cover with also a nice special postmark showing the mascot Soohorang.

Stamps:
Winter Olympics 2018 (from a set of 10) - Issued: 01-11-2017


Many thanks to Choonjong Park for this nice cover!

Stamps:
Winter Olympics 2018 (from a set of 10) - Issued: 01-11-2017

Lithuania: EUROPA - "Castles"

Lithuanian Post issued two stamps for the 2017 EUROPA theme "Castles". The stamps on this cover below are showing ancient documents of the castles of Biržai (left stamp) and Klaipėda (right stamp). Biržai Castle is a castle in the city of Biržai, located in the northern part of Lithuania. The city and the whole region is renowned for its many traditional-recipe beer breweries. Klaipėda Castle, also known as Memelburg or Memel Castle, is an archeological site and museum housed in a castle built by the Teutonic Knights in Klaipėda, Lithuania, near the Baltic Sea. It was first mentioned in 1252.

On the left bottom, you can also see a cachet postmark from the International Stamp Fair in Sindelfingen 2017.

Stamps:
EUROPA "Castles" (full set) - Issued: 29-04-2017

Liechtenstein: The 200th Anniversary of the K.K.Briefsammelstelle Balzers

The history of Liechtenstein’s postal service began 200 years ago with a mail collection station in Balzers. On 1 September 1817, the k.k. österreichische Post (Imperial and Royal Austrian Post) opened a mail collection station in Balzers, followed in 1845 by a second collection station in Vaduz.  By 1912, there were a total of five Austrian-run post offices in Liechtenstein. That same year Liechtenstein also began to issue its own stamps. After the First World War, Liechtenstein left its 100-year relationship with the Austrian post and joined the Swiss PTT, concluding a postal contract with Switzerland in 1920. The move was regarded as necessary requirement to adopting the Swiss franc and customs treaty with Switzerland. In September 2017 the Post of Liechtenstein celebrated this Anniversary with several events and also by issuing this nice sheet you can see on the following cover cancelled by Balzers Post Office.

Stamp:
The 200th Anniversary of the K.K.Briefsammelstelle Balzers (m/s) - Issued: 04-09-2017

Kazakhstan: Olympic Champions from Kazakhstan

I will end the year of 2017 with a new country on my Blog. Some weeks ago I received two nice Covers from Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country, and the ninth largest in the world. Its capital is Astana. Kazakhstan was the last of the Soviet republics to declare independence during the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The stamps on the Covers are dedicated to Olympic Champions from Kazakhstan.

The stamps on the first cover depicting Olga Shishigina (Gold Medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics in 100m Hurdles) and Ermahan Ibraimov (Gold Medalist at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Boxing). The stamps on the second cover depicting Zhaqsylyq Üshkempirov (Gold Medalist at the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling), Vitaliy Savin (Gold Medalist at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics in 4x100 m Relay) and Vassiliy Jirov (Gold Medalist at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics in Boxing)

Stamps:

Olympic Champions (from a set four) - Issued: 28-12-2007

Stamps:
Olympics Champions (from a set of four) - Issued: 22-09-2005


Many thanks to Wonsik Kang for these nice Covers!

-Wishing everyone a happy new year 2018!-

Canada-India: Diwali (Festival of Lights)

Canada Post and India Post issued joint stamps to commemorate Diwali as well as cultural and historic bilateral ties. Diwali or Deepavali is the Hindu festival of lights celebrated every year in autumn in the northern hemisphere (spring in southern hemisphere). Its the first ever joint Issue between these two countries. The stamps portray lamps, lights and sparkles in red and yellow shades. I'm very happy to receive covers from both countries showing this nice stamps.

Canada Post:

Stamps:
Diwali m/s and single stamps (full set) - Issued: 21-09-2017

India Post:

Stamp:
Diwali m/s - Issued: 21-09-2017


Many thanks to Tristan and Boben for your nice Covers!

Norway: UCI Road World Championships 2017

The 2017 UCI Road World Championships were held in 2017 in Bergen, Norway. It was the 90th UCI Road World Championships and the second to be held in Norway, after the 1993 world championships in Oslo. Chantal Blaak of the Netherlands won the women's road race and Peter Sagan of Slovakia won the men's road race. Sagan became the first man to win three successive world road race championships.

Stamps:
Cycling - UCI Road World Championships 2017 (full Set) - Issued: 16-06-2017

China: 2017 National Games of the People's Republic of China

The 13th National Games of China were held in Tianjin and Luoyang, Henan in August-September 2017. It is the premier sports event in China at national level. Like the Olympic Games, it is usually held once every four years. A total of 341 events in 31 sports were held at the games. On this very nice Cover you can see a minisheet and two stamps showing the mascot of this games called "JinWa".

Stamps:
Sports - The 13th National Games 2017 (m/s) - Issued: 27-08-2017


Many thanks to Jarod Xia for this nice Cover!

Åland: Sauna Traditions (Joint Issue with Finland)

On 24 May 2017, Åland Post and Posti Finland jointly issued stamps on the theme Sauna traditions. The Finnish sauna is a substantial part of Finnish culture. There are five million inhabitants and over three million saunas in Finland - an average of one per household. For Finnish people the sauna is a place to relax with friends and family, and a place for physical and mental relaxation as well.

In summer 2016, both Postal Administrations collected Sauna Photos from their costumers. A jury selected the most beautiful Photos. The Finnish Post then issued a booklet including the four most beautiful Photos from Finland and an additional winning Photo from Åland. On this minisheet from Åland, you can see the both winning Photos.

Stamp:
Sauna Traditions m/s (Joint Issue with Finland) - Issued: 24-05-2017


UPDATE 06-03-2018:

I recently received another cover with this nice Stamp. Many thanks to Kimmo!

Stamp:
Sauna Traditions m/s (Joint Issue with Finland) - Issued: 24-05-2017

India: Traditional Dancing (Joint Issue with Portugal)

On this nice Cover from India you can see a nice mini-sheet as India-Portugal Joint Issue featuring "Dandiya Dance" of India and "Pauliteiros Dance" of Portugal. The Dandiya Dance, also known as Raas or Dandiya Raas, is the traditional folk dance form of Gujarat & Rajasthan India. The Dandiya Raas dance originated as devotional Garba dances, which were performed in Goddess Durga’s honor.
The Pauliteiros are those who practise folk dance which is popular in Terra de Miranda (Terras de Miranda) a region in the northeastern Portugal, lying on the border of Spain. The dance is carried out by a group of men including eight dancers and three musicians, wearing traditional clothes. Characteristic for the dance is the complementation of the rhythmic section by the striking of two sticks by each dancer.

Stamp:
Minisheet - Traditional Dancing (Joint Issue with Portugal) - Issued: 07-01-2017


Many thanks to Kamran for this nice Cover!

Latvia: Academic Center for Natural Sciences of the University of Latvia

The stamp on this nice Cover is from the series "Latvijas arhitektūra" issued by Latvia Post (Print-run: 150.000). It shows the newly built Academic Center for Natural Sciences of the University of Latvia. The University of Latvia (LU) (Latvian: Latvijas Universitāte) is a state-run university located in Riga, Latvia. It was established in 1919. On September 7, 2015 the newly built Academic Center for Natural Sciences of the University of Latvia has been opened in Torņakalns in the presence of the highest state officials. The Academic Center will house around 1500 students from 5 faculties – the faculties of Biology, Geography and Earth Science, Chemistry, Medicine as well as the Department of Optometry and Vision Science department of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics.

Stamp:
Architecture - University of Latvia Academic Center of Natural Sciences 2017 - Issued: 28-09-2017


Many thanks again to Vera for this nice Cover!

Germany: Research Vessel Polarstern on the Expedition PS107-ARK-XXXI/2

The Polarstern expedition PS107 to the Arctic (Tromsø – Tromsø) started on 23 July 2017 and led particularly to study areas in the central and eastern Fram Strait. With this expedition it contributed to various large national and international research and infrastructure projects (e.g. INTAROS, FRAM, SIOS, OceanSITES) as well as to the research programme PACES-II (Polar Regions and Coasts in the changing Earth System) of the Alfred-Wegener- Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI). The cruise ended on 19 August 2017 in Tromsø, Norway.

Note the signature on the cover, I'm not sure from who it is, but I suspect its from the Chief Scientist of this Expedition Ingo Schewe.

Stamp:
EUROPA "Castles" - Issued: 11-05-2017

Greenland: Paamiut

Paamiut, formerly known as Frederikshåb, is a town in southwestern Greenland in the Sermersooq municipality. It is located on the coast of Labrador Sea in the southern end of a small estuary called Kuannersooq ("Inlet"). With 1,515 inhabitants as of 2013, it is the eighth-largest town in Greenland.

I choosed this special round stamp, which is an joint Issue with New Zealand Post, to frank this matching postcard showing a Polar Bear. Because of expected habitat loss caused by climate change, the polar bear is now classified as a vulnerable species,

Stamp:
From Pole-to-Pole (Joint Issue with New Zealand) - Issued: 20-10-2014