Poland: The 100th Anniversary of the Fatima Apparitions

Our Lady of Fatima is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary based on the famed Marian apparitions reported in 1917 by three shepherd children at the Cova da Iria, in Fátima, Portugal. The three children were Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto. Bishop José da Silva declared the miracle worthy of belief on 13 October 1930, officially permitting devotion within the Catholic Church. The event is commemorated each year on that same date.

This is a Joint Issue with Luxembourg, Portugal & Slovakia.

Stamp:
The 100th Anniversary of the Fatima Apparitions - Issued: 12-03-2017


Many thanks to Roman for this nice Cover!

Indonesia: World Press Freedom Day

Every year, 3 May is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. This year the UNESCO, the Government of Indonesia, and the Press Council of Indonesia co-organized the World Press Freedom Day's main event and the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize Ceremony in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 1-4 May 2017.

This nice cover was sent to me from Pontianak, Indonesia. The city is located precisely on the equator, hence it is widely known as Kota Khatulistiwa (Equatorial City). The city center is actually less than 3 kilometres (2 mi) south of the equator.

Stamps:

World Press Freedom Day (full Set) - Issued: 03-05-2017

Many thanks to Muhammad for this nice Cover!

Åland: EUROPA - Kastelholms Slott

Kastelholm Castle (Swedish: Kastelholms slott) is a Swedish-buil medieval castle located in Sund, Åland, Finland, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) northeast of of the capital Mariehamn, overlooking a fjord to the south of the village of Kastelholm. Built in the 14th century, and held in fief during the Middle Ages by various nobles, feudal chiefs, and kings, it had significant period in the 15th and 16th centuries. Today it is an important part of the tourist circuit in Åland.

I'm happy to receive this cover with a matching illustrated postmark from Kastelholm Castle!

Stamp:
EUROPA "Castles" - Issued: 09-05-2017 with matching postmark

Latvia: EUROPA - "Castles"

Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe, one of the three Baltic states. The capital of Latvia is Riga. For this year's EUROPA theme Latvian Post issued two stamps. The first one shows Bauska Castle (Nom. 1,71 €). It is a complex consisting of the ruins of an earlier castle and a later palace on the outskirts of the Latvian city of Bauska. The other one is Cesvaine Palace (Nom. 0,78 €). It is located in the town of Cesvaine in the Madona District. Next to the palace are the old medieval castle ruins, remains from the old bishops castle. Cesvaine Palace was built in 1896 for the German baron Emil von Wulf.

Stamps:
EUROPA Castles (full set) - Issued: 21-04-2017


Many thanks to Vera for this nice Cover!

France: EUROPA - "Castles"

For this year's EUROPA Issue the french Post put together three castles on one stamp. You can see Castles of the Loire Valley, Chambord (Loir-et-Cher), Azay-le-Rideau (Indre-et-Loire) and Chenonceau (Indre-et-Loire). The Loire-Valley, the region, where all these castles are located is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. 

Stamp:

EUROPA 2017 "Castles" - Issued: 14-05-2017

Many thanks to Eric for this nice Cover!

USA: Total Solar Eclipse of August 21st 2017

Today, on the 21st of August 2017, a total solar eclipse crosses the USA from Oregon to South Carolina. On this day, the Moon completely obscures the Sun.  The day instantly turns to deep twilight and the Sun's corona becomes visible for a precious two minutes. As you can see on the card the total eclipse is only visible within a 110-km (70-mile) wide path that crosses the USA. In other countries it will only be visible as a partial eclipse.

I'm very happy to receive this special card for this lifetime event with also a special stamp. The stamp looks black, but if you press your finger on it the moon will appear.

Stamp:
Total Solar Eclipse - Issued: 20-06-2017


Many thanks to Nancy for this great Card!

Germany: Search and Rescue Vessels of the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS)

The German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (German: Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger - DGzRS) is responsible for Search and Rescue in German territorial waters in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, including the Exclusive Economic Zone. The headquarters and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre of the Society are located in Bremen, Germany. It was founded in Kiel on 29 May 1865. It owns 61 lifeboats at 54 stations which are operated by 185 employed crew members and 800 volunteers.

The DGzRS operates 59 vessels on 54 stations in the North Sea and Baltic. 20 of which are seagoing cruisers (German: Seenotrettungskreuzer) between 20 m and 46 m of length and 39 vessels are classified as inshore lifeboats (German: Seenotrettungsboote). A feature of the cruisers is that all but the 20-m class carry a fully equipped small lifeboat on deck which can quickly be released through a gate in the aft for conducting operations in shallow waters.

In this Post I'd like to show you some Covers from my collection with Ship-Cancellations and/or Cachets of these Cruisers and Lifeboats.


1. SK Bernhard Gruben

This is a 23.1-m class Cruiser. It's homeport is Norderney, which is one of the seven East Frisian Islands off the North Sea coast of Germany. As you can see from the Cachet this Cruiser got a small but fully equipped lifeboat on Deck. The Cruiser was built in 1997 and was named after Bernhard Gruben, a foreman, who died in accident in 1st January 1995.

2. SK Anneliese Kramer

This is a 28-m class Cruiser. It's homeport is Cuxhaven. This is a very new Cruiser, which was built in 2017 and it also got a lifeboat on Deck. The Cruiser was named after Anneliese Kramer, who donated much of her fortune to DGzRS after she died.

3. SRB Secretarius

This is a small 9,5/10,1-m class Boat and also one of the newest. It's homeport is the East Frisian Island Langeoog. The Ship Commissioning Ceremony was held on 12th August 2017 in Berne, Germany. On the Cover you can see the Cachet for this Ceremony. The Boat was named after the Organisator of the so-called "Bremer Eiswette", which is an annual bet since 1829 if the River Weser in Bremen is frozen on the 6th of January or not.

USA: Oscar de la Renta (1932-2014)

Óscar Arístides Renta Fiallo (22 July 1932 – 20 October 2014), known professionally as Oscar de la Renta, was a Dominican fashion designer. De la Renta became internationally known in the 1960s as one of the couturiers who dressed Jacqueline Kennedy. An award-winning designer, he worked for Lanvin and Balmain. US Postal Service honored him with a Stamps Set including 11 images - an evocative black-and-white portrait of de la Renta and 10 details from some of his most exquisite gowns.

Stamps:
Oscar de la Renta (1932-2014) (from a Set of 11) - Issued: 16-02-2017


Many thanks to A.W. Welch for this nice Cover!

Greenland: Princess Mary & Prince Fred of Denmark Copper Wedding Anniversary

In Denmark there are three major Marriage Milestones: Gold is 50 years, Silver is 25 and Cooper is 12½ years. Prince Frederik of Denmark wed Princess Mary, formerly Mary Donaldson, in May 2004 after meeting four years earlier at the Sydney Olympics. In November 2016 they now celebrated their Copper Wedding. For this special Occasion Greenland Post issued a special Sheet. This sheet contains a nice family portrait of the Royal Family. I used this sheet to send this cover from the International Stamp Fair in Essen.

Stamp:
Copper Wedding Anniversary, Frederik/Mary - Issued: 17-10-2016