2004 Netherland cars

Cover by cars or cars by cover?

First day of issue: May 10, 2004

Above you can see a cover with 2 stamps issued in 2004 depicting Spyker brand cars.

"Spyker is a Dutch car manufacturer, started in 1880 by coach builders Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker." (from WIKI)

Do many of you collect cars on stamps as a thematic?

Nice topic isn't it?

Cover from Germany

Mail from Remscheid

Hello! Today I've received this excellent cover from Germany! It's always nice to see a cover with such a clear cancellation - this one from Remscheid.

From right to left you can see the following stamps:

1. Issued 2007 in a 1v stamp set about the Union.

2. Issued this year 2008 it's a stamp belonging to the 0,45 EUR series "World culture of UNESCO" Klosterinsel Reichenau (more details here).

3. Issued 2007 commemorating H.F.C. Freiherr vom und zum Stein.

See you soon!

Seattle to Tokyo.......

Hello everyone. Been away and not had time to post much here. Have shown a a few flight covers on my own blog though. I do hope you read me at http://blog.michael.dodd.com/

Here is one I rather like. This was a cover I received from a collector in the US.

Lovely, and interesting if you have an interest in flight covers and aviation. Well I'll tell you anyway!!! Northwest really did do some pioneering work to build the US Japan and Orient routes, they were a big contributor to helping Japan Airlines get established, and along with Pan Am (remember them) they were granted what are called 5th Freedom Traffic rights, that is, the rights to pickup and fly passengers from Japan and beyond. There is one other reason why I think this cover is special, and that is because it was for a route opened up with the Boeing 377 StratoCruiser. Something special about that aircraft that we tend to have forgotten, and that is, it was a double decker aircraft. Not in the way we see the A380 but it did have two decks, which back in the late 1940's was pretty impressive I think.

.... Enjoy your stamps ... Michael

Joint Issue Portugal-Brazil

200 Years of the arrival of the
Portuguese Royal Family in Brazil

On 22 January 2008 both Portuguese and Brazilian Postal Authorities issued a set of stamps showing images of the Portuguese Royal Family - It's the 1st Portuguese Joint Issue of 2008!

The facial value of each Portuguese stamps are:

(N) = Nacional (0,30€)
(I) = Internacional (0,75€)


The Brazilian ones have both 2 Reais as their facial value.

Denmark Autopsy

The Philatelic Autopsy: Season 2 Episode 2

Country of origin: Denmark. Currency Kr.

Stamps: No. 3

Commemorative Stamps:

- The left stamp was issued in 1973 in a single value set and it depicts Tycho Brahe, a Danish nobleman famed for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical observations.

-The other commemorative stamp is much younger... it was issued in 2006 in a set of 4v about Cobra art. COBRA (or CoBrA) was an European avant-garde movement active from 1949 to 1952. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels (Br), Amsterdam (A).

Cancellation: Sydjyllands. Date: 11-1-2008.

Postal Tariff: 2+5.50+0.25= 7.75 Kr. Correct postage for airmaill from Denmark to Europe for a up to 50g letter.

Hope you have enjoyed another episode of my autopsy series!

Norway Autopsy

The Philatelic Autopsy: Season 2 Episode 1

Country of origin: Norway

Stamps: No. 4 . Currency: NOK

Commemorative Stamps (from left to right and top to bottom):

1. The goat stamp was issued in 1981 in a 2v set celebrating Milk production.

2. The boast stamp was issued in 1987 in a 2v set about Paintings.

3. I'm sorry but I'll need your help to get some information about this stamp!

4. The last stamp was issued in 1980 depicting Norse handicrafts in a 2v set.

Cancellation: Sarpsborg. Date: 14-1-2008.

Postal Tariff: 1.50+2.70+3.00+1.80 = 9 NOK. Correct postage for A-Prioritaire from Norway to Europe for a up to 20g letter.

Hope you have enjoyed episode 1 of my 2nd autopsy series! Bye!

Falkland Islands Birds

What do you think of this Falkland Islands philatelic cover? Really nice wouldn't you agree?


On it you can see 3 stamps, from left to right:

1. 5p and 1 pound definitive stamps: they belong to a set of 12v issued in 2003 depicting birds. Here are shown the Falkland Flightless Steamer Duck and the Red-backed Hawk.

2. The other stamp was issued on 20 December 2006 and it's a WWF issue about the Striated Caracara / Phalcoboenus australis. More details here.

 

Xmas in Russia

Hello! Today I've received this cover from Russia. Here you can see 3 stamps belonging to 2 different sets.

The 2 stamps on the right upper corner were issued on 7th December 2007 with an Happy New Year theme!

Bellow you can see the official FDC... I really like the snowman on the cancellation! Very cool!

Canada: Year of the RAT

Today I have to show you a beautiful cover from Canada depicting 2008 Chinese New Year: Year of the Rat!

Thank you Glenn for sending it to me. Don't forget to visit is nice blog gem's world postcards!

If you will have a child born from 7 February 2008 to 25 January 2009 then she will be born under the Earth Rat!

And according to WIKI: Rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hard-working. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. They are energetic and versatile and can usually find their way around obstacles, and adapt to various environments easily. A rat's natural charm and sharp demeanour make it an appealing friend for almost anyone, but rats are usually highly exclusive and selective when choosing friends and so often have only a few very close friends whom they trust.

James Bond Game

James Bond Competition

Hello! On a previous post here I've talked about a game where you could win a postcard from my country If you guessed which James Bond and Bond Girl would I prefer... do you remember it?

Well... thank you all for your emails and guesses...

And now.... *drums rumble*... my choices are:

James Bond: Sean Connery

Bond Girl: Honor Blackman A.K.A Pussy Galore

How did she and Bond meet: Bond regains consciousness on board Goldfinger's personal jet to find Pussy sardonically appraising him, leading to this classic exchange:

Bond: "Who are you?"
Pussy: "My name is Pussy Galore."
Bond: (pause) "I must be dreaming..."

Congratulations to Rogers from US and Stephane from France for getting the answer right. Please send me your addresses by email and I'll send you a POSTCARD! Take care!

UNESCO: Israel

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Israel

Above you can see a cover from Israel showing one of the 3 stamps issued in 2007 depicting World heritage sites in the country.

You can see bellow the full set!


From left to right we have:

1. Masada
2. Telaviv
3. Acre

You can download the English Post Office Flyer with all issue details: here

Xmas from Romania!

Today I have this very nice cover to show you from Romania.

On it you can see the 2007 Christmas stamp issued by Romania. It was issued in the form of a miniature sheet of 8 stamps.

Ian Fleming's James Bond FDC Part 2

I received this today

Canada 2007 Year of The Rat

Canada 2007 Year of The Rat

Date of Issue
January 8, 2008

Denomination
A:1 x 52c 1 x B:$1.60

Design
Tandem Design Associates Ltd.

Illustration
Harvey Chan (i22iArt)

Perforations
13+

Singapore 2008 Zodiac Series - Rat

Date of Issue
18 January 2008

Denomination
1st local, 65c, $1.10

Stamp Size
40mm x 30mm (1st local & 65c)
35mm x 44.8mm($1.10)

Collectors' Sheet with a $5 and $10 stamps
105mm x 65mm

Perforation
14 x14 (1st local & 65c)
14.25 x 14.25 ($1.10)

Sheet Content
50 gummed-back stamps per sheet (1st local, 65c, $1.10)
10 Self-adhesive stamps per sheet (1st local)

Designer
Leo Teck Chong

New Zealand Post 2008 Year of the Rat - Pocket Pets

Year of the Rat - Pocket Pets

Even though the rat may have an unpleasant reputation with some people, history and myths tell us that it has a significant place in the human world. Romans considered white rats auspicious, while in old Japan they were messengers of one of the seven gods of luck. According to Chinese myth the rat brought the gift of rice to humankind – and of course the rat is also one of the creatures in the Chinese Zodiac: a symbol of good luck and wealth that we celebrate with our latest stamp issue.

The 2008 Year of the Rat stamp issue is the 12th in New Zealand Post’s Chinese Lunar series. Its theme is ‘pocket pets’ – a term originally given to small rodents kept as pets and since expanded to include rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets and more. Eminently portable, these tiny animals make popular companions for small children everywhere.

Date of issue: 7 February 2008

Ian Fleming's James Bond FDC Part 1

I just received this cover from RoyalMail today.

Here is some technical details about this issue from Royal Mail

Feature	Type/Detail
Number of stamps	Six
Design	A2/SW/HK
Photography	Kevin Summers
Stamp Format	Long Landscape
Stamp Size	60mm x 21mm
Printer	De la Rue Security Printers
Print Process	Lithography
Number per Sheet	24/48
Perforations	14.5 x 14.5
Phosphor	Bars as appropriate
Gum	PVA

Lithuanian Xmas!

Christmas seems so far away now, doesn't it?

But I'm glad that some Xmas related stamps and covers continue to reach my mailbox! Thank you all for it!

On the above cover from Lithuania you can see a Christmas Stamp issued in 2005 in a set of 2v.

The cancellation is also very colourful... green and red... in Portugal it is only used the black one... was this one used in Lithuania because those are the colours of Xmas? Or is it a normal procedure?

Desert Santa!

First of all... let me thank you for sending me this postcard... really peculiar... a desert Santa not our common snow Santa! eheh! Wishes of an excellent 2008 to you and family!


On the back of the postcard you can see 3 stamps.


The 1st two Comics stamps belong to a set of 10v issued in 1999 in a booklet. They are self-adhesive.
The last one depicting a Turkey was issued in 1997 in a Christmas set of 4v.

Bond is back

In my last post I've shown you the set of stamps that GB will issue for Ian Fleming's 100 years commemorations... hope you enjoyed them!

Today I have the a picture of the S/S what will be issued at the same time.

Which one is your favourite James Bond book/film?

If you find out which one I think was the best James Bond actor and Bond Girl I'll send you a postcard from my country as a gift! Send your guesses to stamp.friends@gmail.com and don't forget your mail address. Good luck!

James Bond II

Today I've decided to only post a moment of ZEN...

Would you be man (or woman, of course) enough to dare James Bond in a game of cards? I hope you enjoy this amazing video clip!

See you tomorrow!

Ian Fleming's birth

This year 2008 we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the person that made Bond the most famous British secret agent ever!... yes... Ian Fleming, what else!

As a person that enjoys cinema... can you believe that I'm trying for ages to see the new film Golden Compass and still couldn't see it!? Have you seen it? Is it any good?


Oh well!!... I couldn't pass the opportunity to tell you that on 8th January Royal Mail will issue a set of 6 stamps depicting the most memorable book covers of Ian Fleming's work. Enjoy!

Churches in Lithuania

Hello! Did you know that there are many people around the world that collects churches on stamps? Well... It's not really my cup of tea but this year 2008 Lithuania has issued a very interesting set of stamps depicting “ WOODEN SACRAL ARCHITECTURE IN LITHUANIA”.

Issue date
5 Jan. 2008

The stamps show the following Churches:

5ct – The church of Antantė. 1794
10ct – The church of Degučiai. 1757
20ct – The church of Inturkė. 1855
35ct – The church of Prienai. 1750
1.35ct – The church of Šiaudinė. 1775
1.55ct – The church of Užventis. 1703

Are you a church stamp collector? Tell us what do you think of this set!

2008 DAKAR cancelled

2008 Lisbon-Dakar is a no go!

As you all probably know the 2008 Dakar, that was going to start at the Portuguese Capital City - Lisbon, was cancelled because of security reasons.

Nonetheless today Portugal will still issue a set of stamps in the form of a S/S commemorating the Dakar event!


The reason for not having the issue cancelled was that many of the S/S were already been distributed to sellers inside Portugal and abroad. And as we all know when a Postal Authority (PA) decides to withdraw a stamp issue some few stamps still get sold and reach an extremely high market value... Remember a recent case in Australia... and for fighting those situations Portuguese PA decided to still issue the Dakar S/S!

In my opinion was the right thing to do. What do you think?

I will post some more images ASAP! Have a great Saturday!

Australia: 50 years of Television

Hello! Do you enjoy the Cinema? You know I do, don't you? I bet that you have already seen on the bottom of the right column of the blog my "NOW on Theatres" section with movie clips and trailers... haven't you? No? If not, take a look... they are very cool!

Yes, i know that the above cover is about the 50 years of Television and not cinema! But watching TV can sometimes be as relaxing and enjoyful as going to the cinema, right?

The stamps above are in a complete set issued in 2006 by the Australian PO. I don't know all the TV series shown but you can see from left to right:

TV series details based on the information of TV.COM website!

1. Kath & Kim - "Stars Kath Day-Knight, a cheerful 50-something divorcee currently in a happy relationship with her husband, the effeminate Kel Knight, her spoilt, ever complaining 25-year-old daughter Kim Craig, her unlucky second-best friend Sharon Strzelecki, Kim's estranged husband Brett Craig and their baby daughter Epponnee Rae Craig."

2. IMT - "In Melbourne Tonight (IMT) is seen as Australias first mainstreem comedy variety show, hosted by Graham Kennedy, who is seen as the Australian King of comedy."

3. Homicide - "Australia's first major drama series, and the most influential by any measure. Based around murder cases investigated by the Homicide squad at Melbourne's Russell Street police headquarters."

4. Dateline - here

5. Neighbours - "Now in its 23rd year of production, Neighbours is Australia's most successful television program, not to mention being a hit world-wide."

Cover from Russia

10 Years ago... in Russia

Date of issue
1st Jan. 1998

On the cover above you can see 3 different stamps of the 3rd Russian definitive issue.

They are:

0.10 (R). brown-ochre and black. Combine harvesters in field
0.50 (R). deep violet-blue and black. Post emblem
2.00 (R). myrtle green and black. Class VL65 electric railway locomotive

The other stamps in the set are the following:

0.15 (R). deep magenta and black. Oil rigs
0.25 (R). yellow-green and black. Herons
0.30 (R). deep bluish green and black. Radio mast
1.00 (R). orange-vermilion and dull ultramarine. State flag and arms
1.50 (R). turquoise-blue and black. Electric pylons and generating equipment
2.50 (R). red and black. Moscow Kremlin
3.00 (R). violet and black. Space satellite
5.00 (R). light brown and black. Pianist and theatre

What do you think of definitive stamps? Do you like to collect them? Or do you prefer to collect only commemorative ones?

In my collection I can find space for all... specially if space related... Maybe one of my Russian blog readers could send me a cover using only the 3.00 (R) Space satellite stamp. Great idea, isn't it? If you can do it... thank you!!

Glaciers of Iceland

2008 started to be a cold year... How is it there where you live?

The stamp on the cover above makes me wonder that in spite of feeling my hands starting to freeze as I write, there are colder places out there! And maybe that in front of my fireplace would be a better place to start preparing my blog posts...

This stamp was issued last year 2007 and belongs to a 5v stamp set about the Glaciers of Iceland.

I don't think that my fireplace would help me there... eheh! See you tomorrow!

SEPAC - Iceland

I hope you all had a great NEW YEARS EVE with lots of partying... dancing... drinking... and.... whatever you think is good to do before entering in the new year!!

Another year starts and I bet that many things will change but you as you can see... you can always count with philatelic news here at STAMPFRIENDS!

So what do you think of returning to stamps? Great idea, right? Well... according to the SEPAC website: At the beginning of 2006, 12 postal administrations have created the SEPAC : Small European Postal Administrations Cooperation. The member countries are: Aland, Faroes Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Guernsey, Iceland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco and San Marino. Early in 2007 Luxembourg also registered to join. Note that San Marino will not take part of the first issue. They are all small postal administrations characterized by being located in Europe, having independent status and more than 50% of its philatelic customers are living outside the country.

The joint issue will be issued every two years starting 2007.

Date of Issue
1st Oct. 2007

Today I have to show you one stamp from Iceland belonging to the SEPAC joint issue. This stamp belongs to a pair but only the 80. ISK value is bearing the official Sepac logo. Bellow you can see a complete miniature sheet with the full set.

All the 2007 SEPAC joint issue stamps are now being sold in a folder entitled “Beautiful Corners of Europe”.