Happy 2009!!!

Hello! How are you all?

Today is new years eve and well... what can I talk to you about?

1st of all

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Canadian 2008 s/s Year of the Rat!

Well... I'll talk to you about the Lunar New Year! What do you say?

C'mon... Let us all shout:
Away with the Rat enters the Ox!!!!

New Zealand 2009 s/s Year of the Ox

"People born in the Year of the Ox are patient, speak little, and inspire confidence in others. They tend, however, to be eccentric, and bigoted, and they anger easily. They have fierce tempers and although they speak little, when they do they are quite eloquent. Ox people are mentally and physically alert. Generally easy-going, they can be remarkably stubborn, and they hate to fail or be opposed. They are most compatible with Snake, Rooster, and Rat people."

Hong Kong 2009 s/s Year of the Ox

I was born is the lunar year of the Monkey and what experts say about me?

"Monkey: Clever and skilful to the point of genius, practical and given to detail, you generally have a low opinion of others. Your best relationships are with the dragon, rat and ram and worst with the tiger"

People born in the year of the Ox aren't dragon, rat or ram... but sure aren't tigers... so even so... maybe I'll still get lucky!!! LOL!!!

Getting serious again... Hope you've enjoyed these new S/Ss that will be issued only in January by each of the countries' POs.

Wishes of a happy 2009 with lots of stamps to collect... preferably on my topics and at an affordable price! Stamp new issues are just getting more and more expensive each year... worldwide... It's a stampyn global warming!!!

Take care y'all!

Official vs. Non-official

Hello!

Today I'm posting about Official versus Non-official First Day Covers.

Official FDCs are the ones issued by the countries' Postal Agency, like the one I'm showing you bellow, issued 30.4.1973:

PORTUGAL: Europa CEPT issue of 1973

On the same day, a Portuguese national collectors' association, named CFP and probably one of the biggest in the country, also issued its FDC, with of course a different cachet.


Some more examples of other FDCs issued by the CFP:

In my personal opinion, all cachet makers have their space in the philatelic market, the US is a good example of that... with so many makers!!! Yes... I know that the official US PO FDCs are blank ones, wich leaves more market room for all the makers!

Our Portuguese official PO FDCs are not blank but with a chachet.... And that is probably the reason why, here in Portugal, today no one makes any cachet FDCs! We all buy the oficial ones or none at all!

So... I leave here an enormous congratulation to all former cachet makers of Portugal and all the still active cachet makers in the world... that still give us the chance to pick a FDC from a huge variety of diferent cachet images :) Thank you all!!!

Annual Stamps Book - PT

Hello Fellow Collectors,

The year of 2008 is almost ending... and the Portuguese PO will not issue any more stamps this year: not even a Xmas issue! Yes, terrible, I know!

Well... If you're interested in acquiring all the sets and s/s issued this year, you can buy the Annual Book with a face value of 108.23 Euro, numbered and authenticated by the publisher in a limited issue of 12.000 copies!

I can thank Santa for mine :) ehehe!

See you soon! Bye!

Naked Heart

Hello!

How was your Xmas eve? Hope you had a great time with lots of stampy presents!

Recently a fellow collector sent me this amazing picture of a heart tattoo! What do you think of it?

Hearts are the most common symbol for love, passion, and adoration. This doesn't change with heart tattoos.

Each heart tattoo will mean something different to each person.

For me, as a stamp collector, it reminds me of the 2008 US Wedding Hearts stamps featuring vines that form the shape of a heart.

These stamps are designed especially for mailing wedding invitations and RSVPs.

The stamps are available in two denominations to cover both the one-ounce and the two-ounce mailing rates.

Did you ever receive a wedding invitation with these stamps?

Are you the "I would sooner make a tattoo than getting married ever?" type of person? Or are you pro-marriage?

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas

Poland --- Cover!

" A little about this cover:

From time to time philatelists in Poland prepare the car post, the motorcycle post, the railway post and so on.

What does it mean?

The letter is sent to the post office X, they place on the cover a special postmark, next it is transported by car, motorcycle... to the post office Y, usually there is cancelled again with a different postmark (in connection to te 1st one) and then the letter is sent to the addressee.
Tbere are additionall postmarks informing p.e the car post (like this time).

The postmarks tell about the Polish national anthem: one (used in Srem) shows Wybicki, the author of the anthem and the 2nd one (used in Poznan) shows Polish Czarniecki, mentioned in the anthem.

The stamps shows the White Eagle - Polish National coat of arms; next: the warriors of Czarniecki and the last stamp depicts the Polish Flag."

Thank you Roman for this great philatelic cover! WOW!!!

Ukranian Merry Xmas!

Postal Stationery card

Details of the printed stamp bellow.

The drawings on reverse side depicts Christmas.


Date of issue: 28th October 2008

Ukraine on her best!!! Wouldn't you say?