Astronomy - Portugal

Portuguese Postal Services also issued a set of stamps to commemorate the IYA2009. This set aims to promote the work carried out by the Portuguese in the field of Astronomy.

Madeira Issue

Similar to other countries Portugal also has activities like lectures, astronomical observational sessions, exhibitions, musical concerts, etc... to commemorate the Astronomy Year. You can read more about it here.

Azores Issue

émission / issue :
2009 / 05 / 08

timbres-post / stamps:
€0,68– 230 000
€0,68 – 230 000
€0,68 – 230 000

souvenir sheet:
avec 1 timbre / with 1 stamp
3 X €1,36 – 3 x 80 000

Design: Atelier Acácio Santos / Elizabete Fonseca
papier / paper: 102 g/m2
format / size:
Timbres/ Stamps: 40 x 30,6 mm
Bloc / souvenir sheet: 125mm x 95mm
dentelure / perforation:
Croix du Christ / Cross of Christ
impression / printing : offset

Portugal (Mainland) Issue

Happy IYA2009!!!

50th Anniversary of the Space Age

On a previous post here I've written about a set of stamps that would be issued by the UN post commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Space Age.


Above you can see one FDC with a stamp from that set. It has the NY cancellation and was issued on Oct of last year 2007.

Interesting FDC... don't you agree? If you have the others please let me know and we could trade or I could buy them from you.

Thank you!

French Space Stamp

My 1st November post... Wow!!! Xmas is really getting close, isn't it? And that will soon be a topic to explore. Please visit again soon!

Well... back to today's post... I've received a letter with the French Space Stamp. Thank you Eric. Please don't forget to visit his great blog here.


This stamp was issued on 5 Oct. 2007 to commemorate the 50th ANNIVERSARY of the SPACE CONQUEST. And as Eric also pointed out on his blog it shows 5 Space Historic Events... Sputnik, Apollo module, Spot 5 satellite and Ariane 5 and Soyuz launchers with the European map on the background. A beautiful stamp no doubt at all.

On the left of the stamp you can see a postage meter / label that the postal clerk prints on the same paper as the ATM - paper plane design.

See you all soon!

Australia Space on stamps Part III

I was thinking of all the subject headings I could give this piece, and all sounded so clichéd.. so just Space on Stamps, and Australian stamps, as today the new Australia Space stamps were issued.

I chose this FDC to show you all.... the Miniature Sheet on a Cover...

Hope you like these... I have a gutter pair strip on my own blog.. Enjoy!

And if you want to read a really good article - in my view - on Space, try THIS.

More later, as 4th October is the 50 year anniversary of Sputnik am going to do something special for you Jose..... well am going to try...
Enjoy your stamps... Michael

SPACE... the final frontier

50th anniversary of the launch of the
1st satellite - SPUTNIK

Few days ago some fellow collectors and Blog contributors talked about the stamp set that soon will be issued by the Australian Post office... and what a nice set that is... but space collectors everywhere rejoice! This is a great year for us... several countries are issuing SPACE related stamps... now it's time for the United Nations Postal Administration.


This set is to be issued on 25th October 2007, 3 weeks after the 50 year anniversary of SPUTNIK's launch on 4th October 2007.

Take care!

Australia 2007 Blast off! 50 Years in Space

Date of Issue: 2 October 2007

In and Out with Halley's Comet

Mark Twain and Halley's Comet

In 1909, Twain is quoted as saying:

“I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: 'Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.'”

He died of a heart attack on 21 April 1910.

Halley's Comet appears only every 75-76 years. The last time it appeared was in 1986.

I can kick myself for not getting up in the early hours of the morning when it was here last, to see this beautiful comet - but at the time i was a young mum and very tired. Fortunately there have been other comets since then, and the last one, the McNaught comet, we went to watch most nights. It was stunning so i am told.

Space Russian Stamps/FDCs

In my previous post I talked about a Russian cover and I remembered that I'm missing some 2007 Russian space related items so if you are a Russian collector you may also be the one to help me - stamp.friends@gmail.com

I'm looking for the following:

The 50th anniversary of "Plesetsk" cosmodrome
MNH S/S + FDC


50th Anniversary of Space Age
Only FDC

Thank you!