Horses Of India

Another great cover for the animal group, representing four Indian horse breeds. Issued in 2009. Additional stamp is from the series 'Personalities', with Surendranath Jauhar. There is also a special sparrow cancellation, to raise the awareness that this little bird is actually not as common as it used to be...Thanks Sauj! :)



Palau-Japan Friendship Bridge, Palau

Patrick often goes to exotic places (for business if I remember correctly!) and is so thoughtful to offer to send interesting covers - this one shows a part of the sheet with 30 stamps issued in 2002,  'Palau-Japan Friendship Bridge'. It took me a while to find the info but I think I've solved my problem - finding the Postbeeld online catalogue! I will also include their scan of this issue for better perspective. Thanks Pat! :))

RMS Titanic100th Anniversary Commemoration, Canada

As many involved in postcrossing know already, this year was 100th anniversary commemoration of the most famous sunken ship RMS Titanic. This great set of stamps shows us both the front (bow, top two) and the back (stern, bottom two) of the ship. Also, they have been cancelled in Halifax, the city in Canada that played a major role in retrieval of the bodies after the tragic event, as the closest city to the sinking with direct rail and steamship connections.

Many thanks to Maryam!

Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, Australia

This is the year that the Commonwealth celebrates the Diamond Jubilee of their queen Elizabeth II. A lovely set of stamps showing the queen then and now. Thank you Irene :)

Tunisia

A cover with fantastic stamps from Tunisia, from Radim who is always so kind to send mail from his many travel destinations. Děkuji Radim!

The 1st stamp shows maajna, a traditional large ceramic bowl used for kneading dough during bread preparation. The 2nd one commemorates the Tunisian Revolution which began on 18th December 2010  and ended on 14th January 2011 with the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Both current issues.

Traditional Likay Play, Thailand

ชื่อกลุ่มสินค้า	งานแสดงตราไปรษณียากรแห่งชาติ 2554
วันแรกจำหน่าย	04 สิงหาคม 2554

(heh this is the first info I found)
A special stamp collection featuring the Likay traditional play, issued on 4 August 2011 to mark the opening of the 17th Thailand Philatelic Exhibition, or Thaipex 2011.

And how beautiful are these stamps?! I have received a couple on a postcard once, now I have the whole set, yay :)) You cannot see it on the scan but there are glittering touches on the colourful costumes! Complete with different cancellations. And inside a standard postal postcard with perforated stamp rim, very cool :) Thanks so much Nina, who can wish for more? :)))

Year Of The Dragon, Serbia

A gorgeous Year Of The Dragon stamp issued by the Serbian Post, one of the best I've seen! Thats why I had to scan it separately to have a better view :) Also the Belgrade Central Office/Telephone Exchange. I was close to being sorry having to erase my address, as Ana has one of the handsomest handwritings ever..!

And oh what a joy, a set of stamps with reptiles from our former country Yugoslavia issued in 1962! I was a stamp collector before I became a postcard collector...and I still like receiving stamps on occasion, especially if they are animal sets. I have loads of stamps on paper at home waiting to be sorted...its a relaxing hobby once I stop working and spend the winter days at home.

Hvala puuuuuuuuuuuuno Anči! :)))

EUROPA - Città del Vaticano

Very very happy to have this in my collection, Europa cover from the smallest country in the world :) Many thanks to Rita, and for a lovely postcard inside!

Malaysian Bantams

Colourful malaysian fowl, two of the set of three issued in 2001.  For the Animal Group in the RR, suggested by little me :) Thanks Nurul!

Animals Of Czech Republic

Gorgeous cover with animals for Nice Cover Circuit RR from Radim, thank you!! :))

On the right is a section from miniature sheet  Biosphere Reserve Lower Morava, issued in 2010. It shows the Old World Swallowtail butterfly, the Wallcreeper bird  and the Common Kestrel. The stamp on the left shows the Tau Emperor moth and the red deer - a part of the miniature sheet of 4 stamps and 4 coupons featuring the diversity of the night-time forest beauty of the Křivoklátsko biosphere reserve. But it cannot by any standards be a MINIature sheet heh - look at all its beauty here:

Nordic Maritime 2012, Finland

A miniature sheet of two stamps Nordic Maritime 2012, sent by Heidi, thank you :)
Very nice Helsinki cancellation :D

Hong Kong Festivals

Thank you Yuen for the lovely festivals set, I like it how you put them on a bit differently :)

They are three of the set of five special stamps to portray five traditional festivals and the way people celebrate them; Tin Hau Festival (worshipping the goddess of the sea), Buddha's Birthday (held on the 8th day of the 4th month in the Chinese lunar calendar) and Kwun Yum Festival (celebrating Guanyin, the bodhisattva associated with compassion).

Rosslare-Fishguard Miniature Sheet, Ireland

This great mini-sheet from Ireland celebrates the centenary of the Rosslare-Fishguard Ferry Service in 2006. Its a shame that An Post doesn't practice cancelling the stamps all that often..! Thank you Fabio for my 1st cover from Éire :)

Sovereign Military Order Of Malta

With the full name: The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta or Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme di Rodi e di Malta in Italian, where the cover has been sent from :) It is the world's oldest surviving order of chivalry, is headquartered in Rome and widely considered a sovereign subject of international law.

Today the order has about 13,000 members; 80,000 permanent volunteers and 20,000 medical personnel including doctors, nurses, auxiliaries and paramedics in more than 120 countries. The goal is to assist the elderly, handicapped, refugeed, children, homeless, those with terminal illness and leprosy in five continents of the world, without distinction of race or religion. Through its worldwide relief corps - Malteser International - the Order is also engaged to aid victims of natural disasters, epidemics and armed conflicts.

My first thought is: the world needs more such orders! I will admit my ignorance, I wasn't aware of its sovereignity esp in postal terms. The funny thing is, it was mentioned to me one day on the forum - and the very next day i've received this FANTASTIC surprise from Luca! The curious coincidences of life eh? :))) The stamp is issued in 2011 and celebrates 200th birthday of this great composer and pianist. Thanks so much Luca!