USA – Postcards from Chicago, USA to Braga, Portugal.

 

 

Set of postcards sent on January 2011.

(Special thanks to my friend Ravanan Gee)

AUSTRALIA – Postcard from Sidney, Australia to Braga, Portugal.

Maximum card with stamp of 45c from the 1998’s issue ‘Planet Ocean’ posted on March, 14 2011.

(Special thanks to my best friend Juris Tarvids)

Miniature sheet

The ocean comprises nearly three quarters of the Earth’s surface, provides an important source of food, largely controls global weather and climate and is the ultimate source of all water resources.

Yet there has been more exploration of outer space than there has of the ocean depths. The vast majority of the ocean, ninety-eight per cent, in fact, remains unexplored and unknown, its natural resources and processes only now being understood. Planet Ocean, the 1998 Stamp Collecting Month issue, explores the ocean depths and celebrates the United Nations International Year of the Ocean. The waters surrounding Australia are part of three large, interconnected oceans of the Southern Hemisphere: the Pacific, the Indian and the Southern Oceans. They contain a great range of geographic features and around 12,000 islands.

Fields of seamounts south of Tasmania contain peaks rising to three times the height of our highest terrestrial peaks.  The stamps feature six of the marine creatures found in Australian waters.

Weedy Seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus)

Seadragons are a spectacular small fish found only in Australian waters. They grow to about 46 centimeters in length and differ from seahorses in that they have an elongated tail. Their bony exterior helps ward off attack by predators, while the fins provide mobility and camouflage.

The Common or Weedy Seadragon is found only in southern Australian waters. It has an astonishing color pattern, with an orange-red background, iridescent blue stripes and numerous white spots and yellow markings.

The female deposits 100 to 250 eggs on the underside of her mate’s tail. The male then incubates the eggs in cup-like supports, protecting them with varying degrees of cover.

Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis)

The Southern Right Whale has been protected since 1935 and was listed as endangered in 1992. It was regarded by early whalers as the ‘right’ whale to hunt because it comes close to shore, is a slow swimmer, and gives a high blubber and oil yield.

The whales migrate from their Antarctic feeding grounds to the southern coasts of Australia in winter, where they can be seen in shallow waters just beyond the surf line. The Southern Right has baleen

plates rather than teeth. A gentle giant growing to an average of fifteen meters in length, its sounds may be the loudest produced by an animal, capable of carrying up to hundreds of kilometers.

Manta Ray (Manta birostris)

The largest of the rays and one of the largest living fishes, Manta Rays can measure six to seven meters wide – more usually they grow to about four meters across.

Like sharks, rays have a skeleton composed of cartilage rather than bone.

They have broad, flat, wing like pectoral fins along the sides of the head, and eyes and spiracles  breathing holes) on top of the head and mouth and gill slits underneath. Manta Rays are graceful swimmers and are capable of spectacular leaps above the surface.

White Pointer Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

The White Pointer, or Great White Shark, is rare and there are signs that the species is declining in numbers. In Australia it is found from southern Queensland around the south of the continent to southern Western Australia.

A massive creature, it reaches lengths of more than six meters and has a fearsome reputation as a predator. Two of its main food sources in southern Australian waters are fur seals and sea lions. It also feeds on dolphins and whales.

Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

Dolphins, porpoises and whales are all warm-blooded, breathe air and suckle their young. The Bottlenose Dolphin lives for more than 35 years, grows to about four meters long and has a streamlined body with paired pectoral fins, and a single dorsal fin. It can dive relatively deep and can remain underwater for up to fifteen minutes.

Fiery Squid (Pyroteuthis margaritifera)

The Fiery Squid is a small animal, less than 10 centimeters in total length, that lives in the deep waters of the open ocean. By day it retreats to between 300 and 500 metres below the sea surface to escape into the darkness and avoid predators. At night, when it is safer, it migrates towards the upper 200 meters. As an added protection, its underside glows with small light organs which match the light from the sky above, so that it is invisible to predators from below.

Technical Details

Date of Issue: 1 October 1998

Values: six stamps of 45c

Subject: Planet Ocean

Designer: Wayne Rankin

Printer: SNP  Cambec

Process: Offset lithography

Seadragon and Dolphin stamp: 26 mm x 37.5 mm

Perforations: 14.6 x 13.86

Sheet layout: Two panes of 25

Squid stamp: 25 mm x 30 mm

Perforations: 14.4 x 14

Ray stamp: 30 mm x 25 mm

Perforations: 14 x 14.4

Shark stamp: 30 mm x 50 mm

Perforations: 14 x 14.4

Whale stamp: 50 mm x 30 mm

Perforations: 14.4 x 14

Shark, whale, squid and

ray sheet layout: 50 stamps

Miniature sheet: 167 mm x 74 mm

Perforations: 14.4 x 14

Watermark:

Part 1: Lick & Stick

Part 2: Miniature sheet with six stamps

Part 3: Peel & Stick with Perforation Die-cut simulated

FINLAND – Cover from Expoo, Finland to Braga, Portugal.

Cover with stamps from the issues ‘Rain or Shine?’, ‘Posti Green’ and 'Autumn’ posted on January, 18 2011.

(Special thanks to Kari Lehtinen)

Rain or Shine?

Stamps

Technical Details

Date of Issue: 27 February 2008

Values: 5 1^st Class stamps

Subject: Rain or Shine?

Designer:

Printer: Walsall Security Printers

Process: Offset

Size: 55.0 mm x 23.0 mm

Perforation: 12 x 12

Watermark:

Sheet:

Booklets: with 5 self-adhesive stamps

Post Green

Stamp

Five cents for the environment!
Light green stamp has been made taking care of the environment. The paper is 100 percent recyclable and the light green color is water-soluble.
The extra five cents is being used for building the first solar power plant in Finland, to compensate the emissions coming up because the deliveries.
The stamp is a part of the Itella Green programme - Zero emissions for deliveries.

Technical Details

Date of Issue: 4 May 2010

Values: 1st Class + 0.05€

Subject: Posti Green

Designer: Timo Berry ja Teemu Ollikainen

Printer: Thai British Security Printing Public Company ltd

Process: Offset

Size: 40.0 mm x 24.0 mm

Perforation: 15 x 15

Watermark:

Sheet: of 10 stamps

Autumn

Miniature sheet

We welcome the fall publishing a mini sheet of three self-adhesive stamps depicting a well-cooked crab, a pair of mallard and the king of the Northern forests - an elk! On the background there is a typical Finnish lake landscape.
To the hunter's stamp collection!
Graphic designer Asser Jaaro is well-known as a stamp designer. He works using traditional methods - a pen and paintbrush.

Technical Details

Date of Issue: 13 September 2010

Values: 1st Class

Subject: Rain or Shine?

Designer: Asser Jaaro

Printer: Joh Enschedé Security Printers

Process: Offset

Size: 35.0 mm x 30.0 mm

Perforation: 13 x 13

Watermark:

Sheet: Self-adhesive miniature sheet with the three designs

HONG-KONG – Cover from Ma On Shan Post Office, Hong-Kong to Braga, Portugal.

Registered cover with stamps from the issues ‘The 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ‘and 'Lighthouses from Hong-Kong' posted on January, 18 2011.

(Special thanks to Chan Yue)

The 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Stamps

Souvenir sheet

Set of special stamps, presenting a rainbow effect, is designed by Mr. Benny LAU and printed in lithography plus hot foil stamping by Joh. Enschede B. V., the Netherlands. These stamps capture momentous aspects of the development and achievements of the HKSAR over the past decade, and present the spectacular wonders of Hong Kong as a City of Life.

$1.40 - Full of life and zest, 10 children silhouetted against a spectacular sunrise symbolise the aspiration and energy of our younger generation in pursuit of their bright future.

$1.80 - A banner outside the Hong Kong Heritage Museum shows "Hand in Hand", a sculpture made to commemorate the reunification of Hong Kong with China using 10 fingers as a metaphor for our close ties with the motherland.

$2.40 - Vehicles arranged in the shape of the number 10 move along the Tsing Ma Bridge, the world’s longest span suspension bridge for both carriageway and railway. The bridge is among our proudest achievements in infrastructure development.

$2.50 - A flock of 10 birds fly over the Hong Kong Wetland Park. This world-class conservation, education and tourism facility is purposely built to demonstrate the diversity of our wetland ecosystem.

$3 - Two IFC, the tallest building in Hong Kong, forms a perfect 10 with the full moon. The obelisk-shaped skyscraper is an iconic landmark overlooking Victoria Harbour and a symbol of Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre.

$5 - "A Symphony of Lights" show staged in Victoria Harbour features a combination fireworks display and rooftop pyrotechnics display. A "10" is created against a magnificent backdrop of city lights.

Stamp Sheetlet
The Stamp Sheetlet is designed by Mr. Benny LAU and printed in lithography plus hot foil stamping and hologram foil by Cartor Security Printing, France. The stamp sheetlet presents"A Symphony of Lights" in a hologram to produce a flickering effect.

Technical Details

Date of Issue: 1 July 2007

Values: 6 stamps of $1.40, $1.80, $2.40, $2.80, $3 and $5

1 Souvenir sheet with three stamps of $10

Subject: "The 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region"

Designer: Ms. Feng Xiaohong (馮小紅)

Printer: Joh Enschedé BV, the Netherlands

Process: Photogravure

Size: 45.0 mm x 28.0 mm

Perforation: 13¼ x 14¼

Lighthouses from Hong-Kong

Stamps

Hong Kong's strategic geographical location has been a vital ingredient in its remarkable social progress and economic development over the past two centuries, allowing it to evolve from a "barren rock" into one of the most dynamic passenger, cargo and logistic services hubs in the world. Lighthouses contributed significantly to this growth by facilitating the safe passage of maritime traffic.

This set of stamps is inspired by five picturesque pre-war lighthouses - Cape D'Aguilar Lighthouse, Old Green Island Lighthouse, New Green Island Lighthouse, Tang Lung Chau Lighthouse and Waglan Lighthouse. All are declared monuments with unique architectural features and interesting historical backgrounds, serving the common mission of providing guidance for ships entering or leaving Hong Kong waters. Using clarity and realism as the main design theme, a combination of map and compass matched with latitudes and longitudes as a backdrop seeks to highlight the important role played by lighthouses in the city's maritime history.

$1.40 - Cape D'Aguilar Lighthouse
Cape D'Aguilar Lighthouse, the first of its kind in Hong Kong, was lit up to help vessels navigate on 16 April 1875. The round stone tower is 9.7 metres high and white in colour. Its base, arched doorway and spiral staircase are of fine masonry. The iron door is adorned with geometric decoration at the top. The opening of Waglan Island Lighthouse years later in 1893 rendered Cape D'Aguilar Lighthouse superfluous and it became inoperative in 1896. In 1975 the latter was automated and relit. Cape D'Aguilar Lighthouse was declared a monument on 3 March 2006.

$1.80 - Old Green Island Lighthouse
The old Green Island Lighthouse began guiding seafarers across the waters on 1 July 1875. The small circular tower is constructed of granite, measuring about 12 metres in height. Its doorway features projected rough-faced quoins. The two cross-shaped openings on its wall, resembling gun-posts found in mediaeval European castles, facilitate ventilation and light penetration. Immediately after the new Green Island Lighthouse came into operation, the old lighthouse was decommissioned and later declared a monument on 7 November 2008.

$2.40 - New Green Island Lighthouse
Standing next to its predecessor, the new Green Island Lighthouse was constructed in 1904 and completed in 1905. The circular tower, built of granite and concrete, stands 17.5 metres high with a steel lantern at the top. It is painted white for high visibility, thermal insulation and structural protection. Its spiral staircase is made of fine masonry complete with beautiful railings. The entrance and windows, in the form of segmental arches, are decorated with ornamental plaster mouldings. The tower has been fully automated since the 1970s. Both the new and old Green Island Lighthouses were declared monuments on 7 November 2008.

$3 - Tang Lung Chau Lighthouse
Tang Lung Chau Lighthouse commenced helping mariners navigate the coastline on 29 April 1912. The skeletal steel tower is 11.8 metres high and painted white at the top. The adjoining brick house, furnished with a bedroom, a kitchen, a latrine and a storeroom, was the living quarters of the lighthouse keeper. With no well or fresh water supply on the island, rainwater was collected from the roof and diverted to an underground tank for storage and use.The now automated Tang Lung Chau Lighthouse was declared a monument on 29 December 2000.

$5 - Waglan Lighthouse
The first flash of light was beamed from Waglan Lighthouse on 9 May 1893. Its then state-of-the-art lamp burned mineral oil and was equipped with a rotating apparatus floating on mercury. During the Second World War, the lighthouse was extensively damaged and repairs began from 1945. Fully automated since August 1989, the lighthouse serves not only as a navigation aid but also an outpost for collecting meteorological data from the eastern part of the territory for analysis by the Hong Kong Observatory. Waglan Lighthouse was declared a monument on 29 December 2000.

Date of Issue: 29-12-2010
Type: Commemorative stamps and souvenir sheet
Denomination: $1.40, $1.80, $2.40, $3 and $5
No. of Stamp in Set: 5
Size: 28 mm x 45 mm

Perforation: 13½ x 13¼ (one elliptical perforation on each vertical)
Color: Multicolor
Process of Printing: Lithography
Protection of the stamp: Paper with security fibres
Printer: Joh. Enschedé B.V., the Netherlands
Designer: Jason CHUM

RUSSIA – Cover from St. Petersburg, Russia to Braga, Portugal.

Cover with three stamps from the 2008 ‘The decorative art of Dagestan‘ stamps issue posted on March, 1 2011.

(Special thanks to my best friend Yu Kitaev)

Miniature Sheet

The decorative art of Dagestan

Arts and crafts of Dagestan reflect rich inner world of nationalities of republic, its connection with surrounding nature. The history of Territory, which is not one thousand years old, was reflected in national crafts. Artistic functions of folk art, its deep spiritual essence most fully reveal in products of silver, intended as for daily, so for holiday life of people. The Dagestan art absorbed both west and east traditions as the Near-Caspian lowland was situated on crossing of ways connecting East Europe with Forward Asia. Material is given by Dagestan museum of fine arts of P.S.Gamzatova.

Technical Details

Date of Issue: 18 December 2008

Values: 4 stamps of 7.50 Rubles

Subject: Arts and crafts of Dagestan

Designer: Komsa R.

Printer:

Process: Offset

Size: 37.0 mm x 50.0 mm

Perforation: 12 x 12

Watermark: Coated paper

Sheet: 12 stamps (4x3)

Miniature sheet with two stamp sets

Postcard of Church of the Savior on Blood

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Savior_on_Blood