Another recent Czech issue (2012)

This is the current Czech EUROPA stamp in the Visit... series, showing the present and the past of Prague: the old Bridge Tower and the avant-garde Dancing House. Nominal value 20 CZK, the rate for sending mail up to 20 grams to Europe. Classical engraved stamp issued on 2 May 2012.

Cover from Spain no. 10

Aa usual, I received the current Spanish EUROPA stamp from Jose Luis in Carballo, Galicia. This year's topic is Visit... specific country. And this is the nice Spanish contribution. Muchísimas gracia!!

Postcard from Andorra (Spanish Post)

Here's a fresh postcard sent from the capital of Andorra on 29 November 2011, showing a breathtaking view of Andorra la Vella from the Romanesque church of St. Miguel d'Engolasters.
The EUROPA forest stamp was issued on 4 April 2011 and shows the Bosc de Sorobilles near Ordino. Print-run: 115,000.

Thank you, Fabienne!!

Postcard from Italy no. 6

Here's a great postcard with the higher value Italy's Europa 2011 stamp, postmarked in Pisa on 23 August 2011, showing a marble quarry in the Alpi Apuane Mountai Range in Tuscany...






As always, my sincerest thanks go to, Giovanni from Milano:)

Cover from Italy no. 24

After the Spanish Europa stamp here are its Italian cousins, on a cover with the set of two stamps issued on 9 April 2011, with no less than four first-day-of-issue cancellations from Roma Filatelico. Grazie mille, Giovanni!!!

Cover from Spain no. 8

Here is a nice cover received from José Luis in Carballo, Galicia, Spain, showing an autumnal view of a beechwood in the province of Segovia (el Hayedo de la Pedrosa). The stamp was issued on 4 April 2011 as part of the Europa stamp project and bears the new logo. Muchísimas gracias, José Luis!

Postcard from Great Britain no. 7

This week I have also received this fabulous card issued by the Royal Mail with the picture of the 1st class stamp dedicated to A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh as illustrated by E. H. Shepard. The same stamp was used for mailing this card. To commemorate this classic of children's literature on 12 October 2010 the Royal Mail issued a set of 6 stamps and a sheet of 4 others. The two 1st class stamps from the set and from the sheet bear the EUROPA logo... and what other book could be chosen for the year of children's literature?

Thank you very much, Catherine!!

Covers from Finland no. 8 and 9

It's -12 degrees Celsius now here, so it may be convenient to get warm a bit... these two Finland's covers are just perfect, because both have campfires in them. The first 0.65 euro stamp was issued on 28 April 2004, as part of the EUROPA project focusing on various aspects of vacations, and a sunset with campfire at sea or at a lake is definitely one of them. The other EUROPA stamp was issued on 9 May 2007 (scouting centenary) and shows three girls scouts also around campfire. Both covers were sent from the town of Mikkeli, by Liisa, thank you!!

A set from Italy no. 12

Here is a fine set of two envelopes and a slightly rained-soaked:) promotional postal card featuring this year's EUROPA stamps issued in Italy on 7 May 2010. Italy, as usual, issued two stamps, and for the topic of children's books chose the famous Pinocchio and the talking mouse Geronimo Stilton, introduced in 2000 and celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Therefore, Geronimo Stilton had also a special postmark used on 10 October in Milano, where Giovanni lives.

On the large registered cover sent in May from Milano, there is also a lovely 0.80 euro stamp with a space motif, showing a satellite around Mars, celebrating Italy's participation in the Mars exploration programme.

Grazie mille, Giovanni, per tutto quanto!!

Cover from Finland no. 7

Two colourful and cheerful 0.80 euro stamps on this great cover from Finland, sent from the town of Mikkeli on 4 May 2010, the very day these stamps were issued, in the EUROPA project, this year with children's books as the main theme. The fantastic illustrations are by Leena Lumme. Thank you, Liisa:)

Cover from Aland no. 5

A very nice EUROPA stamp from Aland, with an illustration from a book about the Sand Wolf by Asa Lind, Swedish-born author living in the Aland archipelago. The stamp was issued on 19 April and the EUROPA rate shown on it is now 0.85 euro. Print run: 180,000. Thank you, Liisa, again:-)

Cover from Spain no. 4

Received this week from Carballo in Galicia, the children's book EUROPA stamp from Spain, one of the few using photography. Due to the red colour the stamp is pretty striking and original, not bad at all! It was issued on 6 May 2010 in 320,000 copies. Thank you, José Luís! The Czech stamp is on its way to you.

Registered cover from the Czech Republic no. 6

After a few days which we had to spend with my in-laws due to very heavy rains and the consequent threat of floods of our river Morava:



I am happy to be back. Fortunately, the post has been working and I have received a bunch of great letters and postcards, which I will try to upload here...




The first of them being from the town of Jaroměř, in Královehradecky kraj, Czech Republic - a registered letter with some items won at an auction. The 9 Kč stamp is pretty funny, as it shows the cliché Czech gastronomy feast - a half-liter of lager, and roast duck, sauerkraut and five dumplings... a megaheavy lunch, the most typical of all Czech dishes; the stamp was issued on 4 May 2005, and bears the logo of EUROPA (it was the gastronomy year). The 4 Kč chick stamp was issued on 25 March 1998, and is an Easter stamp (print-run 8,640,000). The 24 Kč has already been commented on these pages; it was issued on 21 February 2007 as a part of a two-piece series depicting oriental art from the collections of the Náprstek Museum of Asian, American and African Cultures in Prague; the three figures are Parvati, Shiva and Ganesha from an Indian painting on glass.

EUROPA 2010 cover from France

A great cover received today from Paris! The brand new EUROPA stamp, the first day cancellation and an airmail cover... what a treat! Thank you, Jerome!!!

New Czech stamps - May 2010

There are two new stamps issued on 5 May 2010. The first shows the typical view of the Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge in a fine engraving by Miloš Ondráček. The sheet of four stamps and a margin with a text in Czech and English was issued on the occasion of a representative exhibition presenting more than 90 years of the Czech stamp production held at the Prague Castle from 12 May to 1 August 2010. Print-run unknown.

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The Czech contribution to the EUROPA project, an illustration from a book by Karel Čapek (1890 - 1938) called Dášeňka, or the Life a Puppy, about the adventures of a wire fox terrier from its youth to adulthood. The stamp is printed in offset and issued in a sheet of six, with one hologram logo of the Czech Post. Print-run: 210,000.

Cover from Latvia no. 4

A great fairytale stamp from Latvia! One of two issued on 9 April 2010 in the EUROPA project, dedicated this year to children's books. Thank you, Oleg, for this nice surprise:-)

Cover from Aland no. 4

After the minimalist EUROPA scouting stamp from 2007 Aland issued another very simple but effective stamp in the EUROPA astronomy series in 2009. The dark blue stamp shows just the seven stars of the Big Dipper constellation, only that they are perforated in the form of stars, what a great idea! This cover was posted in Mariehamn on 8 May 2009, the day of the issue, and was, therefore, cancelled by the corresponding special postmark. The value for European destinations is 0.80 EUR, print-run 200,000. Thank you, Liisa, yet again!

Cover from Russia no. 9

Another fine cover from Alex in Astrakhan, Russia, featuring two se-tenant stamps issued on 15 May 2009 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of installation of the hydrometeorogical service in Russia. The left-hand stamps shows the satellite "Meteor-3М" and map of ground temperature forecast, the right-hand stamp a portrait of A.J. Kupfer, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the first head of Hydrometeorological service of Russia, and also meteorological station МК-14.

Below them is this year's Russian contribution the the EUROPA project, with the astronomy stamp representing Terskolsk observatory and an armillary sphere against the background with Ursa Major concellation (issued on 5 May 2009). Thank you, Alex!

Cover from Aland no. 3

Another EUROPA cover sent from Aland, this one on 21 May 2008, using an interesting, minimalist stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Scout movement (issued on 9 May 2008, with print-run of 300,000). I feel the stamp is printed using a special technique but I can't find any more info about it now. The rest of the postage is covered by a smooth snake stamp of 0.05 euro issued on 2 January 2002, in a series with a newt of 0.70 euro. Thank you Liisa again!