cover from the USA

On 16th December I got a cover from the USA.

Five nice stamps were used here. The four stamps on the right form a complete set called Message Monsters (issued 24-09-2021). The sheet comes with small stickers that can be used to decorate the stamps and although I personally like them, they were not very well received by many other stamp collectors. In the online Linn's 2021 U.S. Stamp Popularity Poll they are currently in the lead for Worst Design and Least Necessary among the commemorative stamps. The other stamp commemorates the 500th birth anniversary of Martin Luther (issued 10-11-1983).

In the cover were six postcards: four maxicards from the United Nations and two other cards.

This card is the most special, as it is my first from the United Nations in Geneva. Shown on it is a view of the Palais des Nations. It was originally built between 1929 and 1938 to serve as headquarters of the League of Nations and since 1946 it houses one of the four main offices of the United Nations. Every year roughly 8000 smaller and bigger international meetings take place there. The stamp was issued in 1991 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Postal Administration, the body that is responsible for the UN stamps used in the three offices in Geneva, New York and Vienna.

The next card shows an exterior view of the United Nations Headquarters in New York and a very interesting stamp was used on it. Although the postmark is just from 2019, the stamp is actually from the first UN stamp set ever. Together with five other definitive stamps it was issued on 24th October 1951. It is interesting to notice that this stamp is inscribed in Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. These were at the time the five official languages of the United Nations. Arabic was added as official language in 1973. Nowadays however the UN stamps are incribed in French, English and German on the stamps for the offices in Geneva, New York and Vienna respectively. Official stamps for the offices in Geneva and Vienna by the way followed much later than the stamps from New York. I still wonder whether there is a possibility for stamps from the UN office in Nairobi in the near future.

The second card was also turned into a maxicard with the same stamp. This card shows the chamber of the United Nations Trusteeship Council, one of the six principal organs of the organisation established to help ensure that trust territories were administered in the best interests of their inhabitants and of international peace and security. The trust territories were mostly former mandates of the League of Nations or territories taken from nations defeated at the end of World War II and by 1994 have all attained self-government or independence. The organ is thus not really needed anymore and is inactive for over 25 years. It is however not eliminated, as that would require a revision of the UN Charter.

Although it looks similar to the long-running Endangered Species series, this maxicard from Geneva is actually from a seperate issue about Tropical Rainforests. This stamp from Geneva shows Orangutans, New York shows a Jaguar and Vienna chose the Ocelot. The card reminded me of a TED-Ed video I recently watched called "How smart are orangutans?". It is rather short, but you should check it out.

The other two cards show a view of Canada's Yukon and Carnival in Mexico.

Thank You very much Sam-Quito!

Canada: Victoria with Margaret Atwood Stamp

On 15th December I got three postcards: one from Canada, one from Austria and one from Japan.

The card from Canada shows the inner harbour of Victoria in British Columbia. Victoria was founded in 1843 and is named after Queen Victoria. It is the capital city of British Columbia and Canada's southernmost major city. 

Some great stamps were issued in 2021: Mother Hulda in Germany, Napoleon in France, Pokemon in Japan, Classic Science Fiction from the UK, Star Wars Droids from the USA and three Postcrossing issues to name just some of them. Another stamp I was hoping for for years was issued by Canada Post on 25th November. It shows the famous Canadian writer Margaret Atwood. Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa in 1939. She began writing at the age of six, but it was until the early 1960s that she gained her first successes. Since then she has won numerous international awards and honors for her writing including two Booker Prizes, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the Governor General's Award, the Franz Kafka Prize, Princess of Asturias Awards and the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. Included on the stamp is an excerpt from her poem Spelling (you can find it online), but her most famous work is of course The Handmaid's Tale. The book is among my favourites and I also really like the TV adaptation and the sequel novel The Testaments. When this stamp was revealed on issue date, I watched the launch ceremony online live from Canada (you can find it on YouTube). It was funny to hear how much they joked about Atwood being honoured with a stamp before her death. Also she said that she was a stamp collector herself in her youth and that she hopes that also younger collectors will enjoy the stamp. Great to have this stamp for my collection, now I just need to find time to read Oryx and Crake. Two more nice stamps were used on the card as well. Next to Margaret Atwood is another inspiring and also still living woman, Buffy Sainte-Marie (issued 18-11-2021). Buffy Sainte-Marie is an Indigenous Canadian-American singer-songwriter and in 1983 became the first Indigenous person to win an Oscar for her song Up Where We Belong written for the film An Officer and a Gentleman. Below is a cute Christmas stamp with a portrait of Santa Claus (issued 01-11-2021). It is one of four Canadian Christmas stamps of this year. The others show portraits of an Elf and a Reindeer and an Angel over a Church. 

Thank You very much Tristan!

Canada: Burrard Bridge

On 6th November I got four postcards: one from Canada and three from Germany.

The card from Canada shows the Burrard Bridge in Vancouver. The Burrard Bridge was constructed across the False Creek between 1930 and 1932. It is one of the most famous examples of Art Deco architecture in Canada.

Three nice stamps were used here. The first one is from the annual Community Foundation series and was issued on 20th September 2021. The surcharge is used to benefit various charities across Canada. The fireflies on the stamp are said to glow under UV light, but unfortunately I do not any to test it. The next stamp is about Valour Road (issued 21-10-2021). Valour Road or originally known as Pine Street is a road in Winnipeg. It got its current name in 1925, as three residents of the street individually received the Victoria Cross for bravery during World War I. These three men were Corporal Leo Clarke, Sergeant-Major Frederick William Hall and Lieutenant Robert Shankland. Only Shankland survived the war and attended the ceremony for the renaming. The last stamp honours late actor Christopher Plummer (issued 14-10-2021) and shows him in the roles of Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music, Rudyard Kipling in The Man Who Would Be King, John Barrymore in Barrymore, King Lear in King Lear and Prospero in The Tempest, so two movie and three stage roles. His career spanned seven decades and he was the only Canadian to win the Triple Crown of Acting consisting of Academy, Emmy and Tony Award. The only of his movies I have actually seen are however Star Crash, 12 Monkeys and just today Knives Out.

Thank You very much Tristan!

Canada: Vancouver's Coal Harbour

On 27th March I got a postcard from Canada.

It shows an aerial view of Vancouver's Coal Harbour. Named due to a discovery of coal in 1862, Coal Harbour is the name for a section of Burrard Inlet and nowadays also of a neighbourhood. It mainly consists of high-rise buildings. 

Look at the cute stamps used here! They are from a set of five called Snow Mammals, so animals found in Canada's arctic regions which have fur that becomes white in winter. These three stamps show the Snowshoe Hare, the Ermine and the Northern Collared Lemming. The other two stamps in the set show the Peary Caribou and the Arctic Fox. Under UV light footprints of the animals become visible, but as I do not have an UV light, I can not try. 

Thank You very much Tristan!

Canada: The Empress

On 19th January I got two postcards: one from Canada and one from Singapore.

The card from Canada shows The Empress in Victoria, British Columbia. The Empress, a hotel, was opened in 1908. It is considered to be one of Canada's grand railway hotels and was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1981. 

Three stamps were used on the card. On the right are two Christmas stamps and the left one commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Red River Resistance (issued 06-11-2019), the first crisis the new federal government faced following Canadian Confederation in 1867, which was one of the early stages of establishing today's Canadian province of Manitoba. They got cancelled with a pictorial postmark in Victoria. It looks like it is from Chinatown.

 Thank You very much Tristan!

Canada: We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

****** Happy New Year! ******

Two weeks ago I would not have believed it, but now I have uploaded (nearly) everything I got in 2020. Today I got the last cards of this year: one from Canada and one from the USA.

The card from Canada shows a Penguin Classics cover of We by Yevgeny Zamyatin. We is one of the earliest examples of dystopian science fiction. Written by a Soviet dissident in the early 1920s, the novel describes a World of harmony and conformity within a united totalitarian state. While George Orwell named We as an inspiration for 1984, Aldous Huxley denied the same for Brave New World. This novel is definitely on my reading list. Just this year it was republished with an introduction by Margaret Atwood. The card was sent through official Postcrossing. Normally I do not really like the cards sent officially and rarely sent some this way, but this month for the Cards for Literacy campaign I was surprised by many great cards, which is why I will continue sending officially. 

Three interesting stamps were used. The one in the middle is from a set of Medical Pioneers (issued 10-09-2020). 

Thank You very much Katie!

Canada: Toronto

On 5th December I got a postcard from Canada.

It shows an old aerial view of Toronto. Toronto is a city on Lake Ontario. It is Canada's largest city and the capital of the Canadian Province of Ontario. It is also a centre of business, finance, arts and culture. 

Three stamps were used on the card. Two of them are Christmas stamps of 2020 and 2019, but more interesting is the third one. It commemorates Mary Riter Hamilton (issued 28-10-2020), Canada's first unofficial woman battlefield artist. Having produced more than 300 paintings about the Western Front of World War I, Trenches on the Somme from 1919 was chosen for this stamp.

Thank You very much Tristan!

Canada: Bluenose Stamp

On 23rd October I got five postcards including one from Canada.

The card shows the Bluenose Stamp. The Bluenose is one of the classics of philately and one of the most popular Canadian stamps. It was issued in 1929. The depicted ship, the fishing schooner Bluenose, was built in 1921 and its centenary will be celebrated next year with a new stamp. This card was sent as an official card. 

Many stamps were used on the card. Most of them are part of the benefical insects definitive series. The stamp on the right is a Community Foundation Charity Stamp (issued 21-09-2020). 

 Thank You very much Diane!

cover from Canada

On 31st July I got not only a postcard but also a cover from Canada.

Many wonderful older Canadian stamps were used on the cover. Many favourites are the Wooping Cranes, Queen Elizabeth and the Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck with an embossed snowflake.

Inside was a written and stamped postcard.

It shows the waterfront of Toronto. Toronto is a city on Lake Ontario. It is Canada's largest city and the capital of the Canadian Province of Ontario. It is also a centre of business, finance, arts and culture.

Three stamps with their special postmarks were used on the card. The upper two stamps deal with the 75th anniversary of the End of World War II (issued 29-04-2020) and show two Canadian war heroes. Léo Major, who is said to have liberated the Dutch city of Zwolle single-handedly, is shown on the left stamp and Veronica Foster is honoured on the right stamp. She worked in a manufacturing plant that produced munitions and matériel during World War II and was chosen to represent all the women doing so on contemporary propaganda posters. The third stamp is from a set of seven about the Group of Seven (issued 07-05-2020). The Group of Seven was a group of seven Canadian landscape painters founded in 1920. This particular stamp shows Frederick Varley's Stormy Weather.

Thank You very much Allison!

Canada: Québec City

On Wednesday I got four postcards: one from Canada, one from Italy, one from the Netherlands and one from Bangkok.

The card from Canada shows Québec City. Québec City is the capital city of the Canadian Province of Québec. It was founded as a French settlement in 1608 and is thus one of the oldest European cities in North America. Today it is the eleventh largest city in Canada. Also it is the most complete example of a European fortified town north of Mexico. Since 1985 is the Historic District of Old Québec on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stamps:
Sweet Canada - Desserts (from set of five) (issued 17-04-2019)
Christmas (from set of three) (issued 04-11-2019)
Fruit and Nut Trees (from set of three) (issued 30-12-1992)

Thank You very much Julie!

Canada: L'Anse aux Meadows

On Monday I got a postcard from Canada.

It shows L'Anse aux Meadows on Newfoundland. L'Anse aux Meadows is an archaeological site. It was settled by people from Northern Europa, Greenland or Iceland more precisely, around 1000 for a few years and is thus widely accepted as evidence of pre-Columbian transatlantic contact. In 1978 L'Anse aux Meadows became one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The card is prepaid and was cancelled with a special postmark from Québec.

Thank You very much Julie!

Canada: Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal

On Friday I got two postcards: one from Canada and one from Burkina Faso.

The card from Canada shows the interior of the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal. The Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal was built between 1824 and 1829. The interior of the church is amongst the most dramatic in the World and is regarded as a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture. It is one of the most visited sights in North America.

With nice stamps:
Sweet Canada - Desserts (from set of five) (issued 17-04-2019)
Endangered Turtles (from set of two) (issued 23-05-2019)
Bears of Canada (from set of four) (issued 24-07-2019)
Beneficial Insects (from set of five) (issued 12-10-2007)

Thank You very much Jaan!

Canada: Dinosaur Provincial Park

On 13th September I got four postcards: one from Canada, one from Germany, one from the Netherlands and one from Spain.

The card from Canada shows the Dinosaur Provincial Park. The Dinosaur Provincial Park is a provincial park in Alberta. It contains some of the most important fossil discoveries ever made in the World including 58 dinosaur species. Fossils discovered in the park are shown in museums all around the globe. Since 1979 is the Dinosaur Provincial Park on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The card is prepaid and was added with another stamp:
Beneficial Insects (from set of five) (issued 12-10-2007)

Thank You very much Jason!

Canada: National Gallery of Canada

On Tuesday I got three postcards: one from Canada, one from Taiwan and one from Germany.

The card from Canada shows James Wilson Morrice' painting Café el Pasaje, Havana from the collection of the National Gallery of Canada. The National Gallery of Canada, or Musée des beaux-arts du Canada in French, is located in Ottawa. It is one of Canada's most important art museums.

Stamps:
Canadians in Flight (three from set of five) (issued 27-03-2019)

Thank You very much Tristan!

cover from Canada

On Friday I got not only two postcards but also two covers including one from Canada.

Stamps:

Definitive (from set of five) (issued 08-09-1972)

Canada Day - Fortifications (eight from set of ten) (issued 30-06-1983)

Inside were postcards from five different museums in Canada and England.

The first card shows the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau. The Canadian Museum of History, or Musée canadien de l’histoire in French, is Canada's national museum of human history. Founded in 1856, it is one of North America's oldest cultural institutions. Today it is the most visited museum in Canada and a major research institution.

The second card shows the Haida Heritage Centre in British Columbia. The Haida Heritage Centre is a cultural centre and museum of the Haida people. It was opened in 2008.

The third card shows a clock display at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. The Canada Science and Technology Museum was founded in 1967 as Centennial project and focuses on the technological and scientific history of Canada. Between 2014 and 2017 the museum was closed for renovations.

The fourth card shows the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History in Nova Scotia's capital Halifax. The Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History was founded in 1868 and includes collections and exhibits concerning the natural sciences as well as artifacts of cultural significance to Nova Scotia. It is one of the 27 museums managed together as Nova Scotia Museum.

The last card is from the Hastings Fishermen's Museum. The Hastings Fishermen's Museum is a museum dedicated to the fishing industry and maritime history of Hastings, a seaside town in England. It is housed in the former St Nicholas' Church and was opened in 1956.

Thank You very much Jason!

Canada: Toronto

On Friday I got two postcards: one from Canada and one from Germany.

The card from Canada shows an aerial view of Toronto. Toronto is a city on Lake Ontario. It is Canada's largest city and the capital of the Canadian Province of Ontario. It is also a centre of business, finance, arts and culture. 

Stamps:
Year of the Pig (whole set) (issued 18-01-2019)
The souvenir sheet is embossed and printed with gold foil.

Thank You very much Tristan!

Canada: Vancouver

Last Saturday I got three postcards: one from Canada, one from Japan and one from China.

The card from Canada shows the skyline of Vancouver. Vancouver is a city in the Canadian Province of British Columbia. It is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada and is known for its high quality of life. In 2010 Vancouver hosted the Olympic Winter Games.

Stamps:
Wait for me Daddy (issued 04-10-2014)
Armistice Centenary (issued 24-10-2018)
Beneficial Insects (from set of five) (issued 12-10-2007)

Thank You very much Heidi!

Canada: Record Shop

On Tuesday I got six postcards: one from Canada, one from Australia, two from New Zealand, one from Japan and my first card from the Cocos Keeling Islands.

The card from Canada shows an illustration of a record shop.

Stamp:
Year of the Dog (from set of two) (issued 15-01-2018)

Thank You very much Pam!

Canada: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

On Friday I got two postcards: one from Canada and one from Germany.

The card from Canada shows a painting of the Beaver Hall Group from the collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is the largest museum in Montreal and one of the oldest and most famous museums in Canada.

With nice stamps:
Haunted Canada (three from set of five) (issued 08-09-2016)
The stamps are printed with a holographic foil finish creating a ghostly picture.

Thank You very much Isabella!

Canada: Art Gallery of Ontario

On Wednesday I got three cards: one from Canada, one from Germany and one from China.

The card from Canada shows A. Y. Jackson's painting "Maple and Birches" from the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. The Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the largest and most important art museums in North America. It was opened in 1900 and beside other significiant collections it houses the largest collection of Canadian art in the World.

Stamps:
Year of the Dog (from set of two) (issued 15-01-2018)

Thank You very much Tara!