Thursday, March 26, 2020

Sesame Street and My New Blog

For years I am now collecting stamps about fairy tales, children's books, fables, cartoons and other childhood heroes and always wanted to upload my complete collection on a new blog. Now I finally had the time to do so. With the link below you can get to the new blog immediately, but you can find the link from now on also always above among the pages. If you like stamps about these themes that is your place to be. ^___^


The latest stamp in this collection is the wonderful German stamp about the Sesame Street (issued 02-03-2020).

Sesame Street is an American educational children's television series which first aired in 1969. It combines live action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry and uses Jim Henson's Muppets. Until today it was broadcast in more than 140 countries. In Germany it was first shown in 1973. Beside the internationally famous figures Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster and Elmo the stamp also shows Samson and Tiffy, the first two figures created solely for the German version.

While you can see all the products I have about this stamp on the new blog, below you can see just the cards, which returned with special postmarks on 11th March. The most special item I have about this issue I have however already created on my recent Trip to Hamburg. I took with me a Sesame Street card I got last year from the USA, which has the matching US stamps (issued 22-06-2019) and a special postmark on the backside, and affixed the new German stamp and the special postmark from Hamburg to create a mixed postcard. This is really one of the most special items in my entire collection! You can see the complete set of the US stamps also here on my new blog.



Cards about the Sesame Street where generally not easy to find where I live. In fact I just got three of them. On one of them I got again cancelled with the postmark from Hamburg.


Lucky for me the German Post decided to issue a set of three postcards for this stamp which I used to get some more special postmarks. On the first card is the self-adhesive version with its First Day of Usage Postmark, while on the other two cards is the normal gummed stamp with its First Day Special Postmarks from Bonn and Berlin.




The German Post also issued a set of three black and white cards, which I keep blank in my collection.



Sunday, March 22, 2020

cover from Austria with many cards from Africa, Asia and Europa

Last Wednesday I got two covers including one from Austria.

With great stamps:
Historic Mail Vehicles (issued 27-08-2015)
Historic Mail Vehicles (issued 25-08-2016)
Hubert Schmalix (issued 07-05-2015)
80th birthday of Friedensreich Hundertwasser (from set of four) (issued 18-09-2008)
Centenary of the Salzburg Festival (issued 21-01-2020)
Cypripedium calceolus (issued 15-01-2008)
Impressions of Austria (from set of sixteen) (issued 01-03-2015)


Inside were thirteen postcards from Africa, Asia and Europa including my first two cards from Syria. Also in the cover were two Austrian stamps which you can see here.

Syria is a country in Western Asia bordering on Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon. The modern state encompasses the sites of several ancient kingdoms and empires. For centuries it was part of the Ottoman Empire before it became a French mandate and finally became an independent state in 1945. Since March 2011 Syria has been embroiled in an armed conflict with a number of countries in the region and beyond involved militarily or otherwise. Damascus is the country's capital.

Palmyra is an oasis in the Syrian desert and once grew wealthy from trade caravans. It was one of the most important centres of the Ancient World with many monumental buildings. Its art and architecture married Graeco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences. One of the many famous buildings is the Temple of Bel, consecrated to the Mesopotamian god Bel and the center of religious life in Palmyra. Since 1980 is the Site of Palmyra on the UNESCO World Heritage List, but during the Syrian Civil War in 2015 the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant destroyed large parts of the ruins.



The Titanic Belfast is a museum in Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland. It was built on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard where the RMS Titanic was built and opened in 2012.


Bran Castle is a castle in Transylvania. It is one of the most famous castles in Romania and is commonly known as Dracula's Castle, although it neither has resemblance to the castle in Bram Stoker's book nor was probably ever visited by Vlad the Impaler. The castle is now a museum dedicated to displaying art and furniture collected by Queen Marie.


The Danube Delta in Romania is the second largest river delta in Europa and the best preserved on the continent. It is home to over 300 species of birds and 45 freshwater fish species. Since 1991 is the Danube Delta on the UNESCO World Heritage List.



Isfahan is the third largest city in Iran and the capital of Isfahan Province. Especially under the Safavid dynasty in the 16th and 17th century the city flourished and became the capital of Persia. The fame of Isfahan led to the Persian proverb "Isfahan is half of the World".

The Imam Square or Naqsh-e Jahan Square is one of the biggest city squares in the World. It was built by Shah Abbas I the Great in the early 17th century and gives an impressive testimony to the level of social and cultural life in Persia during the Safavid era. Since 1979 is the Meidan Emam on the UNESCO World Heritage List.


The Shah Mosque is located on the south side of the Imam Square. It is considered to be one of the masterpieces of Persian architecture in the Islamic era. Its splendour is mainly due to the beauty of its seven-colour mosaic tiles and calligraphic inscriptions.



The Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan, Jameh Mosque, is a stunning illustration of the evolution of mosque architecture over twelve centuries starting in the 9th century. It is the oldest preserved edifice of its type in Iran and a prototype for later mosque designs throughout Central Asia. Since 2012 is the Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan on the UNESCO World Heritage List.


Tabriz is the sixth largest city in Iran, the most populous city in northwestern Iran, one of the historical capitals the country and the present capital of East Azerbaijan Province. As the country's closest hub to Europa many aspects of early modernisation in Iran began in Tabriz. It contains many historical monuments and is a major heavy industries hub.


Wuhan University is a Chinese national research university. It is one of the oldest universities in China and also one of the most prestigious and selective ones in the country, ranked third in 2017 due to its academic excellence.


Volubilis on Morocco was the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Mauretania before it became a part of the Roman Empire, which turned it into an important outpost with many fine buildings. Since 1997 is the Archaeological Site of Volubilis on the UNESCO World Heritage List.


Thank You very much Anita!

cover from Germany

Last Wednesday I got two covers including one from Germany.

Stamp:
250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven - self-adhesive version from coil (issued 02-03-2020)
with First Day of Usage Postmark


Friday, March 20, 2020

Austria: Blue Passionflower

Last Tuesday I got three postcards: one from Austria and two from Italy.

The card from Austria shows a Blue Passionflower. The Blue Passionflower is a species of flowering plant native to South America. It has been introduced elsewhere throughout the tropics and is widely cultivated as a wall-climber or as groundcover in other parts of the World.


With a matching stamp:
Austrian Heraldy (from set of fourteen) (issued 01-07-2018)
Loyalty Bonus Stamp (issued 07-03-2020)
The stamp is exclusively sent to subscribers and collectors who have bought something in the online shop of the Austrian Post during the last year. There is no other way to get it.
with First Day Special Postmark


Thank You very much Anita!

Italy: Genoa

Last Tuesday I got three postcards: two from Italy and one from Austria.

One of the cards from Italy shows various views of Genoa. Genoa is the sixth largest city of Italy and Italy's largest seaport. It is also the capital of the Italian Region of Liguria and was once the capital of the independent Republic of Genoa. In 2004 it was the European Capital of Culture.


Stamps:
Italian Mail (from set of three) (issued 01-07-2010)
Institute of the Innocents in Florence (issued 22-10-2019)
with a special postmark from the philatelic shop in Genoa


Thank You very much William!

Italy: Milan

Last Tuesday I got three postcards: two from Italy and one from Austria.

One of the cards from Italy shows various views of Milan.


Stamps:
Italian Mail (from set of three) (issued 01-07-2010)
EUROPA (from set of two) (issued 09-05-2016)
with a special postmark from Milan


Thank You very much William!

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Indonesia: Malayan Tapir

Last Monday I got three postcards from Indonesia.

One of them shows a Malayan Tapir. The Malayan Tapir is the largest of the five species of tapir and the only one native to Asia. It was once found throughout the tropical lowland rainforests of Southeast Asia, but due to human activity it is today in danger of extinction.


Stamps:
Flora and Fauna (two from set of four) (issued 05-11-1993)
Indonesian Comic Superheroes (from set of fifteen) (issued 04-04-2019)
Development Programme 2049 (from set of four) (issued 17-08-2018)


Thank You very much Shinta!

Indonesia: Ombilin Coal Mine

Last Monday I got three postcards from Indonesia.

One of them shows the Ombilin Coal Mine. The Ombilin Coal Mine is the oldest coal mining site in Southeast Asia. Coal was discovered in this inaccesible region of Sumatra by Dutch engineer Willem Hendrik de Greve in 1868 and since then this industrial site was developed by the Netherlands East Indies' government in the globally important period of industrialisation from the late 19th to the beginning of the 20th century. Apart from the mine itself the site also includes a company town, storage facilities and a railway network for the transport. It is an outstanding testimony of exchange and fusion between local knowledge and practices and European technology. Since 2019 is the Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto on the UNESCO World Heritage List.


Stamps:
Centenary of the Archaeological Institute (whole set) (issued 14-06-2013)
Komodo Dragon (from set of four) (issued 13-08-2000)
600th Anniversary of Admiral Zheng He's Voyage (issued 28-06-2005)


Thank You very much Shinta!

Indonesia: National Museum of Indonesia

Last Monday I got three postcards from Indonesia.

One of them shows a Wayang puppet from the collection of the National Museum of Indonesia in Jakarta. The National Museum of Indonesia dates back to 1778. Today it is considered to be one of the most complete and best museums in Indonesia and its broad collections of nearly 150000 archeological, historical, ethnological and geographical objects cover all of Indonesia's territory and almost all of its history. Also it is said to be one of the finest museums in complete Southeast Asia. 



Stamp:
National Philatelic Exhibition in Makassar (issued 10-2019)


Thank You very much Shinta!

Monday, March 16, 2020

Spain: Palma Cathedral

Last Saturday I got four postcards: two from Spain, one from Italy and one from Malaysia.

One of the cards from Spain shows Palma Cathedral. Palma or Palma de Mallorca is the capital and largest city of the Balearic Islands. It is also the eight largest city of Spain and has the country's third most important airport. Palma Cathedral was began on the site of a Moorish-era mosque in 1229, but was only finished in 1601. 


Stamp:
Tourism on Wheels (from set of two) (issued 02-01-2020)


Thank You very much Marcel!

Spain: Chopin in Valldemossa

Last Saturday I got four postcards: two from Spain, one from Italy and one from Malaysia.

One of the cards from Spain shows Chopin in Valldemossa. Valldemossa is a village in the northern part of Mallorca and since the 19th century it has been promoted internationally as a place of outstanding beauty. The musician Frédéric Chopin and his lover the writer Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, best known by her pen name George Sand, spent the winter of 1838/9 at the Valldemossa Charterhouse. Chopin composed there his Preludes Op. 28 and Sand wrote A Winter in Majorca. Today the Charterhouse houses a small museum about Chopin and Sand. 


Stamp:
Centenary of the Castillos de Valderas (issued 10-04-2018)


Thank You very much Marcel!

Malaysia: Architecture

Last Saturday I got four postcards: one from Malaysia, two from Spain and one from Italy.

The card from Malaysia shows a medley of Malaysian architecture from colonial buildings to skyscrapers.


Stamp:
Calligraphy in Malaysia (from set of three) (issued 06-02-2020)
This is Malaysia's Year of the Rat stamp.


Thank You very much Matthew!

Italy: Milan

Last Saturday I got four postcards: one from Italy, one from Malaysia and two from Spain.

The card from Italy shows various views of Milan.


With a nice stamp:
Italian Mail (two from set of three) (issued 01-07-2010)
90 years Mickey Mouse (from set of eight) (issued 03-11-2017)
with a special postmark showing the Trevi Fountain in Rome


Thank You very much William!