Germany: Schnütgen Museum

On 25th March I got two cards from Germany.

One of them shows an exterior detail of the Schnütgen Museum in Cologne. The Schnütgen Museum is a museum about Christian religious art with a focus on Medieval pieces. Since 1956 the museum is housed in the large Romanesque church of Saint Cäcilien, although additional building were constructed in the 1950s and even further ones were opened in 2010. The museum often shows big special exhibitions and considers itself to be one of the most important museums of medieval art in the World. 

The stamp honours the Lindau Messenger (issued 07-08-2014) and was cancelled with a Covid-19 postmark, but unfortunately the number is unreadable.

Thank You very much Marcel!

Germany: Köln Hauptbahnhof

On 24th March I got a postcard from Germany.

The card shows Cologne Cathedral and the Köln Hauptbahnhof. Köln Hauptbahnhof is an important hub of regional, national and international transport and one of the busiest train stations in Germany. It is classified as a category 1 station. Without realising it earlier, this is already my second card of this train station. Another card I have of the cathedral also shows the train station. You can see it here.

The card was cancelled with the Covid-19 postmark from the mail sorting centre 50. This mail sorting centre is called Köln-West, but is actually located in Frechen. The cute Wickie stamp was used as well.

Thank You very much Marcel!

covers from the USA

On 24th March I got not only a postcard but also three covers from the USA. 

On the first cover is a postmark about the McKinley Exhibition Station in Canton, Ohio. Sure really sure, but this probably refers to the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum. McKinley, who is definitely not one of the famous presidents, began his career as lawyer in Canton. Two of four Jack O'Lantern stamps (issued 29-09-2016) were used on the cover. 

Inside was this card of the Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico. Created in 1990, this national monument protects a variety of cultural and natural resources including five volcanic cones, hundreds of archeological sites and an estimated 24,000 images carved by Ancestral Pueblo peoples and early Spanish settlers.

On the second are a second McKinley postmark and the other two Jack O'Lantern stamps. A nice set!

The card in this cover shows the Old Geronimo Mission in Taos Pueblo, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The first Franciscan mission arrived in Taos Pueblo in 1598, but the contacts between the local inhabitants and the priests were not very friendly for a long time.

Two more Vintage Circus Posters (issued 05-05-2014) were used on the third cover and a postmark about the Year of the Ox, but neither town nor date can be read.

The card in the last cover shows the Pueblo Bonito, the largest and best-known great house in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, which is since 1987 on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Thank You very much Sam-Quito!

cover from the USA

On 23rd March I got a cover from the USA.

Three stamps were used here. Two are from a set of four about Sparkling Holiday Santas (issued 11-10-2018). The other stamp shows Dolley Madison (issued 20-05-1980), the wife of fourth President James Madison. She did much to define the role of the President's spouse long before the title First Lady was known and essentially spearheaded the concept of bipartisan cooperation. The postmark is from Hadley in Massachusetts and commemorates playwright August Wilson. I am not sure about the connection of Hadley and Wilson, but maybe it is because one of his plays is called King Hedley II.

Inside was this card of a Raccoon with many interesting facts. 

Thank You very much Sam-Quito!

Italy: Opera dei Pupi

On 17th March I got two postcards: one from Italy and one from Japan.

The card from Italy shows the Opera dei Pupi. The Opera dei Pupi is a traditional form of marionette theatre on Sicily. It mainly tells stories based on medieval chivalric literature and dates back to the early 19th century. Back then it was popular among Sicily's working classes, but since the 1950s the influence of the theatres decreased and only few troupes remain. However as similar types of marionette theatre disappeared in other parts of Italy, the Opera dei Pupi is the only example of an uninterrupted tradition of this kind of theatre, although it is nowadays mainly performed for tourists. Since 2008 is the Opera dei Pupi an Intangible Heritage of the UNESCO. 

Two interesting stamps were used on the card. The one on the left is from a set of two about Futurism (issued 26-11-2003), an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century which glorified modernity and emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence and objects such as the car, the airplane and the industrial city. Shown on the stamp is the painting Linee forza del pugno di Boccioni by Giacomo Balla. The other stamp celebrates Juventus as National Football Champion of 2015 (issued 11-06-2015). The QR Code leads to a now defunct website. 

Thank You very much Marco!

Japan: Naruko Gorge

On 17th March I got two postcards: one from Japan and one from Italy.

The card from Japan shows the Naruko Gorge. Naruko Gorge in the Miyagi prefecture is said to be one of the most beautiful gorges in the Tohoku region. It is a popular place to see the autumn colours.

The stamp is from the My Journey stamp series and more precisely from the most recent set of twenty from this series (issued 09-03-2021), which shows different tourist attractions in the Tohoku region. Shown on stamp and postmark is the Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle, also known as Tsuruga Castle.

Thank You very much Keiko!

Germany: Krefeld Hauptbahnhof

On 16th March I got two postcards: one from Germany and one from France.

The card from Germany shows Krefeld Hauptbahnhof. Krefeld Hauptbahnhof is the main train station of Krefeld. It was opened in 1847 and is classified as category 3 station. Not served by long-distance trains until 2013, Krefeld was thus back then one of the largest German cities that was only served by regional trains. Now however there is a ICE connection to Berlin. Currently I am really interesting in railways. Not really in the technics, but more in the historic consequences of the invention and the great architecture of railway stations. Actually I wanted to collect cards of all the German train stations in category 1 and 2, but after I saw this one and knew that I needed a broader collection definition. Soon I will create a new page above to list all the international stations I already got. Hopefully I can get some more in the future!

One of my favourite stamps of 2020 was used on the card: Wickie from the second set of Childhood Heroes (issued 03-12-2020). It was cancelled with a Covid-19 postmark, at least with the upper half.

Thank You very much Marcel!

France: Lisieux

On 16th March I got two postcards: one from France and one from Germany.

The card from France shows various views of Lisieux. Lisieux is a commune in Normandy and the capital of the Pays d'Auge area. The large church is the Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse, a basilica minor. It is the second most important pilgrimage site in France after Lourdes.

The card was cancelled in the philatelic shop in Lisieux. The stamp is from the series about handicrafts and this year deals with the production of artistic glass objects. Issued on 12th February, the stamp is printed with a special foil evoking a look of glass. 

Thank You very much William!

cover from the USA

On 15th March I got a cover from the USA.

Beside Christmas USPS also regularly issued stamps about Eid, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Used here are a Hanukkah stamp (issued 01-11-2016) and one about Eid (issued 10-06-2016). The postmark celebrates the 150th foundation anniversary of Parsons in Kansas. 

The card inside shows Clay Moons.

Thank You very much Sam-Quito!

Germany: Die Sendung mit der Maus

On 13th March I got three postcards: two from Germany and one from France.

One of the cards from Germany shows an illustration of Die Sendung mit der Maus. Die Sendung mit der Maus is one of the most popular German children's TV shows. Produced since 1971, it consists of short educational features and cartoons, the Maus-Spots. In those Maus-Spots you will see Maus, Elefant and Ente. Until now the show has won more than 75 awards. 

For the 50th anniversary of the show a special stamp was issued. Luckily I had already bought some matching cards, like the one above, last year, as this year it would have been more difficult, as most shops are still closed due to Covid-19. For me this was by far the most anticipated German stamp of the year, but I am very disappointed by the outcome. It is not that I do not like the design, which is wonderful, but why did exactly this stamp have to get the Matrixcode? No stamp in April gets it, none in May and just two of five in June. Not only does this code deface all the great stamps, but like that is now a pure trepidation which stamp will get the code and which not. However this was probably the best advertising for this horrible change in modern philately, as this new stamp and its production was featured in an episode of the show. So in conclusion, I love the stamp, but I had the deformation. 

I have not only sent the card above to myself but also two more with different special postmarks, but these just arrived three days later on Tuesday. The first card shows Maus, Elefant and Ente together and the other one is an ad card of the Maus, which I got in Berlin some years ago. If you follow my blog about Childhood Heroes on Stamps you have seen those there already. 

Germany: Dresden-Neustadt Station

On 13th March I got three postcards: two from Germany and one from France.

One of the cards from Germany shows Dresden-Neustadt Station. Dresden-Neustadt Station is the second largest railway station in Dresden and is also a stop for long-distance traffic. It was built in 1901 in the monumental style that was typical of the time, underlining its importance as a stop for long-distance services.

Like the last card from Dresden I also bought this card online and later sent it to me sothat I do not have to keep it unwritten. The stamp I used here is from a set of two about Subway Stations (issued 01-03-2021) and shows a subway station in Hamburg. Unfortunately also this stamp got the Matrixcode. 

France: Rouen

On 13th March I got three postcards: one from France and two from Germany

The card from France shows two views of Rouen. Rouen is the capital of the region of Normandy. It is located on the river Seine and was one of the largest and most prosperous European cities in the Middle Ages.

The stamp celebrates the Centenary of The Kid (issued 01-03-2021), Charlie Chaplin's first full-length film as a director. I am not really sure why France decided to issue a stamp about this theme. It was cancelled in the philatelic shop in Rouen.

Thank You very much William!

covers from the USA

On 13th March I got not only three postcards but also three covers from the USA.

Three stamps were used on the first cover. Beside the omnipresent pears there are also two more Vintage Circus Posters (issued 05-05-2014). I really like the postmark used here. It is from Mount Vernon, the plantation of George Washington, and celebrates the 289th birthday of the first president of the USA. Also it reminds us that George Washington was a member of the Freemasons. 

Inside was this card of sandstone sculpted by wind and water. 

On the second cover another Valentine's Day postmark was used. It is interesting to see how many love-themed city names there are in the USA. This one is from Loveland in Colorado. Two different love-themed stamps were used as well. The left one is called Love Flourishes (issued 15-01-2018) and the right one shows a Peace Rose (issued 21-04-2018).

The card in this cover is called Colors of the Powwow. 

On the third cover there are two more Vintage Circus Posters and a postmark from Saratoga Springs about Victorian Streetscapes.

Thank You very much Sam-Quito!

covers from the USA

On 11th March I got four covers from the USA. 

The most special of these is definitely this one with two special postmark about the Presidential Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. What a historic piece of mail! Also I like the stamps used here. The two on the right are from a set of four about Songbirds in Winter (issued 04-08-2016) and show the Golden-crowned Kinglet and the Cedar Waxwing. Next to these there is also a Red Cardinal from the set about Winter Scenes (issued 16-10-2020). 

In the cover was this card of Acoma Pueblo near Albuquerque. Also known as Sky City, this is believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited town in the USA.

The postmark on the second cover celebrates the 50th anniversary of USPS. Strangely here only the additional 10c stamp was cancelled and not the two commemoratives. Those two are from a set of sixteen about Vintage Circus Posters (issued 05-05-2014). The left of them is from P.T. Barnum's circus, who most might know due to the movie The Greatest Showman. When I see this stamp, I however more think of Pennywise from the movie It. 

The card in this cover shows Pueblo Bonito, the largest and best-known great house in Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Since 1987 it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

Used on the third cover were two stamps about Kwanzaa (issued 10-10-2018) and Hanukka (issued 16-10-2018). The special postmark honours August Wilson, a playwright known as Theatre's Poet of Black America. It is from his birthplace of Pittsburgh.

The card inside is about Breaking Bad. Never seen it, but now I know that it is set in Albuquerque.

The stamps on the fourth cover are two of five Soda Fountain Favourites (issued 30-06-2016). The postmark here is unfortunately unreadable.

Luckily the postmark was also applied to the postcard in the cover, revealing that it is actually a Covid-19-themed Valentine's Day postmark. The card itself shows a view of Las Cruces, the second-largest city in New Mexico. 

Thank You very much Sam-Quito!

Year of the Ox from Australia, China and Macau

Like I had said before, on 11th March I got my stamp order from Macau.

The mint Year of the Ox stamps I have already shown you, but I have also ordered this special FDC with bears not only the set from Macau but also the two stamps from China (issued 05-01-2021). 

As I like the Chinese stamps very much, I later also ordered this special folder from Australia, which includes not only the Australian stamps but also mint sheets of the Chinese stamps. This folder is so huge that it does not fit in my scanner, so I had to take photos instead. On the photo you can also nicely see the shining effect of the Australian stamps.