Belarus: Water Skiing Souvenir Sheet FDC

Here's a lovely Belarus First Day Cover (FDC) from my collection. This beautiful Belarussian FDC was issued on 25 October 2001 and features a lovely blue-coloured souvenir sheet showing water skiing. The sheet shows 3 different poses of a woman water skier.

The Souvenir sheet also reads,

"National Waterski Team Belarus

2 times World Champions and 

10 times Europe Champions"

The souvenir sheet is of 1000 Rubles denomination.

As a sports fanatic, I really love this FDC from Belarus.

What do you think about this cover?

Slovenia - An Amazing Cover From The Beautiful European Country

After a long time, when I decided to share a new cover from my collection, I decided to share a real-posted cover from a new country, therefore I selected this cute cover from Slovenia or Slovenija, as they spell it on the stamps.
The envelope is a made up of beautiful dull blue-coloured paper and the stamps really emboss on dull blue background.

 The cover was sent to me by Karmen from Slovenia alongwith a couple of postcards and coins too.

 The cover is posted with 3 stamps on the face.

• The left-most Slovenian souvenir sheet featuring a flower was issued in 2009 and shows a Ranunculus Arvensis.

• The stamp on the right side was also issued in 2009 at the moment of "World Cup Athletes, Berlin". The stamp shows various athletes in action in different coloured silhouettes. It is really a very beautiful and coloured stamp and I absolutely love it.

You can leave your comments below!

A Box Full Of On-Paper Stamps - A Dream-Come-True For A Philatelist

Today was a dream-come-true day for me as I received a huge box of stamps that I bought about 15 months ago. For the first time I laid my hands on these stamps and they are amazing.
I am sure that it is strange to hear about this story of receiving stamps 15 months after buying them but I assure you that the seller did a magnificent job of sending the stamps on the same day that I sent the money and the stamps were delivered to the address that I mentioned.

 The box is almost 20" x 20" x 8" and its all full of on-paper stamps from Australia. The box contains almost 9 kgs of on-paper stamps.

 The first look inside the box of stamps was simply amazing. I bought these stamps in kiloware from Glen Stephens Web Store and am highly thankful to Glen for sending me such a nice bunch of Australian stamps. These include commemoratives as well as definitives.
Below are some of the photos of the stamps that I could find at the very top:-

  The box of stamps is full of stamps featuring dogs, birds, fishes, cats, cars and above all Nicole Kidman ;)

  All sorts of varieties of lovely stamps and I am very happy to receive them,

 I am sure that these will be enough to keep me busy for a life time.
I am still wondering how to sort them out and what to do with them? If you have any suggestions, please share in Comments Section below the post.

Scouting 2007 Centenary Stamps And FDC From Luxembourg

A magnificent First Day Cover from Luxembourg is here to recharge your collecting and scouting senses.

 This FDC from Luxembourg was issued to mark the Centenary of Scouting in 2007. The Scouting 2007 Centenary included celebrations around the globe and festivities took place in a scouting way.
You can read more details from here: Scouting 2007 Centenary

The FDC was issued with two stamps, The first stamp on the right-hand side depicts a world globe and children of different races holding hands. The stamp also depicts a reef-knot which is the symbol of scouting around the planet. It is an EUROPA Stamp and is of 0.70 denomination.
The second stamp on the left-hand side is of 0.50 face value and depicts a scouting camp and a camp fire. It seems to be a painting made by a kid. It is also an EUROPA Stamp from Luxembourg.
I love this FDC. Can anyone tell me why this hat is on the cover? Is it a scouting symbol in Luxembourg or there is some other story behind it???

Breeds Of Dogs Of India: FDC

A very beautiful FDC from India with a set of 4 gorgeous dog stamps. Stamps  featuring 4 different breeds of dogs include following:-

• Himalayan Sheep Dog (Left-most stamp)
• Rampur Hound (2nd stamp from left)
• Mudhol Hound (3rd stamp from left)
• Rajapalayam (Right-most stamp)

The 4 dog breeds from India are also featured on the left side of the First Day Cover while the postmark features only three of them.Which one is missing is hard to tell..... At least for me... :)

The series of stamps on Indian Breeds of Dogs was released at the5th National Dog Show of the Kenel Club of India in Chennai on 9 January 2005. The postmarks on the cover are from the capital -New Delhi.

Indeed a magnificent cover! Isn't it? What do you say???

France; Harry Potter Stamps 2007

I absolutely love this cover from France. The cover features characters from my favorite book series – “Harry Potter”. I started reading the first part of the book on the recommendation of a younger sis and could not quit reading until I was finished with all the seven parts of the series.

I have also gone through the initial movies of the series. Although they are magnificently made but still they are NO match to the books. JK Rowling definitely Rules!!!

The above stamps were issued by France on 17 March 2007. "Fete Du Timbre" printed on the stamps means "Celebration of Stamps". The three stamps feature Harry Potter (Two stamps on Left), Hermione Granger (Top right) and Ronald Weasley (Bottom right).

The remaining stamps pasted on the cover were issued in 2005. The French stamps of 0.01 and 0.05 Euro feature Marianne. Marianne is a symbol of Republican France. A Marianne is a portrait of a proud and determined woman wearing a "Phrygian Cap". She symbolizes theattachment of the common citizens of the revolution to the Republic - Marianne is liberty, egality and fraternity. The one shown on these stamps is Lamouche Marianne. Thanks to Contesse Eric for this beautiful cover.

Macedonia; Real-Posted Cover With Angry Fish – Not Willing To See Each Other’s Face Even

WOW!!! Fish also have human-like expressions. For instance just see these two fish on the cover posted from Macedonia. They look as angry as two humans who have sworn not to see each other’s face after a quarrel. Isn’t it so??? :)

This beautiful cover was waiting for a long time to be posted on theblog. I received it in 2007. Its a really beautiful cover from Skopje, Macedonia.

The two fish stamps on the cover are part of a set of 4 fish stamps issued by Macedonia Post in 2007. It sure is a magnificent set of Fish Stamps from Macedonia.

Slovakia; Beijing Olympics 2008 FDC

A magnificent FDC from Slovakia is here. It is one of my personal favorites from the Olympics theme. The beautiful stamp shows a female athlete doing long jump where as many different sports men and women are shown on the left side playing various sports. Indeed very fascinating. The postmark also depicts a sportsman. the stamp is issued on 4 Jun 2009.

The Magnificent Fasting Buddha FDC - Gandahara Civilization; Pakistan

Issued on 21 July 1999, this beautiful First Day Cover (FDC) is awesome. The two different views of the FASTING BUDDHA - Siddharatha are shown on two stamps of Rs 7 denomination each. The set forms part of Archeological Heritage of Pakistan Collection.

Sony PSP Stamp - Are There Real Stamps Too?

Hi friends!
I came across this magnificent stamp featuring Sony PSP on internet. I know that they are fake but I still love them.

 And the 2nd one too!

Which one did you like?
Are there any real stamps with themes like Sony PSP, Nintendo, etc?

FIFA World Cup 2010 FDC With Stamp Sheet From France

What a beautiful First Day Cover it is? I fell in love with this cover at the first instance. The cover was sent to me by Eric Contesse from his blog at "Blog Timbre de ma Philatelie". Thanks a lot Eric! 

The FDC featuring the Souvenir sheet of four stamps from Franceissued on the event of FIFA World Cup 2010 being played in South Africa . The Stamp sheet and FDC were issued on 13 Jun 2010 and depicts football players, player & ball, Pretoria’s Parliament Building, View of Capetown & Flags of Countries playing the FIFA World Cup.

Scouting 2007 Centenary Stamps And FDC From Luxembourg

A magnificent First Day Cover from Luxembourg is here to recharge your collecting and scouting senses.

 This FDC from Luxembourg was issued to mark the Centenary of Scouting in 2007. The Scouting 2007 Centenary included celebrations around the globe and festivities took place in a scouting way.
You can read more details from here: Scouting 2007 Centenary

The FDC was issued with two stamps, The first stamp on the right-hand side depicts a world globe and children of different races holding hands. The stamp also depicts a reef-knot which is the symbol of scouting around the planet. It is an EUROPA Stamp and is of 0.70 denomination.
The second stamp on the left-hand side is of 0.50 face value and depicts a scouting camp and a camp fire. It seems to be a painting made by a kid. It is also an EUROPA Stamp from Luxembourg.
I love this FDC. Can anyone tell me why this hat is on the cover? Is it a scouting symbol in Luxembourg or there is some other story behind it???

Pakistan Stamps Featuring Aquarium Fishes Issued On Universal Postal Union Day 2004

Hi!
Here I have for you one of the most beautiful stamp sheet from Pakistan.

Youm-e-Takbeer - The Day When Pakistan Conducted 1st Nuclear Test

"Youm-e-Takbeer" was NOT a day like all others but it was special day which turned Pakistan into A PROUDER PAKISTAN - A STRONGER PAKISTAN!!!
This beautiful stamp from Pakistan was issued on 28 May 1999 - the first anniversary of "Youm-e-Takbeer" - The day when Pakistan conducted its first Nuclear Test. The Rs 5 stamp shows the site of the nuclear tests at Chaghi, Balochistan.

 Brief History of the Indo-Pakistan Nuclear Issue.
What started in 1974 when India conducted their first nuclear test at Pokhran Range in Rajhistan, ended on 28 May 1998 when Pakistan successfully carried out its first nuclear test in Chaghi, Balochistan. Since its a hobby blog, therefore, I don't want to spark a controversy but here is just a run down of events:-

• India conducted its first nuclear test in Pokhran Range, Rajisthan in 1974.
• In 1974, Pakistan started its nuclear program.
• As per Pakistani Atomic Scientists, by early 1980s, Pakistan was in a position to test detonate its device but did not step forward because of various reasons including International Pressure.
• On 11 May 1998, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee surprised everyone by announcing that India has conducted 3 nuclear tests earlier that day.
• Two days later on 13 May 1998, India conducted two more nuclear tests, surprising the international observers.
• Under immense pressure from public and continued humiliating statements from Indian leaders, Pakistan finally decided to respond by testing its own nuclear technology.
•  On 28 May 1998, at 3:16 pm Pakistan conducted its first nuclear test in Chaghi, Balochistan. Pakistan detonated five nuclear devices in total. The time has been termed as "Pakistan's Finest Hour".
• In an TV address to the nation, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif congratulated the Pakistani nation and said that "Today, we have settled a score and have carried out 5 successful nuclear tests.
• Pakistan had become the world s 7th nuclear power and the first nuclear weapons state in the Islamic World. Two days later, Pakistan conducted its sixth nuclear test at Kharan, a flat desert valley 150 km to the south of the Ras Koh Hills.
• The day was remembered as "Youm-e-Takbeer".

 

May 28, 1998 - Pakistan's quest for Self-Reliance 

  LONG LIVE PAKISTAN!!!

Pakistan FDC Featuring Nishan-e-Haider Winners

Here is one of my personal favorites from my collection. Its a FDC from Pakistan featuring two of the eleven (including Saif Ali Janjua who was awarded Hilal-e-Kashmir in 1948, which was afterwards made equivalent to Nishan-e-Haider) recipients of the Highest Military Award of Pakistan - Nishan-e-Haider.

 Both stamps are for Rs 4 denomination and were issued on 6 September 2002 - the Day being celebrated as the Defence of Pakistan Day every year. It was on this day in 1965 that India launched a dawn attack on Pakistan's territory without a war declaration BUT Pakistan Armed Forces fought valiantly and bravely. They beat back the attack and inflicted heavy losses over the attacker.

Nishan-e-Haider is awarded to military personnel for extraordinary bravery in combat. 9 out of 10 awards have been received by Pakistan Army while 1 has been received by Pakistan Airforce.

The stamp on the right features Sawar Muhammad Hussain while the stamp on left shows Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz. Here is a brief account of their heroic actions:-

 

 

• Lance Naik Muhammad Mahfuz (Shaheed), Nishan-e-Haider. 
  Born in Pind Malikan (now Mahfuzabad, Rawalpindi District) on October 25, 1944, Muhammad Mahfuz joined the Army on October 25, 1962. When war broke out in 1971, Lance Naik Mahfuz was serving in "A" Company of 15 Punjab Regiment deployed on the Wagah-Attari Sector. On the night of December 17-18, his company was assigned the task of occupying Phul Kanjri village located in the section. Platoon No. 3, to which Lance Naik Mahfuz belonged, was the forward unit in the assault and had to face torrential volleys of enemy fire from concrete Pill boxes. When the Company was about 70 yards from the Indian position, it was pinned down by unceasing frontal and cross fire from automatic weapons of the enemy. With the break of dawn, the enemy artillery also opened up. Fighting like a man possessed, Mahfuz, whose machine-gun was destroyed by an enemy shell, took over a light machine-gun from a gunner who had already fallen and advanced towards an enemy bunker from which automatic fire had inflicted heavy casualties on his Company. Wounded in the legs by shell splinters, he continued to fire, dragging himself forward. At the bunker he got up with almost superhuman effort and pounced on the enemy and was hit at point-blank range. His weapon dropped from his hand, but despite being unarmed and mortally wounded, he caught hold of an Indian Soldier and began to strangle him when another Indian bayoneted him to death.
  After the ceasefire, the Commander of the enemy admitted to his Pakistani counter-part in a meeting that the like of the courage and tenacity displayed by Lance Naik Mahfuz had seldom been witnessed before.
   
• Sawar Muhammad Hussain (Shaheed), Nishan-e-Haider. Born in Dhok Pir Bakhsh (now Dhok Muhammad Hussain Janjua) on June 18, 1949, Sawar Muhammad Hussain joined the Army on September 3, 1966 and was trained as a driver. When war broke out in 1971, he was in 20 Lancers. Though only a driver, he took active part in every battle his unit was engaged in. He would take over a machine-gun and fire on the enemy, unmindful of any danger no matter how grave. On December 5, 1971, he went from trench to trench delivering ammunition to our men in the Zafarwal-Shakargarh Area, braving intense shelling and direct fire from enemy tanks and infantry. On the following day, he went out with four fighting patrols and undertook most hazardous missions. On December 10, he spotted the enemy digging in near village Harar Khurd along our Minefield and informed the second- in-command of his unit. He moved, on his own initiative, from one anti-tank gun to another directing the crew to fire accurately at enemy tanks, and was thus responsible for the destruction of sixteen enemy tanks. At 1600 hours on December 10, while directing fire from one of our recoilless rifles, he was hit on the chest by a burst of machine-gun fire from an enemy tank and thus died in action.
  Sawar Muhammad Hussain had the distinction of being the first Jawan to be awarded Nishan-e-Haider.
  Source: Pakistan Post Official Website

Help Needed!!! United Nations Stamps

Can someone tell me when this set of 4 stamps from United Nations was issued? Can I see them & other similar stamps on any online catalogue? What is their estimated cost? Please help!!!!

Facebook's Farmville Postage Stamps

Have you played Farmville on Facebook ever?
Farmville is definitely the latest online farming craze....

I just thought that it would be fun sharing these beautiful stamps with you. I am sure that you will love these beautiful Farmville Postage Stamps. 

 

Stamps Issued To Celebrate Royal Wedding Of Prince William And Kate Middleton

Being a lover and collector of Philatelic Material from World Wide, I wondered which countries have issued the postal stamps on the eve of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Here are some of the stamps and miniature sheets from around the globe, which have been issued to celebrate the event.

 Royal Wedding Stamps from Australia

 Royal Wedding Stamps from Canada

 Royal Wedding Stamps from Falkland Islands

 Royal Wedding Stamps from Guine Bissau

 Royal Wedding Stamps from Niue - A Pacific Nation

 Royal Wedding Stamps from England/ UK

 Royal Wedding Stamps

 Royal Wedding Stamps from Niue - Most talked about stamps on the event as the two stamps split the Royal couple if they are to be used alone.

 

 

 

 And here are some stamps issued on the event of the Royal Engagement of the William and Kate:-.

 Royal Engagement Stamps from St. Kitts 

Royal Engagement Stamps from Cook Islands

 Royal Engagement Stamps from Gibraltar

 

 

 

Which one did you like the best?

 

India - President's Fleet Review, Visakhapatnam

After a long absence, finally I managed to post a new First Day Cover (FDC) on the blog. Thus time it is a gorgeous FDC from India featuring 4 stamps showing submarines, aircraft carrier, helicopters, aircrafts and battle ships.

 The set of four postage stamps to commemorate President’s Review of Fleet at Visakhapatnam was issued by India Post on February 12, 2006. Each stamp is of the denomination of Rs 5. 

India Security Press printed the stamps in sheets of 16 stamps that is 4 se-tenant blocks by Photo Gravure in the quantity of 0.8 million blocks.The stamps are printed 4 x 4 and the vertical row 1 and 4 are 54 mm in width while vertical row 2 and 3 are only 52.5 mm. As the stamps in vertical row 1 and 3 (also row 2 and 4) are identical this results in two size for all the four stamps. While overall block size remains same in all cases, the individual stamps differ in size with the horizontally adjacent block.

 The marking on the FDC shows a large number of Naval Arsenal held by Indian Navy, mentioning the name of every submarine or war ship.
Please feel free to leave your comment below!

Dresses Of Pakistan Stamps - Amazing Embroidery Designs

It has been a long time since I last updated my blog. In fact I wanted to do it more often, but because of various commitments I could not get time. However I should not be worried because every blogger faces a similar down time at some stage of his blogging life.
I have decided to be more punctual in posting new posts on my blog from now on. Let's see how long this pledge works.
So here is my first post of the long time. The beautiful stamps shared today, show a beautiful set of women in traditional dresses from Pakistan. The dresses are from for four provinces of Pakistan. Pakistani dresses are famous around the globe for their embroidery, neatness and originality.

The Pakistani traditional dresses shown on the stamps are from the four provinces of the country naming Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and NWFP (the name of the province has lately been changed from North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) )

The first day cover also shows a pattern of Pakistani embroidery. The stamps were issued in 1993 and the cover is postmarked at Philatelic Bureau Peshawar.