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 Cover From U.S.A

Hollywood Actress Bette Davis

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???

200 Years Of Salzburg Theatre In Austria

A beautiful vintage First Day Cover from Austria featuring the 200 years of "Salzburg Theatre". The stamp and FDC were issued on 14 November 1975 and is magnificently preserved.

The FDC was sent to me by Mr. Arslan Ali Overstreet from Wild Postcards.
I really loved the stamp and the postmarks on the cover.

Estonia: Beautiful Sports Stamps

An absolutely beautiful cover from Estonia is here with wonderful sporting stamps. The cover was sent byKriistina from Estonia and contained some really beautiful used stamps, a FDC and a card. All are beautiful.

The 3 stamps on the left form a complete set of of three commemorative stamps issued on the occasion of the 1st Baltic Sea Games held under the aegis of the International Olympic Committee in a number of Estonian towns from 23 June to 4 July 1993. The description of the 3 stamps is as follows:-

• The 60 s stamp (on the left) features wrestling, one of Estonia’s most successful sports in the first half of this century. Famous Estonians wrestlers include the professionals Aleksander Aberg, Georg Lurich and Georg Hackenschmidt from the early 1900s, as well as the Olympic gold medal winners Kristjan Palusalu (1936) and Johannes kotkas (1952).co
  
• The 1 kr + 25 s stamp features a Viking ship with a sail carrying a map of the Baltic sea area, and the colours of the participating nations in the shape of warrior shields lining the side of the ship.
• The figure of the shot putter on the 2 kr stamp actually represents Kalevipoeg, the hero of the Estonian national epic. Kalevipoeg’s victory over his brothers in a stone-throwing test of strength by which he come to inherit his father’s kingdom is one of the best known episodes of the 19th century poetical work.

The magnificent stamp on the right top of the cover was issued on 4 May 2004 by Estonia. It's a EUROPA stamppromoting vacations The relatively brief Estonian summer provides enough, various opportunities of spending the leisure in a pleasant way. As Estonia is a maritime country, the holiday is often connected with the sea. There are numerous beautiful beaches, notably in Pirita, Pärnu, Haapsalu, Toila etc. Besides sunbathing, a day on the beach offers opportunities of more athletic activity as well, windsurfing or yachting being just two options out of many. Both require skill, strength as well as an adventurous spirit. A day under the sails, breathing salty sea air, can be a unique experience.

Cricket Postmark From Pakistan

Back after a brief pause.

Here is a beautiful cover with a commemorative postmark issued on the event of the 3rd Test Match between the cricket teams of traditional rivals on the pitch - Pakistan & India. The match took place in Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 13-17 Apr 2004. The cricket themed postmark shows a batsman playing a shot in front of the wickets.

A very strong Indian Team won the 3rd Test and marked their first test series win in Pakistan after 15 years against a then under-transition Pakistani Team. India won by an innings and 131 runs - Huge victory for them on Pakistani soil.

Since there was no special cover or stamp issued on the occasion and only a postmark was issued thus I have used a sports related cover (FIFA Centenary Celebrations 2004) and one of the stamp of the series of stamps issued for 9th SAF games, 2004 depicting two wrestlers in the ring.

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.

Kenya; Real-Posted Cover with Kasarani Stadium And Orchids

I absolutely like this cover with nice stamps, especially I love the large stamp with a multi-purpose football stadium which is a joint issue stamp issued on the 40th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Kenya and China. It is one of the two stamps issued on the occasion and the face value is 66 shillings. The second stamp of 21shillings features a portion of Mombasa Road

The multi-purpose Kasarani Stadium featured on the stamp is part of the Moi International Sports Center in Kasarani, in the outskirts of Nairobi. The stadium was built in 1987 for the All-Africa Games held in Nairobi. Currently the stadium is being used primarily for the Football matches. A Gymnasium and an aquatic complex are also part of the Sports Center.

The remaining 3 stamps are part of a set of 18 definitives issued by Kenyan Post in 2001. It took me a long time to verify this fact.

Interestingly none of the stamps have been cancelled using post-marks. Total postage used on the cover is 308 Shillings. The cover was sent by Aliya Bauer from Kenya with nice phonecards.

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.

India: 50th Anniversary Of 62 Cavalry

One of my personal favorites is this magnificently designed First Day Cover (FDC) from India.

The stamp and the FDC; featuring the king of the battlefield - A Tank; were issued to mark 50th Anniversary of 62 Cavalry - An armoured regiment of Indian Army.

The Rs 5 stamp and FDC were issued on 1 April 2006.
What do you think about this beautiful stamp and the cover?

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.

Pakistan ICC World Cup 1992 Winner - Stamps And FDC

Now that the ICC Cricket World Cup fever is touching its zenith with just 15 days left (as on 4 Feb 2011) in the start of 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, I bring this very special cover for you. The Pakistani FDCand stamps were issued to commemorate the historic triumph ofPakistan Cricket Team in 1992 Cricket World Cup. Under the captaincy of legendary Imran Khan, Pakistan achieved the laurels which were considered IMPOSSIBLE at one stage.


Some Interesting Facts of 1992 World Cup

• Pakistan returned home as WORLD CHAMPIONS despite of the fact that Pakistan was the last team to qualify for the Semi Finals with only 9 points out of 8 matches against South Africa (10 Points), England (11 Points) and New Zealand (14 Points). The victory in 1992 Cricket World Cup was nothing less than a miracle. Pakistan team's 9 points also included 1 point which was earned after the match between Pakistan and England ended in a DRAW because of rain interruption after Pakistan was bowled out for just 74 runs on the board and England were 24/1.
• Pakistan had to win last 3 matches against Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand which they did successfully, but tis was not all. They still needed Australia to beat West Indies which they did too. So Pakistan qualified for Semis. In semi final they again beat New Zealand which had won 7 out of their 8 pool matches and after beaten by Pakistan in Pool match on 18 March 1992 and in semi final on 21 March 1992; the Kiwis were out of the tournament. 
• In the final, Pakistan beat England in a thrilling match by 22 runs and Imran Khan captured the final wicket in his final One Day International match to win the World Cup for Pakistan. Those who watched the final still remember that after 25th over of Pakistan's innings, the score was only 70 on board. Afterwards Imran, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Wasim Akram played magnificently to raise their score to 249.

For the first time in World Cup matches, colored player clothing, white balls and black sight-screens were used and a number of "Day-Night" matches were also played under flood lights.

Three stamps were issued on the occasion for the denomination of Rs 2, Rs 5 and Rs 7.
The Rs 2 stamp (At extreme right) features a photo of Skipper Imran Khan along with the trophy. The Rs 5 stamp (On extreme left) shows the flags of all nine participating nations and Pakistan flag is flying above the rest. The Rs 7 stamp (in middle) features the celebrations, fire works in back ground while Pakistan flag, Crystal trophy and a white cricket ball showing the map of hosts, Australia and New Zealand, printed on one half of the ball.
The World Cup 1992 stamps and the FDC were issued on 27-4-1992after the final match being played on 25-4-1992.

Bird Stamps And FDC From Pakistan - 2001

I absolutely love this set of 4 x stamps. This is a set of stamps issuedby the name of "Wild Life Series depicting BIRDS" in 2001 as an effort to promote the protection of wildlife in Pakistan.

The stamps and the First Day Cover (FDC) were issued on 26 November 2001.

Following 4 birds are featured on these magnificent stamps from Pakistan:-

• LARGE PIN-TAILED SANDGROUSE (Pterocies alchata). 'An over all sandy coloured terrestrial Pigeon like bird with a long pointed tail', is the only Sandgrouse in the region. The breast and belly of the bird is pure white with a broad pinkish chestnut breast band narrowly bordered by black in both sexes. The wing coverts are chocolate chestnut on the shoulder, each rounded feather margined with white the mantle and wing coverts are greenish yellow with Grey tips. The rump and tail are sandy yellow cross-barred black and the pintails are tipped. 
• This is a rather locally restricted Sandrgrouse, which is the winter visitor and passage migrant in autumn and spring to the small areas of N.W. Baluchistan, Northern Sindh and N.E. NWFP with a small number probably remaining to breed in the extreme S.W. corner of Baluchistan and on the Afghan Border around Chaman.
• It feeds on green leaves, small seeds, pulse and grains. Breeds from May to July, lays normally 2-3 eggs on dry open flat ground without any sort of nest. This Sandgrouse is scarce in Pakistan.
• BLUE THROAT (Luscima svecica). In general it looks like a typical chat with a long-legged and slender body. The head, neck and back are greyish brown with a prominent creamy white supercilium. Its most conspicuous feature is the tail, which when fanned is russet chestnut with the central pair and a terminal band dark brown. Males have a striking pattern on the breast and throat and an iridescent blue patch on upper breast which is generally framed in a circlet at the mid-breast region. Females lack the blue throat patch but this area instead is noticeably white. The upper tail coverts are chestnut in both sexes.
• A wide spread winter visitor throughout the Indus Plains from Punjab to Sindh. It also occurs in Baluchistan and NWFP during passage migration in spring and autumn. 
• They obtain food by picking it off the ground and from low vegetation. Their diet comprises of mostly insects, small coleoptera, ants, and worms. 
• They breed in alpine meadows in the north. The nest is a cup shaped structure concealed in a clump of grass or hollow in the ground, lay 4-6 eggs pale sage green to olive green colour mottled with reddish brown. Egg laying start in May with an incubation period varies from 13-14 days. Status Frequent in Winter.
• HOOPOE (Upupaepops).  A medium sized bird but more slender in build with down curved black bill adapted for probing in the ground.
• Its most conspicuous feature is the erectile crest of long narrow feathers down the Centre of the crown. Its head and body are orange-brown with black wings and tail prominently barred with a white on the wing coverts and the base of the black tipped flight feathers. The whole of the upper surface of the wings bears transverse black and white bars. The tail has a one broad white band in an inverted "V" pattern surrounded by black. The Iris is brown and feet are slaty brown, sexes are alike. The lower belly is whitish and the nape mantle is often ashy fawn colour.
• Hoopoe breeds in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Indian Sub-Continent, China, lndo-Chinese Region, Malaysia and Indonesia. It inhabits areas which are lightly wooded and preferably where is some grass covering the ground. In Pakistan they are locally migrant but largely resident population, some which winters but not breed in Sindh and also a population which migrate to Himalaya and extralimitally in Central Asia for breed. Hoopoe is a pair bond and monogamous bird. During nesting they make cracks and holes in old trees comprises of a pad of straw, animal hair and feathers, lay 4-7 eggs of skim milk blue rapidly becoming stained brown. Only female incubates from 15-17 days and males bring food for her and nestling.
• INDIAN MAGPIE ROBIN "DHYAL" (Copsychus Sanlaris).  It is a very large chat with relatively stout bill and long tail. The male is metallic blue black all over the head, neck, back and wings, with outer tail feathers and belly pure white. The female is of similar pattern but blue black is replaced by dark iron Grey or unglossy. In both sexes legs and feet are black. 
• It is found throughout the year with sedentary habit and well known bird, wide spread in India and South East Asia. In Pakistan it is uncommon but resident in the outer foot hills of the Murree hills extending down to lslamabad. 
• These large chat forage solitarily expect for during the nesting season and run forward in hopping spurts like typical chats raising their tail over the back as they pause, often fanning open the tail and drooping the wings. Their food includes a wide variety of soil born crustacean, mollusca, spiders, millipedes and insects. They make nests in tree holes and use drain pipes and eaves of buildings as nest boxes. 
• The bird from April to July lay 3 to 5 eggs pale green in colour densely spotted and splotched with reddish brown. Incubation take 12-13 days, males help in bringing food to the nestling, in close attendance or escorting the female during incubating and rearing the chicks. Males sing throughout the nesting season and often in post monsoon and autumn season. Status very local and scarce.

I hope that I have done some justice to this beautiful cover. Did you like it?

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's Sweetest Fruit - Mango

As the summer season is at full bloom these days in Pakistan, Mangoes are automatically at full swing. Belonging to the Anacardiaceae family and is known as Mangifera Indica, mangoes hold a prominent place in the commercial fruits of Pakistan. Mango fruit is enriched with 10-20% sugar, vitamins A, B and C, some proteins, calcium, phosphorus and iron.
Primarily loved for their taste, different varieties are also famous for their color, smell and nutritious value.

Ripe fruit is better than anything when chilled at the best temperature and is eaten fresh, while unripe fruit is also utilized in making pickles.

As per the FAO production 2001 year book, Pakistan stands FIFTH among mango growing countries of the World. A limited supply of mangoes is produced every year and even if all of this production reaches to the consumers, per head per day availability of fruit is meager 114 grams. I believe that is the reason that mango prices are so high that its availability is limited to a couple of days in a month instead of everyone eating it daily ;)

Different varieties of Pakistani mango is exported around the globe fetching valuable foreign exchange. Some of the most-loved mango varieties include Langra, Dusehri, Samar Behisht, Chaunsa, Anwar Ratol, Sindhri, Bagan Pali, Suwarneka, Neelum and Gulab Khas.

The 4 varieties shown on the stamps include Anwar Ratol, Dusehri, Chaunsa and Sindhri. You can see the differences in their size, color and shape but unfortunately you can not experience their taste online. You will have to come to Pakistan to do that or ask a Pakistani friend to help you get them where you are.

 The set of stamps and First Day Cover (FDC) were issued on 18 June 2002.
Have you ever eaten a mango? Which variety is your favorite? Feel free to share in comments below.

Croatia: Barcelona Olympics 1992 Stamps On "Stop the War In Croatia" Cover

After a long time, I am sharing another magnificent item from my collection. It is a beautiful yet strange First Day Cover (FDC) from Croatia. The strange thing is that the FDC is issued for "Stop the War in Croatia" but the stamps used on the cover are not the same. The two stamps pasted in the top-right corner of the cover comprise of the complete set of stamps issued by Croatia to mark the event of Barcelona Summer Olympics 1992. 

Another Stamp in the bottom-center of the FDC is issued for Zrinski–Frankopan, which according to Google is another name for Magnate Conspiracy. It is 17th century attempt to throw off Habsburg and other foreign influences over Hungary and Croatia.

 This Croatian FDC is a nice mix of various items from 1992 and 1993, I believe. The postmark on the FDC is from some other sports stamp of 1993, but I could not find them.

 You can contribute and share your knowledge on the stamps, FDC or the Postmarks, if you know anything! I shall be obliged!

Pakistan:100th Anniversary Of Powered Flight (1903-2003)

Here is a beautiful FDC from Pakistan. It is a lovely cover issued on the centenary celebrations of the First Powered Flight in 2003. 2003 marked a historic year in aviation. On 17 December 1903, the sands of Kitty Hawk, North California witnessed a breathtaking spectacle in human history. On this epoch-making date, a 100 years ago, two brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, stunned the world by staging a successful flight in their first piloted biplane. Their intense preoccupation with flying was fuelled not by economic necessity but mostly from their imaginative determination to cross one of the last technological barriers to human flight-stability in the air. The event changed the course of history. The year 2003 therefore was a year to celebrate the past and embrace the future.

At the dawn of the centennial year of powered flight on 17 December 2003, aviation technology has traversed a long distance, interspersed with phenomenal strides, over the past one hundred years. This is true of all kinds of aviation-commercial, general , military and space-focused. In just 100 years man has progressed from those first hesitant hops to conquering the globe and beyond it into space. Distances have amazingly shrunk, and man has already stepped on the moon. Every place on earth is now only hours away-rather than weeks or months before the aeroplane. The story of the preceding century is one of unceasing innovation, vision and outstanding courage in unlocking the secrets of flight and extending the boundaries of performance.

Air power, it appears, has acquired for itself the mantle of authority to fulfill the prophecies of its ardent advocates like Glulo Douhet, and perhaps exceeds his vision of the potential of air bombardment. Winston Churchill, minced no words in acknowledging the role of air power when he stated:

"For good or ill, air mastery is today the supreme expression of military power. And fleets and armies, however necessary and important must accept subordinate rank. This is a memorable milestone in the march of man."

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of powered flight, 2 x commemorative postage stamps were issued by Pakistan Post which reflect its deep sense of belonging to this historic moment. The set is one of my personal favorites. I absolutely love them.