EUROPA 2024

 
Under Water Flora and Fauna

Date of Issue : 12  June 2024

Sharing this wonderful souvenir sheet from Armenia. The design of the stamp is so beautiful and unique. The theme of EUROPA 2024 is under water Flora and Fauna. 

On June 12th, 2024, a souvenir sheet with one postage stamp dedicated to the theme “International. Europa 2024. Underwater Fauna & Flora” has been put into circulation.

The postage stamp of the souvenir sheet with the nominal value of 500 AMD depicts a big eye of a fish in which the underwater fauna and flora of Armenia is reflected. Particularly, the postage stamp reflects the images of a crayfish, a snake, underwater plants as well as different types of fish (i.e. Salmo ischchan gegarkuni, Capoeta capoeta sevangi, Sevan barbel) endemic to the underwater world of freshwater Lake Sevan and rivers of Armenia.

The stamp is issued within the frames of “EUROPA” annual International Competition of the Association of European Postal Operators (PostEurop). EUROPA stamps underline the development of the cooperation among European Postal Operators.

New Europa 2019 stamps

National Birds

 Sweden

Date of Issue : 9 May 2019

Blackbird

Selected for the national bird of Sweden for the second time. The beautiful  blackbird breeds both in the city, in the countryside and in the woods, and is found throughout the country, with the exception of the mountain range.

Spain

Date of Issue : 23 April 2019

Spain issues a Premium Sheet with six stamps, which has as protagonist the lammergeier. The flight of the bearded vulture over the Pyrenees impresses everyone who has the opportunity to see it.

This bird is adapted to live in the harsh conditions of the high mountain. Its anatomy is unmistakable. It is a large bird that can reach more than 2.80 meters.

Normally it does not emit any sound being a quite silent bird, but during the time of estrus, it produces long and piercing whistles.

Its name is due to the way it has to feed itself. It is the last link in the use of the carrion because it is nourished by bones and tendons thrown from a certain height against the rocks to cut them. The area where this activity is carried out is called "breakwater".

Andorra  ( Spanish Post )

Pit-roig

Date of Issue : 26 April 2019

The European robin, known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in the British Isles, is a small insectivorous passerine bird, specifically a chat, that was formerly classified as a member of the thrush family but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher.

Austria

Seeadller

Date of Issue : 9 May 2019

The white-tailed eagle is a very large eagle widely distributed across Eurasia. As are all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae which includes other diurnal raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers.

New Stamps from Greenland

Sports in Greenland

Date of Issue : 22 January 2018

Greenland Post issued 3 different sets stamps on 22 January 2018 featuring Sports, Europa and Environment themes.

The Environment in Greenland

Date of Issue : 22 January 2018

The design with the icebergs is called Fatamorgana and is a comment about the massive inland ice thaw. This is the result of climate change and brings with it the risk that icebergs will no longer be seen in nature at some point in the future. The same is happening to the polar bear, who swims in the open sea, as there is not enough ice for it to live on.

Europa 2018 - Bridges

Date of Issue : 22 January 2018

Think Green stamp from Latvia

Date of Issue : 9 May 2016

Here is a new "Think Green" Issue from Latvia . The first stamp in this issue features  the common design of Europa 2016 theme. . The squirrel depicted on the second stamp is a symbol that calls for supporting waste sorting and recycling.

The originator of Europa postage stamps is PostEurop Association, and stamps with a single logo and a common theme in this series have been issued throughout Europe since 1994. In previous years, the themes of Europa postage stamps were related to literature, natural attractions, travel, postal transport and old toys.

Think Green...

Date of Issue : 3 May 2016

Every person is the right person to act. Every moment is the right moment to begin. It is high time to take care of nature and the environment. This is the message that four new “Think Green” stamps to be issued by Jersey Post contain.

Europa Stamps 2016 are very special stamps with “Think Green” theme aimed to create awareness and give a wakeup call, its time to protect our environment for the better future of the coming generations.

The trade association known as ‘PostEurop’ was formed in 1993 to represent the interests of national postal operators and it has 52 members in 49 countries. Stamps bearing the EUROPA logo have been issued since 1956; a theme is set each year for members to interpret and illustrate on a set of stamps, the purpose being to build awareness of each other’s culture and history.

Best Europa 2015 stamp

Turkey is the Gold Winner

Turkey is the winner of the 2015 Best Europa stamp contest organised by PostEurop. Hungary finished second and Finland is third.This 2.50 TRY stamp is part of a two stamp set.It's the third time Turkey wins the on line voting and since 2011 they always finished in the top 2 ! They won in 2011 and 2013 and finished 2nd in 2012 and 2014 !

PostEurop announced Turkish PTT (Turkey – gold), Magyar Posta (Hungary – silver) and Posti (Finland – bronze), as the top three winners of the 2015 PostEurop EUROPA Online competition at the PostEurop Plenary Assembly in Limassol, Cyprus.

Hungary – Silver

Finland – Bronze

Earlier this year PostEurop launched the public online voting competition on Europe Day. This year’s EUROPA theme “Old Toys” took everyone on a trip down memory lane. The Post Offices from around the world participated in this great philatelic contest. All stamps designed specially for this competition can be viewed at : Europa Stamps 2015: Old toys.

Best Europa stamp - Jury prize to Russia

 

Additional prizes were also handed over to the winners of the 2015 PostEurop EUROPA Jury competition “Marka” (Russia – gold), PostNord (Sweden – silver) and Latvijas Pasts (Latvia – bronze) during a special ceremony at the distinguished Brussels Town Hall, during the Belgian Philatelic Grand Prix ceremony on Saturday, 19 September 2015.

“Like Confucius once said ‘I hear and I forget, I see and I remember. I do and I understand’, these Old Toys have reminded us of the little joys that once helped us during our childhood, to experience and better understand the world. Congratulations to all the winners and especially to Turkish PTT-Turkey and ‘Marka’-Russia, for their achievements in this year very close competition” stated Anita Häggblom, Chair of the Stamps & Philately Working Group.

In this year’s theme “Old Toys – a trip down memory lane” inspired 56 entries. Each work of art was placed online for almost 4 months during which a campaign took place and encouraged EUROPA Stamps enthusiasts to vote for their favourite stamp. More than 10,000 votes were registered during that time with the winners emerging based on total votes received. Below are the runner ups.

The full list of winning stamps since the first contest in 2002 when Malta won.

Source : Europa Stamps ; International Stamp News

Popular Toys of Children..

 

Date of Issue : 6 May 2015

Here is a nice stamp issued by Czech Republic for Europa 2015 theme. The stamp features popular modelling  toy of children all over the world . In India it is known as Meccano . Meccano is a model construction system created in Liverpool, UK by Frank Hornby. It consists of re-usable metal strips, plates, angle girders, wheels, axles and gears, with nuts and bolts to connect the pieces. It enables the building of working models and mechanical devices.

Czech Republic selected the legendary metal Merkur modelling system as a theme for stamp for Europa 2015. The item features a crane on tracks built of colour parts of the Merkur modelling system, with a black and white outline of other parts and tools scattered around.

The legendary metal Merkur modelling system is the best-known traditional Czech toy manufactured in the Czech Republic, which became famous throughout the world. It was created in the early 20th century in Police nad Metují and its models have been successfully sold since the mid-1920s.

The modelling system is based on belts and profiles of different shapes and lengths, made of painted sheet steel and containing a network of drilled holes. These parts are put together with bolts and nuts. The system contains also other parts such as axles, gear wheels, spindles, etc. Some sets also include pulleys, bulldozer belts and even electric motors. This enables the construction of most realistic structures and different machines.

The variability and unlimited use of Merker guarantee its popularity. It helps expand children’s imagination, dexterity and creativity.

My Recent Cover…

Cover from Russia

Thanks to Limanski E.N. from Moscow, Russia

Club News

From our Readers..

Book on ‘Meghdoot Post Cards’

I am pleased to bring my first book on ‘Meghdoot Post Cards’ under ‘Post Independence Postal Stationery of India’.The book consists of 130 pages printed on art paper with multi-color illustrations priced at Rs. 650/- (US $30/-) postage extra.
- Purushottam Das Heda email :  pdheda@hotmail.com

New Europa 2015 stamps – Old Toys

Date of Issue : 30 April 2015

The Iceland Post will issue stamps on Europa 2015 featuring  wooden duck and the Dúa cars. The issue is to be released on the 30^th of April. According to the decision of PostEurop, the association of European public postal operators, old toys are the common theme of 2015.

The wooden duck was first produced from 1931 to 1960 by Akureyri Toy Makers and Leifur Toys, both based in Akureyri. The production was initiated by Skarphéðinn Ásgeirsson and the toys enjoyed great domestic popularity. Leifur Toys took over the production in 1942 and continued producing wooden toys until 1960.

The business failed, however, due to increased import of foreign toys. Guðbjörg Ringsted is in charge of the toy museum located in Friðbjörn’s House in Akureyri. A variety of toys from the last century can be found there, including the wooden duck. The initial production of Dúa cars started in 1985 when several pioneers in the Westfjords founded a toy workshop called Aldan.

Their goal was to produce wooden toys. The workshop produced all kinds of sought-after toys, including the Dúa cars which became very popular. The Red Cross was for many years one of the workshop’s agents, with sales proceeds going to the Red Cross house in Reykjavik which served as a relief center for children and youth. Dúa cars can be seen among other places at the local museum of Hafnarfjörður.

Club News

STAMPEX 2015

A stamp exhibition and  workshop will be held at Shri Shyma Prasad Mukharjee Art Gallery, Rajkot  from 1-3rd May 2015.

From our Readers..

Aid to Nepal

Help Earthquake victims of Nepal !!!

An Appeal

India is doing so much to provide aid to Nepal. But, I do feel that we as citizens need to extend a helping hand too. It would be a great idea if the Dept of Posts could issue stamps and a minisheet highlighting the disaster. the money gained from the stamps could be exclusively sent to Nepal as a contribution from us Indians who feel and understand their pain and grief.

This will be a much quicker way of collecting money, rather than create a fund the credibility of which most people don't believe in anyway.

- Commodore  Vijay Kapre, New Delhi

Blog : http://letstalkstamps.blogspot.in/

New Special Covers

Rani Laxmibai – Jhansi 24 Mach 2015

India Post, U.P. Postal Circle, Jhansi Division released a Special Cover on Jhansi Ki Rani Lakshmibai on 24 March 20115 during JHANSIPEX 2015 (24-26 MARCH).  Cover approval No. UP/09/2015.

WORLD SOCIAL WORK DAY - 17TH MARCH 2015

WORLD SOCIAL WORK DAY - 17TH MARCH 2015
PROMOTING SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION For Sustainable Development

India Post, Punjab Postal circle released a Special cover – Approval No. 01/2015  on  World social work Day at Chandigarh on 17-03-2015. in  collaboration with UNESCO's 70th Anniversary Celebrations, IGNOU the
Peoples University, Union Bank of India. Association of Professional Social Workers & Development Practitioners (APSWDP) is commemorating First Foundation year  on the occasion of World Social work Day - 2015 and UNESCO'S 70th Anniversary celebrations.

- Sreejesh Krishnan - Trivandrum

Old toys on New Europa Stamps from Croatia

 

Date of Issue : 5 April 2015

 

Croatian post Mostar has issued two commemorative postage stamps specially designed for Europe 2015 stamp competition. On the stamps, wooden whistle (trill) and wooden rocking horse are depicted. The issue was released  on the 5^th of April.

Toys are not only subjects to play with, they are important for the development of children. The most beautiful memories from early childhood are associated with favorite toys. It could be handmade toys like wooden whistles or a rocking horse.

A rocking horse is a child’s toy, usually shaped like a horse and mounted on rockers similar to a rocking chair. There are two sorts, the one where the horse part sits rigidly attached to a par of curved rockers that are in contact with the ground, and a second sort, where the horse hangs on a rigid frame by iron straps the horse moves only relative to the frame, which does not move.

A wooden trill is a musical instrument. It can be used to play notes to guess the pass tune. Improvising with it will exercise your dexterity. Also, if the player has enough experience and dexterity, improvising with it will make nearby snakes peaceful. When played, it will either “trill” (which pacifies snakes) or “toot.”

India France Joint Issue

FDCs from India and France

Presentation Pack

- Kasinath R. - Tanjore

Toys of yesteryears

 

Date of Issue 16 April 2015

Serbia Post will issue two stamps on 15th April 2015  and French Post will issue a stamp on 4th May 2015 featuring popular old toys for Europa 2015 theme. The theme of Europa 2015 stamps is Old Toys.

Date of Issue : 4 May 2015

View  : All Europa stamps

Club News

Stamp exhibition in Germany

RHEIN-RUHR-POSTA 2015 LÖHNE(GERMANY) 17 – 19 April 2015

 

A big philatelic Exhibition will be held from April 17th to April 19th in Löhne, Germany. Philatelists from Germany and other European countries will display 130 exhibits including 13 exhibits about philatelic literature in more than 600 Frames together with  a special show about Polar philately. During this philatelic event the following German Collector Groups will hold a meeting in Löhne :

ArGe BRAZIL, ArGe USA/CANADA, ArGe COINS and MONETARY SYSTEMS, ArGe AUTOMOBILES, ArGe PRECANCELLATIONS, ArGe POLAR PHILATELY and  Ar Ge MAPS/SURVEY/DISCOVERY of EARTH.

Interested Indian Philatelists or from other countries may please  contact

me for more information about these German Collector Groups. Mail:  Wolfgang.beyer1@aol.de .

During this great philatelic event RHEIN-RUHR-POSTA 2015 from April 17th to April 19th in Löhne,five different very nice pictorial  postmarks  will be available

On April 17th a new postmark will be issued in 32584 LÖHNE. The postmark will feature a Minervas

Owl ( Athene noctua) and the logo of the philatelic exhibition.

On April 17th a new postmark will be issued in 32584 LÖHNE. The postmark  will feature Erich von

Drygalski, the leader of the first German  expedition to South pole.

On April 17th a new postmark will be issued in 32584 LÖHNE .  The postmark will feature a motorcycle

of the popular make Miele from the last Century.

On April 17th a new postmark will be issued in 32584 LÖHNE.  The postmark will feature a squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and a letterbox.

On April 19th a new postmark will be issued in 32584 LÖHNE.  The postmark will feature a steam locomotive.

Interested philatelists may please contact: Wolfgang Beyer, Vice Chairman of the German

Philatelic Collector Group ARGE ZOOLOGIE. Mail: Wolfgang.beyer1@aol.de . Postage rates:

0,80 Euro AIRMAIL, 2,95 Euro Registered AIRMAIL.

Courtesy: Wolfgang Beyer, Wolfgang Bloebaum and Wolfgang Duemke

New Europa 2015 stamps..

 

 

.

Date of Issue : 28 April 2015

Netherlands Post will issue  on 28th April 2015, a set of two stamps on Europa 2015 theme ( Toys of yesteryears). The stamps feature  children’s favourite Robot and popular board game Ludo. These were very popular among children few decades ago.

 

View : Europa 2015 stamps

 

Club News

Recent stamp exhibitions

Gujpex 2015, 13th Zonal Level Philatelic Exhibition at Ahmedabad - 24th - 27th March 2015

Gujpex-2015, 13th Zonal Level Philatelic Exhibition will be held from 24th to 27th March 2015 at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial, Opp. Circuit House, Shahibaug, Ahmedabad – 380 004. The beautiful  logo of the exhibition has been designed by Trupti Pandya and Harsh Pandya of Ahmedabad.

website : www.gujpex.com

• Nainipex-2015 20-21  ( District level Stamp exhibition ) March 2015 at Nainital , Uttrakhand

• District level  stamp exhibition at Saharanpur  from 24-25 March 2015

Toys of yesteryears…

 

 

Date of Issue : 5 March 2016

Azerbaijan Post issued two stamps and a beautiful miniature sheet on Europa 2015 theme, old toys. The stamps feature traditional popular toys of children which every child used to play few decades ago. The stamp are so colorful and the lovely toys take you back the childhood days.

Old Toys from Bosnia and Herzegovina (Croat post)

Date of Issue : 5 April 2015

A set of two stamps will be issued by Bosnia and Herzegovina (Croat post) on 5th April featuring Europa 2015 theme of  old toys.

View : Europa 2015  Stamps