New Stamps on Valentine's Day

 Love is in the air.....

Date of Issue : 14 February 2021

Chanel

Date of Issue : 25 January 2021

CHANEL is a French fashion house that focuses on women's high fashion and ready-to-wear clothes, luxury goods and accessories.

My recent Postcards...

Card from Estonia

Received this beautiful card from Estonia so kindly sent by  Juri Lubi from beautiful city Voru. Thank you so much Juri. The card has beautiful stamps with lovely commemorative issue  of Penny Black issued by Estonia Post.

Mona Lisa Postcard from Paris

This special Postcard was sent to me   by my son Prakhar from Paris. It took about 3 months to reach Dehradun. This Postcard is from famous Louvre Museum, Paris where original masterpiece of Leonardo Da Vinci "Mona Lisa is kept.

New Love Stamp

New Love Stamp from La Poste

Date of Issue : 12 January 2018

French Post issued new stamps for this year's Valentine's Day France's La Poste is continuing its tradition of having famous fashion designers or houses create the illustrations for its heart-shaped Love stamps issued in time for use on Valentine mail.

The most recent stamps, issued Jan. 12, were designed by the fashion house founded in 1968 by Sonia Rykiel (1930-2016).

The stamps also commemorate the 50th anniversary of this fashion house, and each design is inscribed “1968” at the bottom.

The new heart-shaped €1.60 stamp includes black-and-white stripes on the stamp and red and black stripes surrounding it. Shown in the center of the stamps are lips with “S’aimer” (love) written on them.

On the 80¢ stamp, red silhouettes of a couple kissing are shown on a white background. The word “baiser” translates to kiss.

Centenary of Lions International

Lions International Celebrating its 100 years this year, French Post issued a stamp on 29th May to commemorate the centenary of Lions International .

Lions International 1917 - 2017

"You can not get well in your life if you do not start doing something for someone else. "Reflection made by Melvin Jones in 1917 in Chicago where he ran an insurance company. A member of one of the clubs that flourished in the city and whose members met to promote their own interests, he proposed to combine their skills and offer their availability in order to "serve Others". Thus is born this community which takes its name: LIONS, acronym of "Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation's Safety" (Freedom and understanding are the safeguard of our nations).

Its motto, "Serve", earned it a UN appointment - of which it is an advisory member - the world's leading humanitarian organization. One hundred years later, 1,400,000 members cover 210 countries and regions on five continents. In France, 27,000 members in 1,200 clubs have four main objectives:

- Safeguarding the view with the creation of the white cane, schools of guide dogs, setting up screening for eye diseases and diabetes, as well as sound libraries.

- Actions aimed at youth in difficulty, which take the form of holiday centers, cultural and educational promotion, measles eradication, participation in the Telethon since the beginning.

- Preservation of the environment through tree planting, waste recovery and well construction in Africa.

- Finally, the fight against hunger with the collection of food for the Food Bank.A total of 1.5 million hours of "self-giving" and a € 20 million harvest are provided by the Lions de France annually.

In July 2017, Lions of the World will meet in Chicago to celebrate their centenary with the challenge of saving 100 million people worldwide during the year! A challenge within their reach.

Valentine’s Day stamp from France..

 

 

Date of Issue : 8 January 2014

Here is new stamp from France for thi year’s Valentine’s Day.Every year, for Valentine day, La Poste (the French postal service) issues postage stamps designed by the greatest name in the French fashion industry such as Hermes, Chanel and Cacharel. These Valentine day stamps are heart shaped and comes in various denomination and presentation. They are gorgeous tiny pieces of art, and can make a cheap affordable collection.

This year glass maker Baccarat has the honor of being featured on the Valentine themed heart stamps. These come in souvenir sheet and 2 values both on gummed and adhesive back. A small luxury at low postal rates (starting at 0,61€) that conveys couture potential to paper and land mail should awaken the collector souls.

The stamp is characterized by bling and divinely elegant side given by the serigraph print with golden ink that symbolizes the sparkle of crystal, but also the central illustration setting forth leading creations by the House of Baccarat.

Since 2000 (with the exception of 2002), this honor have always been awarded to the French fashion designers Yves Saint-Laurent (2000), Christian Lacroix (2001), Torrente (2003), Chanel (2004), Cacharel (2005), Jean-Louis Scherrer (2006), Givenchy (2007), Franck Sorbier (2008), Ungaro (2009), Lanvin (2010), Maurizio Galante (2011), Hermes (2013).

New Stamps on World Heritage Sites in Germany

-- Pradeep Kuma Mallik

On 2^nd January 2014, three stamps were issued by German Postal authorities, Deutsche Post, related to World Heritage sites of Germany.

Scholass Stolzenfels am Rhein (Stolzenfels Castle on the river Rhine): The castle was constructed in 1259. It was used to protect the toll station at the Rhine, when the ships were the main transport for goods, had to stop and pay toll. Over the years it was extended several times. The castle was occupied by French and Swedish troops in the Thirty Years' War and finally, in 1689, destroyed by the French during the Nine Years' War. For 150 years the ruins decayed, until in 1815 they were given as a present to Frederick William IV of Prussia by the city of Koblenz.

Following the romantic traditions, the prince started to completely rebuild the castle after 1826 as a summer residence. Supported by famous neoclassic architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, the castle was completely remodeled in the then fashionable neo-Gothic style, aiming to create a romantic place representing the idea of medieval knighthood - the architects even created a tournament site.

On the steep slope to the river Rhine, a neo-Gothic castle chapel was built. The design of the gardens - at the northern tip was the charming pergola garden with views of the valley - was also associated with the natural surroundings. The road from the valley to the castle was designed like a park with a stone bridge, a waterfall and a hermitage.

This castle palace found its place in the World Heritage List in 2002, is a part of World Heritage – Upper Middle Rhine Valley.

1250 years of Lorsch Abbey: The Abbey of Lorsch is a former Imperial Abbey of the Carolingian Empire. Even in its ruined state, its remains are among the most important pre-Romanesque–Carolingian style buildings in Germany. In 1991 the ruined abbey was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The stamp shows a painting created in 1854 by the Darmstadt court painter August Lucas (1803-1863) with the Torhalle (Gatehouse) in the foreground, the romantic excessive fragment of the monastery church in the background and a look at the Hessian mountain road. The 9^th century Torhalle is a unique survival of Carolingian era. This combines elements of the Roman triumphal arch with the vernacular Teutonic heritage – baseless triangles of the blind arcade, polychromatic masonry.

Ancient Beech Forests of Germany: In 2011, UNESCO granted extension to the World Heritage namely - "Beech forests of the Carpathians" by including five forests in Germany. The new World Heritage Site called "Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany" and consists of lowland and upland beech forests in Germany and mountain beech forests in Ukraine and the Slovak Republic.

The beech spread in Europe since the last Ice Age, the enormous competitive ability of beech and the variety of types of beech forests are a globally unique phenomenon.

In the German part are selected forest areas of the national parks Hainich in Thuringia, cellar-Edersee in Hesse, Jasmund and Müritz in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as well as the forest area Grumsin in the Biosphere Reserve Schorfheide-Chorin Brandenburg. They represent the most valuable remains of large areas of natural beech stands in Germany. Each field in this case has peculiarities and characteristics that make it unique and irreplaceable.

- Pradeep Kuma Mallik : email : mallikphila@gmail.com

 

New UNESCO stamps from France..

 

 

In the month of  November, the French National Post Office released two new UNESCO stamps.One stamp (shown above)  calls attention to the endangered red-crowned crane (Grusjaponensis), and the need to protect this species. In Japan, the crane, known as the “tancho,” is a powerful national symbol, representing longevity and immortality.

 

The second stamp features the Ancient City of Sigiriya (Sri Lanka), a UNESCO World Heritage site, where one can wind through ancient galleries and staircases, and out through the mouth of a gigantic lion. The “Lion Mountain” is a unique witness to the civilization of Ceylon during the years of the reign of Kassapa I. Its frescoes inaugurated a pictorial style which endured over many centuries. Poems inscribed on the rock, known as “Sigiri graffiti,” are among the most ancient texts in the Sinhalese language. They attest to the considerable influence that Sigiriya exerted on both literature and thought.

 

My Recent Cover

Cover from  Latvia : Winter Holidays

Thanks to Limanski EN, Riga – Latvia

 

Cover from Poland

Thanks to Andrzej Bek, Poland

Denmark – France Joint Issue..

 

 

In recognition of the centuries-old Danish and French tradition of international trade, Post Danmark and the French postal service La Poste are jointly issuing two stamps on the same day. The theme is the treaties that created favourable trading conditions between the two countries. The stamps depict a merchant vessel carrying goods across Europe.

It is 14 February 1663. King Frederik III of Denmark and King Louis XIV of France meet in Paris to sign a friendship and trade treaty designed to improve commerce between the two countries. 2013 marks the 350th anniversary of the pact. A continuation of previous treaties (1456, 1499 and 1541), the pact was itself extended by later ones (1742, 1749 and 1813). The anniversary celebrations remind us of the ties of friendship that have bound the two EU member states together.

Friendship and respect

Prior to 1663, relations between the two nations had deteriorated up to and during the Danish-Swedish war that shook Europe 1658–60. France had spent 20 years mediating between the Danes and the Swedes but not until 1660 when the Copenhagen Peace brought that war to an end, did a fruitful alliance emerge between Denmark and France.

The 45 articles of the trade treaty lay down the rules for the friendship, including trading facilities, the free movement of goods and people at sea and on land, a pledge of no assistance to each other’s respective enemies, freedom of religion, etc. As the yellowing paper shows, the people of the two nations were free to travel to and reside in each other’s countries as long as they respected local manners and customs.

The treaty also called for mutual aid on the high seas. If a Danish ship was in trouble, e.g. from pirates, French ships in the vicinity were obliged to come to its aid – and vice versa.

 

Club News

BIRDPEX 2014 – International stamp exhibition on Birds

 

BIRDPEX is an international philatelic exhibition on "birds" that takes place every four years. After Christchurch (New Zealand , 1990), Rosenheim (Germany, 1994), London (United Kingdom, 1998), Leek (the Netherlands, 2002), Nørresundby (Denmark, 2006) and Antwerp (Belgium, 2010), the 7th edition will take place in Poitiers (France)

Every "bird" exhibitor can participate - no qualification needed - in the classes thematic philately, maximaphily, open class, postal history, traditional philately, one frame and youth.

Entry forms and regulations you may find on the website or if you contact the addresses below.

Hope to see you and your exhibit on BIRDPEX 7 and POITIERS 2014 from 1th to 4th of May 2014 in Poitiers !

- The organization committee BIRDPEX

http://philapoitiers2014.online.fr/

Contact :

Jean-Francois Duranceau

2 rue de Berry, 86170 AVANTON (France)

email : jean-francois.duranceau@orange.fr

Special Regulations

BIRDPEX 7 (IREX)

Art. 1 These special regulations IREX are applicable for the competitive exhibition BIRDPEX VII.

Art. 2 Participation is open to all exhibits “ornithology” (birds). Entrants can apply for all competitive classes, adults and youth .

Art. 3 The exhibition will be held from 1 till 4 May 2014 in the halls of Poitiers, road Salvador Allende, 86000 Poitiers(FRANCE)

Art. 4 This exhibition will be governed by the regulations of the F. F. A. P. and also the special and complementaryregulations of the different classes.

Art. 5 Exhibitors shall apply their entry forms (with copy of the plan) no later than 15 December 2013 to theorganizing committee of BIRDPEX VII (Jean-François Duranceau 2 rue de Berry 86170 AVANTON France). Aseparate entry form will be required for each exhibit (with report of previous results and number of wanted frames).

Art. 6 Notification of acceptance will be sent to the participants by 31 December 2013 at the latest.

Art. 7 Every collection should be presented on separate pages. Each frame can be filled with 16 sheets A4.Collections in albums as a supplement on the collection shown will not be taken into account. The talking with thejury will take place on Sunday 4 May on 10.30 am (only after subscription before).

Art. 8 The entry fee will be € 10,00 per frame. For the youth class there will be no entry fee. For the one frame classentry fee will be € 15,00 per frame. All costs of transport of the exhibits will be chargeable to the exhibitor. All bankcharges will be chargeable tot the exhibitor. The total amount should be paid before 1 February at the latest on theaccount (IBAN FR76 1027 8364 1700 0113 5070 155 (BIC CMCIFR2A), AMICALE PHILATELIQUE POITEVINE, J.F.DURANCEAU 2 rue de Berry 86170 AVANTON FRANCE

Art. 9 The way of sending and delivery of exhibits to the organizing committee will be announced later. This alsoapplies for sending back and demounting of the exhibits.

Art. 10 The organizing committee will take an Insurance against damage, theft and fire for all exhibits. The chargesare on account of the A.P.P. (organizing committee). The committee will take all reasonable precautions to ensurethe security and safety of all exhibits whilst they are in their possession. The liability shall be expressly governed andlimited as stated in section 11 of the IREX.

Art. 11 No responsibility, whether as the result of negligence or otherwise, is accepted by the organizers of POITIERS2014, BIRDPEX VII, the A.P.P. nor the officers, directors or members of any thereof, nor by the organizing committee,nor its employees or voluntary and paid assistants, nor the national commissioners, nor the members of the jury, forany loss or injury suffered by exhibitors as a result of entering this competition.

Art. 12 The organizing committee assumes the right to amend this IREX should it be necessary and take suitablemeasures for all cases which are not foreseen. The decisions taken are definite and can’t be disputed.

 

: Srinivasan Paramasivam

 

My recent covers..

 

 

Cover from Monaco

David Jastrzebski – Dijon, France

Hi ! I received these nice covers and Post card recently. My sincere thanks to  David Jastrzebski, Wolfgang Beyer and Chaitanya Jogdeo for these covers and postcard !!

Covers from Germany

Missent to Jakarta, Indonesia

The following two covers bearing missent marks to Jakarta

 

 

  Wolfgang Beyer, Germany

 

Pictorial cancellation of GPO, Pune

Chaitanya Jogdeo, Pune

New stamps for philatelic promotion…

 

French Post “La Post” issued a set of 12 stamps and a stamp bloc celebrating the Stamp Festival 2013 dedicated this year to the theme “Air”.

History of the Stamp Festival:

In 1935 the IPF (International Philatelic Federation) proposed at the congress in Brussels creating a stamp festival celebrated annually in each of its member countries.

The project was approved by the Congress of the FFAP in Paris in 1937. The first Stamp Day in France took place in 1938 and after two years of interruption (1940 and 41) it was organized again in 1942. Finally in 1944 the French Post Office issued the first stamp dedicated to the Stamp Day. In 1999 the Stamp Day took the theme of cartoon characters and in 2000 Stamp Day was renamed Stamp Festival.

After have selected for the Stamp Festival the three natural elements on philatelic issues since 2010 – Water, Earth and Fire – this is the Air that is closing this topic in 2013.

Organized by La Poste and FFAP (French Federation of Philatelic Associations), this event brings together passionate volunteers who offer entertainment, workshops and stands open to all children and adults for free.

During the weekend resulting in the issue of “First Day” stamps, philatelic products and special cancellations on the “Air” theme are issued, as well as free prints, vouchers amounting up to 30 €.

Sales of stamps during the Stamp Festival are used to partially fund the ADP (Association for the Development of Philately) which subsidizes FFAP (French Federation of Philatelic Associations), the APFP (Association of the Philatelic Francophone Press) and the HTPE (House of Traders and Philately experts) and partially the French Red Cross.

JUVENIA 2013 – National Youth Philatelic Exhibition

 

Coinciding with the XXIII National Youth Philatelic Exhibition (JUVENIA 2013) a stamp was issued by Spanish Correos to encourage stamp collecting amongst children and young people. JUVENIA is the largest youth philatelic event held in Spain. It takes place every two years, always on odd years, and in the 2013 edition it will be held in the city of Alicante.

The aim of the exhibition is to promote stamp collecting among young people and to teach them everything related to the world of philately considering that they will be the future collectors and representatives of Spain in national and international competitions.

JUVENIA 2013 has been organized by the Philatelic and Numismatic Society of Alicante in collaboration with Correos, the National Mint and other official institutions. The Honorary Committee is presided by the Prince of Asturias. During the show, some 67 collections by young people between 10 and 21 years will be exhibited. These young collectors are under the guidance of the regional philatelic federations in Spain. The exhibition will be held in accordance to the regulations of FESOFI.

In line with previous editions, JUVENIA 2013 will hold various activities related to collecting and the latest research in philately, with talks and lectures on postal history and philately taking place in Alicante and its province. Tours of the exhibition will also be organized for cultural groups and a drawing contest for young visitors will take place with philatelic material given out to initiate the youth in this universal hobby.

Club News

New Special Cover

Special cover on 50 Years of Textile Committee - 11th October 2013

India Post issued a Special Cover to mark 50 years of the Textile Committee on 11th October 2013 at Mumbai.

Textiles Committee Act, 1963 which received the President's assent on 3rd December, 1963 and was published in the Gazette of India on December 4, 1963. The Textiles Committee, as an organisation, started functioning from 22nd August, 1964. The Textiles Committee is a statutory body with perpetual succession and is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. The Textiles Committee's main objective is to ensure the quality of textiles and textile machinery both for internal consumption and export purposes.

Courtesy : Indian Philately Digest

Masks on stamps…

 

Date of Issue : 3 October 2013

French Post issued a souvenir sheet featuring Theatre Masks  on 3rd October 2013. The masks were always a must-have accessory of the scene of ancient theater. Comic or tragic, leather or wood, they dressed the face of the actor and made him even closer to his character. The theater Wayang Topeng mask represents the legendary prince Panji, incarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu.

Masks shown in the souvenir sheet  depict following  six major cultural imprints.

The ancient theater, Greece: tragic clay mask from the site of Myrina reflects a sense of horror.

Noh Theater, Japan: carved mask from cypress wood represents the face of a young girl. Noh masks were made in four styles (men, women, old people and demons).

The theater WayangTopeng: mask represents the legendary prince Panji, incarnation of the god Vishnu. The green color highlights self-control of Panji. Very stretched, almost closed eyes show that the character focuses on his environment. The line of his eyebrows and the color of his teeth are signs of refinement due to his rank and the nobility of his character. The mask is taken from the collections of the Musee du Quai Branly.

Commedia dell’arte, Italy: born in the sixteenth century, mixing farce and popular tradition, it depicts masked characters like Harlequin and Punchinello.

The Sandaetheater, Korea: the used masks often conveyed a social critique. Theater of Sandaemask was the prerogative of the court of Korea under the Yi dynasty (1392-1908).

The Topengtheater, Bali:musical and dancing masked theater, Topeng shows different status of the social hierarchy. The stamp depicts a wooden mask of Minister or Patih.

My Recent Cover

 

Received this  nice cover from Riga, Latvia  Thanks to EN Limanski .

European Year of Citizens’ Rights

 

Date of Issue : 27 September 2013

On the occasion of the European Year of Citizens’ Rights, the theme of education for democratic citizenship has been chosen for the official stamp of the Council of Europe, issued on September 27, 2013.

Based in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe was founded on 5 May 1949. This political organization is to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law.Each year this organization issues stamps to only be used within its precincts.

The year 2013 marks the 20th anniversary of European citizenship. This will be the time to make all EU citizens better understand their rights, enabling them to discuss, meet and finally stimulate active participation in the common political life. The Council of Europe develops strategies to promote democratic citizenship through learning over all life.

New stamps on Wildlife

Endangered Animals on new Gibraltar stamps

Date of Issue : 14 September 2013

Gibraltar Post issued a new third set of Endangered Animals stamps depicting the Asiatic Cheetah, theAfrican Penguin, the Atlantic Bluefun Tuna, the Chinese Alligator, the Red-crowned Crane and the Leatherback Sea Turtle.

Felids on New Luxembourg stamps

The exhibition about big cats “Alles fir d’Kaz” will take place at the end of 2014 at the Natural history museum in Luxembourg. To commemorate the event, Luxembourg Post is issuing a set of three stamps depicting Felids – Wildcat, Sumatran Tiger and Eurasian Lynx.

Felids, or felines, have fewer teeth than other animals (with pointed fangs and sharp molars), powerful jaw muscles and retraceable claws used to inflict wounds. They are highly adept at running and jumping, have excellent night vision and are carnivorous, and hunters at heart.

The wildcat (Felis silvestris) is a species of feline of the Felidae family. Living in different habitats, it roams the regions of Europe, western Asia and Africa. Small to medium in size, its appearance varies depending on the sub-species, but generally its coat is brown with black stripes.

The Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrea) is one of the smallest subspecies of tiger and classed as “critically endangered”. The Sumatran tiger’s coat is very dark and its stripes often break into a cluster of spots on its underbelly. Lines with small specks can be found between the stripes on their back, flank and hind legs.

The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), also known as the common Lynx, is easily recognizable by its long legs, short tail, distinctive head with pointed ears. The colour of its coat varies from creamy white to dark brown, with black spots on the body, which can be full spots or rosettes. The Eurasian lynx has a particularly dense coat, notably on the back. It can no longer be found in Luxembourg, but hope to reintroduce it in the near future exists.