Cover from Cyprus ...

Thanks Nasia for the second cover from Cyprus ;-) It reaches me after 7 days.

Three stamps franked on the cover were from the issue of "Farm Animals", issued on 17 March 2010. Another stamp is the Refugee stamp reprinted in 2009.

Cyprus cents (before Euro) ...

* Obverse : coat of arms












* Reverse (1 cent) : Stylised bird on a branch
* Reverse (2 cents) : Stylised goats

Robert Schumann & Konrad Zuse ...

Thanks Igor for this very nice cover with pre-printed stamp of USB with the shape of football jersey in conjunction with World Cup 2010 ;-)))

On cover, Igor uses stamps of Robert Schumann (8 June 1810 - 29 July 1856, a great a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic) & Konrad Zuse (22 June 1910 - 18 Dec 1995, a great German engineer and computer pioneer whose greatest achievement was the world's first functional program-controlled Turing-complete computer, the Z3, in 1941).

A treat to French Cuisine ...

Merci beaucoup Eric pour me traiter cuisine française ;-))) This cover which was sent on 21 June, took just 4 days to reach Singapore.

The colourful minisheet was from the series of "La France comme j'aime" (or "France as i like") - and this year's topic is on gastronomy, entitled "Les saveurs de nos régions" (or "Tastes of our regions").

Issued on 12 June - the first day of "Salon du timbre 2010 - Planète Timbres" (or Stamp Exhibition 2010 - Stamps Planet, 12-20 June) in Exhibition Hall in Parc floral de Paris (Paris Botanic Gardens ?), this stamp issue comes in 2 booklets with 24 self-adhesive stamps in all, encompassing food from different regions in France.

Featuring in the minisheet above is

a. Caviar (Aquitaine region) - as starter

b. Chapon (Franche-Comté region) - or "castrated cockerel", as main course

c. Fourme d'Ambert (Auvergne region) - or "blue cheese", as cheese

d. Tarte Tatin (Centre region) - or "upside down apple tart", as dessert

It is worth noting that there were amazingly many (about 13 sets, WOW !!!) new stamps launched during this Salon du Timbre 2010, probably a good way to generate more revenue from stamp collectors ;-)

12 June

1. La France comme j'aime « Les saveurs de nos régions »

2. Jardins de France - Le Salon du Timbre 2010 « Jardins de Giverny »

3. Soyouz en Guyane

4. 150ème anniversaire - Rattachement de Nice à la France

5. La Marianne et l'Europe

13 June

6. Coupe du Monde de Football & timbre Football recto verso

14 June

7. « Art roman en France »

15 June

8. « Les Moulins » - Coin des collectionneurs

16 June

9. Singapour 2010 - Jeux Olympiques de la Jeunesse

17 June

10. Louise Bourgeois « Maman, 1999 »

18 June

11. L'appel du 18 juin 1940

19 June

12. Paris La Conciergerie – 83ème congrès FFAP

20 June

13. Exposition Universelle de Shanghai

Or you may take a look here.

Postage Due Cover from Singapore ...

Cover from Poland ...

Thanks David for this nice cover from Poland ;-)))
The cover was franked with Vancouver 2010 stamp (single stamp in a set) and a definitive stamp issued in 1997.

Deshbandhu Gupta of India ...

Thanks S. Swarup Rath for this nice FDC of Deshbandhu Gupta :-) The FDC was sent from Bhubaneswar, on the day of issue (14 June) and took 10 days to reach Singapore. More info about Deshbandhu Gupta here.

Cover from Nigeria ...

Besides postcard, i also received a cover from Abbas. Thanks, again :-)))

This cover was also franked with 3 pieces of 50 Naira stamps on the same topic of 10th anniversary of return to democracy (1999-2009) but with different design (4-stamp in a set). These stamps showed the portrait of the then President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, with Nigeria flag in the background.

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was the President of Nigeria from 29 May 2007 – 5 May 2010 (he passed away on 5 May). He was the winner of the controversial Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007 and was sworn in on 29 May 2007. In 2009, Yar'Adua left for Saudi Arabia to receive treatment for pericarditis. He returned to Nigeria in 2010, where he died on May 5. He was succeeded by Goodluck Jonathan.

Postcard from Nigeria ...

I'm glad to share with you a postcard from Nigeria. Thanks Abbas for sending me this lovely card that let me know how its capital, Lagos look like :-))) The card was sent on 19 April, but the date on postmark looks like 8 May. It reaches me on 22 June (about 45 days' time).

Abbas affixed 3 pieces of 50 Naira stamps on the card. These stamps, which were issued in 2009, were to commemorate the 10th anniversary of return to democracy (1999-2009), with the rule of law.

Following the death of military dictator, General Sani Abacha in 1998, his successor General Abdusalami Abubakar initiated the transition which heralded Nigeria's return to democratic rule in 1999. The ban on political activities was lifted, and political prisoners were released from detention facilities. Political parties were formed and elections were set for April 1999. The widely monitored 1999 election saw the election of former military ruler Olusegun Obasanjo on the PDP platform. On 29 May 1999, Obasanjo was sworn in as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In the controversial general election on 21 April 2007, Umaru Yar'Adua of the PDP was elected President.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu ... (II)

In my post yesterday, you might be wondering if i'm not showing you other stamps from the KTM issue. In fact, i did not manage to purchase those stamps. Understood from the collectors who started queueing up to wait for the opening of the JB GPO at 8.30am, they did not manage to buy the complete set either and had to hunt their stamps from one post office to another. Is this issue really that "HOT" or ... ???

With the help of fellow collectors and after spending much time hunting, i managed to get limited stamps just sufficient for my own covers and maxicards. After we got the stamps from other post offices, we had to come back to JB GPO for the first day cancellation as other post offices did not hold any rubber stamp for first day cancellation. This may sound ridiculous to you too ... !!!

I like this KTM issue because it is nostalgic to me. This was one of the first stamp issues that was introduced to me when i first started this hobby during my childhood. At that time, it was 100th anniversary of KTM.

After i had settled my things in JB GPO, i dropped by JB Railway Station to check out the events for the celebration of 125 years of KTM. Then i met the Regional Manager of JB Railway Station who was kind enough to let me use his stamps to realise a few covers/card. The Southern Regional Manager is in charge of railway transport not only in the state of Johor, but also Singapore (in the South) and till Rembau, Negeri Sembilan (in the North).

Also, i purchased a train ticket from JB to Singapore. Here is how it looks like.

This ticket (with serial number 7221) may look old-fashioned but i like it very much. I understood from the train staff that this kind of ticket will be issued only when their computer system is down. The destination is stated as "Singapura" which is actually refered to Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, the terminal station in Singapore. I should also purchase one for Woodlands although it sounds ridiculous based on the short distant, as i understand that the destination will be stated as "Woodlands" for Woodlands Railway Station. I paid three Ringgit for the train ticket from Johor Bahru to Singapura.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu ... (I)

* Postcard showing train on the Johore Causeway, en route to Singapore (1950). The Johore Causeway was opened in 1923 carrying road and rail traffic.

125 years of service of Malayan Railways ...

Since the first railway line in Malaya between Taiping and Port Weld (now Kuala Sepetang) was officially opened on 1 June 1885, Keretapi Tanah Melayu / KTM (or Malayan Railways) has been in rail transport service for 125 years this year.

Taiping's mining industry continued to be developed quickly in the 19th century when tin was discovered. The first railway was built to transport tin from Taiping to Port Weld at the coast for export.

Today, the whole railway line is now dismantled and in Kuala Sepetang, only the ticketing booth and Port Weld railway signboard remain. The ticketing booth is now a Chinese coffee shop and the shop owner has been maintaining the railway signboard.

World Cup 2010 cover from Portugal ...

A big thank you to Luis and Cristina for this great registered World Cup cover, posted on the opening day of the 19th FIFA World Cup 2010, from CTT - Avenida (Braga), Braga, in northwestern Portugal ;-))) This cover took 7 days to arrive in Singapore.

The cover was franked with a miniature sheet and a stamp of "2010 Campeonato do Mundo de Futebol" (2010 Championship of the World of Football). Both miniature sheet and stamp are in circular shape, with simple and nice design.

For the third consecutive time, Portugal has qualified for the final phase of World Football. Portugal's first participation, in which it also achieved its best classification (3rd place), goes back to the year 1966, in England, when a star that would make history in world football excelled – Eusébio, considered the best goal scorer of that competition. Portugal also participated in the 1986 edition, in Mexico (17th place), in 2002, in South Korea/Japan (21st) and in 2006 in Germany (4th).

Postcard from Dijon, France ...

Merci David pour la carte postale de votre ville natale ;-))) The postcard was sent on 12 June and took 6 days to arrive in Singapore, from the city of Dijon, the capital of Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.

Two stamps were franked on the postcard:

0,56 EUR - Joint issue France-Monaco on Institut de Paléontologie Humaine (IPH), Paris. IPH is a research foundation in the fields of prehistory, human palaeontology, etc. The main founders are Prince Monaco - Albert I and the Abbé Breuil. Both are represented on the stamp as well as the IPH building and the Grimaldi caves (near France-Italy border). Created in 1910, the IPH celebrates its centenary this year. This commemoration gives rise to a joint issue France-Monaco. The stamp was issued on 1st June.

0,70 EUR - Europa stamp with theme of "les livres pour enfants" (or Books for Children). The stamp was issued on 10 May.

The postcard above shows the night view of the famous "Palais des ducs de Bourgogne" (or Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy) in Dijon, which was built in the 17th and 18th centuries and held the estates of Burgundy. Today, it houses the city's town hall and musée des Beaux-Arts. The following is how it looks like during daytime, from a picture taken from the internet.

World Cup 2010 cover from Indonesia ...

Thanks Irene Chen for this nice World Cup cover :-))) The cover was sent from Malang in Indonesia's East Java province, on 11 June - the day that the 2010 FIFA World Cup was kicked off in South Africa.

The stamps were issued on 1st May with 4-stamp in a set. The stamps featured the logo of South Africa World Cup 2010, mascot "Zakumi", player and goalkeeper. Also shown below the stamps are flags from participating countries of Group G, i.e Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast and Portugal.

Zakumi is a leopard commonly found in South Africa, with green hair wearing a shirt saying South Africa 2010. Zakumi's green and gold colours represents South African national sports' teams colours. His name comes from "ZA", the code for South Africa and "kumi", a word that means "ten" in various African languages.

The first World Cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay and was held every 4 years. The 2014 World Cup will be held in Brazil.

A cover from Nicaragua ...

Thanks Jean-Michel for the beautiful cover :-) The cover was printed with 2 parrots on the left and an owl with the wordings of "2010 ano de la Biodiversidad" (2010 Year of Biodiversity) on the right.

There are 2 postmarks on cover. One of them is the philatelic postmark (from the Philatelic window in Managua Post) whereas the other is the normal postmark of Managua Central Post Office "Tienda Palacios" because the Central Post is near of the old President Palace, actually the National Museum. Both postmarks are clear and nice. The cover was sent on 1 June and took 15 days to arrive in Singapore.

The cover was franked with 2 stamps in front and 6 stamps at the back. The 2 stamps are from the stamp set of rainforest animals with a complete set of 20 stamps. The stamps were issued in 1991 - the year that the third córdoba (córdoba oro) was introduced. The birds featured on the stamps are Amazona Parrot and Tucan. Another 6 stamps were issued in 1994 from a complete set of 12 stamps.

Velu Thampi of India ...

The above FDC was sent by CCCC member, D.Mitra from Bhubaneswar on the day of issue (6 May). Thanks a lot ;-) The cover took a long 41 days to reach Singapore. Featuring on the FDC is Velu Thampi.

Velayudhan Chempakaraman Thampi (1765 - 1809) was the Dalawa or Prime Minister of the Indian kingdom of Travancore between 1802 and 1809 during the reign of His Highness Maharajah Bala Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal. He is best known for being one of the earliest individuals to rebel against British East India Company's supremacy in India.

World Cup 2010 cover from Algeria ...

Merci Khemissi pour ce courrier de Algérie :-))) The 19th FIFA World Cup cover was sent from Setif, Algeria on 29 May. This cover took 17 days to reach Singapore. The stamps ("Coupe du Monde de Football Afrique du Sud 2010") had the preview sale on 8 and 9 May.

Algeria managed to qualify to two consecutive World Cups in 1982 and 1986. Algeria also won the Africa Cup of Nations once in 1990 when they hosted the tournament. In November 2009, Algeria beat Egypt in a World Cup qualification to secure a place at the 2010 World Cup.

Serie "Leuchttürme": Neuwerk, Falshöft

Many thanks Igor for this nice cover with stamps from the series of lighthouse ("Leuchttürme" in German) , posted on 11 June, from Essen ;-) The stamps, which were issued on 10 June, features the Neuwerk und Falshöft lighthouses.

Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction from China ...

Thanks Wangjiayi for this nice FDC, posted from Shanghai, on day of issue (5 June) ;-) The FDC took 10 days to reach Singapore.

FDC - Expo 2010 Shanghai

Thanks Huang Hai for the FDC, posted from Wuhan, on 31 May :-) The FDC took 15 days to reach Singapore.

Love: Pansies in a Basket

Today i'm glad to receive another FDC from USA with love stamps. Thank you very much A.W. Welch :-))) The FDC was issued on 22 April and with first day cancellation from Kansas City, Missouri (State abbreviation: MO). My address should be "Blk 754" instead of "Blk 745" and thank God the postal staff realised this and sent to the correct mail box. The FDC was sent out by Stamp Fulfillment Centre with cardboard and covered up with plastic to protect and preserve the good condition of the FDC, very well done!

USPS began issuing its popular Love stamps in 1973. Over the years, these stamps have featured a wide variety of designs, including heart motifs, colourful flowers and the word "LOVE" itself.

The 2010 Love stamp features the image of a white woven cart filled with deep and light purple pansies and green foliage. The floral design is a detail from a watercolour created by the late Dorothy Maienschein, an employee of Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Introduced as a Mother's Day card in 1939, Hallmark reissued the design as a friendship card in 1941. Since Hallmark began tracking sales in 1942, almost 30 million cards with this pansy cart design have been purchased - more than any card in history. The word “LOVE” adorns the left side of the stamp.

Cowboys of the Silver Screen ...

Today I received an awesome FDC - Cowboys of the Silver Screen, from the United States, issued on 17 Apr. Thank you very much A.W. Welch ;-) The first day cancellation was from Oklahoma City in the State of Oklahoma.

Four extraordinary performers who helped make the American Western a popular form of entertainment, from the silent era through the singing era, are featured on the stamps. They are

• Tom Mix (1880-1940)
• Roy Rogers (1911-1998)
• Gene Autry (1907-1998)
• William S. Hart (1864-1946)

Cyprus euro cents ...

* Obverse

* Reverse

Cyprus (or "ΚΥΠΡΟΣ" in Greek, or "KIBRIS" in Turkish) is a Eurasian island country in the Eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon.

Cyprus has been a member of the European Union since 1 May 2004 and adopted the euro as its official currency on 1 January 2008.

The obverse of Cyprus 20 and 50 cents euro coins show Kyrenia ship. The ancient Greek Kyrenia ship of 4th Century B.C., represents Cyprus's history and its character as an island as well as its importance in trade.

Cover from Canada ...

Thanks Laura for this nice cover with beautiful roll of 5 stamps :-)

It took 9 days to travel from Qualicum Beach, B.C, Canada to Singapore.

These stamps, issued in 1995, depict the panorama of Fortress of Louisbourg. Though it was not stated on the stamp, each stamp has face value of 43 cents.

Europa 2010: libri per l' infanzia

Many thanks Giovanni for this great registered cover with Europa stamps :-))) The Italian Europa 2010 stamps ("libri per l' infanzia" or "Books for Children") were issued on 7 May 2010. Featuring on the stamps are Pinocchio (€ 0,60) and Geronimo Stilton (€ 0,65).




















Pinocchio is a fictional character that first appeared in 1883, in The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. Carved from a piece of pine by woodcarver named Geppetto in a small Italian village, he was created as a wooden puppet, but dreamt of becoming a real boy. The name Pinocchio is a Tuscan word meaning "pine nut" (the standard Italian term is pinolo). Pinocchio is known for having a long nose that becomes longer when he is under stress, especially while telling a lie.

Geronimo Stilton is a best-selling children's book series published by Edizioni Piemme of Milan, Italy, since 2000. In the series, the title character is a talking mouse who lives in New Mouse City on Mouse Island. A best-selling author, Geronimo Stilton works as a journalist for the fictional newspaper The Rodent's Gazette. He has a younger sister (Thea Stilton), a cousin (Trap Stilton) and a favourite little nephew (Benjamin Stilton). Geronimo is a nervous, mild-mannered mouse who would like nothing better than to live a quiet life, but he keeps getting involved in far-away adventures with Thea, Trap, and Benjamin. The books are written as though they are autobiographical adventure stories. The book was originated in Italy but had been translated into 35 languages.

Avrupa 2010: Çocuk Kitaplari

Many thanks Ahmet for this great FDC of "Avrupa 2010: Çocuk Kitaplari" or "Europa 2010 Children's Books" :-))) The Turkish Europa stamps were issued on 9 May 2010. Featuring on the stamps are books of Balik Çobani (80 Kuruş) and Dede Korkut (110 Kuruş).