HK-Butterfly FDC by Registered mail

According to the HK Leisure and Cultural Services website, there are about 16 000 recorded species of butterflies in the world. Among them, 1 300 species can be found in China and 235 species in Hong Kong. 

In urban parks of Hong Kong, a total of 48 species of butterflies can be found. They are Skippers (Family Hesperiidae), Swallowtails (Family Papilionidae), Whites and Yellows (Family Pieridae), Blues (Family Lycaenidae), Nymphs (Family Nymphalidae) and Browns (Family Satyridae).

What really triggered my interest in covers is this beautiful registered butterfly FDC from Hong Kong. The water color? Art work on the left side of the cover is just fantastic. Sorry image is not good enough to reflect the true beauty of the cover. 

I rarely see FDCs mailed by register mail nowadays. I would love to send my covers by register mail if not for the maddening $7.90 fee of USPS.

 

Another outstanding stamp blog

Another outstanding stamp blog which I really enjoy reading is by Eric from France. He's also a fellow CCCC member. I will have to say he's a more active trader than I am. What I like about his blog is that his posts have content. Not only he's showing nice covers but he give you his opinions and research behind the materials he's talking about. A lot of philatelic blogs out there showed many pictures but little words. I am not complaining though because I am aways happy to see collectors from other parts of the world. I don't recall ever trading with him before. He likes a lot of things but most notably, frogs.

Hope he'll enjoy this cover.

HK-Chan Clan School and Ancestral Home

Not a while ago, a stamp collector to me was strictly someone who collects only stamps.
I myself did not collect anything except stamps until recently. With the exponential growth of the internet community, I was given the opportunity to see what others are collecting and what they are doing with their collections. This opens many doors for me to decide what to do with my collecting interests.

About a year ago, I came across a forum about stamps. A collector from HK was willing to send covers to collectors who are interested on the first day of new issuance for a minimal fee to cover material and postage. I gave it a try and received some amazing covers from him. This is an official first day cover sent to me by register mail. The s/s depicts school and ancestral home built for and by the Chan clans in Canton, China.

The building was built in the 1800s and is renowned for its exquisite and lively stone carvings, woodcarvings, colorful Shi Wan pottery figurines, statues and iron plate paintings. I will sure visit the place one day.