Korea Pinkfong & Baby Shark

Giant Pandas - Hong Kong

Year of Snake -Taiwan

USA - State Fair - from talented friend Ria

Singapore - Goldfishes

The printing method really compliments the subject well.  Beautiful design...

85th Anniversay of Paperino Donald Duck in Italy

So cute...... So happy to receive this cover from Italy.  Total surprise also, very cute.  However, no plastic cover - I think because the envelope is too big.  Huge ugly 2nd postmarking with wave lines.  Doesn't matter, still cute and lovely cover for me.  Thanks Davide!!

Masha and the Bear - Russian oral folk story

Masha and the Bear is a Russian animated television series created by Oleg Kuzovkov.  The series is loosely based on the oral children's folk story of the same name. The show focuses on the adventures of a little girl named Masha and a fatherly bear that always keeps her from disasters - wiki

Cute covers from Russia!

US Military Working Dogs

The covers were returned to me in a protective plastic envelope.  The postmarking was nicely done.  Very nice job USPS

Germany UNESCO Town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Apollo 11 - Moon Walking (Self made)

I made it for myself, pretty bland... but I like the postmark... :)

Italy Moon Landing Pictorial Postmark

D.I. Kozlov Russian aerospace engineer w/ World Space Week

Germany 50th Annv. of Moon Landing

This is such a beautiful sheet!  You need to get the real thing.  Printing and gold foil is super! Gabi was not able to get the registered label on time so she mailed regular, glad it came out clean and no crazy pen marks.

2019 Italy Veronafil Cover with Psusennes I 's Golden Mask

Beautiful cover with 2 embossed Pharaoh's mask stamps from Monaco mailed from the show.  Thanks my friend who went there to make it when heavy rain was pouring outside.  Nothing can stop our philatelic bug no?  😉

Der Gruffelo - Beloved Children's Story by Julia Donaldson

I love these covers!  My fav. topic. and thanks to kind-hearted Gabriele who sent me not 1 but 2 covers - Der Gruffelo looked like the monster in another American classic Where the Wild Things are.  Hehe..

Here is the cover of the American classic - Where the Wild Things Are

Piggy peggy fuzzy pig from Switzerland

Cute pig cover from Rosmarie Switzerland - The stamps are printed on fuzzy flock paper.

UNPA 2019 Stamp Program

It has become increasingly expensive to collect or mail some of the more popular stamp series from the UNPA.

For example, the very popular Endangered Species series, in the past they issued 4 stamps in a set each with domestic postage rate, now each stamp is international rate.

 So the total cost of the set is about 3x more expensive and this makes it very difficult to put a whole set of stamps on 1 envelope.

I can only buy less of them now ever since UNPA changed the rates on these stamps, because it takes away the fun of sending these beautiful stamps to my friends around the world. 

2019  Cost = $4.60

2008  Cost = $1.64

UNPA 2014 Stamp Program

Wow, finally, India will be on the World Heritage series.  

I am looking forward to it.  I am not a big fan of the coin and flag series, don't know why.  

I wonder how the International Yr. of Family Farming will come out though, think it might be photos?

FDC of the day - Belize: Birds

Some of the most beautiful, most colorful birds in all Central America - indeed, all the world - live in the tropical forests of Belize.  Among these are the Blue Crowned Motmot, as shown on the 25c issue, and the Ocellated Turkey, on the 45c issue.  The Motmot nests in the ground rather than in trees.  It digs its nesting holes between August and October, the rainy months while the ground is soft; and then returns in March or April, the breeding season, to inhabit the nest.  Another forest dweller is the magnificently colored Ocellated Turkey.  It boasts a rainbow like plumage of green, blue, gold and copper-bronze, and nothing is quite so grand as this bird in its proud posture of courtship, with its feathers outstretched.  Like the Motmot, the turkey builds its nest in well hidden places in the ground.  Both of these birds are considered among the most attractive birds in the New World.

 

Pandas from Singapore -- JiaJia/KaiKai

Thanks to Edmund, I've received this cute cover from Singapore with pandas.  Read his detailed article about the pandas here.

I also just realized the the first name of the stamp designer is also Edmund :) What a popular name!


















Coincidentally, this year, the UN postal service also issued a set of stamps with a panda as part of their on going Endangered Species series. 

I guess we all love pandas! Here is a cover I sent to Eric who maintains an excellent blog about stamps in French and English.