Philippines Postcard - Bantayan, Cebu

Postcard
明信片
Bilhete Postal

Philippines

A very beautiful Philippines postcard showing the crystal waters, white sand beaches of Bantayan, Cebu. The stamp and the cancellation are also nice too. Thank You very much !

Latvia Postcard - Riga

Postcard
明信片
Bilhete Postal

Latvia

A nice card showing the view of Riga, the capital city of Latvia. There is special cancellation of 75 years of the Freedom Monument. Thank You very much !

Estonia FDC on "Treasures from the Estonian Art Museum"

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Estonia

Treasures from the Estonian Art Museum

Date of Issue : 17 November 2010

From the Treasury of the Estonian Art Museum, the author of the painting Lennuk (1910, actually a sketch for a major mural) is Nikolai Triik, who was enthusiastic about military campaigns and the romantic life of the Vikings while working at the sketch. Reading the epic poem Kalevipoeg and its Song XII, Voyage to the End of the World, with the eye of a symbolist, the artist intensified the mystic subject-matter by simplified form and contrast of bright colours. The red sail of the silver ship is a symbol of sunlight. The arch of the rainbow above it is repeated as a glow above the island of the Lapp wizard, Varrak, on the left and above the demons’ Island of Sparks on the right. The Art Nouveau tempera painting of three parts is associated with the work of Gerhard Munthe, Akseli Gallén-Kallela and Nikolai Roerich, National Romantic painters of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, who served as examples for Triik.

Indonesia FDC on "Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games"

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Indonesia


Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games

Date of Issue : 15 July 2010

Singapore was hosting the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) from 14 to 26 August 2010. The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games received some 5,000 athletes and officials from the 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs). Young athletes - aged between 14 and 18 years - will compete in 26 sports and take part in Culture and Education Programme.

Indonesia is participating in the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore with 14 athletes. The team is competing in a total of seven sports: archery, badminton, cycling, swimming, taekwondo, tennis, and weightlifting.

At the girls' 53 kg weightlifting event of the 2010 Youth Olympics, Dewi Safitri won a Bronze medal for Indonesia.

Taiwan FDC on "Ancient Chinese Art Treasures (Issue of 2010)"

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Taiwan

Ancient Chinese Art Treasures (Issue of 2010)

Date of Issue : 18 November 2010

This souvenir sheet features artifacts from the National Palace Museum collection. The marginal inscription of the sheet features a Qing Dynasty porcelain Buddha in famille rose and Gold Enamel from the National Palace Museum collection, against a background of partial texts of the Diamond Sutra.

NT$5 Stamp : Gilt-copper Censer with Turquoise Inlays, Qing Dynasty
The surface of this vessel is decorated with cloud and key fret patterns, while its underside and its round feet are adorned with banana leaf patterns, with turquoise inlays between the leaves. There is a seven-character line in relief under the rim which reads, “Made during the reign of the Qing Emperor Qianlong.”

NT$5 Stamp : Five Altar Offerings in Gilt Copper-Censer, Qing Dynasty
Its surface is totally covered with key fret patterns and lotus flower designs. The lid and its knob (which has a dragon design) feature openwork to let incense smoke out.

NT$10 Stamp : Five Altar Offerings in Gilt Copper with Glass and Enamel Inlays-Censer, Qing Dynasty
The lid of this vessel features openwork. There is a lion on the top of the lid whose front foot is playing with a ball. Its lid, body, handles and four hoof-shaped feet are decorated with white material, while the lotus-petal patterns on its body and the lotus on its handles are filled with blue enamel.

NT$25 Stamp : Five Altar Offerings in Gilt Copper with White Jade, Turquoise, and Glass Inlays-Censer, Qing Dynasty
The lid and body of this vessel are decorated with pieces of white jade inlay with twine-patterned openwork carving. Its shoulder is inlaid with lotus petals carved out of turquoise and pieces of blue glass. The vessel’s handles and four feet are inlaid with turquoise. .

Russia FDC on "50th Anniversary of the USSR National Team's Victory in the UEFA European Football Championship"

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Russia

50th Anniversary of the USSR National Team's Victory in the UEFA European Football Championship"

Date of Issue : 10 November 2010

The information below is from : http://www.stampnews.com/stamps/stamps_2010/stamp_1289486482_154551.html

The USSR national team became the winner of the first UEFA European Football Championship in 1960. In the semifinal it defeated the team of Czechoslovakia 3-0 and in the final it met with the national team of Yugoslavia.

The final tournament was held in France. Yugoslavia scored first, but the Soviet Union, led by legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin, equalized in the 49th minute. After 90 minutes the score was 1-1, and Viktor Ponedelnik scored with seven minutes left in extra time to give the Soviets the inaugural European Championship.

Israel FDC on "Garden of Gethsemene- Joint Issue Israel Vatican"

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Israel

Garden of Gethsemene- Joint Issue Israel Vatican

Date of Issue : 15 November 2010

To commemorate Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the Holy Land in May 2009, a Israel-Vatican joint issue stamp was issued on 15 Nov 2010. It features some of the olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem. The Church of All Nations appears in the background of the stamp and on the tab.

Gethsemane is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem most famous as the place where Jesus and his disciples prayed the night before Jesus' crucifixion.

A really very nice joint issue FDC from Israel. I very much like it. Thank you very much to my friend !

Sri Lanka Postcard - Gal Vihara, Polonnaruwa

Postcard
明信片
Bilhete Postal

Sri Lanka

A beautiful Sri Lanka postcard showing some Buddhist moknks during offerings at Gal Vihara (12th A.D.) in Polonnaruwa. I like the stamps on the card. Thank You very much !

Slovakia FDC on "Christmas 2010: Initial with the Birth of Christ from Bratislava Mass-book"

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Slovakia

Christmas 2010: Initial with the Birth of Christ from Bratislava Mass-book

Date of Issue : 12 November 2010

Liturgical manuscript of the Bratislava missal I from the beginning of the 14th century is preserved in several fragments. It can be found in the Bratislava Archive, in the Town Museum in Bratislava and in the St. Adalbert Association in Trnava. Originally having 366 sheets, nowadays there are 303 altogether. There are painted figural illuminations mainly as initials with biblical motifs on some of these parchment sheets of the Codex.

One of these paintings, on the parchments sheets in the Town Museum, is the Nativity initial. The scene is placed in the shape of letter P. This is initial of the text Peur natus est… (Baby boy was born). Simple notation above the text reveals that it is a Christmas song which was integrated to the liturgical codex.

There is also a nice additional stamp of Christmas 2008 affixed on this FDC. Thank You very much !

China FDC on "Commemorating the Opening of the 16th Asian Games"

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China


Commemorating the Opening of the 16th Asian Games

Date of Issue : 12 November 2010

(1st FDC from Top)
6-1 : Badminton
6-2 : Wushu
During the Guangzhou Asian Games, badminton and Wushu competitions were held at Tianhe Gymnasium and Nansha Gymnasium, respectively.

(2nd FDC from Top)
6-3 : Athletics
6-4 : Equestrian
During the Guangzhou Asian Games, the events of athletics and equestrian took place at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center Stadium and Guangzhou Equestrian Venue, respectively.

(3rd FDC from Top)
6-5 : Dragon Boat
6-6 : Weiqi (the Go)
During the Guangzhou Asian Games, dragon boat races and Weiqi games were held at Zengcheng Dragon Boat Lake and Guangzhou Chess Institute, respectively

The 16th Asian Games kicked off on 12 November 2010, in Guangzhou, capital of southern China's Guangdong Province. A total of 476 events in 42 sports were set for athletes from around Asia.

Hong Kong also participate in the Guangzhou Asian Games. As of 22 Nov, Hong Kong has already got 8 gold medals.

The design of this stamp set is cute. And, this time, the postage franking at the bottom left of the FDCs shows a rather interesting date and time combination : "2010.11.12.13".

Hong Kong FDC on "Centenary of Railway Service in Hong Kong"

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Hong Kong

Centenary of Railway Service in Hong Kong

Date of Issue : 28 September 2010

On 1 October 2010, we celebrated the centenary of the railway service in Hong Kong. To mark the occasion, Hongkong Post issues a set of six stamps showcasing trains from different periods to commemorate important milestones in local railway history.

$1.40 - Steam Train
The first train began to steam along the track of the section within Hong Kong of the Kowloon-Canton Railway, from Tsim Sha Tsui to Lo Wu, on 1 October 1910. The steam engines from the early days were gradually replaced by diesel locomotives from the 1950s onward until they were all retired from service in 1962. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the Hong Kong Railway Museum.

$1.80 - Diesel Train
In 1955, diesel trains opened a new page in local railway history. The first two diesel locomotives in Hong Kong, No. 51 and No. 52, were named Sir Alexander and Lady Maurine respectively. Locomotive Sir Alexander is now kept at the Hong Kong Railway Museum for public viewing. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the Clock Tower of the then Kowloon-Canton Railway terminus in Tsim Sha Tsui.

$2.40 - Electric Train
The 1980s saw an era of electrification in Hong Kong's railway history. The first generation of electric trains, with the driver's cab front painted yellow as shown on the stamp, was in operation from 1982 to 1999. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the old Hung Hom terminus.

$2.50 - MTR Passenger Train
Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) commenced construction in 1975 and was officially opened on 1 October 1979, with trains running between Shek Kip Mei and Kwun Tong. The Metro-Cammell Train, or M-TRAIN for short, depicted on the stamp is the longest-serving model used by the MTR. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the International Finance Centre situated above the MTR Hong Kong Station.

$3 - Kowloon-Guangzhou Through Train
The Kowloon-Guangzhou Through Train (Ktt) has been providing non-stop train services between Hong Kong and Guangzhou since August 1998. The Ktt is the only train service using double-decked direct passenger train. A journey between Hung Hom and Guangzhou East Station takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the MTR Hung Hom Station.

$5 - Airport Express Train
Airport Express Trains started operation in mid 1998, take as little as 24 minutes to complete the 35.3-kilometre journey between the Airport and Central. The building at the upper part of the stamp is the Hong Kong International Airport from aerial view.

Ethiopia Aerogramme

Aerogramme
航空郵簡
Bilhete Carta-Avião

Ethiopia

My first aerogramme from Ethiopia. Nice and special to me. Thank You very much to my friend.

Korea FDC on "G20 Seoul Summit 2010"

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South Korea

G20 Seoul Summit 2010

Date of Issue : 11 November 2010

The G20 Summit was held in Seoul, Korea for two days from November 11 to 12,.

Created in 1999, the G20 Summit is a forum of 20 leaders from the greatest economic powers among the 192 UN members. It comprises 20 countries: the existing G7 (USA, UK, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada) and 12 emerging countries (Korea, China, India, Indonesia, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Turkey, Australia, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia) and the EU. Since first held in Washington in 2008, the G20 Summit Meeting has been held in London, UK in April 2009, Pittsburg, the U.S. in September 2009, and Toronto, Canada in June 2010. Following these, the 5th meeting was in November 2010 in Korea.

Two commemorative stamps featuring “Gwanghwamun (Gate)” and the “logo of the G20 Seoul Summit” were issued. These stamps express two concepts: Korea welcomes the people from all over the world by opening up the great gate of Gwanghwamun; our wish that this Seoul Meeting, just like Cheongsachorong, the traditional Korean lantern adorned with red and blue silk will light the way for the world economy to a brighter future.

It seems that there is a new type of Korean registration label.

Sri Lanka Cover - Visit Sri Lanka Stamp Series

Cover
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Sri Lanka

Three very beautiful covers from Sri Lanka. The souvenir sheets on the covers feature the view of some famous beaches of Sri Lanka, including Arugam Bay Beach (on the 1st cover from top), Trincompalee Beach (2nd cover from top) and the Pasikudah Beach (3rd cover). I very much like these souvenir sheets. Thank You very much to my friend for his generous offers !

Nigeria Postcard

Postcard
明信片
Bilhete Postal

Nigeria

A Nigeria postcard showing the view of Cross River StateTourism Bureau. The stamps are nice. I especially like the 2008 Beijing Olympic stamp. Thank You very much to my friend.

China FDC on "The 880th Anniversary of the Birth of Zhu Xi"

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China


The 880th Anniversary of the Birth of Zhu Xi

Date of Issue : 22 October 2010

2-1 : Portrait of Zhu Xi
2-2 : Zhu Xi Propagating Teachings

Zhu Xi (朱熹, 1130 - 1200), whose family originated in Wuyuan of Hui Prefectture (in present-day Jiangxi Province), was born in Youxi of Jian Prefecture (in present-day fujian Province). Known by his courtesy name Yuanhui and alias Hui'an, he was a philosopher, thinker, educator as well as a leading figure of the most influential Neo-Confucian school in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 - 1279). He read profusely, wrote extensive commentaries on classic works, and contributed to Confucian classics, history, literature and musical temperament. His school of philosophy was adopted as the official ideology in China's Yuan (1206 - 1368), Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties, and exerted a major influence on the world's cultural history. He established a theoretical system by developing the Neo-Confucian tradition of Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi, and synthesizing the ideas of the School of Principle. This system was known later as Cheng-Zhu School of Principle. Zhu Xi devoted himself to education for over 50 years, running academies, and cultivating scholars. He was a prolific writer. His works mainly included "Collected Annotations to the Chapters and Sentences of the Four Books" and "The Original Meaning of the Book of Changes".

Taiwan ATM FDC on "Giant Panda Postage Label"

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Taiwan

Giant Panda Postage Label

Date of Issue : 5 Nov 2010

This "Giant Panda Postage Labels" issue features Tuan Tuan (on the upper FDC) and Yuan Yuan (on the 2nd FDC), the two giant pandas in Taipei Zoo. .

Two very nice ATM FDCs from Taiwan.

Slovakia FDC on "Nature Protection: Muránska Plain - Primerose (Primula Auricula)"

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Slovakia

Nature Protection: Muránska Plain - Primerose (Primula Auricula)

Date of Issue : 15 October 2010

There are around 400 types in the Primula genus blooming in spring. Primula can be found by swamps and wetlands as well as in the alpine areas. The representatives of the genus are spread mainly in the northern hemisphere where almost half of the species originated in the Himalayas. There are seven species of this genus in Slovakia.

In Slovakia, it is located in numerous limestone mountains where it grown in rocks, rock slits and on talus. They can be frequently found on the cliffs of Muránska plain. It is a sun-exposed, or half-shade species. Early in spring (April to June) it beautifies the rocks with its bright yellow fragrant flowers. It blooms so early because floral buds start already in the autumn and they overwinter covered in leaves. The plant is 5 – 25 cm high. Fleshy, obovate, grey to dark-green leaves are located in the leaf rosette. Apart from the decorative use, it is also used as the medicinal plant. It has the same healing effects as the less rare and not protected Primula veris. For its rarity this species in Slovakia belongs to the legally protected plants. This species is also included in the Red List of higher plants in Slovakia and it is listed in the category of endangered species.

Just like the "Nature Protection: Muránska Plain - Daphne Arbuscula" FDC, there is a special postmark from the stamp inauguration celebration and also, the datestamp cancellation of Tisovec town (in the Muran Mouuntains). I very much like it. Thanks a lot to my friend.

Portugal Cover

Cover
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Sobrescrito

Portugal

A nice cover from Portugal. On the cover, there are many beautiful stamps I like, including the “Barcos Históricos” (issued on 8 Nov 2001), “Símbolos da República” (issued on 5 Oct 2007) and the "Ceres" (issued on 1 Oct 2010). It's a pity that the datestamp cancellation is not very clear.

El Salvador Postcard - Ilamatepec Volcano

Postcard
明信片
Bilhete Postal

El Salvador

A beautiful El Salvador postcard showing the Ilamatepec Volcano. The stamps are very nice. I especially like the Beijing 2008 stamp. There is also a nice philatelic department postmark. Thank You very much !

Sri Lanka Postcard - Nilaveli Beach

Postcard
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Bilhete Postal

Sri Lanka

Another beautiful Sri Lanka postcard which shows the Nilaveli Beach. I very much like the view, and also the nice stamps on the card. Thank You very much !

Oman Postcard - Muscat

Postcard
明信片
Bilhete Postal

Oman

Another nice Oman postcard showing the view of corniche in Muscat. The stamps are very nice. Thank You very much to my friend.