Lithuania 08/11/11

Cover from Lithuania, posted in Jonava on November 11, 2008.

This nice cover has attached the mini-sheet “WWF European Roller”, which was issued on September 6, 2008. It consists of four stamps à 1.35 litas depicting the bird Coracias garrulus.

Thank you, Leonardas, for this nice cover!

France 08/11

Cover from France, posted in November 2008.

This interesting cover was sent to me by Thomas, thank you!

The left stamp was issued in 1972 and has a face value of 0.50 francs. It commemorates the 45th “Congress National de la Federation des Societes Philateliques Françaises St-Brieuc”.

The next stamp was issued in 1977 and depicts the Château de Vitré. It has a face value of 2.40 francs. The middle stamp commemorates the baroque Château de Maisons-Laffitte. It has a face value of 0.45 francs and was issued in 1979.

The right stamp commemorates the 50th anniversary of the tennis tournament French Open at the Roland Garros Stadium, which was named after the aviator, who made the first non-stop flight across the Mediterranean Sea. The stamp has a face value of 1 francs and was issued in 1978.

Interestingly, only the two right stamps were cancelled.

Macedonia 08/11/06

Cover from Macedonia, posted in Skopje on November 6, 2008.

The left stamp (issued October 4, 2007) commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Russian satellite Sputnik 1, which was launched on that date in 1957.

The two stamps at the right were issued on September 6, 2006. They are part of the set “Fauna of Macedonia” and depict the shells Ancylus scalariformis (Stanković & Radoman) and Macedopyrgula pavlovici (Polinski).

Goran, thank you for this nice cover!

Malaysia 08/11/03

Postcard from Malaysia, posted in Bangi on November 3, 2008.

Waving coconut palms on this sun-drenched beach on Pulau Redang in Terengganu make this island getaway the perfect tropical paradise.

There is nothing to add to this image description on the back …

The two postage stamps have a face value of 20 and 30 sen. The left stamp is an issue of the state of Selangor; it depicts the flower Hippeastrum reticulatum. The right stamp depicts the toad Pedostibes hosii (Kodok Pokok).

Ian, thank you for this postcard!

South Korea 08/11/06

Registered first day cover from South Korea, posted in Yeouido on November 6, 2008.

This marvelous FDC has attached the mini-sheet of the Korea-Hongkong joint issue.

Korea’s mask – Chwibari mask seen in Bongsan mask Dance Drama

Having been performed since approximately 200 years ago, mainly as part of the Dano festival, Bongsan Mask Dance Drama is representative of Hwanghae province and its dance movements are cheerful and vigorous. Bongsan Mask Dance Drama is composed of 7 segments: Sasangjwa dance, Palmokjung dance, Sadang dance, Nojang dance, Saja (lion) dance, Yangban (nobleman) dance and Miyal dance. Featuring decadent monks, ruined yangban, his servants, shaman and ordinary folks, this dance conveys the message of “promoting virtue and rejecting vice” through lighthearted satire of the meager lives of ordinary folks contrasted with the Yangban/self-indulgent monks. The stamp features the scene of the Bongsan Mask Dance where Chwibari is hugging his child and of the Saja dance. In Bongsan Mask Dance, the lion is theentity sent by Buddha to chastie the wickedness of the human world.

Hong Kong’s mask – Big Head Buddha mask seen in the Lion Dance of the Southern area

Big Head Buddha appears mostly when a new year commences. There are various stories about the origin of Big Head Buddha, but mostly, it appears with lions. According to the legend, the lion was a spiritual animal in Buddhism , and it seeks deeper enlightenment about Buddha’s teachings. Holding a fan made of palm tree leaves in one hand, Big Head Buddha hits the lion’s head with this fan whenever the lion strays in concentration and leads the lion to the state of enlightenment. He also elevates the festive atmosphere by leading, through funny acts, the lion to make various gestures that are known to bring about good luck and rich harvest.

(Text of the issue’s information sheet)

Thank you, XU Hui and Seung Young Oh, for sending me again such a beautiful cover!

Mauritius 08/11/04

Registered cover from Mauritius, posted on November 4, 2008.

Tasneem sent me this beautiful cover; she used a special commemorative cover, which celebrates the inauguration of the new postal museum on July 23, 2008.

The Postal Museum was formerly housed in the Post Office Headquartes Building, Port Louis and was inaugurated on the 10th March 1995. It is being relocated in the prominent Post Office Building, waterfront, Port Louis in a newly designed set up.

The Postal Museum traces the evolution of the Postal History of Mauritius from Colonial times to the present. Apart from stamps and other exhibits, visitors will see postal equipment and tools which were formerly used. It also hosts a temporary exhibition hall and a stamp gallery which will display along with stamps from Mauritius, those issued by the member countries of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).

The illustration on the cover shows the historical Post Office building and the logo of the Mauritius Postal Museum.

(sleeve text of the cover)

The left stamp was issued in 1997 and is part of a series commemorating 150 years of Mauritius stamps.

The right stamp was issued in 2007. It depicts the dodo (Raphus cucullatus), an flightless bird, which was endemic to Mauritius. It has been extinct since the late 17th century due to human predation.

Tasneem has posted this special cover with an Rs 78 automat label. Thank you very much for this beautiful cover!

France 08/11

Eric sent me some beautiful covers from the 62nd Salon Philatélique d’Automne 2008 in Paris. This philatelic event was held from November 6 to 9.

The first cover was cancelled on November 6, 2008; the left stamps are a joint issue of Isreali and French post. They commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. They show the departure and arrival of the first postal flight from Haifa to Paris. The right stamp is an ATM label commemorating the philatelic event.

To make this cover perfect, it was signed by the designer of the left stamps, Pierre-Andre Cousin!

The stamps of the second cover are one half of the booklet “Faces of the 5th Republic”, which was issued to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 5th French Republic. They depict the famous Marianne. The bottom two stamps are part of the booklet “Happy Holidays”, which was issued on November 8.

Eric wrote a detailed article about this event and the stamps; it can be found here.

Thank you for this beautiful covers!

Canada 08/11/04

Cover from Canada, posted on November 4, 2008.

The stamp is part of the Christmas series.

Israel 08/11

Registered airmail cover from Israel, posted in Ramat-Hasharon in November 2008.

The two stamps at the left depict the seven-armed candelabrum, the menorah, which is one of the most important symbols of Judaism. It is also part of the coat of arms of Israel.

The middle stamps commemorates the International Youth Year 1985, which was initiated by the United Nations. The stamp was issued on July 16, 1985, and has a face value of 1.50 Israeli new sheqel (NIS). (Read more at this page.)

The right two stamps depict the fruit of the trees Quercus ithaburensis and Arbutus andrachne. They are part of the series “Trees of the Holy Land”, which was issued on December 29, 1981. Both stamps have a face value of 3 NIS.

Croatia 08/11/03

Cover from Croatia, posted in Zagreb on November 3, 2008.

It is a cover from “Svijet Knjige”, which is a Croatian book seller and club. The two stamps are of the “Europa” issue.

I somehow like the idea of re-using covers; there can be made interesting combinations, as one can see in this example.

Thank you, Željko, for this nice cover!