Oman 2018 FIFA World Cup Posted Cover - A Rarity

Oman issued a beautiful round-shaped stamp to commemorate 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia and I got lucky in receiving a gorgeous cover posted with a pair of stamps.

The cover was posted from CPO Mascat. The denomination of the stamp is 500 Baisa.

Not a very common cover, it was posted to me on 10 Dec 2018. It reached me in just 6 days on 16 Dec 2018.

EUROPA 2016 Think Green Cover from FRANCE

This beautiful EUROPA 2016 cover was posted from France with 2 lovely different stamps.

The EUROPA 2016 stamp issue has been one of the most loved issue of EUROPA CEPT stamps. Most of the countries issued the Common-Design Stamps to raise awareness among the populace for the use of Green energy and cleaner environment. The 1 Euro stamp was issued by France on 8 May 2016 with the common-design.

 The stamp on the left shows the Grand-Lejon Lighthouse (Scott 3371d), issued on 9 Nov 2007. It was issued as a part of a set of 6 stamps issued in a souvenir sheet - titled "Les Phares" meaning "The Lighthouses". Interestingly when I tried to translate Les Phares" from French to English using the Google Translator, the result turns out to be "The Fog Lights". The image of the Souvenir Sheet is as below

Brazil - FIFA 2018 World Cup Russia - Cover with set of stamps

Brazil issued a set of 2 stamps on the event of FIFA 2018 Football World Cup Russia, held in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018.

The complete set of 2 stamps has been used on the cover and was posted from Brazil on 21 June 2018.

It's a lovely addition in my FIFA 2018 Stamps Collection.

More details about all the FIFA 2018 World Cup Russia Stamps can be seen here.

Serbia Set of Stamps for 2018 FIFA Soccer World Cup Russia

Serbia issued a set of 2 stamps and a Souvenir Sheet on the event of FIFA 2018 Football World Cup Russia, held in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018.

It's another magnificent addition in my FIFA 2018 collection.

More details about the Serbia FIFA 2018 Set of 2 Stamps can be seen here.

You can also see the Serbian cover with Souvenir Sheet here.

Serbia - FIFA 2018 Football World Cup Russia - Cover with Souvenir Sheet

FIFA 2018 Football World Cup Russia - Posted cover from Serbia with Souvenir Sheet on it.

It's indeed a beautiful addition in my FIFA 2018 collection.

More details about the Serbia FIFA 2018 Souvenir Sheet can be seen here.

Check out the cover with Serbia Set of 2 FIFA 2018 Stamps here.

Finland Cover with Europa 2016 Think Green and odd-shaped stamp

A magnificent cover to display today is the one sent from Finland. It features a beautiful Europa 2016 Think Green stamp (One of my favourite sets in Europa themes) and an odd-shaped stamp too.

The "Ecology in Europe - Think Green" was adopted as the common design theme for Europa stamps in 2016 and 61 postal administrations joined the joint issue program. It was also the 60th anniversary of the Europa stamps in 2016, as these stamps started in 1956.
Finland issued a single stamp on the event on 6th May 2016 that featured the common design. It's a 1st Class Value stamp.

The 2nd stamp used on the cover was an odd-shaped stamp with a value of 0.10 Euro. The self-adhesive stamp was issued under the series "Water and Archipelago" on 24th January 2008. It is one of the stamp from a set of 3 stamps.

Indeed a cover to cherish!

Bahrain Posted Cover without a postmark :-(

Some time ago, I received this beautiful cover from Bahrain. Unfortunately there's no postmark from Bahrain Post on the cover. I wonder if it is a special case or it is a common practice by Bahrain Post.

A similar experience was met when recently I posted a few covers and postcards during my trip to Saudi Arabia. All of them reached their destinations with out a postmark from Saudi Arabian Post (I will share the postcards and covers soon). Is there something wrong with Postal workers in Middle East or is it something else?

2 stamps have been used on the cover as follows:-

• Left stamp is a charity stamp of 10 Fils.
• Right stamp shows the Ameer of Bahrain and is of 500 Fils denomination.

Turkey - EUROPA 2016 Think Green Matching Stamp

EUROPA CEPT Stamps are one of the most popular themes in philately. 2016 marked the 60th Anniversary of issuing EUROPA stamps.
In 2016, EUROPA CEPT stamps were issued on the topic of "THINK GREEN" and 61 Postal Administrations issued the stamp on the eve.
Although Turkey issued a set of 2 stamps to match the event but none of them were considered as EUROPA CEPT stamps because Turkey didn't use the official EUROPA logo nor the word EUROPA, thus making them a non-Europa stamp issue.

Issued with a denomination of 1.40+10 Turkish Lira, this stamp is really beautiful and the EUROPA matching design on the cover makes it even beautiful.

The stamp set was issued on 9th May 2016.

Japan Vertical Cover - The 1st in my collection

I have chosen a different style of cover from Japan to share today on the blog. It's a vertically prepared cover from Japan.

2 stamps used on the cover are a part of a set of 12 stamps, issued for "2015 UNESCO World Heritage - Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites".

While checking out these stamps at StampWorld.com, I came to know how many stamps Japan issues per year and how beautiful they are. Almost 504 stamps were issued in 2015 by Japan.

FIFA 2018 Football World Cup is fast approaching ...

FIFA 2018 Football World Cup is approaching fast and here's a cover to share.

Sent by a Postcrossing Member, adding a postcard inside - Although I personally like written and stamped postcards, but still a nice cover is not bad to get ;-)

• The left stamp was issued for IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, held in Russia in 2016. Canada won the gold medal in the championship in the final match held on 22 May 2016, beating Finland. Russia won the bronze medal. The stamp shows LAIKA - the official mascot of the championship.
• The right stamp was issued in 2015 showing one of the stadiums in which FIFA 2018 Football World Cup matches are to take place. It was part of a set of 4 stamps issued in 2015. This particular stamp shows Kazan Arena in Kazan.

Odd-shaped stamps on Slovakia Cover

Today I am sharing a Slovakian cover from my collection. The cover shows an odd-shaped stamp that was issued on Philately Stamp Day on 5 December 2014. The magnificent stamp has been impressively shaped as a trapezium with triangle coupons.

The trapezium-shaped stamp shows a portrait of "Severín Zrubec" (1921–2011). Dr. Severín Zrubec lived, worked and received his degree of Doctor in Laws at the Faculty of Law of the Slovak University (1948) in Bratislava. Severín Zrubec worked as a lawyer in various organisations, however, the philatelic public knows Severín Zrubec as a successful exhibitor, journalist and an association member. He took part in organised philately for more than fifty years. He engaged in modern view of philately as a hobby with a significant cultural and social mission.
His activities earned him various awards. Severín Zrubec worked as a member of the Thematic Philately Commission of FIP (1974 - 1984) and International Jury of the Association of Slovak Philatelists (1973 − 2011), as well. His name has been written in golden letters in the Slovak and European philatelic history. The exhibit “Today Rotary Press Machines Revolve” was displayed at several tens of domestic and foreign exhibitions for twenty eight years. It was awarded four gold, seventeen gilded and seven silver medals at five world’s fairs under the patronage of FIP and twenty two international exhibitions. When finishing his exhibition activity in 1998, Severín Zrubec gifted his extensive thematic collection “Printing and Book” to the Museum of Book Culture in Trnava.

The stamp is dominated by his portrait and autograph. Zrubec’s first gold medal awarded at the World Postage Stamp Exhibition PRAGA 1962 extends over the right coupon, while a section of the emblem of the Society of St. Gabriel, he co-founded (1962), is depicted on the left one.

Malaysia - 60th Anniversary of Accession of Queen Elizabeth II - 2012

A very balanced and gorgeous cover posted from Malaysia by a friend. The cover features 2 copies of the same stamp - Issued on the 60th Anniversary of Accession of Queen Elizabeth II.

 The stamp shows another stamp that was issued by Malaya Selangor in 1953 on the eve of Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II that took place on 2 June 1953.

A lovely cover to form part of any exhibit on the theme of "Stamp on Stamp" :-)

Ukraine - Birds & Fruits Cover

After a very very long absence, here I am and as usual I am planning to be more regular in posting in coming days. I have swapped countless postcards and covers over this time, travelled a lot and would love to share these with you now.
This lovely cover is from Ukraine, which was posted by Rizun from Ukraine in the place of an official Postcrossing postcard. She added the postcard inside this cover.

4 stamps and one mini sheet have been used on the cover.

• The right most stamp is a very small mini-sheet issued in 2009 and the stamp shows a cute parrot. The mini-sheet was issued as part of 100 years celebrations of Kyiv Zoo. The area around the stamp shows a giraffe, a snake and a pelican. A lion and a tiger are also featured inside the Kyiv Zoo logo on the right top of the mini-sheet.
• The stamp in the center with a bird is basically part of a mini-sheet with 4 stamps. The beautiful mini-sheet was named "Spring, Flowers".
• The other 2 stamps are part of a set of 13 stamps issued as definitive set under the name "Trees and Fruits". This set was issued in 2012.

Apart from liking the beautiful FDC, I do also like the way the name of my beloved country "Pakistan" is written in Russian at the end of my address.

Hopefully I will continue to make more posts in the coming days.

Burundi - Cover with Mushroom Stamps and an interesting demand of the counter clerk

Another one of the exotic covers from a small African nation of Burundi. It is also one of my self-posted covers that I posted to home during my African adventures.

During one of my trips of the Burundian capital city Bujumbura, I visited the General Post Office in the city center and posted this cover to my home. I did buy a few stamp sheets and some postcards as well but could only post this cover. The most amazing sheets that I bought were miniture sheets featuring Lady Diana.
An Interesting Demand of the Counter Clerk
The most-interesting thing was that the lady at the stamps counter in the post office asked me what I can bring for her from Pakistan (Despite of a very difficult language barrier as she did not speak English). I thought that she needed some stamps or postcards .... but she definitely surprised me by asking for a mobile phone.

The Burundian mushroom stamps used on the cover were issued at two separate occasions.

• The three stamps on the left side were part of a set of 10 mushroom stamps issued in 1992. The stamps used on this cover were for 20 and 100 Burundian Francs denomination.
• The right most stamp of 1300 Burundian Francs denomination was part of a set of 3 mushroom stamps which were over-printed in 2007. These were over-printed with 1200, 1300 and 2500 Burundian francs denomination.

What do you think about this cover?

Slovenia - Cover With Flower Stamps

It is always nice to receive a postcard or a cover from a unique country. Here's the second cover that I am adding from the European country Slovenia. You can see the first one from Slovenia here.
The cover was posted using two definitive flower stamps out of a set of 17 Flower stamps issued by Slovenia Post in 2007.
The stamps used on the cover show Genista Bolopetala and Serratula Lycopifolia.

The interesting thing I noticed about the stamps on the cover was that the stamps did not have any denomination or price mentioned on them. Instead of the denomination, the stamps just show letters "C" and "D" on each of them. I have no clue about their pricing. Hopefully some of my readers would be able to help us in this regard. Out of the set of 17 stamps, 13 have prices mentioned over them while 4 of them have letters near the right top corner.

Uganda: A Beautiful Self-posted Cover from Exotic Uganda

After a long absence from my blog, here's one of my favorite covers - An exotic cover from the exotic African country Uganda.

I self-posted this envelope for myself during my recent visit to Africa that comprises of travels to a few poor yet very beautiful countries. The manifest included Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo.
The envelope is postmarked 20 Oct 2014 from the General Post Office in the capital city Kampala. I used different stamps available in the post office from different years.

• The right most stamp is part of the series of flowering plants showing Callandra Haematocephala. 
• The second stamp from the right shows a school building with children playing. The inscription on the cover says "Education for All in the New Millennium".
• The smaller stamp in the middle shows an elegant Nile Crocodile. The stamp costs 500 Ugandan Shillings (UGX).
• The two stamps on the left is a part of 10 stamps issued on 30th Anniversary of PAPU (Pan African Postal Union Day). The set was issued in 2010. All stamps feature Gorillas in the wild.

How do you like this amazing cover? Share your feelings in the comment box below.

Cover with Beautiful Mountain Stamps

Floating Fern or Water Butterfly Wings on Belarus Cover

Today, I have a beautiful cover from my collection to share with you. It is from Belarus showing a lovely plant with white flowers.

This Belarus cover was sent to me by Natalia from Gomel, Belarus.

The stamps used on the cover shows a type of fern - Salvinia natans. Salvinia natans (commonly known as floating fern, or commercially known as Water Butterfly Wings) is an annual floating aquatic fern, which can appear superficially similar to moss. It is found throughout the world where there is plentiful standing fresh water, sunlight, and humid air, but is especially common in Africa, Asia, central Europe and South America.
The stamp is a part of a set of 2 stamps - Ferns 2v in 2012 by Belarus Post - BelPost.

Sochi 2014 Olympics Games and Pakistan's Participation in Olympics

I have always been a sports fanatic and Olympics has been the twilight of all sports events held on the planet. In fact, I have a special admiration for Olympics Stamps and have a nice collection of them by now.
My primary love is for Summer Olympics because PAKISTAN does send a few teams in these Olympics and even managed to get some medals there - although very few as compared to the huge population and the talented youth available in the country; but there are some obvious reasons and most importantly it's the dirty politics in the country in general and in Pakistan Olympics Federation in particular. A little Google search reveals the following:-

• After it's independence in 1947, Pakistan has participated in all Summer Olympics Games except in 1980 when it joined the US-led Olympics Boycott as it were held in Moscow, Russia.
• In total, Pakistan has won 10 medals so far, including 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 4 Bronze medals.
• Out of the total 10 medals, Pakistan Field Hockey Team has won 8 including 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 2 Bronze medals.
• The remaining 2 Bronze medals were won in Wrestling and Boxing.
• ... and unfortunately, Pakistan has not won a single medal in the last 5 Olympics Games since 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain to 2012 Olympics Games in London, UK.

Pakistan has never sent any team to Winter Olympics, if I am not wrong.
Sorry, Google has again proved me wrong ------ Pakistan's first participation in Winter Olympics Games was in 2010 in Vancouver Winter Olympics, where Mr Muhammad Abbas represented Pakistan in Alpine Skiing category in Men's Giant Slalom event. He was ranked 79 out of 103 qualifiers.
Pakistan's Ski Team has also qualified for 2014 Winter Olympics Games in Sochi, Russia, scheduled to be held from February 7 - 23, 2014.

 The above stamp was issued in 2011 by Russian Postal Service to commemorate Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics Games. It is one of the stamp of a series of 3 stamps.

The magnificent cover is definitely a nice addition in my Olympics Covers Collection.

The envelope also contained this lovely Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics Russia Mascot sticker.
The back of the cover was sealed with very cute small cartoon stickers. I like it!

Slovenia - An Amazing Cover from the Beautiful European Country

After a long time, when I decided to share a new cover from my collection, I decided to share a real-posted cover from a new country, therefore I selected this cute cover from Slovenia or Slovenija, as they spell it on the stamps.
The envelope is a made up of beautiful dull blue-coloured paper and the stamps really emboss on dull blue background.

The cover was sent to me by Karmen from Slovenia alongwith a couple of postcards and coins too.

The cover is posted with 3 stamps on the face.

• The left-most Slovenian souvenir sheet featuring a flower was issued in 2009 and shows a Ranunculus Arvensis.
• The middle stamp is one of the set of two stamps issued by Slovenia in 2008 at the event of Beijing Olympics. You can see the complete set here.
• The stamp on the right side was also issued in 2009 at the moment of "World Cup Athletes, Berlin". The stamp shows various athletes in action in different coloured silhouettes. It is really a very beautiful and coloured stamp and I absolutely love it.

You can leave your comments below!