150 Years of the Red Cross

 

Hi !

Today is World Red Cross Day. World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is an annual celebration of the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. World Red Cross Red Crescent Day is celebrated on the 8th of May each year. This date is the anniversary of the birth of Henry Dunant (born 8 May 1828), the founder of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize.

I wish to share here two nice stamps from Serbia and Finland here. One shown above issued on 150 years of foundation of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the other stamp shown below features beautiful bouquet  issued by Finnish Post recently !!

Both the stamps are beautiful for theme on  ‘Red ‘Cross’ and ‘Flowers’ .

150 Years of Red Cross

An ambitious idea of Henry Dunant (1828-1910) to alleviate human suffering and provide assistance to the victims of armed conflicts, natural and other disasters became reality 150 years ago with the foundation of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Relief Societies, known today as National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Although in the beginning its sole objective was to ensure protection and assistance to the wounded in the battlefields, the scope of the International Committee of the Red Cross activities, as well as of the entire International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, has been constantly expanding to address ongoing humanitarian challenges. Through its direct action around the world, as well as by promoting of the development and respect of international humanitarian law, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, as the largest humanitarian network of the world, still strives to improve the lives of victims and respond to all kinds of humanitarian crises on an impartial, independent and neutral basis.

Bouquet on new Finnish stamp

Clover, geranium, forget-me-not, buttercup, vetch and many other summer flowers in one bouquet are offered to everyone by the post of Finland with the issue of the new “Summer Bouquet” stamp.

Club News

New Blog on Thematic Philately

 

Noted Thematic Philatelist Mr Dinesh Chandra Sharma of Lucknow has created a new Blog, “ Indian Thematics ” . It can be viewed at following link :

http://indianthematics.blogspot.in/

Read More

Botanic Gardens on stamps..

 

 

Date of Issue : 23 April 2013

Australia Post issued a beautiful set of stamps featuring Botanic Gardens of Australia on 23 April 2013.Botanic gardens are an important resource, maintaining collections of living plants for scientific research, conservation, education and enjoyment. The five stamps in the set feature famous Botanic Gardens of Australia.

Hobart's Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens has historical plant collections, trees and convict-built walls all dating from the 19th century, and has the world's only Subantarctic Plant House.

The Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra, ACT maintains some 6,200 species, representing around a third of Australia's native plants from all parts of the country.

The Botanic Garden, Mount Tomah in New South Wales is set in the World Heritage-listed Greater Blue Mountains on the summit of a basalt-capped peak, 1000m above sea level. Its southern beeches from South America provide a spectacular autumnal colour display.

The Darwin Botanic Gardens in the Northern Territory has approximately 450 species of palms and all eight species of Adansonia or the Baobab tree.

The Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne, Victoria covers 363 hectares and includes heathlands, wetlands, woodlands, Australian flora, art and architecture.

Read More

Suncheon Bay Garden Expo 2013

 

Hi !

Here is a magnificent stamp issued by Korea to commemorate Suncheon Bay Garden Expo 2013. The stamp is just beautiful and  a wonderful stamp for themes on environment, Tourism and flower and Birds !!

The Suncheon Bay Garden Expo 2013, authorized by the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH), is being held in Suncheonman Bay from April 20, 2013.

The expo will be divided into three sections: the main expo site (564,000m²), featuring 10 country gardens and 60 themed gardens; the International Wetland Center (100,500m²), featuring an animal/plant exhibition hall, a theater, an ecology learning hall, and a wetland experience hall; and an arboretum (253,000m²). Connecting the main expo site and the wetland center will be a bridge, constructed using freight containers decorated with 160,000 artworks created by children from all over the world.

Read More….

Organized under the theme ‘Garden of the Earth,’ the Suncheon Bay Garden Expo 2013 is a global festival is being held for six months from April 20 to October 20, 2013 in Suncheon City of the Namdo region. Suncheonman (Suncheon Bay) is a coastal wetland registered on the Ramsar Convention. Korean photographers often select Suncheonman Bay as one of the best spots to watch sunsets in Korea.

Suncheon Bay

A place with never-ending field of reeds with hooded cranes roaming about, Suncheon Bay comprises one of the world’s top 5 coastal wetlands and is a rich ecological repository where 235 species of migratory birds and 120 species of plants inhabit.

The beautiful natural setting of Suncheon Bay will be the host site of “Suncheon Bay Garden Expo 2013″. Suncheon Bay Garden Expo 2013 will be held under the theme of “Suncheon Bay, the Garden of the Earth”, for 6 months from April 20, 2013 to October 20 around the Suncheon Bay.

For this Expo, 83 gardens will be created: “World Garden Zone” where visitors can appreciate various and unique garden cultures of various countries; 70 or so of “Participation Garden Zone” created by world famous garden designers and installation artists; “Oriental Herbs Experience Center”; “Kids’ Garden”; “International Wetland Zone”; and an “Arboretum Zone” where visitors can appreciate a Korean traditional garden and a Southern Forest Path. What makes the Expo more exciting is  the “Suncheon Lake Garden” created by the world-renowned gardener Charles Jencks; “The Dream Bridge”, a recycled container, designed by Kang Ik-jung, an installation artist, that displays 140,000 pictures drawn by children around the world about their future dreams; and PRT (Personal Rapid Transit), transportation that connects the Expo site with Suncheon Bay.

In hoping for the success of the Suncheon Bay Garden Expo 2013 which pursues environment-friendly values as shown by the recycling of the discarded trees, stones and containers, as well as the reed fences, compost manure made by worms, etc.,

Korean post has issued a postage stamp featuring a view of Suncheon Bay.

Read More

New Stamps on Flowers

 

Fresh Roses from Finland

Finnish {Post  issued a traditional Roses-stamp with a luscious rose and a fresh rosebud. Some water drops on the flowers bring the well-known fragrance on your mind.

Magnolias from Canada

Canada post issued a set of two stamps depicting "Yellow Bird" and "Eskimo" varieties of magnolia.

Named after French botanist Pierre Magnol, the Magnolia genus comprises more than 200 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae, part of the Magnoliaceae family. What’s truly fascinating about the magnolia is that it may be one of the oldest flowering plants on earth. Magnolia fossils believed to date back more than 20 million years have been found, and there is evidence that some plants of the Magnoliaceae family may have existed up to 95 million years ago.

Bright and saucy "Yellow Bird", so called for its sunny yellow colour, blooms in May, making it ideal for briefer Canadian summers. Closed, it’s reminiscent of a tulip waiting to bloom. "Eskimo", with its large cup flowers in white with a hint of lavender, is so hardy it can survive a mild frost.

Read More

La Florida – Feast of the Flowers

 

Hi ! 

Here is a wonderful set of stamps to be issued by USPS  featuring beautiful flowers. These stamps are just fantastic and appear as the real  flowers have been pasted   on these stamps, look so real and fresh !! The date  of the issue of these beautiful stamps is unknown. These will be issued sometime in mid 2013.

The U.S. Postal Service commemorates the 500th anniversary of the naming of Florida with the release of stamps that celebrate the state’s floral abundance. During the Easter season of 1513, Spanish explorers first visited the state we now know as Florida. They named the land "La Florida" for Pascua Florida ("Feast of the Flowers"), Spain’s Easter celebration, and for the verdant display of vegetation that they could see from their ship.

The four se tenant stamps contain a cascade of blossoms that evokes the feeling of a tropical garden. Each stamp shows a particular variety of flower: red and pink hibiscus; yellow cannas; morning glories in white, red, and shades of purple; and white and purple passionflowers. The stamp pane includes on the selvage an imagined scene of explorers traveling in a small boat along a river or channel surrounded by tropical foliage.

Flowers are a perennial favorite with collectors and the stamp-buying public, and La Florida’s exquisite blossoms will be an elegant addition to the U.S. Postal Service’s tradition of producing appealing and beautiful floral stamp art.

Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp, with floral art by Steve Buchanan. La Florida stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.

Source : Beyond the Perf

Read More

Flowers’ Clock on stamps…

 

Date of Issue : 25 January 2013

Hi !

Here is a wonderful issue of Flowers from  Romania Posta with Flowers’ Clock.The issue is very unique and a collectible item for flower lovers !!

Each stamp shows flower and its blooming time on the clock featured on the stamp. As we know that all flowers do not bloom at the same time !! What a great idea…. I just love this issue and would like to have in my collection !!

Have you ever taken into consideration that flowers do not all blossom at the same time? That there is a specific hour when each one reveals itself to the light, nature and peoples? With an interesting thematic approach, this year, Romfilatelia is offering a two-part postage stamps issue, Flowers' Clock. This issue, achieved in an original illustrative manner, combines the image of a flower with an exhibit from the Nicolae Simache Clock Museum in Ploiesti.

The postage stamp with the face value of 0.60 lei illustrates the Field Poppy (Papaver rhoeas) which blooming hour is 5 a.m.

On the postage stamp with the face value of 0.80 lei is illustrated the Common Chicory (Cichorium inthybus) which blooming hour is 6 a.m.

The postage stamp with the face value of 1.00 lei illustrates the Viper’s Grass (Scorzonera rosea) which blooming hour is 7 a.m.

The postage stamp with the face value of 1.60 lei illustrates the Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris), which blooming hour is 8 a.m.

The postage stamp with the face value of 2.40 lei illustrates the Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) which blooming hour is 9 a.m.

On the postage stamp with the face value of 5.00 lei is illustrated the Bird's-eye Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys) which blooming hour is 10 a.m.

Read More…

Club News

Grand Numismatic & Philatelic Exhibition will be held at Vellore (Tamilnadu)

Date : 8,9 &10 February 2013 ( Friday,Saturday and Sunday)

Place : Vellore.

venue: Town hall

For more details contact -

C.M.A.Tamilvanan[secretary]
Numismatic & Philatelic association of vellore fort
email: tamil_4442004@yahoo.co.in
http://numismaticphilavellore.site40.net/

Phone 09245591886

Read More

International Bouquet Competition..

 

Date of Issue : 16 January 2013

Hi

Here is a beautiful stamp issued by Monaco Post..The stamp features a magnificent bouquet – a wonderful stamp for flower lovers !!  The International Bouquet Competition never fails to amaze its many visitors with the quality of the floral designs in competition. Organized by the Garden Club de Monaco and chaired by H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover, the 46th competition will take place on the Casino terraces, Monaco, on 4 and 5 May 2013. The bouquet shown on the stamp won last year's prize in the "Mediterranean Garden" category.

INTERNATIONAL CAT EXHIBITION 2013

Date of Issue : 16 January 2013

The Turkish Angora featured on new Monaco stamp will be honoured at the next International Cat Exhibition. The event, organised by the "Fédération Féline de Monte-Carlo" in Auditorium Rainier III, gives the public an opportunity to admire the most beautiful cats of each breed.

Read More

New stamps from USA..

 

Date of Issue : 30 November 2012

The US Postal Service will issue a souvenir sheet on 30th November 2012  to commemorate Centennial of the birth of Lady Bird Johnson (1912-2007) and celebrates her commitment to projects to preserve and enhance  Natural Heritage of America.

The Lady Bird Johnson souvenir sheet features six stamps, a quote from the First Lady reflecting her belief that the environment is our common ground, and a black-and-white image of the First Lady taken from a family photograph shot in 1963 by Yoichi Okamoto. Text on the back of the stamp sheet highlights a few of Lady Bird Johnson’s many successes. The single stamp on the right side of the sheet features her official White House portrait, an oil painting by Elizabeth Shoumatoff showing the seated First Lady wearing an empire-waist gown of buttercup yellow.

The five stamps on the left, adaptations of stamps originally issued in the 1960s commemorate the visible legacy left by her projects — and to encourage others to follow.

The top stamp reads “Plant for more Beautiful Streets” and shows a row of blooming crab apple trees along a paved suburban road.

The second from the top offers the encouragement to “Plant for more Beautiful Parks,” with an image of a field of daffodils along the Potomac River with the Washington Monument in the background.

“Plant for a more Beautiful America,” the center stamp, depicts the Jefferson Memorial in the background seen through branches of flowering cherry blossoms.

The fourth stamp is a scene of yellow and blue wildflowers along a highway with the caption “Plant for more Beautiful Highways.”

The last stamp, which reads “Plant for more Beautiful Cities,” shows plantings of pink and red azaleas and white tulips with the U.S. Capitol in the distance.

The original engraved stamps featuring art by Walter D. Richards (four stamps, issued in 1969) and Gyo Fujikawa (center stamp, issued in 1966) have been adapted for printing in offset lithography by artist Paloma Alcalá of Alexandria, VA.

 

 

 

Happy New Year 2013 stamps from France

The French Post has issued a set of colorful and joyous self-adhesive stamps containing New Year 2013 greetings. These stamps will become a good addition to the Christmas and New Year's cards sent on holiday eve.

Read More

Cherries on Stamps..

 

Croatian post Ltd. Mostar has issued two commemorative postage stamps featuring Cherry  (Prunus avium). Cherry is the fruit which  is loved and cherished  by one and all.

Cherry is known since the Bronze Age, and today is spread around the world in many varieties and variations. It blooms in early spring, at the same time as the new leaves. The fruits are developed from the white group of flowers that have long stems. It's sweet with pleasant aroma with a distinctive hard-shelled stone in the middle.

A number of medical properties were attributed to the cherry fruits, which until recently was considered a folk medicine. However, recent studies gave a scientific basis and confirmed curative properties of the cherry. They are a good source of vitamins, and the presence of antioxidants and other useful ingredients makes them extremely healthy fruit.

They help in cancer prevention, in hearth disease prevention; they relive pain caused by arthritis and gout, headache, alleviating symptoms associated with the diffuse disorder. Cherries help that our body produces melatonin in a safe and healthy way, and enhance the physiological and mental functions. Fresh cherries are good for reduction of physical and mental exhaustion and sour cherries improve mood.

Club News

Dear Friend,

The “Year Book of Indian Philately” is considered as a necessary reference book among the Indian Philatelic Literature, a contemporary guide for the philatelists interested in Indian philately, and a “must” addition to the library of every philatelist interested in any aspect of Philately. It has won a medal at every exhibition / competition, it has participated in so far. The latest being a Silver Medal at the IPHLA 2012, an International Philatelic Literature Exhibition held at Mainz, Germany, early November 2012.

As a philately friendly endeavor, we have designed an offer for the philatelist friends who have a wish to have various editions / issues of the Year Book of Indian Philately in their library. The offer is designed in a way that you will not be able to resist this offer.

We have prepared a limited number of sets of the Year Book, consisting the 2009, 2010 & 2011 editions. These sets are on offer for the desiring philatelists at a very reasonable and attractive price tag. Against the combined cover price of Rs 600/- plus packing and postage for the set, we are offering the set @ Rs 450/- per set and as a bonus, registered postage to anywhere in India will be paid by us for this offer.

This is a short time offer and will be executed on “ First Come First Served” basis for first 25 orders only.

Please rush your orders if interested. Remit your amount by Money Order to the following address :

MADAN MIDDHA, EDITOR,

Saket Vihar, Phalka Bazar, Gwalior 474 001

The Year Book set will be dispatched to you immediately after receipt of your remittance, by Registered Post.

Thanx. Wish to hear from you, soon.

Madan Middha, Editor.

Read More

New stamps from Poland

 

CITY - GARDENS IN POLAND

Date of Issue : 31 October 2012 

 

 

PEOPLE OF CINEMAS AND THEATER

Date of Issue : 31 October 2012

Read More

Language of Flowers….

 

Greeting stamps from Taiwan

Date of Issue  : 28 September 2012

Hi !

Here are some beautiful Greeting stamps to be issued by Taiwan Post on 27 September 2012. Each flower has its own meaning…. A wonderful set of stamps to send greetings to your dear ones…This set will be liked by all those who love flowers….There are two sets in different denominations with same Flowers but the background color  is different !!

This is all for Today……Have a Nice Day !!

To provide more custom design options, Chunghwa Post is issuing a second set of ten stamps featuring the "language of flowers". This series is a follow-up to the "Personal Greeting Stamps – Travel in Taiwan," issued on September 27, 2011. All ten stamps come in denominations of NT$3.50 and NT$5.00; the different denominations are distinguished by different background colors. The designs follow:

1. Cotton rose: daintiness. Comely and graceful, cotton roses always manage to stand out in a sea of flowers. They are often used to describe ladies of extraordinary beauty. 

2. Bird-of-Paradise: passion. It is known for its distinguished, moon-gazing crane shape. The colors are a bright, flaming red. Bird-of-paradise also represents freedom, fulfillment and bliss.

3. Clary sage: respect. Clary sage comes in pink and bluish purple. It represents longevity and defense against bad fortunes.

4. Dancing lady orchid: gentleness. Dancing lady orchid inspires an impression of dancing butterflies. Small, dainty yellow blossoms hang around the stalks like tiny bells.

5. Zinnia: everlastingness : Zinnia is known for its long flowering period. When in full bloom, the flowers seem to tower one another. It therefore also represents elevation in status.

6. Tagetes erecta: health : The petals are full and bright, with a relatively long flowering period. As a flower species, Tagetes erecta is popular for its vitality.

7. Chinese hibiscus: grace : The blossoms are flamboyant and pleasing to the eye. Chinese hibiscus also represents new love.

8. Fragrant olive: humility : The blossoms are exquisite and sweet with fragrance. Its Chinese moniker, "Gui," is also homonymous with the Chinese word, "value." The flower therefore is seen as a symbol of status and prosperity.

9. Flowering crab apple: warmth. The flower blooms in spring, and brings with it the welcoming warmth of the season. Known for its magic spell, crab apple is also lovingly called, "understand me."

10. Hydrangea: hope : Hydrangea flowers thrive in the warmth of spring. They are the vanguard of a new season.

Read More

Endangered Flora - Fauna of Japan..

 

Wild Fauna and Flora of Japan

The Japanese Post issued a set of stamps dedicated to the theme "Living in harmony with nature". This set is dedicated to the endangered representatives of wild fauna and flora of Japan – Tokyo shrew, Golden eagle, Safflower mountain peony, Killifish and Horseshoe crab.

Tokyo shrew is one of the world's smallest mammal having size 45mm, weight 1.5g and living only in eastern Hokkaido. The Ministry of the Environment entered the Tokyo shrew in the list of wild animals in class II of extinction danger.

Golden eagle is a large eagle that inhabits the mountains from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Its population is about 650 feathers, but keeps on decreasing because of the entry of people into their land and breeding habitat. In the Red List of the Ministry of the Environment, they are classified as "highly endangered species II".

Safflower mountain peony is a plant growing in Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. It has a pink flower and a stem of 30-40 cm. The main factors of its reduction are transition of vegetation and deforestation. In the Red List of the Ministry of the Environment, it has been classified as "endangered species II."

 Killifish is a freshwater fish distributed in various parts of Japan except Hokkaido. The development of paddy fields has declined significantly its habitat. In the Red List of the Ministry of the Environment it has been classified as "endangered species II."

Horseshoe crab was once widely distributed in the Seto Inland Sea and the coast of northern Kyushu, but began losing its habitat due to coastal alteration. In the Red List of the Ministry of the Environment has been classified as "endangered species I" that is in danger of extinction.

Read More

Extraordinary stamps from Netherlands…

 

'Live the Seasons'

 

  Date of Issue – 17 July 2012

With this issue, PostNL gives attention to the 20th anniversary of the popular Seasons magazine. The magazine focuses on readers who like the outdoors.

The stamps portray images of flowers, leaves and fruit, photographed in different seasons. Every stamp has a special code that can be scanned with the corresponding app on a smartphone, after which all information pertaining to activities involving the Seasons anniversary are displayed. The app can be downloaded free of charge at www.postnl.nl/apps.

Flowers and plants of the season

The style of the magazine is recognisable in the design of the stamps. Seasons Art Director, Bianca van der Veer: ’I felt that being permitted to design a stamp was a present. It crowns our work and we are honoured to do it. Because Seasons is a real seasonal magazine, we have opted for flowers and plants as a symbol for the change in seasons. In the final selection and sequence we let ourselves be guided not only by the quality and colours of the image, but also by the total picture. At Seasons the image comes in first place, graphical design and typography must support and reinforce. “Less is more” is always our guideline in this matter.’

Availability

The stamps are available  at the Bruna shops, at Collect Club in Groningen and online via www.postnl.nl/collectclub. The stamps have an indefinite term of validity. In addition to the stamp sheet featuring ten different stamps, two stamp booklets and two first day covers* will also be available.

About Seasons
Seasons is a very highly acclaimed outdoor lifestyle magazine which is published 8 times a year. Every issue has 200 pages, including 64 pages reserved for a supplement covering a different subject every issue (e.g. Festival, France, Cooking & Eating, Islands and much more). Seasons is about authenticity, aims to inspire, provides a diverse assortment of unique subjects and allows readers to enjoy the wonderful aspects of pure life. The magazine follows the seasons, opens doors that would otherwise stay shut and is devoted to rest and space. Important topics Seasons covers include outdoor life, culinary items, living and travel.

Read More

Fruits on Stamps…

 

  

Date of Issue : 9 May 2012

Hi ! Here are two beautiful stamps issued by Magyar Posta. The stamps feature two new types of fruits, the Pándy sour cherry and the Kécske rose apricot. The most significant feature of this issue is its beautiful cancellation which has been designed in the form of a fruit  basket. The stamps are brightly colored and look just magnificent in this hot summer season !! The stamps are sure to be liked by all collectors !!

Pándy sour cherry

According to some sources this is among the varieties of sour cherry cultivated in the Carpathian Basin. The repute of Hungarian sour cherries is based on this variety. The fruit, which is large or very large (6 to 8 g) with an average diameter of 21 to 24 mm, ripens in the last ten days of June. The shape of the cherry is slightly flattened. Its deep red skin is medium thick. The dark red, medium hard flesh has a distinctive sour and sweet, pleasingly harmonious taste. Its stalk has medium length or long stipules that detach from the fruit dry when ripe, thus it can also be machine harvested. Its exceptionally good taste means it is worth cultivating and makes it sought after in domestic and foreign markets.

Kécske rose apricot

Its base colour is a light ochreous orange flushed with carmine on the back and sunny side. The flesh of this freestone apricot is dark orange, fibrous and succulent. It has a sweet, quintessential apricot aroma, and its skin is slightly tart.  Its leaves on the same tree vary from heart shaped to roundish. Its crown has weak or medium growth and is flattened. It is frost, disease and pest resistant.

 

source :

Read More