Cover from Poland

On the 17-th of March after 8 days of travelling I got this nice cover. As always, detailed description is coming. I just tell that this EuroSai stamp is devoted to the Congress of European Organization of Supreme Audit Institution.
Dziekuje, Andrzej!

Cover from Spain

On the 18-th of March after 9 days of travelling I got this cover via stamps trag from postcrossing forum.
The stamp with a region outline and a flag on it is one from the seria of Autonomous Communities (regional governments) of Spain. The region is called Andalucia


Andalucía was also one of the first to be granted the Statute of Autonomy in 1981. The colours of its banner, white and green evoke the colours of the Andalusian landscape and symbolise the hope in the future and peace. The coat of arms depicts the figure of Hercules holding two lions between columns.

Thank you, Anna!

Cover from Czech Republic

On the 16-th of March after 11 days of travelling I got this letter with just amazing souvenir sheet on it. You can learn more about it here:

The common Czech and Austrian issue commemorates two significant philatelic events - the World Stamp Exhibition PRAGA 2008 which will be held on September 12-14, 2008 under the auspices of the International Philatelic Federation FIP and the subsequent International Stamp Exhibition WIPA 2008 which will be held on September 18-21, 2008 in Vienna. The theme of the common issue is the 1750 Vienna-Brno Express Mail. The miniature sheet features a free motif of a picture card published by the Association of Postal Officers in Vienna in the early 20th century; the card was used and mailed from Vienna to Prague on 23.12.1914. Presently it is part of the collections of the Postal Museum in Prague. The picture on the card features a reproduction of a painting signed by K. Schnorpfeil with an express mail carriage drawn by a team of four horses. In 1750 the ordinary mail carriages, or diligences, travelled between Vienna and Brno according to regular time schedules. The first test journey on this route was made in 1749 by the author of the project, Baron Lillien. If necessary, the travellers could pay also for an extraordinary express journey of the mail carriage according to their own demand. The price for the journey was set according to the distance, number of horses, relay stations, etc.; the service was therefore very expensive and used only in extraordinary events by rich travellers. In most cases the carriages were drawn by a team of four, but if necessary also six or eight, horses. The prescribed postilion uniform consisted of a red coat with blue facing, horn and top boots.

Thank you so much, Milan!

Cover from Austria

Josef Hoffmann was born on 15.12.1870 in Brtnice, in what is today the Czech Republic, and attended the Higher State Craft School in Brno. After one year working in the building industry he began his studies at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts under Carl Freiherr von Hasenauer and Otto Wagner. In 1897 Hoffmann and a number of like-minded artists formed the Sezession, an association of artists.
On the 13-th of March after 7 days of travelling (so fast! it really surprised me a lot!) I got this amazing cover from Austria. The sheet is covered with real gold! Viellen Danke, Florian!

US cover

description is coming

On the 11-th of March after 11 days of travelling I recieved this nice cover from the USA, representing modern art. I'll post the description later as soon as I get it. Thank you, Tom!

New Russian mini-sheet

Alexander Stepanovich Popov (1859-1906) is the Great Russian physicist and electrical engineer, inventor of electric communication without wires. The well-known device of Popov has resulted from educational demonstration of experiences of Hertz where the device for reception of electromagnetic fluctuations of Hertz served as the transmitter. Then the scientist improved mechanism of reception-transfer of electromagnetic waves on distance, applied in the receiver as an element sensitive to waves known as coherer. Having found out that the receiver reacts to lightning discharges on considerable distances, Popov created storm indicator which was also the first-ever reception radio station. During further tests on Baltiyskoe and Black seas has been revealed possibility to accept signals not only on telegraph, but also on hearing. So telephone receiver with a tube came to life. A.S. Popov's merits were awarded by Russian technical society in 1898 with money bonus, and also with honorable diploma and gold medal on 4th World electrotechnical congress in Paris in 1900. Souvenir sheet represents A.S. Popov's portrait, telephone receiver, for which inventor was awarded with a gold medal in Paris, and also its scheme. Illustrative material is given by the St.-Petersburg state electrotechnical university "LETI" and the Russian scientific and technical society of radio engineering, electronics and communication n.a. A.S. Popov

On the March 16-th Russian post is issueing this nice souvenir sheet devoted to the 150th anniversary of birth A.S.Popov (1859-1906), physicist and electrical engineer, inventor of electric communication without wires. The history of radio creation is rather complicated.  In some countries Italian engineer Gulelmo Marconi was considered as the founder of the first successful system of information interchange. However Marconi, as well as at the majority of authors of large inventions, had predecessors. In Russia A.S. Popov who created the practical radioreceiver in 1885 is considered as the inventor of radio. In the USA it is considered that N. Tesla is the inventor, who patented the radio transmitter and the receiver in 1895.

New Russian stamp

Gagarin Yury Alekseevich (1934 - 1968) is the Soviet space pilot. Gagarin became the first-ever person who made flight into space on the space ship-companion "East" on April, 12th, 1961. Gagarin flew around globe during 1 hour and 48 minutes and safely returned on the earth. Y.A.Gagarin's name carries Gagarin city (former Gzhatsk), crater on the Moon underside, asteroid № 1772, gold medal FAI (it is awarded since 1968), square in Moscow. In many cities there are streets, prospectuses, squares, parkways, parks, clubs and schools n.a. Gagarin. Stamp represents earlier not published photo of Jury Alekseevich made on April, 12th, 1961 right after landing of the ship “East”. The photographer is V. Smirnov.

On the 6-th of March Russian post issued a new stamp devoted to the 75-th anniversary of Yury Gagarin's birth. I don't think that there is a need to introduce him. He ws a grwat man, unfortunately died so young! Hopefuly next time I'm visiting the stamp shop, I'll buy this one.

Description is coming

On the 9-th of March after 10 days of travelling I recieved this nice cover from Nowy Sacz - Poland. It's devoted to the 100-th anniversary of the Lodz Sport Club foundation. It wll take its very own place in my collection as I'm fond of sport stamps! Dziekuje, Andrzej!

Cover from Estonia

The stamp represents the Gold Breast Star of the Order of the National Coat of Arms. The order was instituted in 1936 in commemoration of the proclamation Estonian independence, 24 February 1918. The Order of the National Coat of Arms is awarded only to citizens of Estonia as the highest award for services to the country.

Like the Republic of Estonia, also Eesti Post (Estonian Post) marks its 90th anniversary this year. On 13 November 1918 Col. Johan Unt, Commander of the Defence League, issued an order to appoint Hindrek Rikand as commandant of the Tallinn Post and Telegraph Office. The Estonian postal authority regards that date as the day of its founding, The first postage stamps in the so-called flower design and with a face value of 5 kopecks were put on sale on 22 November 1918. They were printed at the Bölau printing house in Nõmme, today a borough of Tallinn. Dissolved by the Soviets in 1940, Eesti Post was re-established on 1 June 1991. The main operation of AS Eesti Post, a fully state-owned company, is provision of universal postal services. Since 1994 AS Eesti Post is a member of PostEurop and the Baltic Postal Union. Eesti Post became member in the Universal Postal Union in 1922, and its membership status was restored in 1992. Through time, Eesti Post has had seven leaders – two before World War II and five after the country restored its independence. Eesti Post has about 4,000 employees.

On the 5-th of March after 10 days of travelling I got this nice cover from Tallinn - the capital of Estonia. I esp like the stamp with the highest state award! It's wonderful, isn't it? Thank you, Hannes!

Some Russian europa stamps

These are some Russian europa cept stamps I bought in Moscow last autumn.


1) 2002. Circus.
The stamp features various amusements in the circus, such as jugglery, animal training, air acrobatics and clownery.

2) 2003. Poster art. "A first step for a cookie"
People know poster art from time immemorial. It was widely used in Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome for information about performances and commercial transactions. Illustrative posters appeared in 1830 and were black-and-white at first. Posters turned over a new leaf only in the late 19th century. Actually, it was in this period that the word "poster" occured. The Russian word "плакат (plakat)" is the analog of the German "das plakat". In France the word "affish" word has become naturalized, in England and the USA the word "poster" is used, which is derived from the word "post". They say that in these countries such sheets were posted up near populous post stations. The stamp features a poster by an unknown painter created in Russia in the early 20th century.

3) 2005. Gastronomy
“Bread and salt!” – guests are welcomed in Russia with these words for centuries. Both in old times and nowadays various delicious are put on the table and pancakes with caviar have been commonly served to feasts for many centuries.

Card from Latvia

On the 24-th of February after 8 days of travelling I recieved this card via postcrossing. It shows a minibus Zimgale which was famoused during the soviet time. You can still meet some of them here in Russia.
Unfortunately I didn't find any discription of the stamps. So I try to do it by myself.
Well there is one of Europa stamps (yay! another one). As I can remember in 1995 the topic was "famous women", so she is one of them.
On another stamp you can see the Latvian national symbils: the countour of the country, the colours of its flag and the arms.
Thank you very much Guntra for that selection!

Cover from Czech Republic

Still life with grape, glass of red wine and flowers, decorated in the right-hand border with drawing of the twig with three ripe peaches


On the 2-nd of March after 11 days of travelling I got this nice cover sent from Kromeriz, Czech Republic. With the Olympic stamp I'll continue to grow my Olympic collection. And this vine stamp is just amazing, celebrating the nice drink - red vine. Thank you, Milan!

Cover from Italy

I got this cover on the 22-nd of February after 13 days of travelling.  It's devoted to the World Stamp Exhibition which took place in Rome in 1985. You can also see nice barocco style buildings on it. Thank you, Lamberto! 

Сover from Romania

Nuclearelectrica is an active member of the specialized international organizations, as WANO-Atlanta Center (World Association of Nuclear Operators), COG (The CANDU Owners Group), World Nuclear Association (WNA) as well as Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).
The Company has developed efficient long time partnerships inside the AIEAEuropean programs of regional cooperation and it is also a member of FORATOM Group.
Today the science people and the economic and industrial agents from all over the world are concerned to contribute to solving – in the best interest of each nation and also of the entire humanity – the problem of safety guarantee in power supplying, with a minimum impact on the environment and with a low cost.
Considering this world context, the nuclear energy prefigures to be an essential element of the energetic mix which will guarantee the present and future demands of the humanity for power.

The art of pottery is one of the oldest in the world.
Even since ancient times, it has epitomized all the things related to the spiritual life.
Along the years, the art of pottery has developed itself in the societies which had a sacred image of the world and has been transmitted from generation to generation for thousands of years.
In Romania, the art of pottery dates from around VI millenium B.C.
Through their shape, size, decorative designs and chromatics, the pitchers express the potter´s technical resourcefulness and their inspiration, as they have adjusted the Greek-Roman influences and, later on, those of the migratory populations, maintaining nevertheless the specific features of the Romanian cultural space.
The used symbols are the solar ones, as the head of the ram or the winged horse, while the snake is portrayed as a spiral, this shape being the symbol of cosmical positive evolution.
The pots have accompanied the human communities along the milleniums and they have always been part of all the spiritual manifestations specific to the Romanian people.
Pottery represents, on the whole, through its shapes and symbols, an openning and a spiritual invitation towards the mystical spheres of the ancestral culture.
The stamp with face value of RON 0.30 represents ceramics items from Leheceni, Bihor.

On the 27-th of February after 9 days of travelling I recieved this cover on the envelope with a card via postcrossing project. I found very informative and nice descriptions of the stamps on romanian philatelic site.

A short break

I was visiting my grandfather for his 80-th jubillee, so there was a short break in my posts. From now I'm in Astrakhan again and new posts are coming.