New special cover on Mahatma Gandhi

 

A National stamp exhibition INDIA AHIMSAPEX – 2014, organized by Lucknow Philatelic Society . started in Lucknow today, The exhibition will be held from 30th September to 2nd October 2014.  

This One Frame Thematic Philatelic Exhibition 'India Ahimsapex-2014' on Rashtrapita Mahatma Gandhi and Freedom fighters of India has been organized with the help of India Post, U. P. Postal Circle  at U. P. Rajkiya Abhilekhagar, B-44, Mahanagar, Near Kapoorthala, Lucknow .

The exhibition was inaugurated by Shri M.E. Haque, Chief Postmaster General, U. P. Postal Circle on 30th September 2014. On the occasion a Special Cover on Mahatma Gandhi and a set of four booklets on Mahatma Gandhi & Homi Bhabha, Mahatma Gandhi & E. V. Ramasamy, Mahatma Gandhi & Satyajit Ray and Mahatma Gandhi & Indira Gandhi were also released by Shri M.E. Haque, Chief Postmaster General, U. P. Postal Circle jointly with Shri Vivek Kumar Daksh, Director Postal Services (HQ), Shri Dhananjay Desai, Jury Member, Shri Prashant Pandya, Jury Member, Shri Dinesh Sharma, Apprentice Jury Member, Col. R. K. Singh, D. R. Singh and Navin Singh of Lucknow Philatelic Society. 150 One Frame Exhibits on Mahatma Gandhi and Freedom Fighters of India have been displayed . 15 Stamps dealers also participated in the exhibition.

Courtesy : Prashant Pandya

 

: Sandeep Chaurasia  from Lucknow

Hong Kong, China Malaysia Joint Issue …

 

Local Food

Date of Issue : 9 October 2014

Hong Kong is a renowned international food capital, whereas Malaysia is a popular destination for foodies as a multicultural gourmet hub. Tourists are drawn to both places for their unique gastronomical landscapes. This joint issue features authentic local food of Malaysia and Hong Kong and celebrates the distinctive culinary cultures of these Asian neighbours.

 

Hongkong Post announced that a set of special stamps entitled “Hong Kong, China – Malaysia Joint Issue on Local Food” will be launched on October 9. The stamp issue consists of four stamps that depict local dishes of both countries.

As the Chinese saying goes, food is of paramount importance to all of us. By learning more about the food culture of a country, we can gain an appreciation of the customs and traditions of the local people. For Hong Kong’s 13th joint issue with other postal administrations, Hongkong Post and Pos Malaysia are jointly issuing a set of four stamps on local food that can be found in the two places.

These stamps showcase the unique local culinary delights that reflect the distinctive cuisines and food tastes of these two Asian neighbors, including the egg waffle and Poon Choi in Hong Kong and Nasi Lemak and satay in Malaysia. The stamps are adorned with images of the bauhinia and the hibiscus (Bunga Raya), the floral emblems of Hong Kong and Malaysia respectively, on an ink-splash background.

Club News

Chamundipex 2014, Mysore : 24th - 26th September 2014.

Chamundipex 2014, South Karnataka Regional Level Philatelic Exhibition was held from 24th - 26th September 2014 at Auditorium of Postal Training Centre, Nazarbad, Mysore.

On 24th September two special covers were released. One Cover was on Royal Durbar of Srikanatadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar at Amba Vilas (Mysore Palace), 1953-2013. The cover was released by Her Highness Pramoda Devi Wadiyar. Sri M. S. Ramanujam, Chief Postmaster General. Karnataka Circle, Bangalore presided over the function.

Second Cover was issued on 75 years of Bewoor Building (Mysore Head Post Office). The two floor heritage building has been named after Gurunath Venkatesha Bewoor, who was the first Director-General of Post and Telegraph Department in 1934.

 

A set of 10 Picture Postcards depicting the rich Heritage of Mysore was also released on 24th September 2014 by the President of Mysore Philatelists’ Association Shri Dwarkanath. The photos depict the front and back of the folder of the Mysore Heritage set of 10 postcards pack.

On 25th September 2014, two Special Covers were released. One cover was on 100 years of Karanji Mansion (Postal Training Center Building).

 

Second cover was issued on Vajra Mushti Kalaga (Special event of Mysore Dasara). Vajra Musti ("thunder fist" or "diamond fist") refers to a knuckleduster-like weapon and also a form of Indian wrestling in which the weapon is employed.

On 26th September 2014, two Special Covers were released. One cover was on Silver Jubilee Celebration of Adithya Institute of Management & Information.

Second cover was issued on 10 Years of Bombe Mane. Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, founded in 1995 C.E. by Sri D. Ram Singh.

Courtesy : Indian Philately Digest

Unique Conservation stamps with a twist from New Zealand

 

Date of Issue : 3 September 2014

Hi !

I am  sharing here new unique stamps on endangered Sea birds, issued by New Zealand Post. Our distinguished Reader Corinne Pegler from New Zealand shares here  information about these  stamps. Thank you very much Corinne for the information . Each of the five stamps features an image of the endangered bird with a smaller silhouette printed in thermo chromic ink. If you warm up face of the stamp (with your finger, for example), the birds turn translucent and disappear, mimicking the decline of the populations of these creatures.

New Zealand’s unique marine environment is home to a diverse range of seabirds, giving New Zealand the title of ‘seabird capital of the world’. Five of our most endangered seabirds are featured on this unique stamp issue that uses thermo chromic ink to reflect the disappearing nature of these precious birds.

Of the approximately 10,000 known species of birds, seabirds only make up a very small fraction with just approximately 360 in the world. Seabirds are classified as birds that almost exclusively feed on food from the ocean, and while some thrive in New Zealand with populations in the high thousands (if not millions), other birds are not so lucky.

Featured in this special conservation issue are five breeds of seabirds found in New Zealand – the Antipodean Albatross, the New Zealand Fairy Tern, the Chatham Island Shag, the Black-billed Gull and the Chatham Island Taiko. All five species are considered ‘nationally critical’. According to the Department of Conservation, this means that there are either less than 250 mature breeding pairs or there has been more than a 70% decline in their population over ten years or three generations (whichever is longer).

Threats to these species and other endangered seabirds include introduced predators, modification of seabird breeding habits and marine pollutants that enter the marine environment.

 

 

Endangered Seabirds

  80c – Antipodean Albatross

The Antipodean albatross is a large albatross that breeds almost exclusively on the Auckland and Antipodes Islands. They are masters of low-energy flying and forage over the contintental shelf edge and deep water areas.

$1.40 – New Zealand Fairy Tern

The New Zealand Fairy Tern is the most threatened of New Zealand’s birds. Its tiny population of around 50 birds is seriously threatened by introduced predators, human disturbance, habitat loss and coastal development.

$2.00 – Chatham Island Shag

Restricted to the Chatham Islands as their name suggests, this large black and white shag, is a conspicuous bird along the rocky coastlines. Colonies and roost sites are located on rocky headlands and islets and there is one colony in the Te Whanga Lagoon.

$2.50 – Black-Billed Gull

Black-billed Gulls are strongly colonial and breed predominantly on braided rivers from the coast to the headwaters. The species is found throughout New Zealand but is most common east of the southern divide in the South Island and in Southland.

$3.00 – Chatham Island Taiko

One of the world’s rarest seabirds, the Chatham Island Taiko’s population is estimated at less than 200. The only known breeding site is at the southern end of main Chatham Island. The bird was known from only one specimen captured at sea in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean in 1867.

Club News

New pictorial cancellation from Germany

On October third 2014 a new pictorial cancellation will be issued in 65549 LIMBURG. The cancellation is featuring a Sea trout(Salmo trutta). Interested philatelists may please contact:
Wolfgang Beyer, Vice Chairman of the German Philatelic Collector Group ARGE ZOOLOGIE.
Mail: Wolfgang.beyer1@aol.de . Postage rates: 0,75 Euro AIRMAIL, 2,90 Euro Registered AIRMAIL.

Courtesy : Wolfgang Beyer & Wolfgang Hoelzl.

THÜBRIA 2014

A philatelic exhibition will be held  from October 3rd to October 5th 2014  in Greiz, a small town in Germany (Thuringia). The chairman of the exhibition is Mr. Lothar Fritz, chairman of the German Collector Group from the  town  of Greiz . More as 70 exhibits in more as 400 frames will be shown from exhibitors of Germany and other countries from Europe. During THÜBRIA will be held a meeting and a special show with exhibits of the German Collector Group ArGe BRAZIL(collectors of brazilian philately),a meeting of the German Collector Group ArGe Hungary (collectors of hungarian philately) and a meeting of the German Collector Group ArGe Czechoslovakia (collectors of chzechoslovakian philately).

Mr. Wolfgang Beyer as Vice Chairman of the German Collector Group ArGe Zoologie (collectors of philatelic items about animals) and contributor of Rainbow Stamp Club will  show a presentation
of Indian Philately with books (from Mr. Madan Middha and Mr. Abhai Mishra ),modern stamps  and miniature sheets from India,Customized sheetlets ,special covers and Meghdoot postcards.

SERBIA ISSUES A COMMEMORATIVE STAMP WITH A DRAWING BY AN INDIAN CHILD

 

Date of Issue : 2 September 2014

 

Serbian Post has recently issued a commemorative stamp showing a drawing of a tiger drawn by an Indian Child named K. Banuchander, 10 years old. The drawing bears the title " Joy of Europe". Serbia (a part of former Jugoslavia ) issues every year two stamps with the caption " Joy of Europe". 

INDIA's K. BANUCHANDER DEPICTS  "JOY OF EUROPE" STAMP

Since 1969, each year a children's meeting called "Joy of Europe" is held in Yugoslavia and after the partition of this nation, now in Serbia. This meeting of children between 7 and 15 years promoting friendship through various creative activities as a symbol of United Children's World represents a constant cultural background. On every 2nd to 5th October the authentic children's creativity demonstrated in close contact with the citizens of Belgrade. It organizes the children art competition for the last 40 years. The
works of the most talented children from all over the world find place on the stamps, special commemorative envelopes with first day cancellation This year Master K. Banuchander's picture depicting the tiger has been selected as the winner. Another Indian boy Master Sandeep Kumar, of 18 years has offered the vignette for the special cover, other motives on the envelopes are from Andrea Tomovic from Serbia, Mateusz Prewdzing from Poland, Matilda Milisavljevic from Serbia and Krutarth Shah (6 year!) from India. 

--- Avinash B. Jagtap, Binningen - Switzerland

Club News

New Special Cover at Bikaner on 26th September

- Sudhir Jain

A new special cover is was issued at Bikaner (Rajasthan) on 26th Sept. 2014 on an ancient Jain Temple of 5th Tirthankar Sumatinath JI. Temple is famous as Bhandasar Jain Mandir. India Post also issued a special cancellation on this cover.

New stamps from Hungary

 

HUNGARIAN OLD - TIMER MOTORCYCLES

Date of issue: 09 September 2014

Magyar Posta issued a special miniature sheet stamp entitled “Hungarian old-timer motorcycles”. The sheet contains twelve stamps depicting historical motorcycles. It was released on the 9^th of September.

 

On each denomination of the miniature sheet containing twelve stamp designs a vehicle is shown from the Maróti Motorcycle collection, and the background design is decorated with a montage of contemporary photographs ad newspaper articles. On the special envelope the picture of a letter-collecting motor-tricycle can be seen, which was built on the basis of the plans of János Csonka and belongs to the collection of the Postal Museum. The special postage stamp shows a stylised motorcycle wheel with spokes and a valve, where the tyre is formed by words. The special feature of the miniature sheet is that for the first time in the history of issuing Hungarian stamps, the offset printing method was supplemented with so-called 3D UV varnishing, as a result of which the surface of the motorcycles slightly stands out of the plane of the paper sheet and has a unique glitter.

 

 

THE FAUNA OF HUNGARY – INSECTS

Date of Issue 9 September 2014

Magyar Posta  issued  new stamps on insects .The stamps feature well-known and less well-known insects : the Green Hawker is shown on a numbered stamp block, while the Dendroleon pantherinus, the mantidfly, the Carabus auronitens and the Stilbium cyanurum are shown on the denominations of a set of stamps. In the case of the last two denominations the offset printing method was supplemented with so-called diffraction film printing, as a result of which the insects shown on the stamps are shiny like real insects.

New stamps from UNPA – Education & Happiness

 

Hi !

Here are some new stamps from UNPA . The themes of these stamps are Education and Happiness. The stamps on Education  were released on 18th September. Another set  on Happiness was released in March this year. I just missed to write about this beautiful set . It is a set of six stamps with smiling images. It really makes us smile !!

Education First !

Date of Issue : 18 September 2014

United Nations Postal Service issued a series of stamps with a motif “Education first”. The issue consists of tree stamps and three souvenir sheets that were released and put into circulation on the 18th of September.

The United Nations Secretary-General launched the Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) in September 2012 to spur renewed efforts to reach global education goals.

The Initiative focuses on three priorities:

First, putting every child in school. The global community pledged to achieve universal primary education by 2015. We need to make all the necessary investments to ensure that every child has equal access to schooling.

Second, improving the quality of learning. Access to education is critical. But it is not enough. We must make sure that people acquire relevant skills to participate successfully in today’s knowledge-based society.

Third, fostering global citizenship. Education is much more than an entry to the job market. It has the power to shape a sustainable future and better world. Education policies should promote peace, mutual respect and environmental care.

International Day of Happiness

On 17 March 2014, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA)  issued a set of 6 stamps on the theme “International Day of Happiness”.

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 20 March as the International Day of Happiness. It is a movement to promote happiness as a universal goal and aspiration in the lives of human beings around the world.

“The pursuit of happiness lies at the core of human endeavours. People around the world aspire to lead happy and fulfilling lives free from fear and want, and in harmony with nature.”

“Let us reinforce our commitment to inclusive and sustainable human development and renew our pledge to help others. When we contribute to the common good, we ourselves are enriched. Compassion promotes happiness and will help build the future we want.” - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

 

Happiness

Date of Issue : 17 March 2014

 

Club News

New Special Cover at Bikaner on 26th September

- Sudhir Jain

A new special cover is being issued at Bikaner (Raj.) on 26th Sept. 2014 on an ancient Jain Temple of 5th Tirthankar Sumatinath JI. Temple is famous as Bhandasar Jain Mandir. India Post will issue a special cancellation on this cover.

50th anniversary of Shinkansen - high-speed railway line of Japan

 

 

Date of Issue – 1 October 2014

50^th anniversary of Shinkansen – High Speed Railway Line of Japan

Japan Post has prepared for issuing a new commemorative stamp to mark the 50^th anniversary of Shinkansen. The stamp has been already designed and will be released on the 1^stof October. The stamp will be presented at special celebration on this occasion.

The Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train line is set to mark its 50th anniversary in October, having carried more than 5.5 billion passengers since its 1964 debut.

The project to build the shinkansen line started in April 1959, amid Japan’s postwar high-growth period, and was completed in just over five years. It went smoothly thanks to a “Dangan Ressha (bullet train)” project before the start of the Pacific War to connect Tokyo and Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, over a distance of 970 kilometers within nine hours.

Although the Dangan project was suspended during the war, land lots acquired for it and completed tunnels helped facilitate the shinkansen project.

The shinkansen began operating between Tokyo and Osaka on Oct. 1, 1964, nine days before the start of the Summer Olympic Games in the nation’s capital. It drastically improved the transportation capacity of the Tokaido line, which was nearing its limit, and carried more than 100 million people within the first three years of service.

Prompting the movement of people, goods and capital, the shinkansen served as the locomotive of Japan’s economic growth from the 1960s. When the World Exposition was held in Osaka in 1970, some 10 million of 60 million visitors reportedly used the shinkansen.

The shinkansen not only became the foundation of Japan’s economic growth by linking Tokyo and Osaka but also gave hope to Japanese people as a symbol of the nation’s postwar recovery from “burnt-out ruins”, said professor Satoshi Fujii at Kyoto University’s Department of Urban Development.

Club News

The Indian Thematic Society has released September 2014 issue of its quarterly magazine "ITS Stamp News" , editor Suraj Jaitly http://itsstampnews.blogspot.in/

Swiss Post Distributes Free Stamps !

 

On Thursday, 18^th September 2014, Swiss Post distributed four free stamps each worth one Swiss Franc to every household across the country! This campaign is a part of an agreement drawn up with the price regulator. So it was a pleasant surprise to the letter-box owners of four million households when they received this gift of four stamps in the form of online WebStamp. The Stamp distribution is combined with a competition, offering prizes worth total of 90,000 Swiss Francs.

The campaign is a part of a compromise which Swiss Post reached with the price regulator at the beginning of 2014. The agreement guarantees that the prices of A (=fast mail) and B (=“Snail Mail”) Mail which have not changed since 2004, and domestic parcel will remain the same until 2016. The compromise meant that a lengthy procedure could be avoided and ensured planning reliability for Swiss Post.

Could this be a lesson for India Post?

-- Dr. Avinash B. Jagtap (Binningen, Switzerland)

New Special Covers

Centenary Celebration of Catholic Association of South Kanara (CASK)

A special Cover was released in Mangalore on 21st September to commemorate  Centenary celebration of Catholic Association of South Kanara (CASK).

: Mansoor B. – Mangalore

 

Private Special Cover

Centenary of Bombardment of Madras by "SMS Emden"

 

South India Philatelist's Association   brought out a Private Special Cover on Centenary of Bombardment of Madras by "SMS Emden" on 22 September 2014.To mark this event SIPA has brought out this cover with Postmark of High Court of Chennai, which happens to be nearest Post Office of the bombardment.

In the WWI Madras is the only place in India which was attacked by Germans in 1914.

: Mahesh Parekh – Chennai : email : maheshparekhb@gmail.com

The Bombardment of Madras

The Bombardment of Madras was an engagement of World War I, at Madras (Chennai), British India. The bombardment was initiated by the German light cruiser Emden at the start of the war in 1914.

With Captain Karl von Müller in command, on the night of 22 September 1914, SMS Emden quietly approached the city of Madras on the southeastern coast of the Indian peninsula. After entering the Madras harbor area and observing for a moment, Müller gave the order to engage at 9:30 pm, Emden opened fire at 3,000 yards on several large oil tanks within the harbor, which belonged to the Burmah Oil Company.

Within the first 30 rounds, the oil tanks were in flames. After bombing the fuel tanks, Emden moved onto a small merchant ship in harbor. The craft was quickly sunk by Emden's deck guns. The worst casualties experienced that night were from the merchant vessel, 26 of whose crew were injured. At least 5 of the sailors were killed on scene or died later of injuries.The action lasted half an hour, until 10:00 pm, by which time the British shore batteries had begun to respond. However, Emden slipped away unscathed. In all, 125 shells were fired by the Germans.  The raid did little damage but thousands of people fled the city. Madras was the only Indian city to come under attack by forces of the Central Powers during World War I.

Read More…

My Stamps 3rd Series Commercially used Private First Day Covers

As per the Office Memorandum F. No. 17-5/2013-Phil, dated 22nd July 2014 issued by Philately Division, Department of Posts, 10 new themes of My Stamps have been launched, viz. Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Taj Mahal, Hawa Mahal, Mysore Palace, Fairy Queen, Port Blair Island, Ajanta Caves, St. Francis Church and Greetings. Though the notification was issued on 22nd July 2014, the Fairy Queen design was made available at many philatelic bureaux much earlier. Date of issue has not been announced for all 10 designs.

Mr. Parvesh Gupta has prepared private first day covers which are commercially used. Few of them are given below.

View all covers at : http://www.indianphilately.net/news.html