Stamps on Emojis....

Date of Issue : 16 March 2017

An Post issued a se-tenant pair of stamps featuring Emojis. This is a unique subject on stamps and a wonderful philatelic item for the  "Communication "theme. These stamps feature a range of emoji with the headlines ‘Don’t Worry’ and ‘Be Happy’ (‘Ná Bí Buartha’ and ‘Bí Sona’ in Irish).

Emoji are ideograms or smiley faces used in text and electronic messages and webpages. They are used much like emoticons (facial expression such as a smile or frown, formed using keyboard characters) and exist in various genres, including comic faces, common objects, places and types of weather and animals. Originally meaning pictograph, the word emoji comes from Japanese e (picture) + moji (character).

These small digital icons that are used to express an idea or emotion, originated on Japanese mobile phones in the late 1990s. Their popularity exploded, however, when Apple, Android and other mobile operating systems began to include them in their phones.  

Emoji has now become a worldwide, language-independent form of communication. Some might even argue that emoji is a form of pop art and they might have a valid point: There are now thousands of emoji used daily worldwide to convey humour, enhance messaging, make a point or to describe things.

Cycling in Ireland

Date of Issue : 15 September 2016

An Post issued a set of stamps which recognize the growth in popularity of cycling in Ireland. The ‘Cycling in Ireland’ stamps  feature four different aspects of the sport in Ireland: Commuting and safety, family and leisure, sportive and charity and high performance and competition.

Cycling in Ireland has grown hugely as a pastime for people of all ages and abilities.  People are getting on their bikes for a variety of reasons, for fitness, as a commute option, a competitive sport or for charity.   The rise of the MAML or Middle Aged Man in Lycra is an often used term! A better measure of the popularity of the sport is the 800 events organised annually in the Cycling Ireland calendar.

From grassroots to elite level there are competitive Road, Off-road, BMX, CycloCross and Track events with leagues and racing 12 months of the year.  On the Leisure and charity cycling side, every weekend a plethora of events take place all over the country, often providing a cash injection to local charities and communities. All of this happens through the volunteers who make up the 450 registered cycling clubs nationwide.

New stamps for Dog Lovers...

Date of Issue : 10 March 2016

Dogs are amongst the most popular pets in the world, with a long history of providing companionship to humans around the world! Dogs share our lives in a way that most other animals can‘t.  The bond between humans and dogs is the most widespread form of inter-species bonding and keeping dogs as companions has a long history throughout the world. The design of the cancellation on the FDC shows the paw of the dog.

These beautiful new 70 cent block of four stamps were issued by Ireland Post on 10th March 2016. 

St Patrick’s Day

Date of Issue : 25 February 2016

St Patrick’s Day is celebrated in many parts of the world, especially by Irish communities and organizations. Many people wear an item of green clothing on the day. Parties featuring Irish food and drinks that are dyed in green food color are part of this celebration. It is a real gaudy !

St. Patrick was a 5th century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the “Apostle of Ireland”, he is Ireland’s patron saint. It is said that when Patrick was about 16 years old he was captured by Irish pirates from his home in Great Britain, and taken to Ireland to work as a slave. He was held captive for six years before escaping and returning to his family. Patrick became a cleric and returned to Ireland to spread Christianity.

This year’s stamp, designed by Steve Simpson, is based on an illustration by John Kindness of a young Patrick in slavery with Slemish Mountain (Co. Antrim) in the background.

New Christmas stamps

 

Date of Issue : 6 November 2014

On the 6th November 2014, An Post issued three stamps to celebrate Christmas. This year Irish Post commissioned Vermillion Design to create three new stamps for Christmas 2014.

 

Two of the three new stamps feature details from stunning stained glass windows by Harry Clarke who was born in Dublin in 1889. His father ran a decorating business which specialized in a variety of mediums, including stained glass. As a result, Clarke developed an early interest in church art. Clarke showed an early talent for stained glass window design, devoting to both this discipline and to book illustration. Clarke continued to work on stained glass schemes, some of the most famous being eleven stunning windows in the Honan Chapel in Cork, installed there between the years 1915 and 1917.

The third stamp in this series,   appeared in the Christmas Promotional Booklet, featuring a young girl, playing the part of an angel in a children’s Nativity play.

Club News

Special Cover on Vadodara Chamber of Commerce & Industry (VCCI), Vadodara - 27th November 2014

On the inaugural day of VCCI Exhibition, a Special Cover was released by Shri Vineet Mathur, Postmaster General, Vadodara region on 27th November 2014 at Vadodara

 

G.I.D.C. Industrial Estate was established at Makarpura, Vadodara City in the mid 1960s. This gave rise to a number of small industries. Makarpura Industrial Estate Association was formed in the year 1969. As the saying goes “UNITY IS STRENGTH” and the Association’s membership stood at 100 members. In 1976, the name was changed to “Makarpura Industrial Area Association”. As the Association became more and more popular among trade and industrial circles, other industries in and around the city also started taking keen interest in the activities, and in 1981, the name was changed to “Vadodara Chamber of Commerce & Industry”. Today, the Chamber has membership of over 2000 industries in and around Vadodara and VCCI enjoys confidence and co-operation of all Associations, Industrial and Commercial in the city and regular interactions and meetings are organised to deliberate on important issues concerning the growth of Small Scale Industries.

VCCI exhibitions of industrial and allied products, in Vadodara are the best source for micro, small and medium enterprises as well as for international exhibitors, to promote their work and connect with the best businesses. So far eight exhibitions have been organized by VCCI. The 9th VCCI Exhibition of Industrial and Allied Products and Services is organized in Vadodara from 27th November to 1st December 2014 at Navlakhi Ground, Rajmahal Road, Vadodara.

Courtesy - Prashant Pandya , Vadodara

New stamps on Biodiversity from Ireland

 

Date of Issue : 31st July 2014 

On July 31st, 2014, An Post issued eight new stamps “Continuing the celebration of Ireland’s biodiversity”

The species featured in this issue are the scallop, otter, viviparous lizard, badger, wren, mute swan, basking shark and violet snail. These eight new stamps are a part of An Post’s Irish Animals and Marine Life definitive series.

As an island, Ireland and its surrounding waters provide a home for many species of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms. This variety of life is called  biodiversity and here, as in many other places on Earth, it is a very important part of our day to day life.

Compared to the rest of Europe, Ireland does not have a great many indigenous species of animals. There are only 26 land mammal species native to Ireland, one land reptile, three amphibians, about 400 birds and 400 types of fresh and saltwater fish. The stamps will promote the protection of  natural heritage.

In this series, 8 new animal species are featured. The series features 50 animal species found in Ireland and its surrounding waters and aims to bring as diverse a sample of Irish animal and marine life as possible.

Club News

EXHIBITION ON THE INDIAN NATIONAL FLAG

Curated by Sekhar Chakrabarti

14 – 20 August 2014

On the eve of India’s 68^th Independence Day on 14^th August 2014, the Rabindranath Tagore Centre-Kolkata, the cultural flagship of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India will host a unique exhibition on Indian National Flag commemorating the 68^th anniversary of its adoption. 

The Venue  :  Rabindranath Tagore Centre, 9A, Ho Chi Minh Sarani, Kolkata 700071

The Gallery : Abanindranath Gallery

 

 The exhibition will showcase a surprising rich collections of the Indian National Flag symbols on visual objects - sourced from – a plethora of materials, namely, postage stamps, news-paper clippings, books and various other myriad articles and even unconventional sources like match box labels, propaganda leaflets, 78RPM gramophone records, et al, have been pieced together to reconstruct the history of ‘Flags of India’ right from the Vedic periods. Perhaps, the collections itself is only one in kind in our country at the moment. The exhibition explores and celebrates the rich and colourful history of the Indian National Flag and the process by which the National Flag in its present form was born on 22^nd July 1947, its uses and abuses, etiquette and protocols, etc.

Flags are ‘short hand of history’.

It will be also a tribute to the heroes of our freedom struggle, who fell for the cause of the flag during various phases of our freedom movements. Going through the exhibition one will find, many, unknown, or, ‘little known’  or forgotten ‘flag events’ -  which were once pivotal in drawing volunteers - young and old, men and women -  to free our country from the foreign rulers – The Dutch, British, French and the Portuguese. There will be dedicated sections on each of them and the impacts they had on our societies since the ‘Age of discovery’.

Read More…

New Greeting stamps from Ireland

 

Date of Issue : 30 January 2014

Every year, An Post issues vibrant and cheerful Greetings stamps which are designed to reflect the rich tradition of Irish hospitality and friendliness.

The Greetings First Day Cover features the aliens and robots collecting post and parcels from a spaceship with a colourful and friendly backdrop.

Greeting stamps are also intended to convey the warm good wishes of the sender when used with a card or envelope on practically every kind of celebratory occasion. In particular, they add a sense of fun and an extra touch of merriment to envelopes containing greeting cards.

This year’s Greetings stamps are based on illustrations by Phil Elliott, a multi-award winning Irish designer and illustrator and a member of the Irish Guild of Illustrators (Illustrators Ireland).

Phil’s designs for these stamps are centered around a more youthful celebration of occasions that warrant greetings by featuring vibrant, colorful, joyful images of robots and an alien.

Club News 

KULLUPEX 2014

A district level stamp exhibition will be held at Dev Sadan,  Kullu from 25th to 26th Feb 2014 . The exhibition is being organized by Mandi Postal Division.

Sweden–China Joint Issue

 

 

Swedish and Chinese Posts launched a joint issue having a table tennis theme. Jan-OveWaldner, Swede table tennis player,is well-known in both countries and is a natural part of this stamp project.

Six-times world table tennis champion and 1992 Olympic gold medalist Jan-OveWaldner has become the first living foreigner to appear on a Chinese postage stamp.

“There is an enormous demand for the stamps,” Waldner told the Swedish news agency TT. “They’ve already sold three million and they have 13 million more to sell.

“This is huge, it doesn’t get much bigger than this in China. It’s an honour to be on a stamp.” Swede Waldner is one of the best-known foreign sportsmen in China where table tennis is hugely popular.

His career ended in 2012, at the age of 46, after almost 30 years and a series of world and European titles plus the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics.

New Stamps from Ireland…

 

Irish Volunteers and modern faces of Ireland

A Stamp commemorating the centenary of the Irish volunteers was issued on 3rd October by An Post. The 60c stamp  features a group of uniformed Irish Volunteers from Waterford.

The Irish Volunteer Force, or Óglaigh na hÉireann, was originally formed in 1913 to defend the application of the Home Rule Bill to the whole of Ireland.

It divided into two a year later with the outbreak of World War 1; the majority formed the National Volunteers who favoured enlisting to fight in the war in the hope of being rewarded with Home Rule, and the remaining Irish Volunteers, led by Eoin MacNeill, stayed in Ireland.

The Irish Volunteers were forced underground after their active part in the 1916 Rising. In the War of Independence which began in 1919, they became known as the Irish Republican Army.

The new stamp set issued on 3rd October showcases Ireland’s diverse society. In contrast to the black and white image on the stamp that marks 100 years of the Irish Volunteers, four new faces star in the collection that celebrates Ireland’s integrated society.

These faces are (clockwise, top left) Garda Dongdong Zheng from China, also a member of An Garda Síochána stationed in Swords, Nigerian native Sammy Akorede, a Luas Revenue Protection Officer, Anna Garciaz who is Polish and works in Marketing with Permanent TSB and hurling player Christian Tshibangu, a student at St. Colmcille’s SNS in Knocklyon.

An Post referenced the 2011 Census on the release of these new stamps, which indicated that there are almost 600,000 non-Irish nationals living in the country. Since this time, over 30,000 of these new Irish have been awarded Irish citizenship.

It also added that the influx of migrants has helped shape a more socially and culturally diverse society and along the way transformed Ireland into a more inclusive multicultural nation.

New stamp on Rainbow..

 

Date of Issue : 7 June 2013

Hi !

Here is a beautiful stamp to be issued by San Marino Post on June 7. The beautiful stamp issue will  commemorate  the inauguration of a Nursery school in Malawi – Matola. But in the design the stamp also features a symbolic  Umbrella Rainbow  and colors of the Rainbow.This stamp is a nice item for my Rainbow collection.

Inauguration of the nursery school in Malawi-Matola 

The philatelic set dedicated to the inauguration of the nursery school with a refectory in Malawi-Matola celebrates the solidarity of the people of San Marino put in action by the San Marino for the Children Onlus Association. The 0.10€ value designed by Maddalena Medas depicts two children protected by a symbolic umbrella with the map of Africa and the colours of the rainbow. The 0.70€ stamp designed by Ladabox.com shows a picture taken on the occasion of the inauguration on the 23^rd February 2013.

UNESCO City of World Literature

On 16 May 2013, An Post issued a stamp to commemorate Dublin UNESCO City of World Literature. The  stamp  features a story about Dublin written by Eoin Moore.

When the city of Dublin was nominated UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) City of Literature in July 2010, the capital of Ireland became just the fourth city to be honoured, following in the footsteps of Edinburgh, Scotland (2004), and Melbourne, Australia and Iowa City, USA (2008).

This acknowledgement while most gratifying, was hardly surprising. Stop a stranger on the street almost anywhere in the world and ask which world city do they most associate with literature and chances are they will say Dublin.

The city on the Liffey lays claim to no fewer than three Nobel Prize winners for Literature: George Bernard Shaw, W.B. Yeats and Samuel Beckett. Other literary luminaries who have called Dublin home include Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Sean O’Casey, Flann O’Brien, Brendan Behan and James Joyce. More recently, the list of Dublin-based scribes  has lengthened considerably. The names of Roddy Doyle, John Banville, Anne Enright, Sebastian Barry and Joseph O’Connor have helped ensure that Dublin’s rich literary tradition continues to flourish. Authors abound in one of the world’s most literary cities.

The UNESCO designation – which is on a permanent basis – recognises the quality, quantity and diversity of Dublin’s many excellent libraries, publishing houses and booksellers, as well as its world-acclaimed writers. Some of the other criteria for the designation include having literary-focused educational programmes, experience in staging literary events and festivals, the role played by literature in the urban environment, and the active involvement of the media in promoting literature and growing the market for literary products.

New Greeting stamps from Ireland

 

Date of Issue : 7 March 2013

An Post issued two new Greetings stamps, which are specially designed for use on greeting cards.The origin of sending greeting cards can be traced back to ancient Egypt and China, where hand printed messages of goodwill were exchanged. The custom then made its way to Europe during the 15th century.

Stamp Booklet

By the 1850s, advances in printing, mechanization, and a reduction in postal rates with the introduction of the postage stamp, transformed the greeting card from a relatively expensive, handmade and hand-delivered item, to a popular and affordable means of personal communication. Since then, the practice of sending greeting cards has evolved and grown, so that no matter what the occasion, there is a greeting card to convey the message.

Exclusive Stamp Exhibition on Instruments

 

Audiences view the instrument stamp exhibition on March 5. The first instrument themed stamp exhibition of China was held inside the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) on March 5, 2013. It displayed over 1000 stamps issued by more than 100 countries from around the world. It includes about 100 instruments in stamp-form. Additionally, the NCPA also exhibited more than 30 pieces of Chinese and foreign musical instruments. 

An exclusive stamp exhibition on Instruments, held in China on 5 March 2013.

Source : This is Beijing

Oskar Minkowski - Founder of experimental diabetology

 

Date of Issue : 20 October 2012

On October 20, Lithuania Post  released a new stamp dedicated to the founder of experimental diabetology Oskar Minkowski. The experiments conducted by this world famous physician gave basis for discovery and synthesis of insulin.

Since 1992, patients suffering from diabetes have been given insulin therapy that has saved millions of lives. In 2012, the insulin therapy will celebrate its 90th anniversary.

Myths and Legends on Irish stamps

Date of Issue : 13 September 2012

 

Some of Ireland's favourite tales of myth and legend get new life as An Post launches a heroic four stamp set. The  stamps  feature The Children of Lir, Deirdre of the Sorrows, Fionn and the Salmon of Knowledge and the Naming of Cuchulainn.

All four tales, while belonging to Ireland's rich story telling tradition, are widely known internationally. Sales of the new stamps will be brisk given the popularity of the subject matter. An Post has also produced a beautiful first day cover which includes a special 'Myths and Legends' graphic.

 

The Children of Lir tells the story of the four children of King Lir, who were turned into white swans when Aoife, Lirs second wife put a spell on them. When the spell was broken after 900 years, the swans turned back into four very old and frail human beings, who died shortly afterwards.

In Deirdre of the Sorrows, the King, Conor Mac Nessa vowed to marry Deirdre. However, Deirdre was in love with Naoise. Fearing the King, Naoise and Deirdre fled to Scotland. They were tricked into returning to Ireland, where the King had Naoise killed.

 

  Fionn Mac Cumhaill, was a renowned leader and warrior. While still a boy, he gained his wisdom by eating the Salmon of Knowledge. With this knowledge and wisdom he went on to become leader of the mighty Fianna.

Setanta, gained his better-known name Cú Chulainn as a child after he killed Culann's fierce guard-dog in self-defence. He offered to take its place until a replacement could be reared. He thus became known as Cú Chulainn.

Barnardos - the leading children's charity

 

On 11 October 2012, An Post issued a stamp to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Barnardos in Ireland. Thomas Barnardo, or 'The Doctor' as he was affectionately known, managed to transform the lives of more than 59,000 children  during his lifetime,  who had been blighted by poverty and neglect.

Today, the children's charity that bears his name continues to deliver vital child-centered programmes and services in both Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Born in Dame Street, Dublin on 4 July 1845, Thomas Barnardo was destined to become a medical missionary. However while studying at the London Hospital, he was so deeply moved by the numbers of homeless children he saw living on the streets that he started his Ragged School in Stepney. In 1868, with the financial backing of Lord Shaftsbury, he opened the first of many homes for destitute children. Not satisfied with alleviating poverty, Barnardo sought to train children in skills that would enable them to become productive members of society.

In 1962, an arm of Barnardos UK operation first offered its services to Irish children and their families. It would not be until 1989 that a separate Republic of Ireland organisation emerged. Today, Barnardos is the leading children's charity in the country with more than 40 centres located in communities throughout the Republic. The work of Barnardos falls into three categories: practical and professional support for children and their families; specialised services in the areas of literacy, bereavement and representing children in court; and campaigning and lobbying for the rights of children.

 

Club News

Festival of Lights

Israel Post will issue two commemorative stamps on 20 Years of Diplomatic Relations with India, featuring Festivals of Lights – Deepawali and HanuKKah on 5th November 2012. Readers may contact Mr PradipJain, Patna for this issue, email : philapradip@gmail.com

New Titanic stamps..

 

New Titanic centenary stamps from Ireland…

Thomas Andrews is on the 55c stamp. 

Ger Garland designed four stamps featuring the faces of four Titanic passengers, which have been unveiled in Cobh, Co. Cork.There are two 55c stamps - one with Co. Down Titanic shipbuilder Thomas Andrews and another of Irish photographer Father Browne, who left the ship at his hometown of Cork. There are also two 82c stamps.

One shows Titanic Captain Edward J. Smith surrounded by oblivious passengers on the doomed ship’s stern and the other is of life boat six survivor Molly Brown with the first class staircase behind her.

There’s a strong postal connection with the Titanic, which was also an RMS Royal Mail ship. It had five postal clerks on board, three Americans and two British. All lost their lives when the ship sank.

Titanic survivor Albert Thessinger was the last person to see them alive. “I urged them to leave their work,” he said. “They shook their heads and continued at work. I saw them no more.”

    Titanic Captain Edward Smith is on the 82c stamp

Molly Brown on the Titanic

Fr Browne left the Titanic at Cobh, Co Cork

Belgium

The Belgium Post has issued a stamp sheet to commemorate the centennial of the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

The sheet is sold together with the 3D glasses, in order buyers could enjoy the viewing of the Titanic movie in 3D issued in 2012 and directed by James Cameron.

 

New stamps on Dance theme from Ireland….

 

Hi !

Here are some colorful stamps  on Contemporary Dances from Ireland . The stamps in 4 contrasting colors make stamp design awesome ! This is a wonderful collecting item for art lovers  and collectors of Dance theme !! In this post I am giving some non philatelic news for readers……as I am receiving  news on variety of subjects from the readers  with a request for publication. This new column “ News from Non Philatelic World….” will appear occasionally on this blog  with some interesting select non philatelic  news.

This is all for today…Till Next Post Have a Great Time !!

Contemporary Dances

On March 22, 2012, An Post issued four stamps depicting Contemporary Dance themes.

The term contemporary dance conjures up a host of images, some of which can seem contradictory at first. It borrows from the techniques of both ballet and modern dance, yet it is largely unchoreographed. It allows a greater range and fluidity of movement than conventional dance techniques.

Unlike the more established dance traditions, contemporary dance is not directly associated with any specific dance techniques. That’s why it is often described as a dance philosophy, as opposed to a technique of dancing. Non - devotees of contemporary dance are often left baffled by its popularity, claiming that they cannot make sense of it. On the other hand, aficionados of contemporary dance passionately embrace it as an art form that stimulates them intellectually, visually and aurally.

In 2012, An Post celebrates the contemporary dance movements with a set of four Ger Garland designed stamps, each one depicting a unique contemporary dance trend performed by some of Ireland’s foremost dance companies - Fabulous Beast, Irish Modern Dance Theatre, Dance Theatre of Ireland and CoisCéim.

Products available with this issue:

Contemporary Arts - Dance (Block of 4) Stamp Set (1205SET) €2.20

Contemporary Arts - Dance 55c Booklet (8 Self-adhesive Stamps) (1205BK) €4.40

Contemporary Arts - Dance FDC Serviced (1205FDC) €3.20

Orders and/or enquiries relating to this release or indeed any aspect of the Philatelic Business should be sent to:

Philatelic Bureau, Order Department P.O. Box 1991, G.P.O., Dublin 1, Ireland

Philat Telephone: 00 353 1 705 7400 Fax: 00 353 1 705 7289

Internet: www.irishstamps.ie

 

News from Non Philatelic World….

Maasai Cricet Warriors

Maasai Warriors from the Laikipia region in Kenya have exchanged their spears for cricket bats and they are using cricket as a vehicle to empower youth and to target social problems in order to bring about positive change in their communities.

WE DON'T ONLY PLAY CRICKET - It's Our Weapon To Eradicate Social Evils

Join us in smashing through boundaries. . .
'Batting' for women's rights & 'bowling out' AIDS!
We are also warriors against the savage tradition of circumcision of girls in our communities.

HELP US SPREAD THE WORDS AGAINST THE TRIPLE EVIL OF HIV, FGM AND CHILD MARRIAGE BY CONTRIBUTING TO OUR FUNDRAISER TO GET THE MAASAI CRICKET WARRIORS TEAM TO CAPE TOWN . . .
Please leave your mark here:
http://www.justgiving.com/MaasaiCricketWarriors

Imagine a cricketer who is a semi-nomadic cattle herder living among the wild animals of Africa. Imagine him who wears layers of beads; who sets fire on the field with his bright red clothes and flying braided hair; he who gives war cries while throwing or hitting a ball and is actually a crusader for peace. Imagine him - a Maasai tribesman - playing a T-20 league. Unbelievable? Then you ought to meet the Maasai Cricket Warriors. . . Read More…

Read More…Story in Times of India…

Hindi e – magazine

Garbhanal  - Hindi Magazine edited by Atmaram Sharma,  published from Bhopal .

For more details visit : http://www.garbhanal.com/

Contact for issues and articles  : Editor: Atmaram Sharma: email : atmaram.sharma@gmail.com

 

   : Prashant Pandya – Vadodara, Kenneth Sequeira , Dubai ( UAE)