Christmas carols...

Date of Issue : 16 November 2017

Swiss Post will issue four special stamps for this Christmas featuring musical gems as Christmas motifs.The stamps are so beautiful and anyone would love to have them in collection.Here are four popular Christmas songs featured on these stamps as motifs. Swiss Post will also issue set of  four A6 double  cards with these motifs.

1."Snow falls softly at night" was written – and possibly also composed – by Protestant pastor Eduard Ebel (1839–1905). However, he may also have taken up an old folk tune. At any rate, he himself considered it a nursery rhyme.

2."Jingle Bells" was written in the mid-19th century by the American composer James Lord Pierpont. Although it’s not strictly a Christmas song, it is sung all over the world at Christmas.

3.The lyrics of "Silent Night" were originally taken from a Christmas poem written by assistant priest Joseph Mohr (1792–1848) from the Austrian village of Arnsdorf and Franz Xaver Gruber composed the hauntingly beautiful melody. Today the carol is sung in countless languages around world.

4.In the case of "We wish you a merry Christmas", the writer is lost in the mists of time. A traditional English carol dating back to the 16th century, it also looks beyond Christmas to the beginning of the New Year.

New stamp for Fruit lovers !

Date of Issue : 7 September 2017

Here is a new unique stamp issued by Swiss Post featuring special fruit of Switzerland, Quince. The quince is Switzerland’s Fruit of the Year 2017. The miniature sheet features the refreshing colour and shape of this fruit as well as its sensuous aromas: the fruit on the sheet is treated with a special varnish which releases the aroma when touched. 

FRUCTUS has designated a fruit of the year each year since 2008. The charitable organization was established in 1985 as a nationwide association in Switzerland to promote a gene bank for all fruit varieties and standard orchards.

The name quince derives from the Latin “malum Cydonium”, or Cydonian apple; however, a connection to Cydonia on the island of Crete has not been proven. 

Quince is a stone fruit. While only a few foreign varieties can be eaten raw, the quinces found in Switzerland are known for their heady, fragrant scent and the delicacies that can be prepared from them. 

200th anniversary of the bicycle

Date of Issue : 23 February 2017

Here is a beautiful set of stamps and sheetlet issued by Swiss Post today commemorating  200 years of Bicycle. The sheetlet is quite unique in the shape of a bicycle.

Bicycles are very popular in Switzerland, a haven for cyclists. German inventor Karl Drais from Baden must have caused quite a sensation on 12 June 1817 as he rode through Mannheim on his self-constructed “running machine” at around three times the speed of walking.

Patented under the name “draisine”, this new means of transport was soon forgotten, but not the idea behind it: The invention of pedals in 1866 soon led to the development of the high wheel or penny-farthing, which proved quite dangerous and was immediately banned in many places. It wasn’t until the introduction of the rear wheel chain drive in the 1880s that the modern bicycle took off.

Today the bicycle is seen as an efficient and highly ecological means of transport that enhances the quality of life. It doesn’t create exhaust or noise emissions and only takes up a few square metres of parking space. Swiss Post is also very much pro bicycles on account of their good sustainability qualities. The company encourages its employees to cycle to work and provides e-bikes free of charge. Consciously printed in black-and-white, the two special stamps both show the draisine and a modern bicycle. One stamp has the former in the foreground, the other the latter.

School Days..

Date of Issue : 17 November 2017

Here is a  beautiful set of stamps of Pro Juventure series    from Swiss Post on the theme of schooldays with a pair of motifs: Learning and playing, or blackboard and playground, that is to say Pythagoras and hopscotch. The two poles of our schooldays, the two areas in which we gather a multitude of experiences that will shape our subsequent lives. 

Acquiring knowledge and having fun: both were crucial for our development. Think back to your own childhood. What memories remain unforgettable? How did you fare back then? And how did your colleagues get on? Sure, not everyone had the same opportunities, just like today. And that’s exactly the problem that Pro Juventute is seeking to address – by creating equal opportunities for  young people. The money raised from these annual stamp issues  support projects working in this area. 

Stamp Booklet

New stamp on Music....

Release date: 17.11.2016

Yello is a Swiss electronic band consisting of Dieter Meier and Boris Blank. The band is known for their 1985 single“Oh Yeah“ which featured in the films Ferris Bueller‘s Day Off, The Secret of My Success, American Pie Presents.To commemorate this legendary music band Swiss Post will release a special stamp on 17.11.16.

37 years making Swiss musical history and still going strong. Dieter Meier and Boris Blank: Two men who achieved worldwide fame with their music.Sound experiments in an automobile test lab marked the birth of the band Yello in 1979, and albums like “Stella” revolutionized electronic music in the early eighties. Worldwide hits including “The Race”, “Oh Yeah” and “Bostich” garnered the musical duo Dieter Meier and Boris Blank major chart successes in the USA, Germany, UK and Switzerland. In 1997 the pair received the Art Prize of the City of Zurich, and in 2014 they were presented with the German Echo Lifetime Achievement Award to honour their 35 years in the business.

Christmas sparkling stamps from Switzerland

 

Swiss Post released a set of stamps dedicated to Christmas and New Year holidays. The stamps depict Santa Claus, festive delicious biscuits, advent wreath and crib. This year’s Christmas stamp series unleashes a true blaze of colour.  The stamp depict the joy of the holidays sparkles like the reflection of candles on Christmas tree ornaments.

Club News

New Special Cover

A Special Cover on New Judicial Complex of Muvattupuzha was issued at Muvattupuzha on 17th October 2014. (Special Cover approval no. KL-12/2014)

The  Judicial Complex at Muvattupuzha  -  The Cradle of Triveni Sangamam - actually a monument, which reveals the golden reign of the Kings of Travancore,  is   prestigiously kept up even today – for the  last 135 years.

- Sreejesh Krishnan – Thiruvananthapuram

New Meghdoot Cards

Two new Meghdoot Cards recently issued by India Post in denomination of 25 paise in the months of August and September 2014.

 

: Timir Shah – Vadodara

Stamps of India National Exhibition

Stamps of India National Exhibition on Jan 30, Jan 31, & Feb 1, 2015 at NDMC Convention Centre, Opp Jantar Mantar, Sansad Marg, New Delhi 110001. For details visit stampsofindia.com

New stamps on children’s fables from Switzerland

 

 

CHILDREN'S POSTAGE STAMPS - FABLES

Every year, almost all world postal administrations publish a special postage stamp issue named "Children's Postage Stamp". The motifs of these stamps are usually the usually the favourite children's pets, fairy tales and literature heroes, children's toys, cartoons. Children's stamps may include educational and corrective topics in animated form, i.e. drawings on certain topics that children normally learn in school: famous scientists and phenomenon that
they study, historical figures and events, sport heroes, pets and attitude to-wards them.... They are all represented in a way that is interesting and understandable to little children.

The theme of this year's Children's Postage Stamp is fable-short story in which animals behave like humans.  Fables are at the same time instructive stories, narrated concisely and with great humour, and containing important life truths. Dositej Obradovic, Serbian educator and fabulist has collected and published the fables that are motifs on stamps.

Motifs on Stamps: 23 RSD- The dog and his shadow, 35 RSD - The fox and the crow, 46 RSD- The Rooster and the precious stone, 70 RSD- The turtle and the eagle.

Motifs on Envelopes: a- Two mice,   b- Pig and oak

Courtesy – Dr. Avinash Jagtap, Switzerland

Club News

New Special Cover

Special Cover on Dr. A. S. Rao, on the occasion of his Birth Centenary Celebration - 16th November 2014

The Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu along with the Minister of State for Labour and Employment (Independent Charge), Shri Bandaru Dattatreya released a Special Cover on Dr. A.S. Rao on his Birth Centenary Celebrations at Hyderabad on 16th November, 2014. Shri B. V. Sudhakar, Chief Postmaster General, Andhra Pradesh Postal Circle was also present on the occasion.

Ayyagari Sambasiva Rao (popularly known as A. S. Rao) (b. 1914 – d. 2003) was an eminent Indian scientist and founder of the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Hyderabad. Shri Rao represented India at many international conferences on scientific development including UN conferences on peaceful uses of atomic energy. He also served on the editorial and advisory boards of many scientific journals including many international journals of repute. He was awarded Padma Shri in 1960.

Special Cover on 125th Annual Conference of Akhil Bhartiya Bhargava Sabha - 15th November 2014

125th Annual Conference of Akhil Bhartiya Bhargava Sabha was held at Udaipur from 15th to 17th November 2014 at Udaipur. To mark the occasion a Special Cover was released on 15th November 2014 at Udaipur.

Courtesy : Indian Philately Digest

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

 

Musical Stamp in form of Vinyl Disc

 

Record souvenir sheet from Switzerland

Date of Issue : 4 September 2014

Here is  a unique Souvenir sheet in form of  gramophone record from Switzerland.Swiss Post introduced a new series of original stamps that have form and function of vinyl discs.

A piece of music has been imprinted on the “record” part of the souvenir sheet using a special coating. When you take the circular, ready-for-postage stamp off the souvenir sheet and place it on your record player, it plays a brass band version of the Swiss national anthem.

Even if the stamp, which is suitable for franking, is detached from the souvenir sheet, a specially engraved soundtrack still allows the miniature sheet to be played on a record player which is set to 33 rpm.

 

Stamp on Gazzetta di Mantova – one of World’s oldest newspapers

 

.

Date of Issue : 1 September 2014

Italian Post released a commemorative postage stamp to mark the 350th anniversary of the foundation of the Gazzetta di Mantova, the oldest surviving Italian newspaper.Gazzetta di Mantova is a local daily newspaper, published in Mantova, Italy. It was established in 1664 making it one of World’s oldest newspapers still existing.

The 70 cent stamp recording the printing of the Mantua organ’s first issue in 1664, since when it has played a major role in the life of the historic Lombardy city and today belongs to the Espresso-repubblica group of publications.The stamp depicts the oldest copy extant of the newspaper, conserved in the state archive of Modena, and its current masthead.

New Postal stationeries (postcards) from Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic  two new stationeries(postcards) featuring animals will be available soon. One postcard is featuring a butterfly and two kingfishers. The other one is featuring the butterfly Lesser Purple Emperor(Apatura ilia).

Courtesy : Wolfgang Beyer, Vice Chairman of the German Philatelic Collector Group ARGE ZOOLOGIE. E-Mail: Wolfgang.beyer1@aol.de . &  Wolfgang Hoelzl

Club News

BILASAPEX – 2014 – District level   stamp Exhibition

12-14 September 2014

A three days District Level Philatelic exhibition will be held at Bilaspur C. G. from 12th Sept. to 14th. September 2014. Following philatelic items are proposed to  be released during the exhibition.
3 Special Covers

1) Malhar Chattisgarh's Archaeological Gems
2) Kendai Water Fall
3) Bilaspur Railway Station 1989

4 Stamp Booklets

 

1) Chafara (Red Frangipani) Achanakmar
2) Bison -Wild Life of Achanakmar Tiger Reserve
3) Gandhi with Child
4) Mother Teresa

 

Joint issue by Russia and Switzerland

 

Date of Issue : 21 May 2014

Postal Administrations of Russia and Switzerland  brought out a joint issue on 21st May 2014. Russia and Switzerland have maintained diplomatic relations for 200 years. During the Second World War, those relations were briefly severed, but were restored after the war ended and have been stable ever since. The stamps feature famous landmarks of the two countries.

 

The Berne’s clock tower: the federal capital’s defining landmark and a tourist magnet. When it was erected at the start of the 13th century, as a fortified tower, the building marked the western edge of the city of Berne. As the city grew, the  tower moved closer to the centre, where it became redundant as a fortification. During the 15th century, it was used as a prison and subsequently as a clock tower – Zytglogge – and was rebuilt from Berne sandstone.

From then on, its clock dictated the time for the entire city and became the point of reference for measuring the travel times indicated on the hour stones along the cantonal roads. In the 16th century, the tower gained its present-day height and a new clock. Beneath this, in the archway, the edicts and ordinances of the City of Berne were posted and, from the 18th century onwards, the measures of length were affixed for official inspection. When the tower underwent further alterations in 1770 and 1771, it was incorporated fully in the cityscape and adapted to its environment with the addition of baroque embellishments.

The Zytglogge tower owes its national and international fame not only to its eventful history, but also to its special carillon, the ring of bears, lions, a rooster and the god of time, Chronos. The Kazansky tower depicted on the Russian special stamp may be recognizable from afar but it isn’t the tower itself that is famous … In fact, the tower is the most imposing feature of Kazansky station, one of Moscow’s eight largest stations. The station was built in 1862 and, initially, was nothing more than a small timber building without a waiting room or platform. Two years later, the wooden building was dis- mantled and, in its place, a stone station building was erected.

The new station building fell short of increasingly stringent requirements; it was too small and of little architectural merit. When the railway line was extended further eastwards to the large Volga city of Kazansky – which gave the station its name – and passenger numbers swelled accordingly, the station had to be expanded yet again. After various makeshift solutions and lengthy debate, in 1918 work commenced on the construction of the present day station building, following the nationalization of the railways. It was a huge undertaking and the station was not fully completed until 1940. Even once the building was finally complete, it underwent further expansion and upgrading work which had been included in the original construction plans but had not been implemented. Among the further additions were the clock tower, the underground terminal building for local public transport and the direct access to the underground.

New stamps on Mushroom

 

 

Date of Issue : 6 March 2014

Here is a new set of  stamps featuring mushrooms issued by Swiss Post. The four stamps feature edible mushrooms.

Mushrooms

Picking edible mushrooms such as morel, porcini and chanterelles is a popular leisure pursuit in Switzerland. This is putting pressure on the mushroom populations of  forests, prompting many cantons to introduce picking restrictions. However, humans only pick the fruiting body; the major part of the mushroom, with its root-like filaments, lives concealed underground and performs important functions in the forest ecosystem.

The chanterelle is one of the most popular edible mushrooms and has a delicate, apricot-like flavour. This mychorrizal mushroom is widespread in deciduous and coniferous forests and grows best in acidic soils.

Some mushrooms specialize in breaking down deadwood,leaves and needles and returning these materials to the nutrient cycle. So-called mychorrizal fungi have a close symbiotic relationship with tree roots and improve the absorption of nutrients and water by woodland trees, while pathogenic fungi regulate biodiversity in the forest.

Fungi propagate by means of microscopically small spores which are formed on the underside of the cap in the shape of gills, tubes, ridges or spikes and are spread by the wind. If, for instance, you tread on a puffball, you’ll see a dark cloud of spores escape.

The chanterelle is one of the most popular edible mushrooms and has a delicate, apricot-like flavour. This mychorrizal mushroom is widespread in deciduous and coniferous forests and grows best in acidic soils.

The sooty milk cap is commonly found in alpine coniferous forests, as a mychorrizal partner to the spruce. It is prized as an edible mushroom and has an attractive, velvety surface. When damaged, it releases a white milky substance which turns salmon pink when it hits the air.

Club News

New pictorial cancellation from Germany

On November 9th 2014 a new pictorial cancellation will be issued in 74405 GAILDORF. The cancellation is featuring a Eurasian Green Woodpecker(Picus viridis)-Bird of the Year 2014 in Germany- and two ants.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: Axel Brockmann(AIJP).

Letters from home…

 

Date of Issue : 6 March 2014

Here is a beautiful stamp issued by Swiss Post  featuring a letter, commemorating 125 years of Swiss Army Post . Whether or not you enjoyed your military service, one thing is always remembered fondly, even decades later: the packages and letters from home. For 125 years, the Army postal service has been making soldiers’ lives sweeter with sumptuous food parcels and passionate love letters. A commemorative stamp was issued by Swiss Post on this occasion.

Each year, the Army postal service delivers two million letters, a quarter of a million parcels and 1.3 million newspapers supplied free of charge by the publishers to their recipients – and postage is free up to five kilos. Every now and then, however, the soldiers are in for a bit of a shock. Thomas Ramseier recalls: “We’ve received fused tin cans, concreted-over car tyres, and even a foul-smelling pig’s head.” Ramseier has also been taken aback by the sheer size of some of the deliveries. One morning, for instance, more than 200 packages were delivered for a tank officer. To put a stop to such excesses, in 2006 the free postage for Army post was limited to five parcels per trip to the post office, per recipient.

Today, as well as conveying letters and parcels to and from every corner of Switzerland, the Army postal service, with its 30 or so military post offices, also serves as the military information office for troop locations and telephone numbers (Office Switzerland).

What’s more: since 2004, it has even operated outside Switzerland. Wherever Swiss Army personnel are serving far from home, the Army postal service organizes their post – be it in Kosovo or Bosnia Herzegovina. So one thing is for certain: the Army will always need a postal service. It’s the Landjager sausages and love letters that keep the army going.

Switzerland - Japan Joint issue

 

Date of Issue : 6 February 2014

The year 2014 will mark a milestone in the friendly relations between Switzerland and Japan who will celebrate the establishment of diplomatic relations 150 years ago. In 1864 a first Treaty of Amity and Trade was signed between the two countries. This auspicious anniversary will offer plenty of occasions to emphasize both the high level and intensity of the countries’ bilateral relations.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Japan the post offices of both countries launched a joint stamp issue. As usual, Japan printed a miniature sheet (140x222mm) with a pair of common stamps with Switzerland and another 8 different stamps, related to the main topic. The two common stamps represent:

a) Switzerland mountain in spring,

b) the Mount Fuji with cherry blossom;

the 8 other stamps are showing:

c) the Switzerland Alps with the Jungfrau glacier (a world heritage site),

d) the old town of Bern (a world heritage site),

e) the city of Lavaux (a world heritage site),

f) the Rhaetian Railway with the Albula and Bernina lines,

g) the Jungfrau Railway,

h) Narcisses field near Montreux,

i) blooming Alp roses and

j) the Bernina Alps behind an Alpine flower garden.

Stamps on Int. Year of Crystallography from Switzerland

Swiss Post issued two stamps on 2014 - International Year of Crystallography.

Date of Issue : 6 February 2014