From Slovenia

Here is one from a young collector in Slovenia.
Great variety of stamps with nice and clean cancellations.
Thank you Davor.

Special invitation

If interested in finding out about hot trends and opinions on selling on the internet and eBay, I invite you to follow my new blog at http://stampdealing.blogspot.com/An honest blog about purchasing stamps on the internet.Hope to see you there!!

Another beautiful cover ruined by a postal worker

I received this wonderful FDC cover from Ouari in Algeria, back in January of this year.
I just wanted to show you how frustrating it can sometimes be when untrained postal workers handle the mail.
Ouari, not only, took the time to make up this cover but he also took the extra precaution to send it by registered mail.
Final result, some idiot put the registration label right on the artwork of the cover. I carefully tried to remove it but believe me these labels are designed to permanentely stay on.
My thanks go out to Ouari with the recommendation to all interested in exchanging with me NOT TO send any covers REGISTERED.

From Taiwan featuring IBRA

Just received today from George in Taiwan.

George is the other person whom I mentioned is responsible for this new venture in covers from around the globe.

Beautiful cover, in perfect condition arriving only 9 days after being mailed.

Thank you George!

A cover from Guam, but made in Belgium

Yesterday May 19, I received this perfect cover from my good friend Holger.

As you can see these are his first "personalized" stamps. If you wish to learn about covers, this is the man.

You can meet him on MyPhilately at http://www.myphilately.com/ and simply look up his profile in the search area.

Thank you Holger

Sometimes a cover makes it back home with only one cancellation

In a previous post I mentioned that some postal workers should be fired.
Here is an example of a cover that made it safely back home with only one postmark done on the first day of issue of one of the Canadian stamps for the IYA.
By some mysterious event this cover did not get any ugly mechanical cancellation even though it went through the same central postal distribution center as the other 2 shown previously.
Go figure!?!

3 Canadian oldies

These 3 FDC's came some time ago from Peter, good friend of mine in England.

What is interesting about these covers is that they have never been opened. Moreover, when you put them up against the light you can see that they contain a plate block of the stamps used.

As you can see also the first two are dated 1968 when the international rate was 15 cents and the last one from 1969 when the international rate went up to 18 cents.

Some postal workers should be fired

2 examples of covers ruined by unscrupulous postal workers!

As I mentioned I enjoy preparing covers, FDC's or others, with my own touch. Sadly enough you never know what will happen to them once they leave the post office.

Over time I developed a great relationship with Annick who is the postmistress where I go. She even lets me cancel my own envelopes.

As you can see below these 2 covers were cancelled on the first day of issue but unfortunately when they arrived at the main post office they were cancelled again with a different date and mechanically. What a shame!!

From a very good friend

I received this cover from Holger a while ago. We met on one of the best philatelic sites http://www.myphilately.com/ and I consider him as a personal friend and mentor because he, with another person, gave me the motivation to set up this blog and share my wordly adventures through stamps and covers. Thank you Holger!

This cover features the Darwin souvenir sheet issued by Great Britain on February 2, 2009.

Note the particular "snail shaped" postmark making this cover unique.

My offer for May 2009

My proposal for the month of May. A cover with maps of the Antarctic and Arctic regions, as well as a quotation from David Suzuki. The envelope is a #10 size and will have a block of 4 stamps featuring Canada's issues for this event.