BELARUS-Medal winners of the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi

Stamp Name:Medal winners of the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi
Details:

The post of the Republic of Belarus issued 3 nos of stamps and a souvenir sheet from the series “Medal winners of the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi”.

The XXII Olympic Winter Games were held in Sochi (Russian Federation) from 7 to 23 February 2014.2800 athletes from 88 countries attended the event. Belarus was represented by 26 athletes (15 men and 11 women) in 5 sports disciplines.

The Belarus team took part in Winter Olympics for the sixth time. Belarus is ranking the 8th in the medal table. Belarusian athletes have won six medals (5 gold and 1 bronze). The medal winners are: Darya Domracheva (three-time Olympic champion in biathlon), Alla Tsuper (Olympic champion in freestyle), Anton Kushnir (Olympic champion in freestyle) and Nadezhda Skardino (bronze medal in biathlon). The three-time Olympic champion Darya Domracheva has been awarded the title “Hero of Belarus”.

The stamps depict Nadezhda Skardino, Alla Tsuper, Anton Kushnir, the souvenir sheet features Darya Domracheva.

Historic Australian railway stations

Stamp Name:Historic Australian railway stations
Issue Date:8th OCT'2013 
Details:

Australia Post is featuring four historic Australian railway stations – Maryborough, Victoria; Quorn, South Australia; Hay, New South Wales and Normanton, Queensland – in a new stamp issue. The stamp issue comprises four domestic base-rate (60c) stamps.

Australia Post Philatelic Manager Michael Zsolt said, “We are pleased to release this second stamp issue in a series on Australian historical architecture. We trust these stamps have captured the beauty of these distinctive and historic buildings.”

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, railways played an important role in transforming Australia into a nation by establishing a network of communications and trade throughout the continent.

The historic railway stations taking center stage in the new stamp issue are:
• Maryborough, Victoria – built in 1890 of red brick with stucco trimming and a clock tower. This magnificent station boasts one of the longest platforms in the southern hemisphere and still hosts freight and passenger services. When American writer Mark Twain visited Maryborough in 1895, he was most impressed by the town’s grand railway station.
• Quorn, South Australia – constructed in 1916 of stone and brick. In its heyday it served as a junction for all rail traffic travelling south–north (Adelaide to Darwin) and east–west (Sydney to Perth) across the continent. The line was closed in the 1980s and the Pichi Richi Rail Preservation Society now runs and maintains the station and the rolling stock.
• Hay, New South Wales – opened on 4 July 1882. Built in the Italianate style with bonded brick and a corrugated iron roof, the station features cast iron ridge decoration. Today the Hay station building accommodates various arts and community organizations.
• Normanton, Queensland – built around 1889. It is historically important as a unique building in an isolated inland railway system. This station has an exposed stud frame with verandahs and iron roof, to which is attached a spectacular train shed of all-metal construction with a barrel vault, clad in corrugated iron.

The stamp illustrations are by Melbourne-based artist Peter Edgeley. The stamp designs are by John White from the Australia Post Design Studio.

The associated products available include a first day cover, stamp pack, maxi-card set of four, roll of 100 x 60c self-adhesive stamps, booklet of 10 x 60c self-adhesive stamps and a gutter strip of 10 x 60c stamps with design.Source-Australia Post

Marine Fauna of SLOVENIA

Details:

A new issue in the Fauna series shows four characteristic denizens of the Slovenian sea; Damselfish (Chromis chromis), Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) and Golden grey mullet (Liza aurata) stamp in miniature sheet.

The stamps will be printed using a very special thermography technique, and we are proud that Pošta Slovenije will be the first national postal service to issue stamps on which part of the design is covered with real salt from the Piranske Soline saltworks.

Illustrations and design by Matjaz Ucakar, printed by Cartor Security Printing S. A., France.

Stamps in honour of 400,000 blood donors in the Netherlands

Issue date: 14th JUN'2013

Details:

PostNL issued special stamps in honour of 400,000 blood donors in the Netherlands. This stamp sheetlet shows the relationship between blood donor and patient. The first issue of this stamp sheetlet has been handed over to Aart van Os, chairman of the Board of Management of Sanquin Blood Supply by Yme Pasma, director of the PostNL Consumer Market department. This took place done on 14 June, World Blood Donor Day, at the Sanquin head office in Amsterdam.

The World Blood Donor Day stamp sheetlet comprises ten stamps, with two different designs. Designer Suzanne Rosier from The Hague looked for the essence of the relationship between patient and donor, and how to best depict this. She decided upon a concept based on playing cards. The red-and-white stamps are designed as a King of Hearts, which has a white background, and a Queen of Hearts, which has a red background. Like the real playing cards, the images are mirrored.

"The choice for this concept was based on the image representing the feeling behind the meaning of the relationship. Which is, in fact, the love of one person being someone else's life-saving blood. That is why I chose to represent the drop of blood in the form of a heart, which serves as a kind of logo. By focusing on the donor-patient relationship, they are both turned into "true" heroes. Just like the nobles on the playing cards, Suzanne explained. The connection between donor and patient is depicted on the stamp sheetlet in various ways. Everything on this stamp sheetlet pivots around its axis: the playing card figures, the emblems, and the typography. Which, in turn, depicts the playful dynamics associated with a deck of cards".

World Blood Donor Day:
World Blood Donor Day is an initiative by the World Health Organisation, WHO, which is a part of the United Nations. By means of this day, the WHO wants to draw world-wide attention to the importance of blood donations. While most Western countries have efficient organisations around blood donations, this is not such a matter of course in many other countries. With the World Blood Donor Day, the WHO intends to stimulate the voluntary and unpaid donation of blood.

I need Spain-Tourism stamp of SPAIN

Stamp Name:I need Spain-Tourism
Details:

Tourism is a major source of income for Spain and is the theme of this self-adhesive stamp issued by Spanish Correos.

In 1982 the Spanish Government chose the famous "Sun of Miro" painting by Joan Miro as image for the overseas promotion of tourism. Since 1984 this logo has been used by the General Secretary of Tourism on its brochures, posters and publications. According to experts, this logo has been the best at capturing and representing the image of tourism of Spain.

In early 2010 the new official logo "I Need Spain" was introduced as a variation of Miro's sun. The aim of this new design is to renew the brand image of Spain associating, on the one hand, a characteristic lifestyle as a differentiators of tourism in this country and, on the other, the portfolio of products to be promoted.

Philately, acknowledging the importance of tourism, issued in 1990, a stamp devoted to the "European Year of Tourism" depicting the famous design of Joan Miro.

50 Years of The Australian Ballet from Australia Post

Stamp Name:50 Years of The Australian Ballet
Details:

In 2012, The Australian Ballet marks 50 years in an illustrious history, and Australia Post is celebrating with the release of two domestic base-rate (60c) stamps. A range of collectables is also available to mark this remarkable milestone in Australia's cultural life.

Australia's premier ballet company is notable for its classical and contemporary dance repertoire, and also for the versatility, technical skill and warmth its dancers bring to performances. The company's full-time ensemble of dancers attracts both audience and critical acclaim - accolades it has enjoyed throughout its history - performing outstanding works created by both Australian and international choreographers.

The stamps and products were designed by Jo Muré from the Australia Post Design Studio, and feature the photographs of Georges Antoni.

The stamp issue features a limited-edition (15,000) postal and numismatic cover (PNC), which presents a 50 cent uncirculated, cupro-nickel coin designed by Aaron Baggio for the Royal Australian Mint.

Lighthouses III stamp from NORWAY

Stamp Name:Lighthouses III

Details:

This year's stamps in Norway Post's lighthouse series are devoted to Kavringen and Medfjordbaen in the Oslo Fjord. Both are unmanned lighthouses.

Kavringen Lighthouse was built in 1892 and is located on Sondre Kavringdyne, a group of skerries in the western seaward approach to the Port of Oslo. There had previously been two lighthouses in the Oslo harbour basin, Heggholmen and Dyna, situated in the old main sea lane. Towards the end of the 19th century, however, larger vessels began to prefer the western lane between Kavringen and Hovedoya, round Vippetangen and into Bjorvika. After DS Norge ran aground on the Kavringen skerries in 1890, there was a cry for better lighting in the western approach. The Kavringen lighthouse was completed and operational only two years later. Until 1956, when both lighthouses were automated and the job of lighthouse keeper became redundant, the lighthouse keeper on Dyna was also responsible for Kavringen. On 15 May (St. Hallvard's Day), as part of Oslo's millennium celebrations in 2000, a time capsule made of titanium was bolted to the inside of the lighthouse. The time capsule is designed like the lighthouse's lantern housing and it contains letters and greetings from the citizens of Oslo to people of the future. The capsule cannot be opened until the year 3000.

Medfjordbaen is a sunken rock in the middle of the Oslo Fjord, off Slangentangen in the county of Vestfold. Here the lighthouse was built and went into operation in 1876. Medfjordbaen Lighthouse is a familiar rounding mark in the annual Faerder Regatta, on the way to Asgardstrand and Horten.

Source:Norway Post.

Europe 2012 stamps from VATICAN

Stamp Name:Visit-Europe 2012

Details:

"Visit..." is the theme chosen by Post Europe for this year's European postal stamps issue. The choice of this wide-ranging theme gives members of the postal association full freedom in interpreting it, whether looking at topics such as travel for tourism or culture, among the many possibilities.

The images chosen by the Vatican Philatelic Office for this stamp issue include the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, symbol of Christianity and destination of religious and cultural pilgrimage for millions of people. Another image is the dove in the window above the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica, a masterful work by Bernini symbolizing the Holy Spirit.

30th Olympic Games, London 2012 - stamps from HUNGARY

Stamp Name:30th Olympic Games, London 2012

Details:

30th Olympic Games, London 2012 - stamps from Hungary Magyar Post is to welcome the 30th Summer Olympic Games, the greatest sporting event in the world, by issuing stamps.

The series in two denominations were designed by graphic artist Agnes Berta and printed by the State Printing Company. In keeping with tradition the artist immortalized a moment from two branches of sport on the Olympic stamps, swimming and kayaking.

Disney Pixar Characters stamps from USA

Stamp Name:Disney Pixar Characters.
Issue Date:1st JUNE'2012.

Details:

Amid a sea of smiles, the U.S. Postal Service has celebrated the issuance of 125 million new stamps featuring popular Disney Pixar characters. The Mail a Smile Forever stamps official First-Day-of-Issue dedication ceremony took place at Disney's Art of Animation Resort on June 1.

Following up on Send a Hello stamps issued in 2011, the eagerly awaited Mail a Smile stamp sheet includes five different designs spotlighting:

- Flik and Dot from "A Bug's Life" (1998);
- Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) and Dashiell "Dash" Parr from "The Incredibles" (2004), with "Dash" also shown running in the background;
- Nemo and Squirt from "Finding Nemo" (2003);
- Woody, Bullseye, and Jessie from "Toy Story 2" (1999);
- Boo, Mike Wazowski, and James P. "Sulley" Sullivan from "Monsters, Inc." (2001).

The back of the stamp sheet shows blue-pencil sketches of characters from these movies interspersed among text that exhorts readers to mail a smile to a loved one. Postal Service art director William Gicker of Washington, DC, worked with Disney Pixar to design the stamp art.

Europa 2012 - Visit Austria

Stamp Name:Europe 2012 - Visit Austria

Details:

The theme announced by "Posteurop", the association of European postal operators, for 2012 is "Visit". Austrian Post came up with something really special for this theme: a miniature sheet featuring four popular attractions and, as the stamp's main theme, the Ferris Wheel at Prater amusement part.

Digital hologram stamp-The Queen's Diamond Jubilee from JERSEY

Stamp Name:The Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Details:

'Equanimity', meaning 'the quality of being calm and even-tempered', is the first official holographic portrait of Her Majesty The Queen. The portrait was commissioned by Jersey Heritage as part of the island's celebrations which took place in 2004, marking 800 years of Jersey's heritage of continuous loyalty to the Crown. The project was conducted as a creative collaboration between artist Chris Levine and holographer Rob Munday.

The £10 postage stamp issued by Jersey Post to celebrate The Queen's Diamond Jubilee features a unique black and white digital hologram miniature. The portrait has been re-created using an achromatic digital embossed holographic stereogram created for Jersey Post by Rob Munday at his studios in London.

Europa 2012 - Visit the Faroe Islands

Stamp Name:Europa 2012 - Visit the Faroe Islands

Details:

It may seem peculiar for the untrained eye, that the Faroes, situated in the midst of the unforgiving North Atlantic Ocean, in fact is a very attractive tourist destination. No tropical beaches, no mass produced hotels for charter tourists and no water parks or other tourist-traps, which are so common at traditional tourist destinations.

However there are many valid reasons to visit the Faroes. Unspoiled environment and culture, well-established infrastructure and good accommodations are attractive for tourists who seek something different than just days in the sun. The rough beauty of the country is legendary and stimulates the senses. Hikes in the mountains, boat-cruises to inaccessible promontories and caves - or just to sit down on a boulder and let the mysterious nature flow into body and soul.

The EUROPE stamps by Faroe Islands this year give a tiny glimpse of what you could expect from an active holiday on the Faroes. Hikes and trips in the grandiose nature - by land or by sea. To take a peek into the abyss from a sharp mountain-edge on one of the northern islands - or a high speed and extreme cruise below the enormous bird-cliffs of Suduroy - just a couple of the exiting activities that wait for you.

Europa 2012-Visit MALTA

Stamp Name:Europa 2012.

Details:

MaltaPost will this year participate in the Europa competition with a set of two stamps, valued at ˆ0.37 and ˆ1.19. The stamps are competing against all of the other PostEurop members as part of this year's EUROPA theme "Visit…", which aims to encourage public awareness of some of Europe's most picturesque areas of cultural and historic importance, as well as to highlight common European roots and objectives. The contest is an annual online event where creative entries from across Europe compete for the best design.

Malta will be participating with stamps showing the stunning view of the Grand Harbour, taken from the Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta.

"The Philatelic Bureau of MaltaPost chose to highlight the Grand Harbour because it is an area of significant historical and geographical importance for Islands," explains Joseph Gafa, CEO at MaltaPost plc. "We believe it will instantly show foreigners Malta's unique historical landscape and encourage them to learn more."

The chosen panoramic picture, which is taken from the Upper Barrakka Gardens, highlights the unobstructed views of the historic Three Cities opposite, with Fort St Angelo in the centre. The photograph also shows a portion of the Gardens' Saluting Battery, which forms part of Valletta's old fortifications built in 1566 by the Knights of St John, a year after the Great Siege.

Protected birds of prey on stamps from HUNGARY

Stamp Name:Fauna of Hungary series - Protected birds of prey .

Details:

In keeping with its traditions, Magyar Posta presents the characteristic fauna of Hungary each year on a stamp block and set of stamps. On the new stamps for 2012 birds of prey are depicted, which in order of ascending face value are the imperial eagle, the white-tailed eagle, the red-footed falcon and the saker falcon, and in the background there are motifs indicating their habitats.

The stamp series was designed by the graphic artist Kalman Szekely and 300,000 copies were made by the state printing company Allami Nyomda.

The stamp block associated with the series presents the bird of the year 2012, the Common Buzzard, and is due to be issued on 15 June 2012.

Hong Kong - France Joint Issue Stamps on Art

Stamp Name:Hong Kong - France Joint Issue on Art.

Details:

Hongkong Post and France are jointly issuing a set of four stamps on art to showcase vintage paintings and contemporary sculptures from Hong Kong and France, reflecting their rich heritage in art.

The two paintings, both works from the 19th century, employ a similar colour scheme with realistic rendering and artists' materials originating from the West, while the two sculptures, created in the 20th century, were both inspired by animals. This marks the 12th joint stamp issue between Hongkong Post and other postal administrations. The stamp issue demonstrates the great passion for art that Hong Kong and France share and showcases the cultural treasures of the two places.

Europa 2012 stamps from ESTONIA

Stamp Name:Europa 2012.

Details:

Estonia is a small northern country with interesting history and pristine nature, it's a friendly and a modern country. It takes only 5 days to cover all of Estonia and its islands, everything is so close here. Forests, lakes, bogs and sandy beaches all give an unforgettable sight. Winters are cold here, you can go to the islands over the ice roads. Estonian population is small, approximately 1.3 million people. Everyone is hard working, welcoming, thinks highly of their family and is eager to learn new things.

Estonia is known for its e-country, Skype and many other achievements in medicine and technology. Over the centuries Estonia has been a part of Sweden, Denmark, Germany and also Russia. They have all left something of their culture, changed landscapes and architecture. The old town of Tallinn is one of the most well preserved and protected medieval towns in Europe (UNESCO cultural heritage). Estonians are a singing nation - there is a nationwide singing and dancing festival in every 5 years. Come see and listen to this land and its people!

Queen's Diamond Jubilee engraved stamp form CANADA

Stamp Name:Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Issue Date:7th MAY'2012

Details:

On May 7th, Canada Post has issued a very special engraved stamp as part of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee collection - one with a pretty neat story. In 1897, Canada's Post Office Department celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria - the only other Monarch of Canada to achieve the 60-year milestone - with an issue of 16 intaglio stamps. The design featured a portrait of the young Queen, as well as one created at the time of Queen Victoria's 60th anniversary. The series remains a classic for collectors.

In May 2012, Canada Post will release a single stamp that mirrors the design of the 1897 stamp. Engraved and printed in the same purple tone as the $2 Queen Victoria commemorative, the 2012 recreation features an image of a young Queen Elizabeth II, taken early in her reign, facing a more recent photograph of Her Majesty.

The stamps are issued in a pane of eight. A souvenir sheet is available individually and included in Volume 5 of the Diamond Jubilee Keepsake Folders.

Despite the fact that the original Queen Victoria stamps were issued 115 years ago, they were very much in the minds of collectors, particularly as Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee loomed on the horizon.

Says Jim Phillips, Director of Stamp Services, "For years, philatelists and collectors who specialize in stamps featuring Queen Elizabeth II have told us the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee issue was the standard by which stamps celebrating this Diamond Jubilee would be measured. We listened to them and decided that since this is such a rare milestone for a reigning Monarch, since there have been only two - we would borrow inspiration from that great 1897 issue. And the result is, we think - definitely fit for a Queen. Our Queen Elizabeth II."

Twentieth-Century Poets stamps from USA

Stamp Name:Twentieth-Century Poets,

Details:

Ten great poets are honored on this Twentieth-Century Poets (Forever) stamp sheet, including several who served as United States Poet Laureate. The many awards won by this illustrious group - Elizabeth Bishop, Joseph Brodsky, Gwendolyn Brooks, E. E. Cummings, Robert Hayden, Denise Levertov, Sylvia Plath, Theodore Roethke, Wallace Stevens, and William Carlos Williams - include numerous Pulitzer Prizes, National Book Awards, and honorary degrees.

Each stamp features a photograph of one of the 10 poets. Text on the back of the stamp sheet includes an excerpt from one poem by each poet. The art director was Derry Noyes.

Fashion Stamp from GREAT BRITAIN

Stamp Name:Fashion

Details:

Britain is famous around the world for the creative vision of its fashion designers, its refined Savile Row tailoring, its shoemakers, milliners - not forgetting its fine wool fabrics and yarn. Since 1945, fashion has grown to become a major national industry. Today it employs about a million people and contributes directly some £21 billion to the UK economy.

This issue showcases the very best of post-war fashion, featuring the innovative fashion houses that have put the UK in the top rank of world fashion design, and showcasing a prime example of each selected designer's work, including Tommy Nutter's suit for Beatle Ringo Starr and Vivienne Westwood's 1993 Harlequin dress, famously modeled by Naomi Campbell.

The idea for the issue came from the British Design Classics stamps of 2009, which featured the stylish chic of Mary Quant's daring mini skirt. This proved to be one of the most popular of the ten stamps featured in the issue; prompting the decision to dedicate an entire issue to Britain's world-class designers.