POSTCARD N.261 - EGYPT

Postcard sent on the 17th October; received on the 9th November 2026

Postcard image: Cairo Tower; Caitbay Citadel, Alexandria; Giza Pyramids

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It has been quite a while since I added a new country to the list of origins here on the blog, so I was really enthralled to notice this postcard on my letterbox. Vielen Dank Wilhelm. You sure made my day with this.

The first thing to note on this postcard is that it actually seems to be  printed onto glossy  photo paper, so the quality of the images is pretty good.

Three famous Egyptian landmarks are featured on the card. The first one is the Cairo Tower, which stands out against a nice cloudy sky on a head on view of the city taken from the East bank of the Nile as it passes through Gezira Island, wherein the 187 metres tall tower inaugurated in 1961 was built.

The middle photograph shows the façade of the Citadel of Qaitbay, erected on Pharos Island, Alexandria, in the final quarter of the 15th century where once stood one of the seven wonders of the ancient world: the Lighthouse of Alexandria, destroyed by several earthquakes, the last of which took place in the 14th century.

 

The last photo shows Egypt's most iconic landmark: The Giza Pyramids, built from  c. 2600 to c. 2500 BC, and the unavoidable camel  waiting to carry another tourist on a trip of the complex.

The postage on this postcard is an enygma for me. Since I couldn't find this particular stamp in any of the online catalogues I usually use for identification I ran a google query and this is what I got in return:

"

The Egypt 1980 5 LE (Egyptian Pounds) blue "Torch" Education Revenue stamp belongs to the 1980 Egyptian Fiscal/Revenue "Hand Holding Torch" series cataloged under Peter Feltus's Catalogue of Egyptian Revenue Stamps (where the 1980 Education Torch series begins around Feltus #735 for the 250 milliemes brown issue).

Key Identification & Context:

• Series & Design: Part of the 1980 Egyptian Education Tax (Rasm Ta'lim / رسم تعليم) fiscal series featuring a hand holding a burning torch, symbolizing enlightenment and education.

• Denomination & Color: 5 Egyptian Pounds (5 LE / ٥ جنيهات) printed in blue, representing a high-value denomination in the 1980 Torch series (which also includes lower values like the 250m brown).

• Purpose: Used as a mandatory fiscal/revenue duty stamp affixed to official educational documents, school/university certificates, diplomas, transcripts, and administrative applications in Egypt rather than for postal mail.

"

Since I could not find any evidence of any other stamp having been glued onto the card, I would assume that this stamp, although being a revenue stamp,  has been used for postage, for some reason, what  leaves me wondering...

Does anyone care to offer some explanation?

As far as I could make it with the help of  a translation app, the card bears the Postmark of the Urghada Post Office.

COVER N. 786 - BRASIL

Postmark: A C Central de SE/SPM 17.08.2026

Posted on the 17th August;  Received on the 2nd November 2026

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Talk about Snail Mail.... 2.5 months from Brazil to Portugal... nothing should justify it, since there are on average 5 daily flights from S. Paulo to Lisbon.... anyway, Muito Obrigado, Luis.  A carta  chegou tarde, mas chegou, e isso é o que importa 😀.

Some of the stamps on this cover had already been featured in another of Luis' letters, so I'll just replicate my notes for them:

- Ginásio Pernambucano is the oldest school in Brazil, having been functioning uninterruptedly since 1825, that is 200 years ago.

First located at Convento do Carmo, (Carmo Convent) in Recife, a Carmelite run convent, it occupied several facilities until finally being established in a purpose built building where it has been functioning since 1866, still in the city of Recife, the capital city of the State of Pernambuco.

Celebrating its 200th anniversary, Correios do Brasil issued a 3,7 Reais stamp on 01DEC2025, illustrated with an image of the building and the official logo of the institution.

- Think "Garota de Ipanema", the immortal song authored by Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Morais with a beat that in its essence is a watered down samba and there is Bossa Nova for you, the genre that became so popular in the 60s that it transcended frontiers with stars like Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald including it in their repertoire.

On 22NOV2025, Correios do Brasil issued a 3,70 Reais stamp celebrating this relevant musical genre, the stamp design clearly highlighting its Carioca origins trough the inclusion of the two main hills that dominate Rio de Janeiro's landscape, - the Pão de Açucar and the Corcovado -  over a shinning sun (summer for all) and a guitar in the foreground, the instrument that was at the forefront of Bossa Nova's creation.

- The shoemaker stamp, (0,20 R$) is part of the first set of three stamps of the Professions definitive series,  issued between 2005 and 2011. It was issued on 30DEC2005.

- According to an entry in Wikipedia, Marajó cheese is a type of fresh cheese made with Buffalo milk that has been traditionally produced for over 200 years in the Marajó archipelago, in the state of Pará.

It is featured on the 1,03 reais stamp on the cover, it being one of the 8 same denomination stamps issued on 25JUL2021 in mini-sheet format, dedicated to the Cheeses of Brazil.

As usual on Luis' covers, the postmark hails from the central Post Office from the city of São Paulo.

POSTCARD N.260 - GERMANY

Postcard sent on the 28th October; received on the 2nd November 2026

Postcard image: Sylt Island 

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Sylt, the largest island in the North Sea,  Danke sehr Alex for another fine postal from a place that I would be very happy to visit.... 

Sylt is some 38 km long from tip to tip and one its western coast it boasts a 40 km long sandy beach (something that, being Portuguese, fails to impress me since it is not difficult to find such long stretches of sand&sea along our west coast, too)

Although there are roads on the island and vehicles are allowed on them, there is no road connecting it to the mainland.

As such, Sylt can only be reached by train, from Germany,  or by ferry, from Denmark, as it was the case with this postcard, as Alex informed me, something that is attested by the stampmark of MV Sylt Express, the ferry, curiously registered in Cyprus, in which it made the crossing from Rømø.

Judging from the pictures in the card, the Island is a hotspot for lighthouse fans, and that alone would justify a visit, but there seems to be quite a few more constructions worthy of inspection...

  

Alex used two stamps of the "World of Letters" definitive series; a 0.15 € - Letters Peacock - issued on 10AUG2024 and a 1.10 € Letters Aircraft issued on 01MAR2022.

Postmark from Keitum, a village in the former municipality of Sylt-Ost, now merged with two other  former municipalities - Westerland and Rantum - into the municipality of  Gemeinde Sylt.

COVER N. 785 - INDONESIA

Postmark: Malang 17.09.2026

Posted on the 17th September;  Received on the 2nd November 2026

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Terima kasih banyak, Irene. Another nice Indonesian entry in my collection, 

I have the same problem that Irene had to deal with here, every now and then: souvenir sheets are a pain to glue onto regular size envelopes, since they tend to be oversize. I wish postal operators would always issue souvenir sheets bearing C6 envelopes in mind....

The Asian African Conference, that would go into history as the Bandung Conference, was held in that Indonesian city from the 28 to the 24 April, 1955.

The meeting was organised by  Indonesia, Myanmar (Burma), Ceylon (Sri Lanka), India, and Pakistan, with delegates  29 countries having participated in the sessions.

The Conference reflected the dissatisfaction of Asian and African countries regarding the political domination of the world by the superpowers which emerged from WW2 and crystallised into the cold war years, and their strong advocacy for the promotion of  self-determination and anti-colonialism.

The conference opened the way for the creation in 1961 of the Non-Aligned Movement, dedicated to representing the interests and aspirations of Developing Countries.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Asian African Conference, the Postal Administration of Indonesia, on 18APR2005, issued the 2500 rupiah single stamp souvenir sheet on the cover. 

The stamp bears the portraits of the five Prime-Ministers who promoted the Conference, namely (left to right) Ali Sastroamidjojo (1903-1975), Indonesia; Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), India; U Nu (1907-1995), Burma; Sir John Kotelawala (1897-1980), Ceylon and Muhammad Ali Bogra (1909-1963), Pakistan.

The frame for the stamp is mostly occupied with an image of the Merdeka Building, An art deco building in Bandung, where the Conference took place, while the right fourth of the sheet bears an image of a section of two hemispheres.

- Quoting direct from Wikipedia:

 The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in 1967 during a period of Cold War tensions in Southeast Asia. Formed by five non-communist countries, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, its primary goals were to promote regional solidarity, political stability, and economic development in a volatile geopolitical environment.

On the occasion of the 48th anniversary of ASEAN, Indonesia Post issued, on 08AUG2015, the 7000 rupiah stamp on the cover illustrated with The ASEAN logo, with the flags of the then 10 participating countries (eleven since 2025, with the adhesion of East-Timor): Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand (the founding countries), Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia.

Postmark from Malang, East Java.

POSTCARD N.259 - SPAIN

Postcard sent on the 16th October; received on the 29th October 2026

Postcard image: Literal - Fira d'idees & libres radicals - La Cultura és l'opció política més revolucionária a llarg termini (Montserrat Roig) 

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La Cultura és l'opció política més revolucionária a llarg termini. (Culture is the most revolutionary political option in the long term).  Moltes gràcies, Eva, per la teva tan interessant postal .

Not disputing the author's conviction and sure that elaborating over a phrase isolated from its context can be terribly misleading, if  such a powerful statement would prompt me to any type of comment I might only be tempted to add that the relevance of culture as a political option should not be linked to any particular time frame, for not only is it relevant for the long term, but also for every conceivable term in between...

In fact, I do believe that Culture, in all its manifestations, which go well beyond the arts,  is the inerasable footprint that Humanity has impinged on earth, the precipitate of our species existence, the evidence of our accomplishments.

Humans, even the centenary among us, are by nature transient. Culture, on the other hand, is evergreen and permanent, even if in constant mutation, augmentation, development.

Culture, transmorphed into books, buildings, paints, clothes, sculptures, films, photographs but also foods, medicine, maths, laws is the heritage we grew by and will leave to those that will follow us and a large part of it, due to its tangible nature, will endure long after we're all gone, until the planet finally becomes  celestial dust again.

Being aware of it and fostering it, at all times, should be the main concern of any responsible government, for a cultivated society is a society that has crossed the Rubicon from subsistence to progress. I would even be tempted to say that  it should be a government's most revolutionary political option.

Note: Montserrat Roig (1946-1991)  was a Catalan journalist, writer and activist who in the short span of her life managed to leave a noteworthy contribution towards  l'opció política més revolucionária a llarg termini.

- Ana María Matute (1925-2014) was one of the most important Spanish writers of the 20th century and a laureate of Premio Cervantes, the most important literary prize in Spain, which she was awarded in 2010. 

On 29MAY2026, Correos de España issued the 1€ stamp Eva used on the postcard, illustrated with the author's portrait, as part of the on-going "Literature" series, which features relevant contemporary  Spanish writers

- Consuelo Berges (1899-1988) was also a Spanish writer and activist, who was honoured with the "A" tariff  stamp on the card, issued on 23JUL2026. 

Quoting from the release notes: "Correos has issued a new stamp, within its series 'Characters', which pays tribute to Consuelo Berges Rábago, a brilliant Spanish writer, journalist, translator and feminist activist belonging to the Sinsombrero current. She stood out for defending women's rights and translating great French authors into Spanish, work for which she received the prestigious Fray Luis de León Translation Prize."

- Felipe VI became the King of Spain on 19 June 2014. The first definitive series featuring his portrait was issued on 19JAN2015, and the 0,04 € stamp on the card is part of that issue which comprised 6 values (0,01; 0,04; 0,10; 1;L 2; 5 €), the stamps being all equal but printed in different colours.

The postcard Eva used is a promotion vehicle for "Literal: Fira d'idees  libres radicals  (Literal: Radical Ideas & Books Fair), popularly known as Literal or Literal Fair, is a trade fair for critical thinking books in any language, which has been held annually since 2015, for three days in mid-May, at the Fabra i Coats venue in Barcelona. (translated from  wikipedia).

COVER N. 784 - ITALY

Postmark: No postmark

Posted on ?;  Received on the 29th October 2026

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A clean cut cover from Italy. Sadly, as it is often the case with Italian mail, there is no obliteration, but at least there is the fluorescent barcode to prove it circulated. Grazie mille Pierluigi,.

A tap. A really uncommon object for a stamp... I wonder if there are any thematic stamp collectors dedicated to the  "Tap" theme :-)

in 2014, Poste Italiene in coordination with the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT), began issuing a series of stamps entitled "Le Eccellenze del sistema produttivo ed economico e del Made in Italy " (The Excellences of the Productive and Economic System and of the made in Italy), with a view to promote and celebrate the heritage of "Made in Italy" corporate brands.

The first notable brand given the honour of a stamp in this still on-going series was Nutella, which in 2014 celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Rubinetterie Stella (Stella Taps) was founded in 1882 in Cireggio, in Lago d'Orta (Lake Orta), Piemonte, Northern Italy.

According to a statement in its official website, the company is famous for being  "the only Italian faucet-maker that still uses bronze castings for parts used behind the wall, guaranteeing they will last forever".

144 years passed since its establishment, Rubinetterie Stella was honoured with a "B" tariff stamp issued on 07JUL2026, highlighting the brand as one of the marks of excellence in Italian manufacturing.

I was  wondering why now, since 144 years is not that round a date. Turns out that 2026 marks the centenary of one of Stella taps iconic lines, still in production today: La Serie Roma.

Celebrating this fact the stamp features a photograph of a classic design "Serie Roma" cold water wall tap with a tiny legend “1926-2026” beneath it,  with its project blueprint on the background. The company's logo is featured on the top of the stamp alongside the legend “Serie Roma”.

COVER N. 783 - MAURITIUS

Postmark: MPPC Tribeca 2 Mauritius 20.10.2026

Posted on the 20th October;  Received on the 28th October 2026

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Another rare visitor to this blog: Mauritius. Thank you so much Tasneem.

Another rare visitor to this blog: Mauritius. Thank you so much Tasneem.

Knowing my soft spot for all things that fly, Tasneem used a nice minisheet issued on 16SEP2024, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Mauritius Police Helicopter Squadron. The sheet comprises  3 stamps, illustrated with photographs of the three types of helicopter serving in the unit, namely the Eurocopter AS555 Fennec (3 rupee stamp); the HAL- Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Dhruv (25 rupeee) and the venerable HAL Chetak - the French Alouette III made in India, under licence - (32 rupee).

The three helicopters are seen on the sheet photoshop layered into an aerial image of  Le Morne Brabant peninsula, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mauritius Police Helicopter Squadron, formed in 1974, is the national law enforcement agency of Mauritius, tasked with:

- Search & Rescue and Casualty Evacuation;

- Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Missions;
- Operation to combat gandja (cannabis) cultivation;
- Traffic patrol and Security Escort of convoys;
- Conveyance of Very Very Important Persons (VVIPs) / Very Important Persons (VIP) and officials of Ministries / other agencies as approved by the Prime Minister’s Office;
- Formation of specialist Drivers (Helidrop);
- Photo and filming missions.

- Postage was completed with a 33 Rupee stamp issued on 09OCT2027, part of a 4 stamp set (3; 4; 23; 33 Rupees) issued as a souvenir sheet, entitled Mauritius Sea Shells.

The 33 rupee stamp on the cover features the Trapezium Horse Conch (Pleuroploca trapezium), a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Fasciolariida,  recollected as food and whose shell can be used as a natural trumpet, once the tip of the spire is cut off.

Postmark from the Post Office at the Tribeca Mall, in Mauritius