COVER N. 400 - GEORGIA

Postmark: Georgia Kutais1  20.01.2024

Posted on the 20th January; received on the 29th January 2024 

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And so we come to cover 400! Great! "Inch by inch, row by row,  gonna make this garden grow...". the words sang by Pete Seeger so many years ago echo in my mind as I type these notes, after having opened my letterbox to find a beautiful cover from Georgia inside, sent by the relentless Phantom traveller. Danke sehr, Alex!

It took me one year to reach cover 100, now the last hundred covers came within a matter of five and a half months... that's quite an acceleration....hope I don't get a speeding ticket  😀

Alex used two stunningly beautiful stamps on this cover, which constituted the Georgian 1999 EUROPA issue, which began to circulate on 28APR1999.

The theme for the 1999 common issue being Natural reserves and Parks, Georgia issued the above mentioned two stamps, highlighting the Batsara-Babaneury Reserve and one of its most  famous dwellers, the brown bear,  on the "A" tariff stamp (left corner) and the  Lagodekhi Reserve, and the none less famous red deer, on the "B" tariff stamp (right corner).

I find the illustrations on both stamps very beautiful, done in a neo-naturalist style that fits the theme most adequately,

The quite clear postmark, as it is always the case with Postmarkus Expertus Alexus, indicates that the cover was dispatched through Kutaisi, the legislative capital of Georgia, where its Parliament is located. 

COVER N. 399 - SRI LANKA

Postmark: Headquarters P.O. Colombo - Mail -  14.01.2024

Posted on the 14th January; received on the 24th January 2024 

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The second cover from Sri Lanka and the year is still in its infancy... Ravindra is fast becoming a rather frequent name in the Thanks list here on my blog and, by now, he's fully entitled to the associated member status I hereby bestow upon him 😀. Bohomȧ  sthoothi, Ravindra!

Diplomatic Relations between  France and Sri Lanka were established on 27 October 1948 and  75 years later, Emmanuel Macron became the first French President to visit the island state. 

The anniversary was celebrated by Sri Lanka Post with a two 50 Rupee stamp set, issued on 27OCT23 illustrated with images of the ancient city of Sigiriya  and Mont-Saint-Michel, both having in common the fact that they are perched atop natural ground elevations and both sharing UNESCO WHS status.

Ravindra also used another two stamps, both also celebrating diplomatic relations anniversaries, what makes the cover a rather diplomatic one ....

The 35 Rupee stamp was issued in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Nepal, which occurred on the 1st July 1957.  Curiously, the stamp was issued on 20FEB2020, almost three years past the celebrated date. 

The stamp is illustrated with images of the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy, Sri Lanka, (it is believed that the temple houses one of Buddha's teeth)  and the  Lumbini Temple in Nepal, erected in Buddha’s place of birth. Both temples enjoy UNESCO WHS status.

The 50 Ruppe stamp, a joint issue between Sri Lanka and Egypt, issued on 08DEC2023,  celebrates 66 years of Diplomatic relations between the two countries, Egypt having been the first Arab State to open a diplomatic representation in Sri Lanka, in 1957.

The stamp is illustrated with the images of the Jetavanarama stupa, a Buddhist reliquary monument,  in the ruins of Jetavana monastery, in the ancient city of  Anuradhapura, in Sri Lanka, and of the Sphinx and the Pyramid of Khafre, in Egypt, both also UNESCO WH Sites.

As usual with Ravindra's covers, the Postmark indicates expedition through the PO Headquarters of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital.

COVER N. 398 - SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS

Postmark: Basseterre St. Kitts; Date illegible

Posted on ?; received on the 23rd January 2024 

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The Flying Dutchman does it again, once more from the Caribbean. Fantastic! Hartelijk dank, Eric!

Saint Kitts and Nevis is another of those places that entered Western European history through the journeys of Columbus to the Americas, him and his men being the first Europeans to have set the eyes on the Islands inhabitants in the distant year of 1493.

Reading the potted historical notes on Wikipedia, I learned that the two Islands became a base for the colonial expansion of both the French and English empires, Spain having yielded its claim to St. Kitts to the English in return for help in the fight against piracy....

As sadly usual, the original inhabitants were largely decimated by the Europeans who would also later promote the importation of large contingents of salves from Africa, to work in the sugar plantations, the mainstay of the Islands economy.

With France abandoning its claim to the Islands in 1713, by the treaty of Utrecht, the British crown would rule on both Islands from then on, with a brief one year interval in Saint Kitts, in 1782, when the French temporarily got hold of it, while His Majesty's subjects were busy with the American independentist, but in 1783, full sovereignty on the Islands was again reclaimed by the British Crown.

St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla would federate in 1882 and, to cut a long story short, after the secession of Anguilla, in 1967, St. Kits and Nevis became a fully independent state in 1983, although remaining part of the British Commonwealth, a status that remains unaltered to this day.

In  this age of immersive experiences designed to appeal to all our senses, it is not a mater of wonder that a cover embellished with lovely stamps of fish on a sea coloured envelope should also exhibit signs of  it having been totally immersed in water, sometime during its transit to Portugal 😀.

This unfortunate fact notwithstanding, I am very happy to have the opportunity of adding another country to my list and also extremely grateful to Eric for his constant support to this humble blog of mine.

The stamps in position 1, 3 and 4, clockwise from the left, from the upper row, are part of a mini-sheet of  eight 50 Cent stamps dedicated to “Fish of Nevis”, issued on 25JUL1994. The fish therein depicted are (in the same order)  the Flameback Angelfish (Centropyge aurantonotus), the Saddle squirrelfish (Sargocentron poco) and the Honey gregory (Pomacentrus diencaeus), all reef dwellers which can be found locally.

The stamp on position 2 was also issued on the same date as the other three, as part of a four stamp companion set to the mini-sheet, equally illustrated with images of local reef fish and with face values of 10 cent (the one on the cover) 1; 1.6 and 3 dollars.

The fish that illustrates this particular stamp is  the Striped burrfish (Chilomycterus schoepfi), a member of the porcupine fish family, so named because  when disturbed, they inflate their body, what causes the spines on it to erect and point outwards, making it look rather menacing to its enemies.

Although rather washed (literally) off, the postmark seems to indicate that the letter was mailed from Basseterre, the Capital of Saint Kits and Nevis.

COVER N. 397 - OMAN

Postmark: Illegible 04.01.2024

Posted on the 4th January; received on the 23rd January 2024 

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Another cover from the Gulf region, this time from Oman, again a much appreciated courtesy of Eric. Hartelijk dank, Eric!

The Persian Gulf is not a good place to be sailing these days, but luckily, animals, and intelligent animals in particular, which seems not to be the case with our own species, care nothing about it, just as they  care nothing about borders, and care nothing about religions, and care nothing about geopolitics, and care nothing about a whole lot of other stuff that we have been caring for ages, with the results that we all know...

Benefiting from this superior state of mind, these animals continue to roam freely in the waters of the Gulf... maybe one day we can all follow their example, either in the Persian Gulf, or everywhere else on Earth....

On 24DEC2020, Oman Post issued a five stamp se-tenant stamp strip (2 x 100; 200; 300; 500 Baisa) dedicated to Dolphins and Whales of Oman.

The 300 and 200 Baisa stamps used on this cover are illustrated, respectively, with photographs of:

- Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirostris), a species distributed globally across the world in tropical waters, known for its spinning out of the water habit from where it gets its name;

- Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin (Sousa plumbea) distributed  from Southern Africa to Western Indochina, and which, contrary to the Spinner Dolphin, categorised as a "Least Concern" species by the IUCN, is considered to be an Endangered Species.

The Postmark is illegible as to the place of issuance.

COVER N. 396 - KUWAIT

Postmark: Souk Al-Daxhy Post - Kuwait 07.12.2023

Posted on 7th December, 2023; received on the 18th January 2024 

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Another cover, another country joins the list and, once again, I have to thank The Magnificent Flying Dutchan for it. Hartelijk dank, Eric!

Kuwait, a former British protectorate, became independent in 1961. A country built on oil, which was both its blessing and its curse....the sublime photographs of Sebastião Salgado documenting the extinguishing of the oil pit fires ignited by the Iraqi occupiers could have been the end of the story... unfortunately it wasn't so, for the fire would rekindle in the Gulf just some years later... but I digress...

On the occasion of the Kuwait Industries Exhibition, which took place from the 1st to the 10th October 1997, the Postal Administration of the country issued a three stamp set (25; 50; 150 Fils), of which the 150 fils stamp can bee seen on the cover.

The writings on the stamp are integrally bilingual - Arabic and English -  and the flag of Kuwait can be seen on one of the  three  cogwheels that are present in the image that illustrates the stamp.

The postmark seems to indicate that the letter was posted in Souk al-Daxhy, but I could not find any information on this particular Souk.

Update: Alex, informs me that my getting this cover was also a result of the fabled Zoet&Pilz Inc. Consortium, and that Kuwait post would not post directly to Portugal (I got the cover from Eric, inside a Portuguese stamped envelope).

Alex also informs me that Souk al-Daxhy is located in Kuwait city.

COVER N. 395 - FRANCE

Postmark: 67 - Strasbourg Marseillaise . Bureau Philatélique 15.01.2024

Posted on 15th January; received on the 18th January 2024 

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It has been a while since I last received a cover featuring mostly art related stamps, and although I would always prefer seeing the works therein depicted "in the flesh", and even if sometimes the stamps themselves do not do justice to the masterworks that illustrate them (what is clearly not the case here), they are, at the very least, a way of disseminating culture, making it possible for singular works of art to reach an audience who might never have the opportunity to get to know them any other way, or, in the first place, did not even know such or such work even existed. And for that, I, who know and have seen an absolute infinitesimal number of the works my species has produced, am also grateful! 

Mon grand Merci, Olivier.

- "Un Combat de Coqs” (a cockfight), is the name of the painting by Jean-Leon Gérôme (1824-1904), depicted in the 1,11 € stamp, issued on 19APR2004.

This particular painting earned Gérôme a third place in the Paris Salon of 1947, having been  considered by Téophile Gautiter, who, further to being a well known poet and novelist was also an art critic, as the quintessential master work of the Neo-Grec movement, a neoclassical revival style, popular during the reign of Napoleon III.

The painting nowadays integrates the collection of the Musée D'Orsay.

- The 0,85 € stamp illustrated with an angel blowing some a horn, was issued on 07FEV2009, as part of the Religious Art series.

The image is a detail of the paintings on the absolutely dazzling blue and gold ceiling of the Cathédrale de Sainte-Cécile (the patroness of music and musicians), in the city of Albi, in Southern France, a monument built between 1282 and 1480, which has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site due to its singular architecture which resembles a fortress on the outside, what would not go amiss, given the absolute treasure hidden in its interior.

To the very neat Postmark of the Buireau Philatélique of Stratsbourg, the French Postal Service chose to add, as usual, a rather unnecessary mechanical postmark, although it has been carefully applied upside down, on the base of the envelope, so as not to  maculate the postmark on the stamps.... why not just let the letter go with the original postmark and forego all the additional trouble?...

 

 

COVER N. 394 - FRANCE

Postmark: 58 - Clamecy Nièvre  12.01.2024

Posted on 12th January; received on the 15th January 2024 

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European capitals... always a pleasure to visit them, and Bratislava was no different when I was there some years ago, visiting the totally reconstructed castle, which further to being the official house of the President of Slovakia, also houses the Slovak Parliament, and other beautiful landmarks as the iconic blue church.

Now I had the chance to go through all this once again thanks to the great cover I got from France with part of a  souvenir sheet from the “Les capitales Européenes” series dedicated to the Slovak Capital. Je vous remercie énormement Jean-Pirerre!

The beautifully illustrated stamp issued on 09MAY2023, on the no less beautifully illustrated souvenir sheet, which in its complete form, comprises four 1.80€ stamps,  depicts Bratislava castle, which in its many iterations and developments dates back to the 11th century.

Over the years and as a result of the two world wars the castle was abandoned and left to deteriorate, but in the 50s of last century it was decided to rebuild it, works having stopped temporarily in 1968, when it was occupied by Warsaw Pact troops, during the Prague Spring events.

The reconstruction works were finally completed in 2010, with the completion of the Honorary Courtyard.

To complete the required postage, Marianne stamps of the 20JUL2018 (0,01€) and 20JUL2018 (0,05€) issues were used.

Jean-Pierre Kindly included another of the great  "Poste Aérienne" series postcards, of which he has already sent me a couple before. This time, thye card is dedicated to Éduard Nieuport (1875-1911), who, with his brother Charles (1878-1913), established the Société Anonyme des Établissements Nieuport, for the production of aviation related components and, later,  aircraft. 

Flying in those days was a terribly dangerous matter and both brothers lost their lives in aviation accidents within a two year interval.

Nieuport aircraft would be famous not only for their participation in WWI where aircraft like the Nieuport Nie.11 "bebe" or the Nie. 17 or the 29 would rise to fame, piloted by such names as Georges Guynemer, Charles Nungensser or Eddie Rickenbacker, but also for their participation in races and raids, a Nieuport-Delage sesquiplan having been the holder of the  world air speed record in 1923 (330.275 km/h).

 

The Postcard replicates a stamp dedicated to Édouard Nieuport, issued on 10JUN2016.

COVER N. 393 - ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

Postmark: Antiga and Barbuda General Post Office 20-12-2023

Posted on 20 December 2023; received on the 15th January 2024 

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My second over from Antigua and Barbuda, aptly stamped with rays and sharks, fell on the letterbox yesterday, courtesy of ... guess who? Thanks Phantom!

Rays are beautiful creatures. The way they lay immobile on the sand only to literally fly across the water when they are disturbed with that graceful flapping of their ... yes, to me they look much more like wings than fins...

Looking back now, I don't feel that proud  to think about the several rays I harpooned with my speargun, when I was a kid in the Azores... sitting ducks they were... 

The stamps on the cover are half a four x 3 East Caribbean Dollar stamp mini sheet with images of rays, entitled Stingrays and Skates,  issued on 03DEC2012.

The stamps on the cover are illustrated with images of the common skate (Dipturus batis) and the  long-nosed skate (Dipturus oxyrhynchus).

The Common skate is the largest skate there is, with a length of up to 2.85 metres. It is native to the Northeast Atlantic, thus it should not be present in Barbuda. In fact it is probably not present at all or hardly present in a large part of its former distribution area since it is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN.

The Long-nosed Skate is another member of the Dipturus Genus with a similar distribution to that of the Common skate, that is, the Eastern Atlantic. It is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

COVER N. 392 - CANADA 

Postmark: Canada Post / Postes Canada Richmond Hill ON Observatoire David Dunlalp Observatory  / Major Mckenzie PO Richmond Hill, ON L46 1PO 05.01.2024

Posted on the 5th January; received on the 15th January 2024 

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The year of the Dragon is due to start in less than a month, but echoes of animals past still linger as in this nice cover I received from Canada. Thanks a lot, Nargiza!

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2020 was the year of the Rat. As I read, it would be a good day for people born in a number of years, of course, including my own year of birth.... well, recollections I have of 2020 are not that fantastic, but then again I am not a believer in astrology, so maybe I’m paying the price for my scepticism...

The Chinese New year, notwithstanding, is a popular stamp collecting theme, and Canada is among the nations who I have seen, usually issue stamps on the theme, such as the 2020 Year of the rat "Permanent" stamp on the cover, issued on 17JAN2020, illustrated with an image of soon to be Mrs. Rat being taken to its wedding in a litter.

Other that this stamp, the issue also included a souvenir sheet with two more stamps (2.61 and 2.75 CND).

Nargiza completed postage with a 1.07 CND stamp from the definitive "From far and wide" series issued on 13JAN2020, illustrated with an image of the Carcajou Falls, in the NorthWest Territories.

The interesting postmark on the year of the rat stamps honour the David Dunlap Observatory located in the city of Richmond Hill, which started to operate in 1935.

COVER N. 391 - UKRAINE 

Postmark: Odessa 27 Ukraina 27.12.2023

Posted on the 27th December 2023; received on the 15th January 2024 

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Just before the end of the year, the Phantom managed to visit the beautiful city of Odessa, on the Black Sea,  which, just like the whole country and its valiant people is writing an everyday story of resistance and  endurance in the face of the unjustifiable aggression it has been suffering for almost two years now.

Thanks a lot, Alex, I'm sure that a seemingly insignificant gesture as visiting a Post office in the Ukraine these days and asking for some stamps and postmarks is a little note of naturalness and civility  that helps bring some sense of normality into the lives of all those afflicted by the absurd conflict.

Within the context of the war, railways in the Ukraine have taken a new much improved role as a strategic transportation infrastructure both in what concerns internal communications and Ukraine's links with the outside world.

As such, added strain has, I'm sure, been put into all those who ensure that train services are being provided in the current state of affairs.

Acknowledging their contribution to the country’s defence, Ukraposhta issued on 02NOV2023 a two stamp, tariff W, souvenir sheet, as a tribute to Railway Workers. The sheet and stamps are illustrated with a painting of a railway station with two trains in the platforms, one of the stamps (the one with a train on fire, on the cover) carrying the legend "Kherson" and the other " Lviv".

The stamps illustrate one of the many sad episodes of the war, which took place on May the 4th 2023, when the Kherson to Lviv train was shelled by the Russian army at the Kherson station. Thanks to the swift action of the railway personnel, the burning car was promptly unhooked from the remaining composition and the train continued to Lviv, leaving Kherson station with only a 14 minute delay, as I read on an Ukranian news website.

To complete postage, Alex used a ж tariff stamp from a minisheet sheet with 20 defintive stamps issued on 17MAR2017, entitled, "Eight definitive issue - trees", illustrated with extremely beautiful images of tree leaves and fruits, the one on the stamp being that of the White Willow.

All the available postmarks at Odessa Main Post Office can be seen on this very particular cover.

COVER N. 390 - FRANCE 

Postmark: Meilleurs voeux 2024 - La Poste - 1er janvier 2024 - Paris

Posted on the 1st January; received on the 15th January 2024 

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Just as the first month of the year reaches its midway mark, a super kind and friendly special cover with  best wishes for the year greeted me today, when I opened up my letterbox.

Un très grand Merci, Roland, pour ce très sympa pli. Que  les vœux là-dedans puissent aussi se refléter sur l'auteur d'un tel geste, si généreux et amiable.

2024 marks the 175th anniversary of the issuance of the first French stamps, a seven stamp set issued in January 1849, illustrated with the effigy of Cérès,  the goddess of fertility and agriculture, which, as a side note, was also  used to illustrate several Portuguese definitive stamps issues during the first decades of the 20th century.

This fact was the theme chosen by La Poste to be highlighted in the special Best Wishes for the year card which was inside the beautiful cover, embellished with a cachet replicating the message on the card.

Cérès and the latest iteration of Marianne share the stage on the card, looking in opposite directions.

Although back to back, the message they both convey is one of concordia and trust in the future, I'm sure. Ceres is gazing at the past, not as a hostage of nostalgia but as the guardian of a rich and significant past while Marianne is the face of hope herself, the harbinger of days that will be as good as we, as a whole, Mankind, Humanity, will make them.

May Cérès give us fertile days, full of what Marianne will always stand for: Liberty, Equality; Fraternity!

COVER N. 389 - FRANCE - DROM-COM - NOUVELLE CALÉDONIE

Postmark: Nouméa Ag.ce Philatélique - Nevlle Calédonie 08-12-2023

Posted on 8 December 2023; received on the 12th January 2024 

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The second Cover I got on the same day from Nouvelle Calédonie, this time thanks to Pierre!

Merci bien, Pierre!

The SNCASE (Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Sud-Est) Caravelle was one of the first really successful jet civil aviation transport aircraft, its maiden flight having taken place in 1955 with its production running between 1956 and 1972, yielding a total of 282 aircraft of all manufactured variants of the type.

Union de Transports Aériens (UTA), a private aviation company established in 1963, ordered two Caravelle 10R, ( a variant of the initial model re-engined with Pratt and Whitney engines, of which only 20 aircraft were made) specifically for the service Nouméa-Sidney, which was operated with these aircraft from 1966 till 1978, although from 1972 on only one of the Caravelles was still in service with UTA since the other had been sold to another company abroad.

The 340 Franc stamp of the series “Avions d’Hier et d’Aujourd’hui” (Aircraft of yesterday and today) illustrated with the image of an UTA Caravelle on approach to Nouméa was issued on 24JUL2023.

COVER N. 388 - FRANCE - DROM-COM - NOUVELLE CALÉDONIE

Postmark: Nouméa Ag.ce Philatélique - Nevlle Calédonie 08-12-2023

Posted on 8 December 2023; received on the 12th January 2024 

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My list of mail from France's "Départements et Régions d'Outre-mer et Collectivités d'Outre-mer", DROM-COM, for short, keeps growing, thanks to the care and kindness of French friends. 

Um grand Merci pour Roland et Pierre, pour les sensationnels plis de Nouvelle Calédonie, reçues hier!

Super!

Nouvelle Calédonie is a territory comprising several archipelagos and islands in the South pacific, which came under French "possession" in 1853, through a simple annexation declaration made by a  rear-admiral Febvrier-Despointes... those were the days.....

In time the Island that gives the name to the territory would be transformed into a penal colony, from 1864 onwards, and amogst all those that were exiled to the distant Oceanic colony were no fewer than 5000 Communards, many of which would return to France after an amnisty in 1880.

The rise of self-determination and independence ideals in colonised nations that ensued out of the ashes of the second world war was also felt in Nouvelle Calédonie and even if the territory has gained ever growing authonomy following years of sometimes violent clashes during the 80s of last century, this is still at large an unsettled matter, which is reflected in the Administrative classification of the Territory as a suis generis collectivity, with the right to self-determination recognised by the central Adminsitration.

The Postal Services of Nouvelle Calledónie - Office des Postes et Télécommunications de Nouvelle-Calédonie (OPT-NC) - were present in the 76th Salon Philatélique d'Automne, held in Paris, between 8 and 10 November, last year.

This was the occasion chosen for my French friends to send me the two much appreciated Nouvelle Caledónie covers which I am posting on my blog, as attested by the very beautiful cachet with a swimming turtle on the envelope.

The Amédée lighthouse, a 56 metres high cast iron tower, whose 30,000 candela light can be seen from some 20 nautical miles away, is located in  Amédée Island, Nouvelle Calédonie.

The iron structure was built in Paris in 1862 and then transported by ship to Le Havre from where it embarked on its final journey to its destination, its local assembly being completed in 1865.

The stamp on the cover, illustrated with a magnificent rendition of the Amédée Lighthouse, carrying no face value but including a legend "International", which I believe is an indication of its intended purpose, although the release notes on La Poste site indicate that it is only to be used on mail originating in new Caledonia destinated to the DOM (départments d'Outre Mer) and Metropolitane France, was isued on 24JUL2023.

The Postmark hails from the Philatelic Agency of Noumea, the capital of Nouvelle Calédonie.

COVER N. 387 - NETHERLANDS - ST. MAARTEN

Postmark: Philipsburg ?.12.2023

Posted on ? December 2023; received on the 11th January 2024 

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My friend the Flying Dutchman has also been pretty busy, making sure that whenever my friend Mr.Postman opens the flap on my mailbox to drop a letter with his address on the back, he also takes a moment to take a look at the stamp, in wonder  as to where the hell do I get mail from.

Hartelijk dank, Eric, que é como quem diz: Muito obrigado!

Sint Maarten... about  half an island on the Caribbean, the other part of it being French territory, with country status since 2010, but an integral part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Colonised from the 16th century onwards by Spanish and then Dutch and French settlers, Sint Maarten / Saint Martin  was officially divided between the two powers in 1648.

As elsewhere in the Caribbean, the economy of the island grew on the exploitation of slave labour to work on the sugarcane, cotton and tobacco plantations, what led to an exponential rise in the number of inhabitants, its majority of African origin, in the 18 and 19th centuries.

Slavery was first abolished on the French side of the island, in 1848, while the Dutch would only follow the good French example in 1863.

Tourism is nowadays the focal point of the country's economy, and the effects of the immense destruction brought about by Hurricane Irma in 2017, are being overturned by a steady increase in tourist activity.

Carnival is a deeply rooted tradition in the Caribbean where it evolved from its original European nature to a much more heterogeneous and thus richer celebration, benefiting fromn the interplay of European, Amerindian and African cultures.

Carnival is also an important tradition in St. Maareen, being described as a  three-week celebration of concerts, calypso competitions, steel pan, reggae bands, costumes, pageantry, and more, which takes place every year in April.

On 20APR2029, on the occasion of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Sint Maarten's Carnival, St. Maarten Postal Services issued a mini-sheet containing six self-adhesive stamps, (85; 135; 165; 260; 305 and 420 Netherlands Antillean cent) illustrated with images evocative of the carnival parades, the 305 cent stamp having been used on the cover.

The rectangular postmark originating from Philipsburg, the capital of Sint Maarten, is rather difficult to read, but it would seem that it includes a pictorial element on its top, which unfortunatley I could not identify completely. 

COVER N. 386 - COOK ISLANDS

Postmark: Rarotonga Cook Islands  05.12.2023

Posted on the 5th December 2023; received on the 10th January 2024 

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And another Phantomastic cover joins the fold. This time blown in by the warm Polynesian winds, right from the middle of the Pacific. 

Vielen Dank, Alex!

I have lost track of the times I read that on this or that far away and isolated place, the first westerner foot that had touched the ground belonged to a speaker of my mother tongue....the same holds true with the Cook Islands it seems, since it was a Portuguese sailor - Pedro Fernandes de Queirós - albeit working for our next door neighbours, who first landed a boot (or much more probably a naked foot) on  the atoll of Rakahanga in 1606.

The Cook Islands are currently an independent insular country, in free association with New Zeland, consisting of 15 islands, its economy being rooted on tourism, offshore banking and sea related products like fish or recreational boats.

The souvenir sheet on the cover was issued on 28NOV2014, containing a single stamp which was also issued as part of a four se-tenant stamp strip  (1,30; 1,50; 1,70; 7,5 Cook Islands Dollars), dedicated to the  Spotless Crake (Porzana tabuensis), a bird of the rail family, with a wide distribution ranging from the Philippines, across the southern pacific and on to New Zeland.

The issue was probably endorsed by the WWF, since all the stamps carry the WWF logo.

The large and unusual in colour - green - postmark indicates that the cover was processed at Rarotongta, the largest Island of the Archipelago, where Avarua, the Capital, is located.

 COVER N. 385 - SRI LANKA

Postmark: Headquarters P.O. Colombo - Mail -  01.01.2024

Posted on the 1st January; received on the 9th January 2024 

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Just to think that someone would care enough to go to the Post Office on the first day of the year so as to send another someone, miles and miles and miles away, a friendly letter, is something that fills me up to the brink with joy and appreciation. 

Bohomȧ  sthoothi, Ravindra! I really, really appreciated it!

At present, Sri Lanka has eight UNESCO declared World Heritage Sites, six of cultural and two of natural nature.

One of these sites is the Ancient city of Sigiriya, a site chosen by King Kashyapa on the late 5th century to be  Sri Lanka's capital, something that  could only be attributed to the facility in defending it from any ill intended creature, be it human or animal, since  the site is a huge rock massive, protruding from the forest below, which makes it quite difficult to reach or attack from below.

In fact, it turns out that  Kashyapa was a parricide and he build his palace on top of what is known as the Lion Mountain, so as to defend himself from the vengeance of his brother, who, nonetheless, succeeded in defeating him, Kashyapa committing suicide afterwards.

After this episode, the site was progressively abandoned, having served as a Buddhist monastery until the 14th century.

The site was declared of WHS importance in 1982, UNESCO highlighting the fact that the frescoes existing on the site inaugurated a style which endured many centuries, and also that the poems inscribed on the rock walls bi visitors, known as Sigiri graffiti, are among the most ancient texts in Sinhalese language.

On 15JUN2023, Sri Lanka Post issued the four stamp set that Ravindra used on the cover, dedicated to the Sigiriya site, the stamps featuring several aerial views of it, the legends “Sigiryia”, “World Heritage Sites Sri Lanka” and the UNESCO logo.

As usual with Ravindra's covers, the Postmark indicates expedition through the PO Headquarters of Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital.

COVER N. 384 - GERMANY

Postmark: Garching B MÜNCHEN 85748 - 04.01.12.2024

Posted on the 1st January; received on the 9th January 2024 

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Fast as a bullet, the Phantom has again returned to his homebase, but this time it seems somehwere in the past, with a cover graced with stamps from a bygone currency.... Danke Sehr, Alex!

- Counting the time.... as simple as it may seem it is a fundamental tool for the organisation of human life and activity, especially when such activity implies a transnational dimension. 

Today most of the world follows what is known has the Gregorian calendar, so called because it was established by a Bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, in itself a modification  of the Julian Calendar, established in 46 BC, by  emperor Julius Cesar, still followed by the Orthodox Church, what leads to the differences in the dates for the celebration of events such as Christmas and New Year.

in 1982, thus, the Gregorian calendar celebrated its 400th birthday, and the then named Deutsche Bundespost issued, on 14OCT1982 the 80 pfennig stamp on the  left upper corner of the cover, with the reproduction of a depiction of the calendar based on the work of Johann Rasch (1540 - 1612), an Austrian  clergyman who besides being a writer, a composer, an organist and a mathematician was also a calendar specialist.

- Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G., the flagcarrier airline of Germany, was established in 1926, in Berlin. The first passenger carrier aircraft of its fleet were the venerable Junkers F13, which is the subject of the stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Airline, issue by Deutsche Bundespost on 05JAN1976.

The first all metal aircraft designed specifically for transport purposes, it could accommodate 4 passengers in its cabin, while pilot and co-pilot enjoyed the joys of an open cockpit, up front.

Its ruggedness and reliability dictated a success that saw it operating in all corners of the world both in military and civil versions, be it on wheels, skis or floats. 

The Postmark on the cover indicates that the letter was mailed from Garching bei München, a Bavarian city in the vicinity of Munich. 

POSTCARD N.129 - OMAN

Postcard sent on the 7th December; received on the 9th January 2024

Postcard image: Sur, Sutanate of Oman from UAE
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The third item the Phantom sent from the burning sands of the Omani shores. Nochmals vielen Dank, Alex!

Sur is  the capital of  the Ash Sharqiyah South Governorate, on the cost of the Gulf of Oman.

Again, the 100 and 400 baisa stamps Alex used are part of the eleven stamp set (2x50; 3x100; 2X200; 2x400 baisa; 1 and 3 rial), entitled Ancient Omani Script, issued on 20MAR2023.

Each stamp on this set carries the name of the main town of one of the eleven Governorates into which the country is administratively divided, written in the ancient script and also in its current form as well as its Latin transliteration,

The postmark indicates that the postcard was mailed from the city of Sohar, the capital of the Al Batinah North Governorate, said to be the birthplace of Sinbad, the sailor.

COVER N. 383 - OMAN

Postmark: Oman Post Stamps and Collectibles 05.12.2023 / Oman Post  Al Khuwair Sultanate of Oman 06.12.2023 

Posted on the 5th December 2023; received on the 9th January 2024

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The second Omani cover The Phantom kindly sent me. Danke sehr, Alex!

Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, is the current ruler of the Sultanate of Oman. Having been named by the previous ruler, Sultan Qabus bin Said Al Said, who had no descendents, his successor; he became Oman's Sultan on 11, January 2020, upon the passing of the former Sultan, who was also his cousin.

On November 2023, Oman Post issued a single stamp (500 baisa) souvenir sheet commemorating Oman's 53rd National Day, which is celebrated on the 18th November, the date when the Portuguese were expelled from Muscat in1550 and also the birthday of the former Sultan Qabus bin Said Al Said, who ruled from 1970 until his death, in 2020.

The monochromatic souvenir sheet and stamp are illustrated with the image of  Sultan Haitham bin Tarik.

The other 200 and 50 baisa stamps on the cover are part of the eleven stamp set (2x50; 3x100; 2X200; 2x400 baisa; 1 and 3 rial), entitled Ancient Omani Script, issued on 20MAR2023.

Each stamp on this set carries the name of the main town of one of the eleven Governorates into which the country is administratively divided, written in the ancient script and also in its current form as well as its Latin transliteration,

Two rather nice and neat postmarks on the stamps, one round indicating the place wher the letter was posted - Al Khuwair - and another, rectangular, issued at the shop where the stamps were probably bought, given the legend "Stamps and colectibles" and the difference in the date - 1 day less - in relation to the aforementioned round postmark. 

COVER N. 382 - OMAN

Postmark: Oman Post Cargo Services Sur  Sultanate of Oman 06.12.2023

Posted on the 6th December 2023; received on the 9th January 2024

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He who walks so silently that no one hears him nor  his faithful companion, Devil, the wolf, mailed from the Middle East.... in multiples.... Thanks a lot Alex, another country joins the fold!

Strategically located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the Sultanate of Oman, which until 1970, was designated Muscat and Oman is, I read, the  oldest continuously independent state in the Arab world, a fact dating back to 1650, when the Portuguese occupiers, who, after the successful establishment of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama,  had fortified Muscat, turning it into a protection port with a view to supporting Portuguese sea commerce, were expelled, thus ending a presence of almost 150 years in Muscat and other cities of the Sultanat.

An absolute monarchy to this day, its economy is cantered on oil and tourism, as befits the region,

On 20Mar2023, Oman Post issued an eleven stamp set (2x50; 3x100; 2X200; 2x400 baisa; 1 and 3 rial), entitled Ancient Omani Script, of which three can be seen on this cover.

Each stamp carries the name of the main town of one of the eleven Governorates into which the country is administratively divided, written in the ancient script and also in its current form as well as its Latin transliteration,

The very neat and clear bicolour postmark was applied at Sur, the capital of the Ash Sharqiyah South Governorate.

COVER N. 381 - MOLDOVA

Postmark: Poşta Moldovei  Chișinău  MD-2012  29.12.2023

Posted on the 29th December 2023; received on the 4th January 2024

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We all know the Phantom knows no boundaries.... so before the year ended, his furtive shadow might have been seen dropping a cover or two in a Post Office at Chisinau, Moldova's Capital.... Danke Sehr, Alex!

It is obvious that the cover had not an easy transit from the East until it landed on my letterbox, still it got here, and that is really what matters.

A single stamp 10,30 lei souvenir sheet dedicated to the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History of Moldova, illustrated with a lithograph of the Cathedral Plaza of Chisinau, by Carlo Bossi, a Bohemian artist born in Prague, who lived between 17337 and 1798, a work which presumably is part of the museum's collection.

Postmark from the Capital, Chișinău.

COVER N. 380 - UGANDA

Postmark: Kampala ? Office - Uganda 06.10.2023

Posted on the 6th October 2023; received on the 4th January 2024

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A long time on the way, three months, to be more precise, but a very welcome addition to my collection. Un grand Merci Roland, pour ce pli fantastique!

Uganda, a landlocked country in the middle of the African Continent, a former British protectorate who rose to independence in 1962 and a long history of social turmoil and dictatorship, in a country where its current President, in power since 1986, and re-elected in 2021 in elections during which the opposition candidates were arrested, and internet access suspended, can, in theory, rule for life, given that the parliament has passed a law to remove any age limit to the function....

Stamps, left to right

600 Ugandan Schilling definitive stamp issued on 21APR1998, as part of a set of three illustrated with African reptiles, which can probably be found in the country. This particular stamp is illustrated with  an image of a Spotted Sandveld Lizard (Nucras intertexta).

The communications sector regulator in Uganda is the Uganda Communication Commission, instituted in 1998. On 03Jan2019, Posta Uganda issued the 1,800 Shilling stamp on the cover, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Commission, the stamp being illustrated with a 20 carrying the logo of the company inside the 0.

The Postmark hails from the country's capital, Kampala.