Singapore - Japan Joint Issue 29.11.2016

Singapore Post Limited (SingPost) and Japan Post Co., Ltd. (Japan Post) released a joint stamp issue by Singapore and Japan to commemorate 50 years of strong and warm bilateral relations between the two countries. Both countries have developed excellent relationships in many areas, including trade and investment, culture, and their people.

The stamps feature ceramic works by renowned potters of the two countries: Singapore’s Mr Iskandar Jalil, and Japan’s Mr Toyozo Arakawa.

Thank you Shashi.

Swiss - Aland Joint Issue 3.9.2015

On 3rd September 2015 sees the first joint issue between Åland Post and Swiss Post. The two stamps issued by both posts present glittering silver jewellery embellishing traditional folk dresses of the two countries.

The Åland shawl buckle is a so-called woggle in silver designed by Åland silversmith Viking Sundberg on the basis of older finds in Åland. The woggle is used to fastening the shawl and it is used with all Åland female folk dresses. The first Åland folk dresses appeared in 1908 and all 16 Åland municipalities have their own folk dress today.

The Swiss motif is a traditional Bernese Sunday costume brooch. The filigree brooch is made from delicately twisted silver threads and is one of a number of brooches worn with the folk costume. The cantonal dress has remained largely unchanged since the end of the 19th century and is still used for special occasions.

Please see my post dated 15.10.2015 for the Aland FDC.

Thank you Merja.

Folk Dress Brooches - Joint Issue Aland - Switzerland 03.09.2015

On 3rd September, 2015 sees the first joint issue between Åland Post and Swiss Post was issued. The two stamps issued by both posts present glittering silver jewellery embellishing the traditional folk dresses of the two countries

The Åland shawl buckle is a so-called woggle in silver designed by Åland silversmith Viking Sundberg on the basis of older finds in Åland. The woggle is used to fastening the shawl and it is used with all Åland female folk dresses. The first Åland folk dresses appeared in 1908 and all 16 Åland municipalities have their own folk dress today.

The Swiss motif is a traditional Bernese Sunday costume brooch. The filigree brooch is made from delicately twisted silver threads and is one of a number of brooches worn with the folk costume. The cantonal dress has remained largely unchanged since the end of the 19th century and is still used for special occasions.

Thank you Ella.

Singapore - Liechtenstein - Joint stamp issue 10.11.2014

To mark the strengthened relations, Singapore Post and Philatelie Liechtenstein released a joint stamp issue on 10.11.2014. This is the first joint stamp issue between the two postal organisations.

The Singapore-Liechtenstein joint stamp issue comprises two stamp designs "Singapore" and "Liechtenstein" with the value of S$1.30 each.  

Liechtenstein, which is located between Austria and Switzerland, lies at the heart of Europe. It is the fourth-smallest state in Europe and sixth-smallest country in the world. The capital of Liechtenstein is Vaduz which is home to many historical and cultural attractions.

The Liechtenstein stamp is part of a painting, "Looking at Vaduz" by Ms Hong Sek Chern from Singapore who is well known in Asia for her ink paintings. The painting is an attempt to depict the town of Vaduz in a non-homogenous way. It depicts an aerial view of the town of Vaduz, aspects of the national bank and Vaduz cathedral incorporated into the middle portion and suggestions of snowscape in other portions.

Singapore, which lies at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, is a bustling cosmopolitan city with landscape populated by high-rise buildings and gardens. One interesting facet about Singapore is a ubiquitous collage of cultures, where people of different ethnicities and beliefs coexist in unity.

The Singapore stamp is designed by Jens W Beyrich, an artist working in Liechtenstein. It illustrates his perception of Singapore. The stamp design is developed along a mathematical concept. The design looks like a complex structure with six equally sided and sized triangles that can configured into 12 possible different arrangements. It can fit all the 12 different pieces into a surface of a rhomb with a six-fold side length. Rotating the rhomb structure around one of its large angle corners generates a regular hexagon, and with some imagination, a visual of a cube. The artwork symbolises virtues and essentials of Singapore that has equilibrium of amazing progress and growth despite complexity.

Singapore 12.9.2013 - Singapore-Vietnam Joint Stamp Issue – 40th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations

In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Diplomatic relations between Singapore and Viet Nam, a joint stamp issue on birds was launched. This is the second joint stamp issue between the two countries.

Beautifully portrayed in this joint stamp issue are the Grey Peacock Pheasant and the Red Junglefowl.

Depicted on one stamp is the Grey Peacock Pheasant which is drawn by To Minh Trang. It has greyish brown plumage with dark blue circles and white rings. Each tail feather has two green “eyespots” or ocelli which are especially prominent in the males. The Grey Peacock Pheasant also scientifically known as Polyplectron bicalcaratum is a medium-sized pheasant found mostly in the lowland and hill forest of Assam and Southeast Asia. It has greyish brown plumage, adorned with dark blue circles and white rings. Distinctive features of this bird include white cheeks and throad. Each tail feather has two green "eyespots" or ocelli, which are especially prominent in the males. Females are smaller, with darker and duller plumage.

Female grey peacock pheasants are smaller, and have a darker and duller plumage.

The second stamp featured the Red Junglefowl which is drawn by Eng Siak Loy. The cockerel has striking plumage, ear wattles and a majestic red comb. The hen in its streaky brown plumage is less spectacular. The Red Junglefowl scientifically known as Gallus gallus is widely touted as the wild ancestor of the domestic chicken. The cockerel has ear wattles and sports a majestic red comb. Its plumage is bright gold or bronze with hues of blue, purple or green on the tail. The hen is less spectacular, with streaky brown plumage. Red Junglefowls are able to fly up in trees to roost at night, and to escape ground predators.

Thank you Shashi.

Costa Rica and Liechtenstein 6.6.1988 - Joint Issue

This first day cover has similar looking stamps from Cost Rica and Liechtenstein. They were issued to mark the cultural cooperation between the two countries.

Thank you Merja.

Joint issue in 2014 by the eight Nordic Countries - Iceland and the Faroe Islands

Joint issue in 2014 by the eight Nordic Countries - Aland and Greenland

Joint issue in 2014 by the eight Nordic Countries - Norway and Finland

Joint issue in 2014 by the eight Nordic Countries - Denmark and Sweden

For the next few days I'll be showing you some miniature sheets from a folder of stamps given to me by my dear friend Ella.  The Folder is about the Joint issue in 2014 by the eight Nordic Countries. Today I'll display the mini sheets of Denmark and Sweden.

Club Islander, Sentosa, Singapore on 28.10.2009.

The stamp launch for the Singapore-Indonesia Joint Issue was held at Club Islander, Sentosa, Singapore on 28.10.2009. The theme of this stamp issue is tourist attractions. For Singapore, the selected attractions are the Merlion (65c) and Sentosa ($1.10). For Indonesia, the featured attractions are Singa Ambara Raja Statue (1st local) and Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (80c).

Singapore and Indonesia enjoy warm and friendly ties. Both countries are close neighbours and each other's major trading partners. Ministers and officials from both countries work closely together bilaterally, as well at international fora such as ASEAN to advance common interests. In this stamp issue, selected attractions of both countries are featured.

1ST LOCAL: Singa Ambara Raja Statue
Singa Ambara Raja statue is the landmark of Singaraja City on the northern part of Bali. Adapted from Buleleng regency symbol, this statue uniquely depicts a winged lion holding a big corn in one of its front leg. The statue was officially inaugurated on 30 March 1971 to signify the historical struggle of Singaraja people against Dutch colony.

65c: Merlion
The iconic Merlion is Singapore's most enduring symbol. The name of the half-lion, half-fish creature is a combination of both Singapore's ancient name "Temasek" (meaning "sea town") and original name "Singapura" (meaning "Lion City").

80c: Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Beautiful Indonesian Miniature Park)
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah or "Beautiful Indonesian Miniature Park" is a recreational spot with splendid cultural highlights of the grandeur of Indonesia. Officially opened on 20 April 1975, it covers nearly 250 acres of area at the eastern side of Jakarta. The park is a summary of Indonesian culture, with virtually all aspects of daily life of each provinces of Indonesia encapsulated in separate pavilions with collection of architectures, clothing, dances and traditions.

$1.10: Sentosa
Sentosa was a British military fortress until 1967 when it was handed back to the newly independent Singapore Government. In 1968, the Government decided to develop the island into a holiday resort for local visitors and tourists. The public was invited to suggest names for the island and "Sentosa" - meaning peace & tranquility in Malay - was eventually chosen for the island resort in 1972.

Christmas stamps as a joint venture with the Vatican 8.11.2013

On 8 November, Aland Post issued two Christmas stamps as a joint venture with the Vatican. Both motifs are very well suited for franking Christmas greetings posted from Aland as well as the Vatican.

The two Aland stamps feature the Nativity of Jesus. The first stamp features the infant Jesus lying on a felt with adoring Virgin Mary close by. Another stamp shows the Adoration of the Magi with one of the three wise men paying homage to infant Jesus in the arms of Virgin Mary.

The two masterpieces are on display in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. The frescos were created by the Italian painter Pinturicchio in the late 15th century. The Vatican State will be issuing two stamps with the exact same motifs.

Aland Post and Poste Vaticane are both members of SEPAC (Small European Postal Administrations’ Cooperation), which led to this unique joint venture. A joint presentation pack with both stamp issues is also planned.

New technology is also embedded in the stamps. A special application is planned to become available for download from both App Store and Google Play. By starting the application and scanning the stamps with a smartphone or tablet PC, a photo slideshow featuring specially composed Christmas music will open.

Thank you Ella for this wonderful set of stamps and fdc's from Aland.

M/S Princess Anastasia - Joint-issue stamps by Aland and Russia 12.8.2013

Passenger Ferries featured on new joint-issue stamps by Aland and Russia

Posten Aland issued a “Passenger ferry” stamp in cooperation with the Russian post on 12^th August, 2013.

This year’s second stamp in the passenger ferry series by Aland Post features M/S Princess Anastasia. The ship operates on the route Stockholm-Tallinn-St Petersburg-Helsinki. Ordered by Swedish shipping company Rederi Ab Slite, M/S Princess Anastasia was built in 1986 by Wartsila shipyard in Turku to be placed in the service of Viking Line. She was named M/S Olympia and was sister ship of Viking Line’s M/S Mariella. M/S Olympia operated for Viking Line between Stockholm and Helsinki from 1988 to 1993.
When Rederi Ab Slite went bankrupt in 1993, she was sold to P&O Ferries and, between 1993 and 2010 she served mostly between Portsmouth in England and Bilbao in Spain, now with the name M/S Pride of Bilbao. On 2 April 2011, St Peter Line placed the ship in traffic on the route Stockholm-Tallinn-St Petersburg-Helsinki under her new name M/S Princess Anastasia. From August 2011 until April 2012, Mariehamn (Aland Islands capital) was one of the ports of call on her voyage.

Thank you My Dear Friend Ella for this lovely set of FDCs and the  pretty maxicard with the picture of the Anastasia Ferry and the stamps and postmarks of the two countries, Aland and Russia.

Taizhou Yangtze River Bridge and Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul(Jointly issued by China and Turkey) - Special Stamps

On November 26, 2012,China National Philatelic Corporation issued a set of two special stamps and a First Day Cover  titled "Taizhou Yangtze River Bridge and Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul" with a total face value of 2.4 yuan. This was a Joinbt Issue between Turkey and China.

Taizhou Yangtze River Bridge, in Eastern China’s Jiangsu Province, connects Taizhou City in the North to Zhenjiang and Changzhou cities in the South, playing a vital communications role in the Yangtze River Delta area and contributing to the expressway network of Jiangsu. Running 62 kilometres in length  with a cross-river main span of seven kilometres, it is a massive suspension bridge that includes three towers and two spans. Designed according to the standard of a two-way six lane expressway, the bridge was expected to be complete by 2012.

Bosphorous Bridge, in Istanbul, Turkey, spans the Bosphorous Strait, which connects Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and Mediterranean Sea. Linking Europe and Asia, it measures 1560 metres in length and 33 metres in width. The bridge deck is wide enough to accommodate six lanes of traffic and high enough to allow various ships to pass underneath. The bridge was built in 1973.

Thank you Munu for this lovely FDC. 

Joint issue by China and Singapore - City Outlook 9.10.1996

On 9^th October 1996, Singapore and China jointly released a set of stamps featuring similar designs on Suzhou’s Panmen area and the Singapore skyline and warterfront.

Chinese artist, Jiang Zhi Nan of the Central Academy of Arts and Design, painted the two beautiful scenes in watercolour. In spite of the obvious physical differences between  Singapore and Suzhou, Zhi Nan used his skill and creativity to produce two beautifully executed and complimentary paintings.

These two covers were specially produced to commemorate the joint release of the two sets of stamps by Singapore and China. The two matching sets of stamps and special cancellations, together with the signatures of the artist and the graphic designer, make these covers a special memento of the two countries’ collaboration in this issue.

Finland - Russia joint issue: Endangered animals 1.3.1995

Finland and Russia issued this Joint Issue of stamps and very sensibly decided to depict endangered animals.

EURASIAN LYNX. The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a medium-sized cat native to European and Siberian forests, South Asia and East Asia. It is also known as the European lynx, common lynx, the northern lynx, and the Siberian or Russian lynx. While its conservation status has been classified as "Least Concern", populations of Eurasian lynx have been reduced or extirpated from western Europe, where it is now being reintroduced.

RINGED SEAL. The ringed seal (Pusa hispida), also known as the jar seal and as netsik or nattiq by the Inuit, is an earless seal inhabiting the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. The ringed seal is a relatively small seal, rarely greater than 1.5 m in length, with a distinctive patterning of dark spots surrounded by light grey rings, whence its common name. It is the most abundant and wide-ranging ice seal in the northern hemisphere: ranging throughout the Arctic Ocean, into the Bering Sea and Okhotsk Sea as far south as the northern coast of Japan in the Pacific, and throughout the North Atlantic coasts of Greenland and Scandinavia as far south as Newfoundland, and include two freshwater subspecies in northern Europe. Ringed seals are one of the primary prey of polar bears and have long been a component of the diet of indigenous people of the Arctic.

Thank you Pia for this FDC with the lovely stamps

Joint issue Monaco-France - Centenary Of The Institute Of Human Palaeontology 1.6.2010

The theme of the joint issue of Monaco and France is dedicated to the Institute of Human Palaeontology (IPH). The Multicoloured Twin issue feature Identical stamps, namely, the Portrait of Prince Albert 1st of Monaco and the Abbé Breuil, building, caves (Grimaldi cave) and early humanoids. The first scientific establishment of this type in the world, the IPH, situated in Paris, came into being in 1910 under the patronage of Prince Albert 1st, as a result of his meeting two of the most famous founders of contemporary prehistoric archaeology, Professor Marcellin Boule and Abbe Henri Breuil. Currently directed by Professor Henry de Lumley, the IPH takes on several missions: to manage extensive prehistoric excavation sites, to carry out field and laboratory research, to preserve a rich prehistoric heritage, to diffuse and develop scientific culture, and to provide facilities for students and researchers. Maria sent me this nice cover.

It is worth mentioning that stamps commemorating the IHP both from Monaco and From France as well as the special first day cancellations from the two countries are also on this nice First Day Cover. It is significant, as it was authorised in both countries.

Nordic Countries -The North By the Sea - Life at the Coast

Nordic Countries -The North By the Sea - Life at the Coast

The Nordic countries are separated, or united, by the water surrounding them. The coasts offer great variation with long stretches of sandy beaches or smooth rocks for swimming and sunbathing. Leafy archipelagos, deep fjords and dramatic coastlines with barren rocks and ice offer splendid nature experiences, while the coastal towns turn their most attractive side towards the water.

The people living along the coasts have always adapted to and drawn on their proximity to the sea for both their enjoyment and their livelihood as well. My friend Ella sent me this lovely stamp book, which has the 2010 issues of stamps of ‘Life at the Coast’ series of stamps of the Nordic countries in minisheets. This was a joint issue on 24 March 2010. Over the next couple of days I shall display these gems for your pleasure. A word of advice – please click on the pictures to enlarge them and derive the maximum out of the display.

Åland - Mariehamn 150 years - Jt Åland-Russia Issue 27.2.2011

2011 marks 150 years since the founding of Mariehamn. Åland Post celebrates the anniversary by issuing a miniature sheet featuring Empress Maria Alexandrovna as well as part of the first town plan for Mariehamn. The issue is a joint issue with the Russian Post. The Åland miniature sheet to be issued 21 February is a unique joint issue in cooperation with the Russian Post. The Åland and the Russian miniature sheets will have a similar if not identical design, both featuring the Empress Consort. In connection with the issue, a presentation pack holding both the Åland and the Russian miniature sheets and FDCs will be made available. Åland Post will also be producing an exclusive additional edition of 4000 numbered and gold embossed Åland miniature sheets. a certificate signed on Feb. 20, 1861, establishes the status of the city. On the mail box on a map of Mariehamn is a portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna (1857) Brush FK Winterhalter from the Hermitage collection.

In 1859, Tsar Alexander II of Russia recommended that a town be established in Åland close to the Svibyviken bay. Two years later, he issued a charter of foundation and the town was named after Empress Maria Alexandrovna. Maria Alexandrovna was born in 1824 in Darmstadt, Germany, and Empress Consort of Tsar Alexander II of Russia from 1855 until her death in 1880. Mariehamn was founded around the village of Övernäs in the parish of Jomala. County architect Georg Theodor von Chiewitz prepared a four-part town plan with grid-based street network. Ella sent me this wonderful First Day Cover.