Sailboats – The Optimist and the Luch Classes

The Ministry of Communications and Information of the Republic of Belarus issued a set of two stamps from the series “Sport sailboats” on 28^th June 2010.

There is the sport classification of sailboats dividing them into classes. It is necessary for providing equal conditions in racing. National “Luch” Class sailboat is a sport single-handed sailing schvertboat. It is a copy of the International “Lazer” Class sailboat. A small single-handed schvertboat “Optimist” is designed for sailing by children.

The Optimist has one of the largest class of competitors in the world, and is the entry-level boat for many future international and Olympic sailors. Optimist is often referred to simply as "Opti". The Opti was designed by Clark Mills in Florida in 1947 at the request of the local businessman's Optimist club, which presumably, was what gave the boat its name. It was later introduced to Denmark and the United Kingdom before spreading internationally. The International Optimist Dinghy Association, the governing body for this class of boats now has 112 member countries.

Swiss Definitive

A pretty definitive stamp of the ‘90s issued by Switzerland depicting a house cat and her kittens. It just goes to show the importance of pets in the home of the Swiss. Thank you Maria.

Historical Monuments

The First Day Cover on display has six stamps depicting famous monuments across Switzerland. Starting from the top left stamp, I’ll try and briefly describe the location and importance of the monument depicted. The FDC was issued on 12.8.1968, and was given to me by Maria.

Lenzburg is a town in the central region of the Swiss canton Aargau and is the capital of the district of the same name. The town, founded in the Middle Ages, lies in the Seetal valley, about 3 kilometres south of the Aare river. Lenzburg Castle is a castle located above the old part of the town of Lenzburg in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland. It ranks among the oldest and most important of Switzerland.

Näfels is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Effective from 1 January 2011, Näfels is part of the municipality of Glarus Nord. The Franciscan Cloister of Mariaburg sits atop Burgstock hill in the heart of Näfels. The cloister is open to anyone interested in the life of the Franciscan order and for individuals (men and women) and Christians, who wish to temporarily retire from daily hustle and bustle to lead a life of contemplation. Guests may have a brother as a guide during short stays of up to one week. They participate in the daily life of the cloister and possibly add some spiritual exercises. 

Appenzell (or Appenzellerland) is a region and historical canton in the northeast of Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. Gallen. St. Mauritius is the name of the biggest church of Appenzell and its origins are dating back to the year 1071. There is an interesting path around the church 

Samedan is a town and municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Romanesque library is one of the highlights of Samedan.

Gais is a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. The old village, lined with traditional wooden houses with curved gables, was rebuilt following a fire in 1780 and has remained mostly unchanged since then. The houses along the town square and on Webergasse are the center of the old village.

The Protestant Church was built in 1781–82 by Hans Ulrich Haltiner. The interior is decorated in a Rococo style. The interior work was done in 1782, from the shop of Andreas and Peter Anton Mosbrugger.

Neuchâtel "new" + chatel "castle" is the capital of the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel. The Collegiate Church, dedicated to the Virgin, is a striking piece of architechture. It is made of hauterive stone, which has a yellow colour, typical for the city of Neuchatel.  

Nostalgic Architecture 23.8.2012

This nice FDC dated 23.8.2012 depicting Nostalgic architecture on each of the three stamps on the cover was sent to me by my friend Ella.

This booklet represents high level nostalgia. The three stamps feature memorable and beloved buildings all to be found in Mariehamn in past times. Former town architect Folke Wickstrom has drawn the motifs.

1. The first stamp shows the Badhotellet (spa hotel). Launched as a spa resort at the end of the 1800s, Mariehamn was to become one of the most modern resorts in Europe. At the turn of the 20th century, the establishment was at its largest with facilities for hot baths and swimming, a restaurant with assembly room, a medical centre, a gymnasium, a doctor's house and a spa hotel. The end of the 1914 season also saw the end of the spa era as World War I broke out. The hotel burnt down to the ground in February 1916, probably due to an overheated heater.

2. Originally, Societetshuset (a club house generally known as Socis) was a school building that was dismantled and moved to Mariehamn in 1870. From the start, the building served as a hotel, town hall and restaurant. During Socis' more than 100 years of existence it had several periods of golden days and many different owners. Regardless of many protests, the demolition of Socis was carried through in June 1975, the then town architect and current stamp artist Folke Wickstrom being one of the protesters.

3. Miramar was erected in 1890 as a summer house for Nicolai Nystrom, son-in-law of Nicolai Sittkoff, a well-known tradesman in Aland. Commandeered by soldiers during both World Wars, first by the Russians and later by the Finns, Miramar was turned into a soldiers' gambling home. In the 1930s, the house served as a dance palace and meeting place and was later to become a restaurant. Inspections performed by the authorities found inadequate fire security as well as spa and sanitary defects, and the house was demolished in October 1973.

Relics of Ancient Cyprus 3.10.1983

Merja gave me these four FDCs which display a total of 12 stamps, each depicting a relic, way back from the 6^thMillenium BC up to a few centuries ago. An interesting aspect of these stamp is that the year printed on them is 1980, but, they were actually released on 3^rdOctober 1983, as shown by the postmark on the Covers.

Each of these stamps has two values printed on them. The old value has been struck off. In 1960, when Cyprus was declared independent and the Republic of Cyprus was established, the Cyprus pound became the country’s monetary unit. Initially, the pound was divided into 1.000 mils. In 1983 a new denomination, the cent, was introduced to replace the mil. The numismatic system remained the same as the Cyprus pound continued to be the Republic’s currency, the only difference being its denomination into 100 cent, instead of 1.000 mils. This may perhaps be the reason for the delay in the issue of these stamps.

Pro Juventute 1965

Pro Juventute is a charitable foundation in Switzerland established in 1912. It is dedicated to supporting the rights and needs of Swiss children and youth.

Switzerland has issued Pro Juventute semipostals nearly every year since 1913. Like the majority of subsequent Swiss semipostal stamps, the nonpostal funds from this Pro Juventute 5-centime Helvetia stamp went to youth charities.

The stamps on this 1965 FDC from Switzerland issued on 1.12.1965 are part of a set of 5 stamps featuring different. Thank you Maria for this nice FDC.

Malaysian Unity Series II

Malaysia is a country of multi-racial society, with various cultural and religious backgrounds, and therefore, unity is the foundation that can ensure harmony and peace in the country.In accordance with the 1Malaysia concept which emphasises on national harmony, the people are advised to uphold unity and enhance integration with each other to achieve the harmonious State."1Malaysia's goal is to maintain and enhance unity in diversity which has always been our strength and remains our best hope for the future."- The Honourable Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak,The Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Budin sent me this FDC postmarked 30.8.2012.