Ohio Votes!

 It's election day here in the US, and I received an unexpected, handwritten postcard a few days ago.

If you're a US citizen and haven't cast your ballot yet, please exercise your right to vote today.

Fashion

 Today's Sunday Stamps theme is fashion, and the Oscar de la Renta sheet issued in early 2017 (almost a decade ago!) came to mind. The stamps are large, and have a nice quality to them.

Here's a sheet I am still using up:

Here's a scan of the full sheet:

And Eva showed them all on envelopes on her blog almost 9 years ago.

For links to more fashion on stamps, head over to See it on a Postcard.

Happy Halloween!

 I've kept this great envelope from Fabienne, sent earlier in the year with a colorful array of stamps, for today.

Thanks, Fafa, and happy Halloween, everyone.

It's Spooky Season!

 A Halloween postcard from Eva arrived in time for postcard Thursday!

Proof

 

An archaic device

Alia touched the letter, experienced an odd sensation of mutual contact. This paper had been in her mother's hands. Such an archaic device, the letter - but personal in a way no recording could achieve.

Children of Dune (1976) 

by 

 Frank Herbert (8 Oct 1920 - 11 Feb 1986)

Sunday stamps - birds

 I found a few stamps for today's theme.

From Germany, a peacock which is part of the wonderful World of Letters definitive set, issued in 2024.

From the Netherlands, a bird delivering an international envelope

And this impressive California condor issued in 1996. It reminds me of the Skeksis in The Dark Crystal!

Finally, love birds on a postmark from earlier this year

Explore the links to more bird stamps at See it on a Postcard.

World Postcard Day

 Today is world postcard day - celebrate by sending a postcard!

And always have hope that your postcard will get there...  I sent one to China that arrived after traveling for 278 days!

Thinking of You

 I noticed this postmark slogan that arrived. recently accompanied the excellent manatee stamp (issued in 2024).

I wonder if it is connected to the similar one from Royal Mail that Eva showed on her blog?

Sunday Stamps - Innovation

 Today's theme is inventions, and I think innovations. loosely fits this theme.

This set was issued by USPS in 2020, and covers the modern marvels of computing, biomedicine, genome sequencing, robotics and solar technology.

The stamps have a foil effect which makes them quite attractive, yet also obscures the image somewhat. They are also hard to photograph!

You can see non-reflective version here: Innovation

I sent an envelope for a first day of issue pictorial cancellation to Eva (image from her blog).

For more stamps featuring inventions, explore the links at See it on a Postcard.

Big Caturday

 Amazing envelope and stamps from Fafa!

Take a trip to the Aegean

 Your Sunday. Stamps holiday destination is Naxos, the largest island in the Greek Cyclades archipelago.

For more spots to visit on stamps, explore the links at See it on a Postcard

Sunday Stamps on Monday

This week's theme is geology, and this stamp from Croatia shows an interesting formation of a salt water lake above sea level due to underground connections to the sea. This is part of the nature park Telašćica, and you can read more about it by clicking the link.

This stamp was issued in 2020 as part of a series on natural wonders of Croatia. You can see the other two stamps at this link.

For more geology-related stamps, explore the links at See it on a Postcard.

Sunday Stamps on Monday

 This week's theme is rivers. Here's a stamp received from Fafa quite some time ago.

This stamp issued in 2016 celebrates the reopening of part the Bièvre River (historically a tribute of the river Seine) in Val-de-Marne, after being covered over for many decades.

Explore the links to more stamps featuring rivers at See it on a Postcard

Sunday Stamps: The Karst edge

 This week's Sunday Stamps theme is mountains, and I'm going to bend the theme a bit with this Slovenian stamp issued in 2025, as it features cliffs instead. This fascinating and beautiful part of Slovenian topography results from the transition from the Istrían plateau to the Adriatic Sea.

The stamp is labeled EUROMED POSTAL, which is a regional subdivision of the Universal Postal Union consisting of 22 Medierranean nations. The theme for 2025 was 'Resources of the Mediterranean'. The website requires you to be a member, however you can see the top three entries here.

For more mountain themed stamps, explore the links at See it on a Postcard

Sunday stamps: Airmail

 Today's theme is aviation, and it made me think of the stamps issued in 2018 to celebrate 100 years of airmail in the USA.

I sent that envelope to Eric in 2018, and you can see the accompanying red version on my previous post about it. 

For more stamps about aviation, explore the links at See it on a Postcard 

World Cup impact

 I find it puzzling that the world cup can impact mail delivery. Floods and wildfires, absolutely, but soccer/football?

From USPS

Postage is up again

 As of yesterday:

Domestic 1oz letters: forever stamps up 4c to 82c 

Domestic postcards: postcard stamps up 4c to 65c

International postcards and 1oz letters: global forever stamps up 5c to $1.75

First class postage 25 years ago was 34c

X is for Xixón, Y is for Yacimiento, and Z is for Zoriontsuak

 Xixón (in Asturian), Gijón (in Spanish) is the largest city and municipality of the autonomous community of Asturias in northwest Spain.

This stamp celebrates the Gijón/Xixón International Film Festival, which originated in 1963. Link to the whole stamp sheet, which was issued. in 2019.

Yacimiento can be a deposit, as in natural resources (oil, gold, etc), or, as in this case, a site, referring to archeological finds. This stamp, issued in 2024, shows 2500-year-old sculptures of Tartessian faces found at Casas del Turuñuelo, located in Guareña in the Spanish province of Barajoz. You can read more at the wikipedia entry.

Zoriontsuak translates to happiness, as seen on this 2025 Christmas stamp. Eguberri zoriontsuak is Basque for merry Christmas (happy Christmas in also common in the UK and Commonwealth nations). 

I think this is the first A-Z I managed to complete! As Eva guessed earlier in this run, I was aiming for all the letters to represent Spanish words - I didn't quite manage that, with a few coming from other languages spoken in Spain. There was also the Flemish koning - not many words begin with k in Spanish, and I didn't find any stamps celebrating the metric system's kilometers or kilograms :)

In the end the common thread of this A-Z was stamps sent by Eva, with 26 non-English words. Huge thanks to Eva for all the interesting stamps she sends me!

For more X, Y, Z stamps, explore the links at See it on a Postcard

W is for Wolframio

 W is an uncommonly used letter in Spanish. Luckily, wolframio (tungsten in English), was discovered by Spanish brothers José and Fausto Elhuyar in 1783, and celebrated on this stamp. Tungsten (from Swedish meaning hard stone) is an exceptionally hard metal, with the highest known boiling point of the known metallic elements at 3,422°C (6,192°F).

Thanks again to Eva for sending this one.

For more W stamps, explore the links at See it on a Postcard

Happy 250th birthday, America!

I received a postcard yesterday with a Freedom 250 postmark.  The stamp issued last year shows a revolutionary battlefield scene.

The postcard shows Manistique East Breakwater Light, a lighthouse on Lake Michigan in the Upper Peninsula of the state of Michigan.

Happy Fourth of July!

Sunday Stamps: V is for Valencia

 The majority of Eva's mail is postmarked from Valencia.

And she also sent me a stamp featuring this beautiful city by the sea, founded as a Roman colony in 138 BC. It was issued in 2004, the year the World Philatelic Exhibition was held in Valencia.

For links to more V stamps, visit See it on a Postcard

U is for unión and universal

 We're up to the letter U, and here's a stamp from Spain commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union in 2024. Founded in 1874, the UPU is based in Berne, Switzerland, and since 1948 has been part of the UN. If you're interested, the website for the UPU is here. 

Thanks to Eva for sending the stamp.

For more U stamps, explore the links at See it on a Postcard

And happy solstice!

T is for Tierra

 Tierra is Spanish for earth (terra) as featured on this great stamp from 2008 celebrating International Year of Planet Earth sent by Eva.

For more T stamps, visit the links at See it on a Stamp

S is for Sagrada

 The stamp issued in 2002 shows the Basilica and Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family, one of the most famous places of worship in the world and a landmark of Barcelona. Sagrada can translate as sacred, in this case it means holy. Designed by the architect Antoni Gaudí, who sadly died after being hit by a tram almost exactly 100 years ago on June 10th, 1926. My understanding is that Sagrada Familia reached its final height this year, and the external structure is complete. There is still work happening inside, due for completion in the 2030s. Only about 25% was completed at the time of Gaudí's death.

Thanks to Eva for sending this lovely stamp. I have had the privilege of visiting this incredible place, and. would love to go back. I am not a religious person, however it was a very moving experience to sit and contemplate the amazing structure of the building, as well as the light within it.

For links to more S stamps, visit See it on a Postcard

Sunday Stamps on Monday: R is for redescubrimiento and rural

 We're up to the letter R, and there are two on this D rate stamp from Correos issued this year, sent by Eva. The stamp, showcasing Spanish tourism, shows Rediscovery of Rural Heritage.

For more R stamps, explore the links at See it on a Postcard

Sunday Stamps on Monday: Q is for Quebrantahuesos

 This one is a blast from the past, as I blogged it in the beforetimes (2019).

It's an impressivve stamp for an impressive bird - a vulture. In Spanish it is quebrantahuesos - bonebreaker!

Thanks to Eva for sending it on this great Halloween/fall related envelope.

For links to more Q stamps, visit See it on a Postcard

Sunday Stamps: P is for peseta

 The peseta was the currency of Spain from 1868 to 2002 when it was replaced by the euro. It had been replaced by the euro on currency exchange boards since 1999. Pesetas could be exchanged for euros until 2021. Pesetas worthh an estimated 1.7 billion euros were not exchanged.

 Eva sent me two stamps featuring pesetas - a large stamp with a 1 peseta note, and a round stamp with a 1 peseta coin.

For more P stamps, explore the links at See it on a Postcard. 

Sunday Stamps on Monday - O is for Obra

 This stamp issued in 2021 celebrates Selected Works of the 5th International Exhibition of Mail Art, Avilés: The Earth.

It was sent by Eva, and I was very impressed that Correos issued a stamp dedicated to this artform.

You can read (in Spanish) and see more about the exhibition online.

For links to more O stamps, head over to the links at See it on a Postcard.

Sunday Stamps: N is for Negocios

 Turismo de negocios translates to business tourism, which accounts for over 6 billion euros in Spain each year - people who travel to Spain for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibition spend more per person than tourists on vacation. Spain ranked 3rd in the world for business travel in 2025. Correos issued the stamp in 2024.

The stamp arrived on a matching envelope sent by Eva.

For more N stamps, explore the links at See it on a Postcard

Sunday Stamps on M is for Monday: M is for museos and moros

We're at the letter M.

Eva sent both these stamps on the same letter:

The top stamp, issued in 2018, celebrates 150 years of the Faculty of Museum Curators (formerly known as the Faculty of Archivists, Librarians and Archaeologists).

The other stamp,  issued in 2024, celebrates the. three day Festival of Moors and Christians held in Alcoi/Alcoy, and centered around St Georges Day.

For links to more M stamps, head over to See it on a Postcard

Sunday stamps on Monday - L is for Lunnispark

 L is for Lunnispark, Lulila, Lublu, Lupita and Lucho!

These wonderful stamps all arrived together from Eva, celebrating the children's TV show Los Lunnis. Read more about this puppet show broadcast from 2003-2011 in Spain.

For more L stamps, visit See it on a Postcard

K is for Koning

 Eva sent me this stamp from Belgium featuring Koning Philippe, King of the Belgians.

For more K stamps, explore the links at See it on a Postcard

Thursday postcard hunt - Spring colors: yellow

Most of the postboxes on this postcard from Heleen are yellow.

Explore the links for more yellow postcards at See it on a Postcard

J is for JUVENIA

 JUVENIA 2023 was the National Exhibition of Youth Philately held in conjunction with the National Philatelic Exhibition (EXFILNA) in Teruel. Correos issued this fun stamp in celebration of the event. It features a dinosaur, Aragosaurus Ischiaticus, known as the Reptile of Aragon, reflecting the important findings of some of the oldest dinosaur fossils on the Iberian peninsula there. Thanks to Eva for sending it!

For links to more J stamps, explore the links at See it on a Postcard