The Polska Polka

Chris's letters arrive as regularly as clockwork via a synchronistic mechanism. It has happened before that no sooner have I sent a catch-up email to him that his letter arrives the very next day, or in this case just a few hours after I click the send button. Is the Concord still in operation then?

In his exchange letters Chris always protects the stamps with postcards. One of them seems to include the route of how to get to his holiday cabin on the side of a lake. Yes, but let's look at what you sent me.

A bunch of stamps from all over the world - from the African, South American and also European small-sized countries is what Chris usually encloses. About half of the stamps that he sent me this time come from Israel, a country that I don't actively collect but won't say no to.

A good number of them have perforated attachments which look interesting. One in the middle seems to be a stamp featuring Bobby Fisher, the chess player, but that can't be so. The man is known to have had some strong anti-Semitic views.

Happy collecting! part 2

John Gerbes from Australia was quick off the mark to send me another bunch of world stamps. He had no chance to include Papua New Guinea, USA and NZ stamps. Next time, he promises. John has stamps from all over: Holland, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark etc.

John always writes a good letter/email. He wrote that he was grateful for the last write-up. You don't mind your stamps posing in some felt slippers, do you John? My friend told me that he'd included a few part sets (from Austria).

As usual, included were a number of stamps still on paper. Some of them I left attached, so as to keep some good postmarks.


I picked out the purple-lavender-indigo issues just to make a nice photo. Yes, John, "Happy Collecting" to you too!

Onto a good thing

A few weeks back,  I was contacted by a John Gerbes from Australia.  He collects NZ stamps, and has a "fair few gaps" from 1995. That makes two of us! He offered me Australian, USA or WW stamps in return, and suggested that, if the exchanges become regular, that we'll be "onto a good thing". I'm all for that, John! We've agreed not to work from lists - life's too short for that. I asked for a handful of world-wide to start the ball kicking, and here they come . . .

John sent a few extra in case a few bad ones got through, or a duplicate. He also asked if I could find him the frog stamp from the 2007 native wildlife set. No problem.

 
It was nice to receive a right royal random mixture. About a third of them were still on paper, which makes the hobby seem a genuine one. If you collect only through paying for complete sets, where's the fun in that I ask you?

Designer stamps

When an artist friend sends you some stamps you feel obliged to write it up in an artistic manner! Ryoko, to who congratulations are due, had saved up some stamps for me from letters she'd received from around the world. She joins that select group of friends and family who support me in my hobby.

Apart from the stamps and letter there was also an interesting booklet which looks at the background behind the designs of British stamps for the year 1993. Straight into my little library! And the stamps go straight into the soak.

A nice little bunch, ne?

30 Stamp Collecting Blogs from Around the World

From out of the blue, someone named Sheryl Owen sent me an email, inviting me to take a look at an article on their blog called '30 Stamp Collecting Blogs from Around the World. I did take the time to take a look. You may care to too. It's going to take me some time to peruse all of the sites mentioned, however . . .