Curacao, Mailer's Postmark Permit, Russia and Belarus

Okay, it's time for another postcard update. Before I get to today's postcards, I have to offer up Big Thanks to Ana, Johan, Ravindra and Fabienne. Thank you for agreeing to send a postcard to Humber Elementary School for their World Cultures Postcard Project. I appreciate it and I'm sure they will also. Now for those just reading about the project , you still have lots of time to help them out. You can read all about the project in my update dated Saturday, Dec 8th, 2012. Give it a read , send a postcard.



First card for today is from Willemstad, Curacao. It's a nice view of the city at night. Brings back some pleasant memories of my own visit to Willemstad. I'd love to go back.  










Thanks to David for this one. He used a couple of  Birds of the Sea and Shore stamps , featuring a Gannet and a Frigatebird. They are from a set of 8 in a 2012 M/S.








Here's a little different card. The whole front of the card is a crossword puzzle, entitled Elementary, My Dear. Feel free to try the crossword if you are so inclined. I hope if you click on it , it appears large enough to have a crack at it. If not, sorry.





The most interesting thing about this card is the postmark, the cancellation and the stamps used. It's the first postcard I have received from someone with a Mailer's Postmark Permit. A Mailer's Postmark Permit allows a cancellation to be applied to a piece of mail before depositing it with the USPS for mailing. Now this card is stamped and cancelled however it did arrive in a covering envelope. Perhaps the reason is the stamps used. Manny used 2 U.S. Official Mail USA stamps. The stamps are clearly inscribed "Penalty for private use $300 " . It is my understanding that  Official Mail stamps and envelopes are issued for use solely by the U.S. Government, its departments, agencies, and bureaus. Any other use is prohibited by law. I'm not sure a postcard from one collector to another really qualifies as Official Mail. But it's a nice item and I am glad to receive it . Thanks Manny.




This card came from Tomsk, Siberia, Russia, but the picture is of the port of Sozopol in Bulgaria. Go figure.  The town of just under 6,000 residents is one of the oldest towns on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. There are many pictures of the fishermen's boats in Sozopol and this card shows another of them.

Lyubov used a grey triangle stamp issued in 2011. It is 1 of 4 in a Lace set. The stamp actually feels like lace when you touch it. The other large stamp is from a set of 4 Bridges stamps issued in 2008. The small animal stamp is 1 of 15 in a definitive set, also issued in 2008.

And, the final card this time is from Belarus. It's an aviation related card so will find a home in my collection. It shows a busy airport and the card says Lida Airfield is the oldest in Belarus.







Alesya from Minsk used some really nice postage on this card. The stamp on the right was issued in 2011 and is 1 of 2 in a Polar Protection issue. The nice souvenir sheet on the left , also issued in 2011, celebrates Belarus's 200 years of friendship with Venezuela.

That the update for this time. Thanks to David, Manny, Lyubov and Alesya for the cards shown today. Thanks for reading and be sure to check out my request in my update on Dec 8th. If you can help go for it.