Snow

 

2001: Aurora Borealis (Design - Bjarne Reisto)

Snow laden trees stand sentinel under swirling skies

2008: Christmas (Design: Jenny Burman)

Snowy winter fun sledging down hill. Making a snow lantern, ooh I thought what is that?  So for anyone like me wondering, here are two cute kids making one here

2004: Winter Birds (Design - T Niemi)

The birds, like us, are glad that winter is retreating. but on the stamps it is still winter - Great Tit and Yellowhammer. Then we have the Pine Grosbeak, common in Scandinavia but if one of these is spotted in the UK it would lead to a twitching frenzy the last one to make the watery crossing showed up in the Shetland Islands a few years ago. Striking birds, as indeed is the Bullfinch

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Winter Snow - See It On A Postcard

E to Europe

 

2001: Fabulous Hats - Butterfly Hat by Dai Rees

Although Royal Mail have for many years used non value indicators (NVI) for internal mail they had a brief experiment using E for European postage which I think started in 2001 and ran for a few years. Post to Europe was 36 pence in 2001 but as the stamp is valued for a task not a price it can still be used today when the cost is £1.85

2003: Extreme Endeavors (Design - Howard Brown)

Freya Stark in a more practical 'hat' takes you to to Europe and beyond  in her wonderful books.

2004: Royal Horticultural Society

Climbing rather than travelling - Clamatis 'Arabella'

2021: Calf of Man 70th Anniversary Manx National Trust

The Isle of Man use EU for their European postage but not all sets are NVI some are priced.

2017: Bailiwick Lighthouses

 

Guernsey NVIs only appear on their machine stamps. Going one letter further - EUR

The exception - Since the issue last year of barcoded definitive stamps, or what Royal Mail call 'everyday stamps' to the general public, they were going to be invalid to use at the end of January.  After pressure they have extended the cut off date now for another 6 months and you can still put them on your post until July or use  their swap out scheme and exchange old stamps for new.

Happily my stash of stamps for postage are all commemorative

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - E - See It On A Postcard 

Anniversaries

2020: City Anniversaries (Design - Enzo Finger)

Bergen's 950th Anniversary and the much younger seaside resort of Moss comes in at 300 years. Moss installed a diving tower to mark the occasion which comes with a bath house and sauna.

1996: 1000th Anniversary of Freising's rights to Hold a Fair (Design - Blume-Zander)

Germany issues a lot of stamps marking cities anniversaries but for something different Freising, one of the oldest settlements in Bavaria, celebrated its right to hold a market.

1996: 300th Anniversary of the Berlin Academy of  Arts (Design - Peter Steiner)

The Berlin Academy's motto is enclosed between the 'A'

2002: First Danish Stamp 150 Years (Design and Engraver - Martin Morck)

Talking of the arts here is some stamp art showing  engraver Martinus William Ferslew whose company also printed the first stamp sheets which consisting of 100 pieces without perforations. Scissors required at the post office. The sheets were were issued to them 10 days before the law was passed so they could issue them on the day.

2013: 20th Anniversary of Postal Services

A shorter period of time but a postal service is always worth celebrating. The sheet shows a camel riding postman which featured on their Europa stamp the same year this mini sheet was issued.

Sunday Stamps theme this week is - Anniversaries - celebrate at See It On A Postcard