Sunday Stamps 011: Dahlias on Finnish stamps

 

My entry for today is one of the several “unusual-shaped stamps” by the Finnish Post Office this year.

The Finnish PO never fails to surprise us with their unique issues every year! The stamp is a glow-in-the-dark kind :D

Lovely dahlia flowers on Finnish stamps – above is one of the pair of self-adhesive, second class stamps  that the Finnish PO circulated in April.

Dahlias originate in North America and Mexico and they were brought to Europe as early as in 16th century. The two incandescent dahlias are easy to pick up from the dark sheet reminding old time wallpaper.

On the sheet there are ten self-adhesive stamps, it makes five pairs. - Source

Sunday Stamps 010: Figure-skating championships on Estonian stamp

 

This post is dedicated to my niece Chappi who, at the very early age of three (turning four this October) has adamantly set her sights on becoming a figure-skater when she grows older! I know her dream is kind of unrealistic as we have no winter season in the Philippines and ice-skating rinks (for recreation, not competitive sports) are only found in Manila. But hey, we do not have the heart the discourage this little one’s dream as of yet. I find it cute and endearing though for this little girl to visualise herself as a figure skater.

Anyhoo, on to the stamp…

This trapezoid-shaped stamp (am I right?) is a special issue of the Estonian Post on the occasion of the European Figure Skating Championships in January 2010 held in the capital, Talinn.

Figure skating is very popular in Estonia and itt was a big deal for the Estonian Skating Union and the Estonians, in general, because it was the first time Estonia hosted the biggest international skating event since it gained independence from the Soviet Union. The Estonian public was treated to the spectacle of watching the best figure skaters in Europe -right at their own turf – competing for the title of European champions. Estonia was represented by a team of six at the championships.

Sunday Stamps 009: Prehistoric animals/dinosaurs on Cambodian stamps

 

I was really surprised to find these at the Post Office. This is something you don’t expect to be issued in Cambodia. Anyways, this is a set of five definitive stamps under the theme prehistoric animals/dinosaurs and was issued in January 2000. It also included a souvenir sheet. From top to bottom, clockwise: diplodocus, stegosaurus, and euplocephalus.

 

I sent this cover to a guy in Slovakia who is into prehistoric animals. Another one is going out to a friend in Canada :) Sadly, when I came back to the philately department of the post office, I was told that they don’t have anymore stocks of these stamps.