United Nations New York

The idea of the United Nations issuing its own stamps was first proposed by Argentina in 1947. An agreement with the United States postal authorities was reached in 1951 and it stipulated that the stamps be denominated in United States currency, and used only at UN Headquarters. The first United Nations stamps were issued in U.S. dollar denominations on United Nations Day, 24 October, in 1951. The stamps were an immediate success and sold out within days. Similar postal agreements were reached with the Swiss and Austrian postal authorities. On 11 December 1968 , an agreement between the United Nations and the Swiss Postal Telephone and Telegraph Enterprise enabled the Geneva office of UNPA to issue the first UN stamps in Swiss francs on 4 October 1969. A similar agreement with the Austrian government on 28 June 1979 enabled the Vienna office of UNPA to issue the first UN stamps in Austrian schillings on 24 August 1979.

UNPA attends a number of stamp shows during the year. In earlier years, especially in the 1980s and 1990s there were a lot more attendances and the blue, white and green exhibition card were popular collection objects. Essen is still one of the shows where UNPA is present every year. During the Briefmarken-Messe in Essen in May 2017 I left stamped envelopes at almost every foreign postal administration hoping they would send them back when they arrived home. For UN New York I bought a stamp from the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers series form 2016. Since I left it at a stamp show the envelope automatically got the exhibition cache.

Recent stamps of UNPA can be bought through the UN stamps website: unstamps.org

Date sent: 11 May 2017

Date postmark: 2 June 2017

Date received: 7 June 2017

Number of days: 27

Envelope in collection: 145

French Polynesia

French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of the French Republic and its sole overseas country. It is composed of 118 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over an expanse of more than 2.000 kilometres in the South Pacific Ocean. Its total land area is 4.167 km².

French Polynesia is divided into five groups of islands: the Society Islands archipelago, composed of the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands; the Tuamotu Archipelago; the Gambier Islands; the Marquesas Islands; and the Austral Islands. Among its 118 islands and atolls, 67 are inhabited. Tahiti, which is located within the Society Islands, is the most populous island, having close to 69% of the population of French Polynesia as of 2017. Papeete, located on Tahiti, is the capital. Although not an integral part of its territory, Clipperton Island was administered from French Polynesia until 2007.

Following the Great Polynesian Migration, European explorers visited the islands of French Polynesia on several occasions. Traders and whaling ships also visited. In 1842, the French took over the islands and established a French protectorate they called Établissements français d'Océanie (EFO) (French Establishments/Settlements of Oceania).

In 1946, the EFO became an overseas territory under the constitution of the French Fourth Republic, and Polynesians were granted the right to vote through citizenship. In 1957, the EFO were renamed French Polynesia. In 1983 French Polynesia became a member of the Pacific Community, a regional development organization. Since 28 March 2003, French Polynesia has been an overseas collectivity of the French Republic under the constitutional revision of article 74, and later gained, with law 2004-192 of 27 February 2004, an administrative autonomy, two symbolic manifestations of which are the title of the President of French Polynesia and its additional designation as an overseas country.

For the envelope for this country I bought a recent stamp for the international tariff on the website of the French Post: laposte.fr/timbres-polynesie.

The Post of French Polynesia also has a website for the Philatelic Centre: tahitiphilatelie.pf.

Stamps of French Polynesia can also be bought in the shop Le Carré d'Encre in Paris.

Date sent: 17 April 2017

Date postmark: 29 May 2017

Date received: 7 June 2017

Number of days: 51

Envelope in collection: 144

United States of America - New Hampshire

In my World envelope collection I do not just want to have envelopes from stamp-issuing countries and territories, but also from other regions. This includes the 50 states of the United States of America. This envelope comes from the state of New Hampshire, lying in the New England region of the United States. It was the 9th state, admitted in 1788.

The stamps were affixed by me and come from the Flags of our nations and Greetings series and a stamp commemorating the 200th anniversary of statehood. I had to add the state bird stamp to make up the tariff for an international letter. I sent the envelope to the post office in the capital Concord to be postmarked. It arrived back in only two weeks with clear and perfect postmarks. A perfect example of a good service by the local post office.

Date sent: 22 May 2017

Date postmark: 1 June 2017

Date received: 6 June 2017

Number of days: 15

Envelope in collection: 143

South Africa - Venda

Venda was a Bantustan in northern South Africa, which is fairly close to the South African border with Zimbabwe to the north, while to the south and east, it shared a long border with another black homeland, Gazankulu. It is now part of the Limpopo province. Venda was founded as a homeland by the South African government for the Venda people, speakers of the Venda language. The United Nations and international community refused to recognize Venda (or any other Bantustan) as an independent state.

Venda was declared self-governing on 1 February 1973, with elections held later in the year. Further elections were held in July 1978. The territory was declared independent by the South African government on 13 September 1979 and its residents lost their South African citizenship. In common with other Bantustans, its independence was not recognised by the international community.

Venda was initially a series of non-contiguous territories in the Transvaal, with one main part and one main exclave. Its capital, formerly at Sibasa, was moved to Thohoyandou (which included the old Sibasa administrative district) when Venda was declared independent in 1979. Prior to independence it was expanded to form one contiguous territory, with a total land area of 6.807 km². In the 1984 elections the ruling Venda National Party retained its position as ruling party, beating the perpetual opposition Venda Independent People's Party (VIPP).

At independence in 1979, the population of Vhavenda stood at about 200.000 people. The state was cut off from neighbouring Zimbabwe by the Madimbo corridor, patrolled by South African troops, to the North, and from nearby Mozambique by the Kruger National Park.

The first President of Venda, Patrick Mphephu, was also a Paramount Chief of the Vhavenda people; he was born and lived in Dzanani in Limpopo. His successor, Orifuna Ndou, was overthrown in a military coup by the Venda Defence Force in 1990, after which the territory was ruled by the Council of National Unity. Venda was re-absorbed into South Africa on 27 April 1994.

I had noticed on Facebook that stamps from the four homelands were still valid for use in South Africa, so I began buying old stamps to put on envelopes. When the homelands issued their stamps (until 1994) the postal rates were much lower than now so only small values were issued. This means that a lot of stamps are needed to make up the current tariff. On the positive side it makes a very attractive envelope.

I sent the cover to the post office in the former capital city of Venda, Thohoyandou, and it arrived back in just over a month, making it my second cover from Africa.

Date sent: 1 May 2017

Date postmark: 18 May 2017

Date received: 6 June 2017

Number of days: 36

Envelope in collection: 142

Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur, and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains. The region is mostly mountainous and forested.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a disputed territory, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but most of the region is governed by the Republic of Artsakh (formerly named Nagorno-Karabakh Republic), a de facto independent state with Armenian ethnic majority established on the basis of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. Azerbaijan has not exercised political authority over the region since the advent of the Karabakh movement in 1988. Since the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994, representatives of the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group on the region's disputed status.

The region is usually equated with the administrative borders of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast comprising an area of 4.400 km². The historical area of the region, however, encompasses approximately 8.223 km².

I bought some Nagorno-Karabakh stamps on Marktplaats (Dutch auction site) and sent the cover to the philatelic service at Artsakhpost headquarters in Stepanakert. It came back in three weeks with a perfect postmark.

Artsakhpost has a website, but it is written in Armenian and the English version is almost everywhere 'under construction': artsakhpost.am.

There is a page with images of recent stamps, but apparently no way to order them directly.

Date sent: 15 May 2017

Date postmark: 26 May 2017

Date received: 6 June 2017

Number of days: 22

Envelope in collection: 141

Kyrgyzstan (Kyrgyz Express Post)

Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, and also known as Kirghizia, is a country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country with mountainous terrain. It is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west and southwest, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east. Its capital and largest city is Bishkek.

Kyrgyzstan's recorded history spans over 2.000 years, encompassing a variety of cultures and empires. Although geographically isolated by its highly mountainous terrain, which has helped preserve its ancient culture, Kyrgyzstan has been at the crossroads of several great civilizations as part of the Silk Road and other commercial and cultural routes. Though long inhabited by a succession of independent tribes and clans, Kyrgyzstan has periodically fallen under foreign domination and attained sovereignty as a nation-state only after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Since independence, the sovereign state has officially been a unitary parliamentary republic, although it continues to endure ethnic conflicts, revolts, economic troubles, transitional governments and political conflict. Kyrgyzstan is a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Turkic Council, the Türksoy community and the United Nations.

Ethnic Kyrgyz make up the majority of the country's six million people, followed by significant minorities of Uzbeks and Russians. Kyrgyz is closely related to other Turkic languages, although Russian remains widely spoken and is an official language, a legacy of a century of Russification. The majority of the population are non-denominational Muslims. In addition to its Turkic origins, Kyrgyz culture bears elements of Persian, Mongolian, and Russian influence.

Kyrgyzstan is an exception in UPU member states, because it has two designated postal operators. Next to Kyrgyz Post, the Transport and Communication Ministry in 2013 designated Kyrgyz Express Post as the second Kyrgyz postal operator. In 2014 Kyrgyz Express Post started issuing its own stamps.

During the Briefmarken-Messe in Essen in May 2017 I left stamped envelopes at almost every foreign postal administration hoping they would send them back when they arrived home. I bought a stamp at the combined Peterspost-KEP stand, but it turned out not to be the correct amount. When the envelope arrived back, there was a second stamp put on the back.

Stamps, sheets, first day covers, maximum cards and exhibition cards are issued on a regular basis and have a variety of local thematic subjects. All can be ordered through the KEP website: stamps.kg.

Date sent: 11 May 2017

Date postmark: 25 May 2017

Date received: 2 June 2017

Number of days: 22

Envelope in collection: 137

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Saint Pierre and Miquelon, officially the Overseas Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, is a self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France, situated in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean near the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the only part of New France that remains under French control, with an area of 242 km² and a population of 6.274 (2017).

The islands are situated in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near the entrance of Fortune Bay, which extends into the southwestern coast of Newfoundland, near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. They are 3.819 km from Brest, the nearest point in Metropolitan France, and 25 km from the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland.

The Portuguese explorer João Álvares Fagundes is thought to be have been the first European to have landed on the islands; he visited them on 21 October 1520. They were made a French possession in 1536 by Jacques Cartier on behalf of the King of France. The islands were not permanently settled until the end of the 17th century. In 1670 a French officer annexed the islands when he found a dozen French fishermen camped there. The British Royal Navy soon began to harass the French settlers, pillaging their camps and ships. By the early 1700s, the islands were again uninhabited, and were ceded to the British by the Treaty of Utrecht which ended the War of the Spanish Succession in 1713.] The British renamed St Pierre to 'St Peter', and small numbers of British and American settlers began arriving.

Under the terms of the Treaty of Paris (1763), which put an end to the Seven Years' War, France ceded all its North American possessions, but Saint-Pierre and Miquelon were returned to France. With France being allied with the Americans during the American Revolutionary War, Britain invaded and razed the colony in 1778, sending the entire population of 2.000 back to France. The Treaty of Amiens of 1802 returned the islands to France, but Britain reoccupied them when hostilities recommenced the next year.

The Treaty of Paris (1814) gave them back to France, though Britain occupied them yet again during the Hundred Days War. The islands were resettled in 1816. The settlers were mostly Basques, Bretons and Normans, who were joined by various other peoples, particularly from the nearby island of Newfoundland. Only around the middle of the century did increased fishing bring a certain prosperity to the little colony.

Smuggling had always been an important economic activity in the islands, but it became especially prominent in the 1920s with the institution of prohibition in the United States. The end of prohibition in 1933 plunged the islands once more into economic depression.

During World War II, despite opposition from Canada, Britain, and the United States, Charles de Gaulle seized the archipelago from Vichy France, to which the local government had pledged its allegiance. In a referendum the following day, the population endorsed the takeover by Free France. After the 1958 French constitutional referendum, Saint Pierre and Miquelon was given the option of becoming fully integrated with France, becoming a self-governing state within the French Community, or preserving the status of overseas territory; it decided to remain a territory.

I sent an envelope to Saint Pierre post office. I used some stamps I bought through the website of the French Post. It took one and a half months to get back home, but with a very nice postmark.

Stamps from Saint Pierre and Miquelon can be bought through the website of La Poste: laposte.fr/st-pierre-et-miquelon.

Date sent: 17 April 2017

Date postmark: 22 May 2017

Date received: 1 June 2017

Number of days: 45

Envelope in collection: 134

Germany - World Heritage stamp 2017

The German Post has a tradition of issuing stamps with World Heritage sites. In 2017 there was a further addition to this collection when the Post commemorated the 25th anniversary of the inscription on the World Heritage List of the Mines of Rammelsberg and the Historic Town of Goslar. In 2010 the site was extended to include the Upper Harz Water Management System.

The copper, lead and tin mines of Rammelsberg mountain, in the Harz region, were worked continuously from the 11th century until the 1980s. They bear outstanding testimony to mining installations and practices in Europe, both in terms of surface and underground remains, particularly from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period.

The remains of the Cistercian monastery of Walkenried and the mines of the Upper Harz bear testimony to the first attempts to systematically extract non-ferrous metal ores (including silver, lead, tin and copper) in Europe, and to develop water-management systems for this purpose.

Located close to the Rammelsberg mines, the town of Goslar played an important part in the Hanseatic League because of the richness of the Rammelsberg metal-ore veins. From the 10th to the 12th century it became one of the seats of the Holy Roman Empire. Its historic centre, which dates back to the Middle Ages, is perfectly preserved, and includes some 1,500 timber-framed houses from the 15th to 19th centuries. The Upper Harz water-management system, through its extensive surface area, including a large number of artificial ponds and ditches, together with drains and underground shafts, bears testimony to the importance of the management and use of water for mining purposes, from the Middle Ages until the end of the 20th century.

The stamp and first day postmarks from Berlin and Bonn were designed by Nina Clausing from Wuppertal and printed by Giesecke & Devrient GmbH in Leipzig.

The World Heritage stamp was presented during a special ceremony in the Marktplatz (Market Square) in Goslar om 13 April 2017. Deutsche Post was present with a special postmark featuring the skyline of the old city of Goslar, designed by Wolff in Berlin.

The second presentation was at the Mines of Rammelsberg Museum on 19 April 2017. The special postmark shows the water wheel at the Roeder Gallery and was also designed by Wolff in Berlin.

Date sent: 10 May 2017

Date postmark: 13 April 2017

Date received: 31 May 2017

Number of days: 21

Envelope in collection: 130

Date sent: 10 May 2017

Date postmark: 13 April 2017

Date received: 31 May 2017

Number of days: 21

Envelope in collection: 131

Date sent: 10 May 2017

Date postmark: 13 April 2017

Date received: 31 May 2017

Number of days: 21

Envelope in collection: 132

Date sent: 10 May 2017

Date postmark: 13 April 2017

Date received: 31 May 2017

Number of days: 21

Envelope in collection: 133

Bulgaria

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. The capital and largest city is Sofia; other major cities are Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. With a territory of 110.994 km², Bulgaria is Europe's 16th-largest country.

One of the earliest societies dates back to 6.500 BC. In the 6th to 3rd century BC the region was a battleground for different peoples; stability came when the Roman Empire conquered the region in 45. The Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire lost some of these territories to an invading Bulgar horde in the late 7th century. The Bulgars founded the First Bulgarian Empire in 681, which dominated most of the Balkans and significantly influenced Slavic cultures by developing the Cyrillic script. This state lasted until the early 11th century. A successful Bulgarian revolt in 1185 established a Second Bulgarian Empire. After numerous exhausting wars and feudal strife, the Second Bulgarian Empire disintegrated in 1396 and its territories fell under Ottoman rule for nearly five centuries.

The Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 resulted in the formation of the current Third Bulgarian State. Many ethnic Bulgarian populations were left outside its borders, which led to several conflicts with its neighbours and an alliance with Germany in both world wars. In 1946 Bulgaria became a one-party socialist state and part of the Soviet-led Eastern Bloc. The ruling Communist Party gave up its monopoly on power after the revolutions of 1989 and allowed multi-party elections. Bulgaria then transitioned into a democracy and a market-based economy.

Since adopting a democratic constitution in 1991, the sovereign state has been a unitary parliamentary republic with a high degree of political, administrative, and economic centralization. The population of seven million lives mainly in Sofia and the capital cities of the 27 provinces. The population has declined since the late 1980s. Bulgaria is a member of the European Union, NATO, and the Council of Europe. Its market economy mostly relies on services, followed by industry - especially machine building and mining - and agriculture. Widespread corruption is a major socioeconomic issue; it ranked as the most corrupt country in the European Union for 2018.

During the Briefmarken-Messe in Essen in May 2017 I left stamped envelopes at almost every foreign postal administration hoping they would send them back when they arrived home. The envelope from Bulgaria arrived after twenty days. I was hoping for a nice cancellation, but I got a quick and almost unreadable postmark from Sofia. Still it was an envelope from Bulgaria for my collection.

Bulgarian Posts has a philately section on the website: bgpost.bg. It is possible to order stamps from 2012 to 2018 by sending in the order forms that are on the site.

Date sent: 11 May 2017

Date postmark: 23 May 2017

Date received: 31 May 2017

Number of days: 20

Envelope in collection: 129

Germany - Düsseldorf - Philatelie-Shop

Deutsche Post has established special philately windows in 26 major post offices throughout the country. Each uses a datestamp with the letters 'ps' in it to distinguish it from normal datestamps. The letters ps stand for Philatelie-Shop.

The Philatelie-Shop in Düsseldorf can be found in the Postbank Finance Centre, amost opposite Düsseldorf Central Station. The address for postmark requests is: Immermannstrasse 65 C, 40211 Düsseldorf, Germany. Opening hours: Mo-Fr 9.00-19.00 h., Sat 9.00-13.00 h.

For the envelope I used the new definitive 90 cent stamp from the flower series, issued on 11 May 2017 that I bought at the Philatelie-Shop in Essen on the first day of issue.

Date sent: 11 May 2017

Date postmark: 24 May 2017

Date received: 30 May 2017

Number of days: 19

Envelope in collection: 128

Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about 483 km east of South America's southern Patagonian coast, and about 1.210 km from the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, at a latitude of about 52°S. The archipelago, with an area of 12.000 km², comprises East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 smaller islands. As a British overseas territory, the Falklands have internal self-governance, and the United Kingdom takes responsibility for their defence and foreign affairs. The Falkland Islands' capital is Stanley on East Falkland.

Controversy exists over the Falklands' discovery and subsequent colonisation by Europeans. At various times, the islands have had French, British, Spanish, and Argentine settlements. Britain reasserted its rule in 1833, although Argentina maintains its claim to the islands. In April 1982, Argentine forces occupied the islands. British administration was restored two months later at the end of the Falklands War. Almost all Falklanders favour the archipelago remaining a UK overseas territory. Its sovereignty status is part of an ongoing dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom.

The population (3.398 inhabitants in 2016) primarily consists of native-born Falkland Islanders, the majority of British descent. Other ethnicities include French, Gibraltarian and Scandinavian. Immigration from the United Kingdom, the South Atlantic island of Saint Helena, and Chile has reversed a population decline. The predominant (and official) language is English. Under the British Nationality (Falkland Islands) Act 1983, Falkland Islanders are British citizens.

The islands lie on the boundary of the subantarctic oceanic and tundra climate zones, and both major islands have mountain ranges reaching 700 m. They are home to large bird populations, although many no longer breed on the main islands because of competition from introduced species. Major economic activities include fishing, tourism and sheep farming, with an emphasis on high-quality wool exports. Oil exploration, licensed by the Falkland Islands Government, remains controversial as a result of maritime disputes with Argentina.

I sent six envelopes to the Philatelic Bureau of the Falkland Islands, one for the Fakland Islands, one for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and four for bases in the British Antarctic Territory. I left it to the Bureau staff to choose the stamps and just charge my credit card.

All envelopes eventually returned by normal mail, only the one from the Falkland Islands was sent to me in a cover together with the invoice. The stamp on the envelope was from the first series of Falkland Islands Wrecks, issued on 27 March 2017. On the outer envelope were two stamps from part 4 of the Penguins, Predators & Prey series, Magellanic Penguins, issued on 21 August 2015.

Stamps can be bought through the website of FPS, Falklands Post Service Limited (also for BAT and SG&SSI stamps): falklandstamps.com.

Date sent: 13 April 2017

Date postmark: 11 May 2017

Date received: 30 May 2017

Number of days: 47

Envelope in collection: 127

Ross Dependency

The Ross Dependency is a region of Antarctica defined by a sector originating at the South Pole, passing along longitudes 160° east to 150° west, and terminating at latitude 60° south. It is claimed by New Zealand. Since the Antarctic Treaty came into force in 1961, Article IV of which states: "No acts or activities taking place while the present Treaty is in force shall constitute a basis for asserting, supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty in Antarctica or create any rights of sovereignty in Antarctica," most countries do not recognize territorial claims in Antarctica.

The Dependency takes its name from Sir James Clark Ross, who discovered the Ross Sea, and includes part of Victoria Land, and most of the Ross Ice Shelf. Ross Island, Balleny Islands and the small Scott Island also form part of the Dependency, as does the ice-covered Roosevelt Island.

The first stamps inscribed Ross Dependency were issued on 11 January 1957, in conjunction with the New Zealand Antarctic Expedition, led by Sir Edmund Hillary (part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition). Before the expedition left New Zealand, on 23 November 1956, Hillary had been appointed postmaster. When the expedition chose the site for Scott Base, a post office was established, initially in a tent. The post office at Scott Base was closed in 1987 as part of the rationalisation of New Zealand Post. Mail from the base was handled in Christchurch, and the issuing of “Ross Dependency” stamps ceased.

New Zealand Post resumed the issue of stamps inscribed “Ross Dependency” in 1994, “due to local and international demand.” A definitive set was issued in 1994, and pictorial sets of five or six stamps have been issued annually since then.

The denominations match those of contemporary New Zealand stamps. However, the stamps are not generally valid on New Zealand mail. Mail from the Ross Dependency is processed by the “Ross Dependency Agency”, located at a post office in Christchurch. Members of the public (mostly philatelists and stamp dealers) are able to post items bearing Ross Dependency stamps at this office.

I ordered a single stamp for the international rate from New Zealand post and when it arrived I sent my envelope to the Christchurch agency for the postmark. I got it back very fast. Apart from the Rosse Dependency postmark, there was a Christchurch MSC postmark on my envelope and an air mail label.

This postmark can be obtained by sending mail with Ross Dependency (not New Zealand!) stamps to: Philatelic Mail, Christchurch Mail Service Centre, Private Bag 55055, Orchard Road, Christchurch 8154, New Zealand.

Ross Dependency stamps can be bought from New Zealand Post. They are listed under the International stamps section: nzpost.co.nz/ross-dependency.

Date sent: 10 May 2017

Date postmark: 19 May 2017

Date received: 30 May 2017

Number of days: 20

Envelope in collection: 126

Kosovo

Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a partially recognized state and disputed territory in Southeastern Europe. Defined in an area of 10.887 km², Kosovo is landlocked in the center of the Balkans and bordered by the uncontested territory of Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the southeast, Albania to the southwest and Montenegro to the west.

The earliest known human settlements in what is now Kosovo were the Paleolithic Vinča and Starčevo cultures. During the Classical period, it was inhabited by the Illyrian-Dardanian and Celtic people. In 168 BC, the area was annexed by the Romans. In the Middle Ages, it was conquered by the Byzantine, Bulgarian and Serbian Empires. The Battle of Kosovo of 1389 is considered to be one of the defining moments in Serbian medieval history. The region was the core of the Serbian medieval state, which has also been the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church from the 14th century, when its status was upgraded to a patriarchate. Kosovo was part of the Ottoman Empire from the 15th to the early 20th century. In the late 19th century, it became the centre of the Albanian National Awakening. Following their defeat in the Balkan Wars, the Ottomans ceded Kosovo to Serbia and Montenegro. Both countries joined Yugoslavia after World War I. The post-World War II Yugoslav constitution established the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within the Yugoslav republic of Serbia. Tensions between Kosovo's Albanian and Serb communities simmered through the 20th century and occasionally erupted into major violence, culminating in the Kosovo War of 1998 and 1999, which resulted in the withdrawal of the Yugoslav army and the establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo. On 17 February 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence from Serbia. It has since gained diplomatic recognition as a sovereign state by 101 United Nations member states. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as a sovereign state, although with the Brussels Agreement of 2013, it has accepted its institutions. While Serbia recognizes administration of the territory by Kosovo's elected government, it continues to claim it as the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija.

Kosovo is a member of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Regional Cooperation Council, and has applied for membership of Interpol and for observer status in the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation.

During the Briefmarken-Messe in Essen in May 2017 I left stamped envelopes at almost every foreign postal administration hoping they would send them back when they arrived home. The envelope from Kosovo arrived after almost three weeks, perfectly cancelled. The stamp is one of the 2017 Europa stamps with the castles theme and the postmark is from Pristina. The air mail label was affixed by the Kosovo Post.

The website of Posta, the Post of Kosova: postakosoves.com. The philately section on the Albanian (SQ) version of the website has more information on it than the English section.

Date sent: 12 May 2017

Date postmark: 26 May 2017

Date received: 30 May 2017

Number of days: 18

Envelope in collection: 125

United States of America - Texas - Earth

Looking through a list of post offices I noticed that there is a town called Earth in Texas, United States. The US Postal Service has issued a number of 'global forever' stamps for sending international letters. One of these stamps shows Earth, so I seemed a nice combination.

I sent and envelope to the postmaster at the Earth Post Office with a request for a datestamp. Fifteen days later it came back to me with an Earth postmark but unfortunately with the terrible wavy lines from the sorting center. It was still a nice cover, but I was a bit disappointed.

Nowadays I use the image of the stamp with postmark and wavy lines in my letters to US post offices in the hope they will be careful when sending my envelopes back to me.

The Earth post office is located at 105 N Amherst Road in Earth TX 79031-9803 (Google maps says Amherst Street, but the USPS Location Finder gives Amherst Road).

Date sent: 15 May 2017

Date postmark: 22 May 2017

Date received: 30 May 2017

Number of days: 15

Envelope in collection: 124

(Google Street View)

United States of America - Wisconsin

In my World envelope collection I do not just want to have envelopes from stamp-issuing countries and territories, but also from other regions. This includes the 50 states of the United States of America. This envelope comes from the state of Wisconsin, lying in the Midwest and Great Lake regions of the United States. It was the 30th state, admitted in 1848.

The stamps were affixed by me and come from the Flags of our nations and Greetings series and a stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of statehood. I sent the envelope to the post office in the capital Madison to be postmarked. It arrived back not with an ordinary Madison postmark as I had hoped for, but with a special postmark celebrating the 90th anniversary of the transatlantic flight of Charles Lindbergh. The postmark shows his plane and a 'skyline' of Paris with all the famous monuments. In the future I will have to try again to get a Madison postmark.

Date sent: 5 May 2017

Date postmark: 9 April 2017

Date received: 30 May 2017

Number of days: 25

Envelope in collection: 123

Germany - Berlin Pankow - Philatelie-Shop

On 16 May 2017 I received an envelope with the datestamp of the Philatelie-shop in Berlin Pankow. Inside that envelope was the usual blank card but with a handwritten message that this shop also uses a pictorial postmark. They put a print of it on the back of the card.

The next day I sent a new envelope for that pictorial postmark. I enclosed a nice Dutch postcard to thank them for their service. On the envelope I used the new definitive 90 cent stamp.

The postmark shows the Rathaus (Town hall) in the Breite Strasse. It was built in 1901-1903 and designed by Wilhelm Johow. In the background the famous Fernsehturm (Television Tower) can be seen.

The Philatelie-Shop in Berlin Pankow can be found in the shopping mall Rathaus-Center in the centre of this north Berlin quarter. The address for postmark requests is: Breite Straße 20, 13187 Berlin Pankow, Germany. Opening hours: Mo-Fr 9.30-18.30 h., Sat 9.30-14.00 h.

Date sent: 17 May 2017

Date postmark: 24 May 2017

Date received: 27 May 2017

Number of days: 10

Envelope in collection: 122

United States of America - New Mexico

In my World envelope collection I do not just want to have envelopes from stamp-issuing countries and territories, but also from other regions. This includes the 50 states of the United States of America. This envelope comes from the state of New Mexico, lying in the Southwestern region of the United States. It was the 47th state, admitted in 1912.

The stamps were affixed by me and come from the Flags of our nations and Greetings series and a stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of statehood. I sent the envelope to the post office in the capital Santa Fe to be postmarked. I got a very nice Santa Fe postmark, but somehow the post office clerk put it upside down. After Santa Fe my envelope went through a sorting and cancelling machine in Albuquerque. Back in the Netherlands the envelope went through two sorting centres, the one in Amsterdam (A-code) and the one in The Hague (G-code).

Date sent: 5 May 2017

Date postmark: 19 May 2017

Date received: 27 May 2017

Number of days: 22

Envelope in collection: 121

Belarus

Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, formerly known by its Russian name Byelorussia or Belorussia is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital and most populous city is Minsk. Belarus is 207.600 km² with 9,49 million inhabitants. Its major economic sectors are service industries and manufacturing. Until the 20th century, different states at various times controlled the lands of modern-day Belarus, including the Principality of Polotsk, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Russian Empire.

In the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution, Belarus declared independence as the Belarusian People's Republic, which was conquered by Soviet Russia. The Socialist Soviet Republic of Byelorussia became a founding constituent republic of the Soviet Union in 1922 and was renamed as the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (Byelorussian SSR). Belarus lost almost half of its territory to Poland after the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921. Much of the borders of Belarus took their modern shape in 1939, when some lands of the Second Polish Republic were reintegrated into it after the Soviet invasion of Poland, and were finalized after World War II. During WWII, military operations devastated Belarus, which lost about a third of its population and more than half of its economic resources. The republic was redeveloped in the post-war years. In 1945 the Byelorussian SSR became a founding member of the United Nations, along with the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR.

Belarus declared independence from the Soviet Union on 25 August 1991. Alexander Lukashenko has served as the country's first president since 1994. Belarus has been labeled "Europe's last dictatorship" by some Western journalists, on account of Lukashenko's self-described authoritarian style of government. In 2000, Belarus and Russia signed a treaty for greater cooperation, forming the Union State. Belarus is a member of the United Nations since its founding, the Commonwealth of Independent States, CSTO, EEU, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Belarus has shown no aspirations for joining the European Union but nevertheless maintains a bilateral relationship with the organization, and likewise participates in two EU projects: the Eastern Partnership and the Baku Initiative.

During the Briefmarken-Messe in Essen in May 2017 I left stamped envelopes at almost every foreign postal administration hoping they would send them back when they arrived home. The stamp I chose was presented to me by the Belarus post staff as a definitive stamp. In was issued in 2014 in a series of five stamps with wild animals and shows the European pine marter (Martes martes). The value P is for the air mail tariff of a letter up to 20 grams abroad (link). It was postmarked in Minsk with a normal machine cancellation. Belpost put their company stamp on the envelope as the sender.

Belarus stamps can be found on the website of the stamp issuing state company Belpost: belpost.by/philately.

Date sent: 12 May 2017

Date postmark: 23 May 2017

Date received: 27 May 2017

Number of days: 15

Envelope in collection: 120

Germany - Nürnberg - Museum for Communication

On this blog there are already two entries about Museums for Communication, both in Germany. The first was the Museum in Berlin, the second the Museum in Frankfurt am Main. There is a third branch in the city of Nürnberg at the Lessingstraße 6.

All postmarks can be obtained through the Sonderstempelstelle or by posting mail in the letterbox in the museum shop.

The postmark has the words Museum für Kommunikation, the place 90443 Nürnberg Mittelfr. and an image of an historical post horn in front of the skyline of the old city of Nürnberg. The postmark has been in use since 1 January 2005.

For the envelope I used the new definitive 90 cent stamp from the flower series, issued on 11 May 2017 that I bought at the Philatelie-Shop in Essen on the first day of issue. Although the Sonderstempelstelle must have received my envelope after 11 May, they still gave me a postmark with the date 11 May 2017, making it a first day cover.

Website of the Museum für Kommunikation in Nürnberg (in German): mfk-nuernberg.de.

Date sent: 11 May 2017

Date postmark: 11 May 2017

Date received: 27 May 2017

Number of days: 16

Envelope in collection: 119