On Estonian and Livonian roads mail was carried on horseback until the middle of the 18th century. Constant growth in the carriage of mail and passengers caused the need that open-top carriages and covered wagons, called kibitkas, were taken into use. As roads were poor and the postal vehicles primitive, travelling by them was inconvenient.

A new period in the carriage of passengers began in the 1820 to 1840 in connection with the introduction of stage coaches. According to the requirements a stage coach had to have iron axles, good appearance and built in accordance with drawings endorsed by the chief of the mail routes.

One of the illustrations features a government stage coach dating from 1840 and the other a modern mail carriage vehicle. Today there are more than 350 mail carriage vehicles in Estonia, covering about 40,000 kilometres daily.

Title: Europa 2013 – Estonia
Date of Issue: 2 May 2013
Country: Estonia
Denominations: 1 .00 Eur x 2

Source: http://www.post.ee/

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Model IV of this coach was based on a one-horse cargo coach used by Austrian Post. Like its Austrian counterpart, it was usually drawn by a single horse.  Czechoslovak Post used it for delivering parcels addressed to businesses or private recipients. Due to the slow motorisation process, this postal vehicle was in use until the early 1960s.

Although it was not one of the largest coaches, it looks robust. The sheet metal covering its wooden body makes this impression even stronger. Parcels were locked inside the cargo space of 3 cubic meters or on the roof with rails. The maximum loaded weight was a full tonne.

The coach had one, and later two lamps, mounted on the sides of the upper part of the body behind the postilion’s (driver’s) seat and used for safety purposes during the hours of darkness.

In its exposition, Postal Museum Vyšší Brod displays not only an original parcel coach model IV from the interwar era but also several models of parcel coaches of the same era, meticulously made into a true copy of other designs used to transport parcels in Czechoslovakia.

Title: Europa 2013 – Czech Republic
Date of Issue: 2 May 2013
Country: Czech Republic
Denominations: 25 CZK

Source: http://www.ceskaposta.cz/

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EUROPA stamps are special stamps issued by European postal administrations and bears the official EUROPA logo, a PostEurop registered trademark under the aegis of PostEurop in which Europe is the central theme.

EUROPA stamps underlines cooperation in the posts domain, taking into account promotion of philately. They also build awareness of the common roots, culture and history of Europe and its common goals.

Title: Europa 2013 – Finland
Date of Issue: 6 May 2013
Country: Finland
Denominations: 1 LK x 2

Source: http://www.posti.fi/

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In recent years, Åland Post has actively committed itself to the environment. We were environmentally certified by DNV (Det Norske Veritas) according to the ISO 14001:2004 standard in November 2011.

As part of our environmental focus, we have obtained four eco-friendly cars of the type Toyota Auris Hybrid and were thus first in Finland to use full hybrid eco-cars for delivery service!

Two advantages of the Auris are that it can be obtained with the steering wheel placed to the right and offers good ergonomics for mail delivery purposes. To emphasize the eco-friendliness, the cars were taped with a decoration illustrating growing green grass. The cars are used for delivery in various parts of Mariehamn.

EUROPA stamps are special stamps issued by European postal administrations and bears the official EUROPA logo, a PostEurop registered trademark under the aegis of PostEurop in which Europe is the central theme.

EUROPA stamps underlines cooperation in the posts domain, taking into account promotion of philately. They also build awareness of the common roots, culture and history of Europe and its common goals.

Title: Europa 2013 – Aland
Date of Issue: 6 May 2013
Country: Aland
Denominations: €1.00

Source: http://www.posten.ax/

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Krpan Mail Bicycle
It is no mere coincidence that the Krpan mail bicycle, which you can encounter every day on the streets of Slovenian towns, bears the name of the hero of superhuman strength from the tale by Levstik. The bike was developed especially for mail delivery, and with a thought for safe and environmentally friendly postal transport.

The bicycle is developed and assembled in Slovenia. The Krpan bike as used by Pošta Slovenije is yellow, and along with its name on the frame, it also bears the traditional sign of Pošta Slovenije – the mail horn.

It has been in production since 2001, and the 11th series of the Krpan bike is now being produced for Pošta Slovenije requirements. The bicycle is being continuously developed and upgraded in line with user needs. The robust design of the frame allows easy mounting and dismounting.

The aluminium frame is reinforced, providing greater safety and durability, something lacking in ordinary bicycles. The rear luggage rack, which also serves as protection for the cyclist in a possible fall, can carry bags made of synthetics or PVC material, which is resistant to major temperature differences.

Its low centre of gravity makes the bike very stable and ideal for carrying large quantities of postal packages. The maximum permitted load of the bike, together with cargo, is 200 kg, with the bike itself weighing 24 to 25 kg. A trailer can also be attached. Krpan bicycles, which have become a big success, are also used by mail deliverers in six other countries.

Diligence Mail Coach
In the second half of the 18th century, diligence mail coaches started operating on the main postal roads in the Slovenian lands. At that time the postal service took on a leading role in passenger transport, with private coach services being increasingly limited in the transport of passengers.

The diligences were comfortable mail coaches with a sprung undercarriage and padded interior, in which it was quite comfortable to travel for that time. There were usually several horses harnessed to haul the coach, which would arrive at and depart postal stages each week at a specified time.

In the 18th century, travel by mail coach was rare and very expensive, with the price depending on the distance and number of horses in the team. Passengers also had to tip the postillion and pay a fee for wheel grease, various tolls, bridge tolls and customs duties. Passengers had to pay for their trip in advance, and en-route they were protected and supervised by the police.

The growth in transport in the 19th century brought with it numerous problems. Complaints about safety on the roads – mail coaches were frequently the target of highwaymen – led to the decision that all other road users had to give way to mail coaches. Fast mail diligences were introduced on the Vienna-Ljubljana-Trieste route.

The journey from Vienna to Trieste, with short stops to change horses, overnight rest, snack and lunch breaks along the way took a total of three days. The golden age of mail coaches came to an end with the arrival of the railways. Postal stages were gradually abandoned, and numerous postillions and other postal employees lost their livelihood.

Title: Europa 2013 – Slovenia
Date of Issue: 22 March 2013
Country: Slovenia
Denominations: 0.64, 0.92

Source: http://www.posta.si

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EUROPA stamps are special stamps issued by European postal administrations and bears the official EUROPA logo, a PostEurop registered trademark under the aegis of PostEurop in which Europe is the central theme.

EUROPA stamps underlines cooperation in the posts domain, taking into account promotion of philately. They also build awareness of the common roots, culture and history of Europe and its common goals.

The Europa issue (also known as Europa – CEPT until 1992) is an annual joint issue of stamps with a common design or theme by postal administrations member of the European Communities (1956-1959), the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT from 1960 to 1992), then the PostEurop Association since 1993.

Title: Europa 2013 – Jersey
Date of Issue: 19 March 2013
Country: Jersey
Denominations: 45p, 55p, 60p, 80p

Source: http://www.jerseypost.com/

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Traditionally, lateral curtains were mostly used to decorate the central hall of a house for a wedding or other celebratory occasion. This red silk lateral curtain, stretches nearly five meters long, features meticulously stitched embroidered flowers, birds, grass, trees, clouds and rocks that simply burst with color.

The overall effect is sumptuous and elegant. One of the greatest embroidered works of art of the Qing Dynasty, the curtain, with its glorious and colorful vista of blooming flowers and songbirds, signals that all is flourishing. This set of stamps features the most prominent sections of the embroidery.

The five stamps of Qing Dynasty Embroidery feature the following: (1) peacocks and scholar’s rocks ; (2) a snow crane, a bat, mynahs and reishi mushrooms; (3) a snow crane, a pine tree and orchids; (4) paradise flycatchers, plum blossoms, bamboo, and magnolia flowers; (5) a pair of Mandarin ducks, a kingfisher and lotus flowers.

The souvenir sheet includes a single featuring a spectacular peacock, yuhinas, peonies and scholar’s rocks. The sheet selvage features a snow crane, mandarin ducks, butterflies and plum blossoms. To highlight the exquisite beauty of the piece, the souvenir sheet is printed on silk paper plus partly embossed and hot stamped with gold foil.

Title: Qing Dynasty Embroidery
Date of Issue: 20 March 2013
Country: Taiwan
Denominations: NT$10 x 5

Source: http://www.post.gov.tw

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In Indonesia, Chinese Lunar New Year is a national holiday. Lunar New Year of the snake falls on February 10,2013 which is denoted by snake shio with the element of water. To welcome the Chinese Lunar year of the snake, stamp series is issued depicting the object of snakes and water elements.

Naja sputatrix

Indonesia cobra or locally known as Sendok Jawa snake, is one among the type of poisonous snakes with neurotoxin type. Naja sputatrix can be found in the islands of Java, Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Komodo and Flores. With a maximum length of 2 meters, this snake is capable of spraying venom directed to the eye.

The color varies in each region. Black in western part of Java, brownish to yellowish in East Java and Nusa Tenggara. The habitat is usually found in damp but warm, like under a bamboo tree and even the occasional often seen near the river. Although not included in the endangered species list, number of species tends to decline each year due to trading of snake skin and as pets.

Dewa Ruci

The legend of Dewa Ruci, a story of Javanese traditional puppet play called wayang, began when Bima was instructed by his teacher, Resi drona, to find Prawitasari holy water in order to reach peaceful mind in life. Prawitasari holy water is the essence of divine spiritual knowledge of human being.

After numerous attemps were made, Bima eventually realized that Prawitasari holy water was located at the Bottom of the ocean. Undoubttedly, Bima jumped into the ocean, But, Bima faced a giant sea snake, a symbol of evil traits that must be fought. After got rid of the obstacles, Bima met the tiny god that brightly glowing but not blinding. This tiny god named Dewa Suksma Ruci had a miniature body of Bima.

Dewa Ruci could explain Bima descent and call his relatives. Anyway, Dewa Ruci also knew the purpose of his coming to the center of the Ocean. Bima feel humble and asked to learn to Dewa Ruci.

Naga Seba

Naga Seba is batik design depicting dragon (snake) and birds (wings). Considered as Keratonan batik style, the design is highly influenced by Hinduism and islam.

As also founded in the chariot of Singa Barong and Paksi Naga Liman, the ornament of Naga Seba combines snakes and wings as a symbol of the Sultanate of Cirebon. Typical Cirebon traditional glass painting often use Naga Seba as objects.

Title: Year of the snake – Indonesia
Date of Issue: 22 January 2013
Country: Indonesia
Denominations: Rp 2.500, Rp 5.000, Rp 7.500

Source: http://www.indonesiastamps.com

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The Hoopoe is a colourful bird that is found across Afro-Eurasia, notable for its distinctive ‘crown’ of feathers. It is the only extant species in the family Upupidae.

One insular species, the Giant Hoopoe of Saint Helena, is extinct, and the Madagascar subspecies of the Hoopoe is sometimes elevated to a full species. Like the Latin name upupa, the English name is an onomatopoetic form which imitates the cry of the bird.

The Hoopoe is a medium sized bird, 25–32 cm (9.8–12.6 in) long, with a 44–48 cm (17.3–19 in) wingspan weighing 46–89 g (1.6–3.1 oz). The species is highly distinctive, with a long, thin tapering bill that is black with a fawn base.

The strengthened musculature of the head allows the bill to be opened when probing inside the soil. The hoopoe has broad and rounded wings capable of strong flight; these are larger in the northern migratory subspecies.

The Hoopoe has a characteristic undulating flight, which is like that of a giant butterfly, caused by the wings half closing at the end of each beat or short sequence of beats.

The call is typically a trisyllabic oop-oop-oop, which gives rise to its English and scientific names, although two and four syllables are also common. In the Himalayas, the calls can be confused with that of the Himalayan Cuckoo (Cuculus saturatus) although the cuckoo typically produces four notes. Other calls include rasping croaks, when alarmed, and hisses.

There are logos of the International organization for the protection of birds “BirdLife International” and the Belarus public organization “Ahova ptushak Batskaushchyny” (APB) on the stamp.

Title: Bird of the year – Hoopoe
Date of Issue: 12 March 2013
Country: Belarus
Denominations: P

Source: http://www.belpost.by

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The origin of sending greeting cards can be traced back to ancient Egypt and China, where hand printed messages of goodwill were exchanged. The custom then made its way to Europe during the 15th century.

By the 1850s, advances in printing, mechanisation, and a reduction in postal rates with the introduction of the postage stamp, transformed the greeting card from a relatively expensive, handmade and hand-delivered item, to a popular and affordable means of personal communication.

Since then, the practice of sending greeting cards has evolved and grown, so that no matter what the occasion, there is a greeting card to convey the message.

Title: Greetings 2013 – Ireland
Date of Issue: 7 March 2013
Country: Ireland
Denominations:

Source: http://www.irishstamps.ie

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