Unexpectedly, I have received some mail to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Monkey from FinnBadger (the USA). (Can you see the golden monkey on the stamp?). This pictorial postmark arrived well protected inside this envelope with the label Cancelled Stamps Enclosed:
The postmark is on the back of this cheerful monkey postcard:
And still another beautiful postmark, for the first day of issue of this beautiful stamp. (But there is something odd about the days, isn't there?)
I like that the postmark was so perfect, and that it arrived also dutifully protected in a plastic envelope:
This second monkey arrived as a thank you for my first contribution to FinnBadger's The Year of the Monkey mail art call. If the theme inspires you, you have untill January 2017 to contribute as well.
The post office chose a really late (in my opinion) date to release the Year of the Monkey stamps, Feb 5, with the actually lunar new year starting on Feb 8.
ReplyDeleteFor most pictorial postmarks you can send letters/cards etc in for 30 days after the date, so in this case I had until Feb 8th to get the top card sent in. I did think it was a bit weird that this expo chose Year of the Monkey since it didn't start until a month after the expo date!
Of course I wanted the new stamp on the card, and I ordered them online, but they didn't arrive in good time, and none of the 3 post offices (including the main post office) I went to on the 5th and 6th did not have any. Fortunately my order arrived Monday, but I had to race to meet the last post on the 7th. I was frantically adding stamps to the cards a few minutes before the last collection time (which is why Heleen's stamp ended on upside down).
And then I heard nothing from any of the recipients.... so I thought they were lost. Looks like they maybe took a long time to process it.
So I sent another one. This time in a much calmer fashion ;)
Really glad they both made it.
Ha, ha, this is quite a mail adventure!
DeleteI found it odd, because in Spain the first day covers are stamped... well, the first day!
I'm also glad that both made it! Did you design the monkey yourself?
Yes, the monkey is my own design, made solely from circles (and parts of circles). I have done a horse and a rat using the same circles.
DeleteI like your design! :D
DeleteMaybe you can find inspiration in these designs... Anyway, I thought of you when I saw them! :)
DeleteI just noticed this reply and link - great designs. I really like the ones that use the 'negative' space, like the first cat.
DeleteIndeed interesting story about the first day postmarks! Similar to Spain, in the Netherlands they cancel also the first day. Although I recently bought some old maximum cards, different designs but same Dutch stamps, which have been cancelled on a different date, too!..?
ReplyDeleteI am happy to have received your YotM stamp upside down, FinnBadger, it's original :-)
Yours will make more money at the stamp collector's market, Heleen! :P
DeletePlus I think that they applied the postmark to Heleen's in a nice way, with the tail curling around the center of the butterfly.
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