250 Years of US Postal Service (3)

In 2025, the United States celebrates a milestone: 250 years of postal service. This collection of postcards have been released one a month. All 12 align to form a timeline spanning from 1775 to 2025.

This postcard highlights the establishment of the Railway Post Office (RPO) in 1864.

At the time, mail was transported by various methods, including horseback, stagecoaches, steamboats, and trains.

For mail transported by train, the mail remained in sacks, unopened from one post office to the next. This system was inefficient and lead to delays.

The Railway Post Office introduced the innovation of sorting mail en route, significantly improving delivery speed and efficiency, and operated for over 113 years, from 1864 to 1977.

By 1951, the RPO network employed 30,000 clerks, utilized 3,200 cars, covered 165,000 miles, and handled 93% of all non-local mail.

-----

The 3rd postcard sent by Bryon (the USA) never made it. So, he kindly sent a replacement.
[1-2, 3, 4, 5-6...]

Books!

Library of Strahov Abbey, Czechia

Postcard from a Poscrossing meeting that took place in a bookstore. On the envelope, matching stamps featuring four Duthc writers: Abdelkader Benali, Bregje Hofstede, Kader Abdolah and Jessica Durlacher. Only one of these names was familiar to me.

Sent by Věra (Czechia) and Heleen (the Netherlands).

Wise Words (VII): Postscript

«Sec. 3. How to end a Letter

[...]

A Postscript is a very useful invention: but it is not meant (as so many ladies suppose) to contain the real gist of the letter»

Lewis Carrol, Eight or Nine Wise Words about Letter-Writing

Sunday Stamps | P Is for Powwow

Powwows are gatherings with dances held by many Native American and First Nations communities. Inaugurated in 1923, powwows today are an opportunity to socialize, dance, sing, and honor their cultures. Powwows may be private or public, indoors or outdoors, and they vary in length from single-day to weeklong events.

The stamps issued this year by USPS showcase original paintings of Native American dancers by artist Mateo Romero. The four stamps include different dancings. On this one, you can see the Women’s Traditional Dance.

Go to Sunday Stamps to enjoy more P-stamps.

Prestige Philately Club Prague

This was on the back of a Postcrossing postcard arrived from Czechia. Seems prestigious enough!

World Postcard Day 2025

More postcards I got, sent on World Postcard Day:

Sent by Bryon (the USA).

Sent by Heleen (the Netherlands).

Postcard sent by Anna (Russia).

And two special postmarks, from Portugal and the USA (Thanks, Pedro & Bryon!):

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Victoria and Albert Museum

Victoria and Albert Exhibition Road Quarter

Can you see the small people and their shadows? This Postcrossing postcard, sent by Eloise, arrived with a matching stamp on the back:

Actually, with four wonderful stamps!

-----------------------------------------------

Thursday Postcard Hunt
November theme: SCENERY/LANDSCAPES

• Week 1 - With animals
• Week 2 - With people
• Week 3 - With buildings
• Week 4 - Multiviews

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

20 Years of Postcrossing (4)

This postcard is a commemorative re-edition of PT-1, the very first postcard sent trough Postcrossing in 2005. It celebrates 20 years of postcard exchanges, friendships, and connections across the globe --a small tribute to the journey that started with a single card, and grew into a worldwide community.

And eventually Heleen (the Netherlands) sent it. Now I have two versions!

20 Years of Postcrossing (3)

Apart from some postcards and a special postmark, I have been lucky enough to get the Dutch 20-years Postcrossing stamp. And not only once!

You can read more about the details of the stamp here.

More Autumn

Maria Cardouat

Sent by Laura (the UK).

Sunday Stamps | O is for Oosterwijck

Maria van Oosterwijck (1630-1693) was a Dutch painter, specialising in richly detailed flower paintings and other still lifes.

I like when they include so much information on the stamp, or the selvedge, like in this case. According to an online traductor, it says:

Still life painter, working n Delft and Amsterdam. Her father was a  minister, but through her mother she had connections to the artistic world. She sold her work to Jan Vorster, from all over Europe, at a reasonable price. 

This is my O-stamp for A-Z Sunday Stamps.

Three Benefits

«Així i tot, escriure té tres avantatges, si més no per a mi: primer, es pot escriure absolutament tot, sense censura; segon, es pot fer a mesura que les paraules llisquen sota els dits, desordenades, sense coherència, lliurement; i tercer, fins a l'últim moment no saps si enviaràs la carta.»

Leila Kasra, Nusos entre els dits

Why Do Not Postal Services Realise How Dull These Labels Are?

Three more examples provided by Bryon. From Belgium, Serbia and China to the USA:

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Somewhere

Somewhere in France

Somewhere in Ireland

Somewhere in Canada

Postcards sent by Fabienne (France), Leeann (Ireland) and Rosemary (Canada).

-----------------------------------------------

Thursday Postcard Hunt
November theme: SCENERY/LANDSCAPES

• Week 1 - With animals
• Week 2 - With people
• Week 3 - With buildings
• Week 4 - Multiviews

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

When You Get an Envelope from an Illustrator

From Erica Fustero (PC).

Baby Wild Animals in Autumn Colours

Wise Words (VI): Friendliness Will Do No Harm

«Sec. 3. How to end a Letter

[...]
If doubtful whether to end with 'yours faithfully', or 'yours truly', or 'yours most truly', &c. (there are at least a dozen varieties, before you reach 'yours affectionately'), refer to your correspondent's last letter, and make your winding-up at least as friendly as his; in fact, even if a shade more friendly, it will do no harm!»

Lewis Carrol, Eight or Nine Wise Words about Letter-Writing

Sunday Stamps | N Is for Nèvejean

Yvonne Nèvejean (1900 – 1987) was one of the leaders of an organisation that helped hide Jewish children in Nazi-occupied Belgium during World War II. She was instrumental in hiding about 4000 children. After the war she was honoured inside and outside Belgium, and in 1996 this stamp was issued.

See more N-stamps on today's Sunday Stamps post.

Is a Postal Drought Approaching Again?

(This month's update of my 2025 postal project: counting the days I get mail.)

Nevermore

Sent by Phillip (the USA).

The frightening back of a Postcrossing postcard sent by L. J. (the USA).

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Halloween

Two postcards from last Halloween sent by Heleen (the Netherlands) .

With a terrific hand-drawn stamp!

-----------------------------------------------

Thursday Postcard Hunt
October theme: COLOURS OF AUTUMN

• Week 1 - Orange
• Week 2 - Yellow
• Week 3 - Red
• Week 4 - Brown
• Week 5 - Halloween or Black

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

MA Zine #2 | Why Do People Send Mail?

The second MA Zine is out!

As the previous one, just 8 pages DIN A7, printed in black and white. I have some spare ones. If you feel curious, just send me a postcard or a letter* and I will send it to you by snail mail.

-----
*If you do not have my address, contact me via e-mail or the contact form.

Wise Words (V): Enclose It

«Sec. 3. How to go on with a Letter
[...]

My eighth Rule. When you say, in your letter, "I enclose cheque for L5", or "I enclose John's letter for you to see", leave off writing for a moment—go and get the document referred to—and put it into the envelope. Otherwise, you are pretty certain to find it lying about, after the Post has gone!»

Lewis Carrol, Eight or Nine Wise Words about Letter-Writing

Sunday Stamps | M Is for Mukhina

Vera Mukhina (1889 – 1953) was a famous sculptor, the creator of the monument Worker and Kolkhoz Woman, the winner of the Grand Prix at the exhibition in Paris for a collection of women's clothing decorated with painted peas and, according to the legend, the designer of Russian faceted glass.

The stamps was sent by Eduard (Russia) on the back of this matching postcard:

Portrait by Mikhail Nesterov

My Sunday Stamps A-Z is dedicated to women on stamps. See here more M-stamps!

Autumn Envelopes

Envelopes sent by Laura (the UK).