Collecting Christmas stamps

My fiancé always manages to surprise me!

I just received this wonderful addition to my

Christmas stamps collection. 

The British Army had had a resident presence in Egypt since 1882. From 1932 to 1936 special seals were attached to the rear of letters to show that the letter was covered by special forces postal services. The two issues of interest to GB Overprint collectors are those issued in 1935 for King George V's Silver Jubilee and later in the same year for Christmas. It is arguable whether these stamps count as "GB Overprints". The argument in favour is that they are stamps issued by the British Government, supplied by them for use by British people, and are therefore "British stamps".

For a time these stamps were regarded as "cinderella" items, as they were treated by the Army not as postage stamps but as a receipt showing that the serviceman/woman had paid the special reduced rate postage and was permitted to post this letter, but only in the special forces postboxes. At this point the distinction from a "postage stamp" gets rather philosophical. They were stuck on the rear of the letter, not on the front, and inscribed "Letter stamp", "Postal seal", "Xmas seal", or "Letter seal", so as not to confuse Egyptian postal staff.

Stamps, what else?

Yes! After a very long time, finally a stamp post again!

Slovenia

"Coats of arms of the nobility"

(2014, set of 5) 

Several noble families of the highest rank lived and worked in the lands that

 make up present-day Slovenia and played an important role not only locally 

but also at the imperial level. The coat of arms was one of the most important attributes 

of every noble family; it was the badge by which the family was identified. 

Coats of arms frequently reflected the name of the family and its history.

Germany

Top:

stamp commemorating German Unity Day

(2015)

Bottom right:

The Ishtar Gate was the Eighth Gate to the Inner City of Babylon

Bottom left:

Issued to commemorate the 100-year 

Anniversary of the discovery of the Nefertiti Bust

(both 2013)

Poland

Minisheet about Witkacy

(2015)

Horses

(1989, set of 6)

That was all for this one! What do you think? 

Happy mailbox, happy me

I did several swaps again and here are the results.

I got so many nice cards and stamps that I put the latter in 

a separate post. 

So lets get started!

The first two postcards you see here 

I received from Slovenia for the 

"your language" swap. 

This card came from Poland with a nice view on

Czartoryski Palace in Pulawy 

This card came from a German swapper but,

as you can see, this is a beautiful view on Hohensalzburg Castle

and Nonnberg Abbey, Salzburg, Austria

And to end with, this card from Midland, Texas, U.S.A.

Not from a swap but from my kind pen-friend who lives there.

From the back:

In 1880, the Texas Pacific Railroad began to lay tracks 

westward from Fort Worth at about the same time that 

the Soutern Pacific began building east from El Paso.

The place where the tracks met bacame known as Midway. 

Later, the name was changed to Midland when it was discovered 

that there was another Texas town by the same name. 

The Parmian Basin, of which Midland is the geographic center, 

is said to contain 25% of the nation's reserves. 

Lots of cards!

This postcard came from a sweet friend of mine in the US

The card shows a two year old Pawnee - Otoe Indian dancer 

Yes! I participated in the "chunk o' cardboard" swap

from Swap-bot again. This chunk came from the US,

I "met" the sender a few times already, and I am sure

we'll meet again. 

Some of the stickers, tape and stamps he used at the back

Lots of stamps! 

This lovely letter came from my pen-friend 

Kasia, here in Belgium.

She wrote part of her letter on the cat cards!