Colombia new 2,000-peso note with Braille

On 28 December 2010, the Banco de la República Colombia introduced a new 2,000-peso (US$1.10) note which is like P457, but with the number 2 expressed in Braille over the watermark on the front left, to facilitate the use of the notes by the sight impaired. The 50,000-peso note (P455) has had the number 50 embossed in Braille to the left of the serial number ever since it was first introduced in 2001. The bank intends to add Braille to all the other denominations over time.

Anyone interested in buying one of these notes can contact the contributor by clicking the link below. Be sure to say you saw it mentioned on Banknotenews.com.

Europa 2011 – Island

The United Nations have declared 2011 to be the International Year of Forests. The first stamp shows tree-rings in a log (Siberian larch from Hallormsstaður forest) and symbolises the forest as a resource, as a producer of wood.
The second stamp shows a close-up of a leaf, symbolizing ecosystem services of forests, specifically the sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere.

Modern Icelanders tend to think of forests as landscape features but seldom as a resource. In the past though, Icelandic forests were especially important as resources, providing building material, fuel wood, charcoal for iron working and fodder for livestock. With afforestation, Iceland is rebuilding its forest resource.

Forests also provide a variety of ecosystem services, including water and soil protection and provision of habitats for a great many species. The leaves and needles draw carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and in that way, forests help to reduce the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere.

Title: Europa 2011 – Island
Date of Issue: 17 March 2011
Country: Island
Denominations: 165 ISK, 220 ISK

100th Anniversary of the Americas, Spain and Portugal Post Union

Argentina post issued a stamp celebrating 100th Anniversary of the Americas, Spain and Portugal Post Union. The stamp background Pattern envelopes comprised of icons and arrows, referring to the different paths taken by post messages. On plot number 100 is built honoring the centennial of the UPAEP. These characters are interwoven reinforcing the concept of unification.

Title: 100th Anniversary of the Americas, Spain and Portugal Post Union
Date of Issue: 19 March 2011
Country: Argentina
Denominations: $ 8

The International Year of Forests – Argentina

Argentina post issued a postage stamp to mark 2011 as The International Year of Forests. The stamp shows a relation between trees and mankind. Synthesis of a tree whose shade is the recreation of the logo of the International Year of Forests. The icons that make up the foliage and trunk represent the diversity that is vital for the provision of goods and services, tangible and intangible.

The presence of man points to his role in the care of the forest.
All these elements reinforce the concept that forests are vital to the survival and welfare of people, food and medicine production, preservation of plant and animal species, regulation of water basins and the balance of climate and In short, the whole environment.

Title: The International Year of Forests – Argentina
Date of Issue: 19 March 2011
Country: Argentina
Denominations: $ 2

Spanish Cinema Series

This series celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Goya Awards and the best film of 2010. It is made up of a souvenir sheet and a stamp.

The Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences of Spain awards the Goyas annually in acknowledgement of the best professionals in the film industry in the different categories. These awards were created at the initiative of a group of renowned professionals who wished to level the Spanish film industry with other countries such as Hollywood's Oscars, Berlin's Bear, French Cesar Awards or the Lion of Venice.

This year to commemorate the silver anniversary of the Goya awards the ceremony has taken place for the first time in the Teatro Real in Madrid where the 28 statuettes were awarded to the best professionals from a variety of technical and artistic disciplines. The honorific Goya was awarded in recognition and tribute to a lifetime career.

The souvenir sheet is devoted to 25th Anniversary of the Goya Awards, featuring the winners of the Honorific Goya in these 25 years. The names of producers, writers, cinematographers, film directors, actors and actresses are depicted with representative elements of the film.

The Goya to the best film has been awarded to Pa negre, directed by Agusti Villaronga. Filmed in Catalonian, it tells the story of the hardships of the post war years in rural Catalonia. The emotions and feelings of the characters of those who fought in the losing side of the war and its consequences are seen through the eyes of a child. The film won nine Goyas including the Goya to the best director, best actress, cinematographer, supporting actress, best new actor and actress, among others.

New Stamps Featuring Corals of the Sea

In March 2011, the Marshall Islands Postal Service issued five new stamps featuring Corals of the Sea.

Because reef-forming corals cannot live in waters colder than 65 degrees Fahrenheit, most are prevalent in warm and tropical seas such as in the South Pacific.

Coral reefs are grouped into three categories: fringing, barrier and atoll. Fringing reefs are submerged living coral platforms that extend from shore into the sea. Barrier reefs run along shore but are separated from land by water. An atoll is a ring-shaped island of coral surrounding a body of water called a lagoon. It is formed when coral builds up on the rim of the crater of a sunken volcano or on a submerged mud bank. Typically, one or more channels connect the lagoon to the open sea. Coral reefs are popular with scuba divers because they attract myriad sea life.

An Post stamp packs a punch!

On April 14, 2011, An Post issued a stamp to commemorate the founding of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA).

The new stamp features a striking action shot of boxers David Joyce of St Michael's Boxing Club, Athy (in blue) and Stephen O'Reilly of Twin Towns Boxing Club, Ballybofey, Co Donegal, alongside the IABA crest.

The first day cover design features the IABA logo and the silhouette of a boxer. The stamp and first day cover were designed by Q Design.

The IABA is the governing body of amateur boxing in Ireland, with a presence in every one of the 32 counties. It has over 350 affiliated clubs, each with an average membership of about 25 boys and girls.

When the association opened the National Stadium on the South Circular Road in Dublin, in 1939, it was the first purpose-built boxing stadium anywhere in the world. Today, it continues as the headquarters of the association and the venue for national and international boxing matches.

Amateur boxing is such a successful sport in this country that to date, Ireland has won 12 Olympic medals for boxing, nearly half the national tally. Ireland has produced many outstanding boxers, ensuring a high ranking in world league tables.

National Stadium on New Postage Stamps by Costa Rica

The Correos de Costa Rica has issued two stamps dedicated to the inauguration of the National Stadium of Costa Rica.

Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica is a multi-purpose stadium in La Sabana, San Jose, Costa Rica. Completed in 2011, it will mainly be used for football matches. The stadium replaces the original National Stadium.

The Chinese government financed the construction of the stadium, which has a capacity of 35,062. The construction of the stadium formed part of the agreements signed between the presidents of Costa Rica and the China, Oscar Arias and Hu Jintao, respectively, during Arias' first visit to the Asian country in October, 2007. The construction began on March 12, 2009 and finished in 2011.

The first match was a friendly game played on the inauguration night by the Costa Rican National Team against the National Team of China, the match ended 2-2, with Alvaro Saborio scoring the first goal ever in the stadium. On March 29, in front of 35,000 persons, the second soccer match in the Stadium was celebrated between the Costa Rica team and Argentina (final 0-0). Shakira headlined a concert on April 10.

New Europa stamps by Belarus

On April 14, 2011 Belarus issued two stamps on the theme of "Forests" bearing the EUROPA logo. The painter is Andrei Mamaev, the issue is designed by Ivan Lukin.

The stamps are issued in sheets and in sheetlets.

Europa 2011 stamps from Azerbaijan

The Azermarka has issued a series of two stamps to commemorate the "Forests" theme of this year Europa stamp issue. The stamps feature an Elm Tree and an Eastern plane tree.

The Elm tree (Ulmus) is deciduous and semi-deciduous tree. Elms first appeared in the Miocene period about 40 million years ago. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, many species and cultivars were planted as ornamentals in Europe, North America, and parts of the Southern Hemisphere. Elm leaves are alternate, with simple, single- or doubly serrate margins, usually asymmetric at the base and acuminate at the apex. The genus is hermaphroditic, having apetalous perfect flowers which are mostly wind-pollinated, although bees do visit them. The fruit is a round wind-dispersed samara flushed with chlorophyll, facilitating photosynthesis before the leaves emerge.

Eastern plane tree (Platanus) is a small genus of trees native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are all large trees to 30-50 m tall. They are often known in English as planes or plane trees. The flowers are reduced and are borne in balls (globose heads); 3-7 hairy sepals may be fused at the base, and the petals are 3-7 (or no) and are spatulate. Male and female flowers are separate, but borne on the same plant. The leaves are simple. The base of the leaf stalk (petiole) is enlarged and completely wraps around the young stem bud in its axil. The axillary bud is exposed only after the leaf falls off.

USPS used Vegas replica for Lady Liberty stamp

The U.S. Post Office made a small mistake in its new Liberty stamp.

"Early Show" co-anchor Jeff Glor reported the Post Office did not use Lady Liberty in New York Harbor to make the stamp to celebrate its 125th anniversary. Instead, they mistakenly used the image of the similar statue in Las Vegas.

There are differences in the statues' hair and eyes. He added the statue in Las Vegas is also half the size of the real Statue of Liberty.

Post Office spokesman Roy Betts told the New York Times, "We still love the stamp design and would have selected this photograph anyway."

But Betts added the post office regrets the mistake and is "re-examining our processes to prevent this situation from happening in the future."

According to the New York Times, the stamp is not being changed - only informational material about it.

The stamp was issued in December.

Royal Mail Launches Royal Shakespeare Company Stamp Set

Royal Mail is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Royal Shakespeare Company on a new set of ten stamps issued Tuesday, April 12.

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) stamps see six productions take centre stage, including Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest, amongst others. The stamps each feature a defining scene from an RSC production alongside a famous quote from each play.

The stamp issue marks 50 years since Sir Peter Hall founded the RSC. Over the last half a century the RSC has staged Shakespeare plays across the UK, and has also taken productions on tour around the UK and worldwide.

Other plays celebrated in the stamp issue include Henry VI, King Lear and A Midsummer Night's Dream. An additional four stamps complete the stamp set and are printed in a miniature sheet depicting a collage of the RSC's theatres in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Philip Parker, Royal Mail Stamps spokesperson, said: "We wanted to mark this important anniversary by producing stamps which reflect the drama and excitement generated through Royal Shakespeare Company productions over the past five decades."

Michael Boyd, Royal Shakespeare Company, Artistic Director, said: "I am delighted Royal Mail has chosen to celebrate our 50th birthday with this set of stamps. It has been an almost impossible job to sift through fifty years of performances to choose images which represent the extraordinary range of work we have produced. I hope people will enjoy what they see and join us in Stratford or on tour in the future."

This month the RSC begins a year long 50th birthday season of new productions. The first new production in the transformed Royal Shakespeare Theatre is Michael Boyd's Macbeth, which commences on 16 April.

NZ stamp series honours Victoria Cross recipients

New Zealand Post has issued an Anzac stamp series honouring the 22 people awarded the Victoria Cross while serving in the country's armed forces.

The stamps represent each recipient, the first of which dates back 140 years to the New Zealand Wars. The series was launched at Parliament on Wednesday night and guests included about 40 descendants of VC recipients.

The only living Victoria Cross recipient, Corporal Willie Apiata, is not depicted personally, but his stamp bears the image of the cross awarded to him in 2004 for his gallantry in Afghanistan.

A book detailing the story behind each award is also being published. It and the stamps are both available from Thursday.

Dobsinska Ice Cave Stamp From Slovakia

The new issue of Slovak Post is dedicated to the Dobsinska Ice Cave. It is located in the Slovak Paradise National Park in the Spis-Gemer karst, in the cadastre of municipality Dobsina.

The cave was formed as a part of bigger complex, the so-called Stratenska Nappe, by the river Hnilec in the Middle Triassic pale Steinalm and Wetterstein limestones, along the tectonic faults and interbed surfaces.

Dobsinska Ice Cave was formed approximately 400 thousand years ago, when the massive collapse separated it from this system. The cave obtained sack-like character with stagnation of cold air, enabling natural glaciations of the underground space. Ice fill occurs in the form of floor ice, icefalls, ice stalagmites and columns. The ice volume reaches 110,100 m3. The cave reaches the length of 1,388 m, of these 495 m are accessible for the public.

The main part of the cave is the Great Hall. It is 72 m long, 36-42 m wide and 9-11 m high. The hall contains large quantities of floor ice, which is almost 27 m thick. Dominant feature of the Great Hall and, at the same time, the symbol of the cave is a hollow ice stalagnate called Studna (Well). Between 1891 and 1946, it was used for occasional skating for public.

Dobsinska Ice Cave is among the largest and most important ice caves in the world; in 2000 it became the part of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage UNESCO.

FDC shows one of the many stalagnates occurring in Dobsinska Ice Cave.

The 50th anniversary of the human's first flight to space - stamps by Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has issued a set of stamps commemorating the 50th anniversary of first human's flight to space.

The stamps feature the International space station, "Vostok-1" in which Yuri Gagarin made first space flight and the painting of outstanding Azerbaijani artist Tahir Salakhov "To you mankind".

Cayman Islands new family of notes confirmed

CIMA B18 (PNL): 1 dollar (US$1.20)
Violet, sea blue, and orange. Front: Angel fish; map; coat of arms; Queen Elizabeth II. Back: Nautilus shell; The Bluff on Cayman Brac. 1.4-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized CAYMAN ISLANDS. Watermark: Turtle, electrotype CIMA, and Cornerstones. Printer: DE LA RUE. 156 x 66 mm. 2010. Signature Cindy Scotland and McKeeva Bush. Intro: 04.04.2011.


CIMA B19 (PNL): 5 dollars (US$6.10)
Green. Front: Hawksbill turtles; map; coat of arms; Queen Elizabeth II. Back: Conch shell; Cayman parrots. 1.4-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized CAYMAN ISLANDS. Watermark: Turtle, electrotype CIMA, and Cornerstones. Printer: DE LA RUE. 156 x 66 mm. 2010. Signature Cindy Scotland and McKeeva Bush. Intro: 04.04.2011.


CIMA B20 (PNL): 10 dollars (US$12.20)
Red, violet, and dark gray. Front: Landcrabs; map; coat of arms; Queen Elizabeth II. Back: Shell; wild banana orchid flower. 1.4-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized CAYMAN ISLANDS. Watermark: Turtle, electrotype CIMA, and Cornerstones. Printer: DE LA RUE. 156 x 66 mm. 2010. Signature Cindy Scotland and McKeeva Bush. Intro: 04.04.2011.


CIMA B21 (PNL): 25 dollars (US$30.50)
Dark brown, light brown, and orange. Front: Scallop shells; map; coat of arms; Queen Elizabeth II. Back: Scallop shell; Hawksbill turtle, fish, and coral. Holographic stripe. 0.75-mm wide solid security thread. Watermark: Turtle, electrotype CIMA, and Cornerstones. Printer: DE LA RUE. 156 x 66 mm. 2010. Signature Cindy Scotland and McKeeva Bush. Intro: 04.04.2011.


CIMA B22 (PNL): 50 dollars (US$61)
Purple. Front: Stingrays; map; coat of arms; Queen Elizabeth II. Back: Shell; stingray. Holographic stripe. 0.75-mm wide solid security thread. Watermark: Turtle, electrotype CIMA, and Cornerstones. Printer: DE LA RUE. 156 x 66 mm. 2010. Signature Cindy Scotland and McKeeva Bush. Intro: 04.04.2011.


CIMA B23 (PNL): 100 dollars (US$122)
Orange, brown, and red. Front: Cayman Schooner boats; map; coat of arms; Queen Elizabeth II. Back: Conch shell; Financial Centre in George Town. Holographic stripe. 0.75-mm wide solid security thread. Watermark: Turtle, electrotype CIMA, and Cornerstones. Printer: DE LA RUE. 156 x 66 mm. 2010. Signature Cindy Scotland and McKeeva Bush. Intro: 04.04.2011.

According to a CayCompass.com article dated 23 March 2011, the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority introduced the above redesigned family of banknotes on 4 April 2011. Read about the notes in this brochure.

Courtesy of Simon Biddlestone, Thomas Krause, Leszek Porowski, and James Huang.

Congo Democratic Republic new 500-franc variety/error confirmed

500 francs (US$1.10), 04.01.2002. Like P96, but lacking the three diamonds to the left of the watermark area on the front (top image). Both notes bear the imprint of GIESECKE & DEVRIENT MUNICH (the imprint is very faint, printed at lower right on back).

I’m not sure if this is an error note or an intentional new variety. On the “normal” note (bottom image), the diamonds appear to be printed as part of the rest of the design, so it’s not as if the underprinting or an overprinting was omitted by mistake. It may be that the diamonds were removed to make the design of the note conform to the other denominations in this family, none of which have any similar elements in the same location. Does anyone else have examples of this note to report?

Kenya's constitution requires new notes without names

According to an article in The East African dated 4 April 2011, Kenya's new constitution requires that names of individuals be removed from the front of banknotes and coins. The country's current notes, originally issued in 2004, all feature a named portrait of Kenya's first president, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. This design is owned by De La Rue, which holds the exclusive contract for printing Kenya's banknotes. By changing the design to conform with the constitution, the Central Bank of Kenya would own the copyright on the new notes and could put their printing out to bid by other security printers. However, in a related article dated 4 April 2011, it's reported that DLR is on the verge of signing a new 10-year deal with the Central Bank of Kenya.

Czech Republic withdraws 50-koruna banknote

On 1 April 2011, the Czech National Bank officially replaces the 50-koruna note (Pick 17) note with a coin as a cost-saving measure. Notes remain redeemable for another five years.

Marine Life IV – Squirts and Sponges

A selection of colourful squirts and sponges which can be found in the sea surrounding Jersey.

Tunicates, also known as urochordates, are members of the subphylum Tunicata or Urochordata, a group of underwater saclike filter feeders with incurrent and excurrent siphons that is classified within the phylum Chordata. While most tunicates live on the ocean floor, others – such as salps, doliolids and pyrosomes – live above in the pelagic zone as adults. They were historically known as Ascadia, and are now commonly known as sea squirts and sea pork.

Sponges are animals of the phylum Porifera. Their bodies consist of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. While all animals have unspecialized cells that can transform into specialized cells, sponges are unique in having some specialized cells that can transform into other types, often migrating between the main cell layers and the mesohyl in the process.

Sponges do not have nervous, digestive or circulatory systems. Instead, most rely on maintaining a constant water flow through their bodies to obtain food and oxygen and to remove wastes, and the shapes of their bodies are adapted to maximize the efficiency of the water flow. All are sessile aquatic animals and, although there are freshwater species, the great majority are marine (salt water) species, ranging from tidal zones to depths exceeding 8,800 metres (5.5 mi).

While most of the approximately 5,000–10,000 known species feed on bacteria and other food particles in the water, some host photosynthesizing micro-organisms as endosymbionts and these alliances often produce more food and oxygen than they consume. A few species of sponge that live in food-poor environments have become carnivores that prey mainly on small crustaceans.

Title: Marine Life IV – Squirts and Sponges
Date of Issue: 7 April 2011
Country: Jersey
Denominations: local x 3, 60p, 72p, 80p

Estonian Folk Costumes on Stamps

Eesti Post (Estonian Post) is issuing two new stamps featuring Estonian folk costumes.

The set was designed by Mari Kaarma. In addition to the stamps, FDC and two Maxicards will also be made available.

Clothes of more or less the same type as elsewhere in North Estonia were worn in Harju County, although wide differences can be found particularly in the colours and decorations of women's dress.

A girl and a woman from the first half or the middle of the 19th century have been reproduced on the first stamp. The girl's headgear is a so-called eared wreath and a wide red band decorates her green-striped skirt. The girl's sleeve embroidery is rather simple, but the sleeves of the married woman who sports an embroidered apron are decorated with lavish wide embroidery. She wears a pot hat lined with silk. Gradually spreading, such hats crowded out the earlier traditional women's headgear.

The Rapla woman on the other stamp also wears a hat. The so-called eye brooch with red stones was a popular festive decoration. The Rapla woman wears white embroidered sleeves, a skirt with horizontal stripes of a more modern type and a purchased apron with large flowers embroidered on it. The man with the bagpipe wears a grey jacket and light pants with blue stripes. The traditional and quite widespread man's suit in North Estonia was navy blue.

New River Gorge Bridge featured on U.S. postage stamp

This new stamp honors the New River Gorge Bridge, the third largest arch bridge in the world. Its 1700-foot span is the longest steel arch in the Western hemisphere. The bridge is so tall that the Washington Monument could stand under it with 300 feet to spare.

The $4.95 Priority Mail stamp features a digital illustration of the bridge over the New River Gorge by artist Dan Cosgrove, depicting the bridge near sunset.

U.S. Postal Service Begins Civil War Stamp Series

The U.S. Postal Service yesterday issued the first of its annual series of Forever Stamps that recognize key events of the Civil War.

This first pane of the series, to be issued annually through 2015 in double sided sheets of 12 stamps, depicts two stamp designs commemorating the beginning of the war in April 1861 at Fort Sumter and the first major battle of the war near Manassas, VA.

Art director, Phil Jordan of Falls Church, VA, created the stamps using images of Civil War battles. The Fort Sumter stamp is a reproduction of a Currier & Ives lithograph, circa 1861, titled "Bombardment of Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor." The Bull Run stamp is a reproduction of a 1964 painting by Sidney E. King titled "The Capture of Rickett's Battery." The painting depicts fierce fighting on Henry Hill for an important Union artillery battery during the Battle of First Bull Run.

For the stamp pane's background image, Jordan used a photograph dated circa 1861 of a Union regiment assembled near Falls Church, VA.

The stamp pane includes comments on the war by Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, and Robert E. Lee. It also includes some of the lyrics used during the Civil War in "Johnny is Gone for a Soldier," a song dating back at least to the Revolutionary War.

50 Years of the First Manned Flight into Space - Stamp Set from Moldova

To commemorate the 50 Year of the first manned flight into space the Moldavian Post is issuing a set of four stamps depicting the most famous astronauts ever - Yuri Gagarin, Alan Shepard, Virgil Grissom and German Titov.

Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (9 March 1934 - 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961. Gagarin became an international celebrity, and was awarded many medals and honors, including Hero of the Soviet Union.

Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. (November 18, 1923 - July 21, 1998) was an American naval aviator and astronaut who became the second person, and the first American, in space. Ten years later, he commanded the Apollo 14 mission, and was the fifth person to walk on the Moon.

Virgil Ivan Grissom (April 3, 1926 - January 27, 1967), better known as Gus Grissom, was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and a United States Air Force pilot. He was the second American to fly in space and the first person to fly in space twice.

The wooden bridge of Crest on new stamp by France

The French Post has issued a stamp featuring the famous sight of the French city of Crest - its wooden bridge.

The wooden bridge of Crest on the river of Drome, the longest wooden bridge in France of nearly 100 m long, is an innovative solution in the timber construction of supporting structures. It has allowed the development of the north and south city, and participated in the revitalization of the timber industry, natural resource of the region. This innovative invention has been designed to meet the demand of environmental conditions. It was awarded with the 2001 Territoria Prize of the National Observatory of public innovation and with the Label "The Planet sais Thank You" introduced by the Ministry of Planning and Environment.

Queen's 85th birthday stamps feature portraits by Australian artists

Australia Post is commemorating the 85th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II with the release of a stamp issue that uses two official portraits by Australian artists in the design.

"This royal milestone is being commemorated with two stamps featuring a personal view of Her Majesty through the eyes of two Australian artists. Following a long tradition of producing Queen's birthday stamps since 1980, we trust this stamp issue will be popular with collectors and the public alike," said Australia Post Managing Director and CEO, Ahmed Fahour.

The domestic rate stamp (60c) features a formal portrait by Brian Dunlop (1938-2009) from the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria. Dunlop was an Australian still life and figurative painter whose work is characterised by clarity of light and a serene contemplative approach. Dunlop won the Sulman Prize in 1980 and was a finalist in the Archibald Prize in 2004. His portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was painted to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the State of Victoria in 1984.

Well-known artist and entertainer Rolf Harris painted an impressionistic, informal portrait of Queen Elizabeth II which was commissioned for a BBC documentary broadcast in 2006 and is featured on the international rate stamp ($2.25). Born in 1930 in Perth, Harris has enjoyed a multi-faceted career as a television entertainer and musician, artist and writer residing in the United Kingdom since 1952. Harris was following a family tradition - his grandfather George Frederick Harris painted a portrait of the Queen's grandfather, King George V.

The stamps were designed by Lynette Traynor from the Australia Post design studio. Included among Lynette's recent stamp designs are Kokoda and the National Service Memorial stamp issues of 2010.

50th Anniversary of the first manned flight into space - stamp from Italy

This new stamp issued by the Italian Post is dedicated to the anniversary of the first manned flight into space.

On April 12, 1961, the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin realized for the first time in history a complete orbit around the Earth.

The stamp depicts a portrait of Yuri A. Gagarin in the left foreground, and a part of the universe with the spaceship Vostok 1on the right side.

Lake Eyre - set of stamps by Australia Post

The unique landscape of Lake Eyre and its vast and changing environment has been beautifully captured in these stamp designs.

A great salt lake of tectonic origin, Lake Eyre lies asymmetrically in the south-western corner of the closed inland drainage basin in the heart of the Australian continent. The four stamps in the issue include one domestic rate stamp - The dry (60c) and three international rate stamps - New growth ($1.55), Bird life ($2.25) and In flood ($3.10).

Lake Eyre is the centre of the vast Lake Eyre Basin located 700km north of Adelaide in the deserts of central Australia. With an area of 1,140,000 square kilometres Lake Eyre Basin is one of the largest areas of internal drainage in the world. Some parts of Lake Eyre are 15.2 metres below sea level making it the lowest point in Australia.

During the dry season there is usually some water, however Lake Eyre is primarily characterised by great salt pans. On the rare occasions that it fills to capacity, Lake Eyre becomes the largest salt lake in Australia. Water covers the lake on average about once every eight years and has filled to capacity only three times in the last 150 years.

The recent high rainfall has filled the vast floodplains around Lake Eyre creating wetlands brimming with life. In drought there is usually no sign of bird life and their return remains a mystery for scientists. Pelicans have returned to rivers and waterholes all around Lake Eyre to breed.

Flowers Dedicated To The Republic Of San Marino On Stamps

This souvenir sheet features three values with as many flowers: "Verissimo del Titano" Delphinium, "Sant'Agata" Dianthus and "Repubblica di San Marino" Rose.

The Delphinium Belladonna known as "Verissimo del Titano" features the colours of the current flag. Saint Marino was bequeathed Mount Titano by Donna Felicita for having miraculously healed her son, Verissimo.

The Dianthus Carnation known as "Sant'Agata": the carnation, a white flower historically the symbol of purity, is linked to Saint Agatha fellow patron of the people of San Marino.

The third stamp shows the "hybrid" Tea Rose known as "Repubblica di San Marino". Its petals are the colour of the Republic's old flag and recall the dawns and dusks that may be admired from San Marino.

'Year of Forests' - Europa 2011 postage stamps by Gibraltar Post

The year 2011 was declared the International Year of Forests by the United Nations to "raise awareness and strengthen the sustainable forest management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations."

The Europa 2011 Gibraltar stamps depict forests found in the Amazon, Brazil; Yosemite National Park in California, North America; Alpine forests and forests found in Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia.

The Amazon Rainforest, Brazil, South America is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America. This basin encompasses seven million square kilometers (1.7 billion acres), of which five and a half million square kilometers (1.4 billion acres) are covered by the rainforest. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests, and it comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world.

Yosemite National Park is a national park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park contains five major vegetation zones: chaparral/oak woodland, lower montane, upper montane, subalpine, and alpine. Of California's 7,000 plant species, about 50% occur in the Sierra Nevada and more than 20% within Yosemite.

The alpine Swiss National Park is located in the canton of Graubunden in the east of Switzerland between Zernez, S-chanf, Scuol and the Fuorn Pass in the Engadin valley on the border with Italy. It has an area of 174.2 km2 and is the largest protected area of the country. It was founded on 1 August 1914, the national holiday of Switzerland. It was one of the earliest national parks in Europe.

The Plitvice Lakes is a national park in Croatia in the Plitvice Lakes municipality, in the mountainous region of Lika. The Plitvice Lakes national park is heavily forested, mainly with beech, spruce, and fir trees, and features a mixture of Alpine and Mediterranean vegetation. It has a notably wide variety of plant communities, due to its range of microclimates, differing soils and varying levels of altitude.

City of Angers stamp from France

The France Post has issued a stamp dedicated to the city of Angers, which will host the Spring philatelic exhibition to be held from 8 to 10 April 2011.

Under the dynasty of the Plantagenets, Angers was one of the intellectual centers of Europe with the patronage of Rene d'Anjou. Nowadays, Angers has become a tourist itinerary for everybody watching the Loire castles. Angers is considered the World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

50th Anniversary of the First Manned Space Flight stamp from Belarus

On April 12, 2011 the Republic of Belarus will issue a stamp dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight.

On April 12, 1961 the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made the flight round the Earth on the ship "Vostok". The flight lasted 108 minutes. In the same year the cosmonaut was given the title of a Hero of the Soviet Union.

Odilon Redon stamp from France

The French Post has released a stamp dedicated to the work of French painter Odilon Redon.

Although he is attributed to the generation of the Impressionists, Odilon Redon hadn't associated himself with this movement. In his work he wasn't limited by the sensible world and declared that in art "everything is done through submission to the coming of the unconscious."

The botanist Clavand gave him the taste for flowers and the etcher Bresdin - taste of engraving. Redon had always insisted that his imagination was rooted in the observation of nature and that the fantastic creatures he painted belonged to a world that was never completely detached from reality. In 1890, he abandoned the so-called "black period" and progressively devoted himself to pastels and painting in oil.

The work represented on the stamp ("Buddha", 1906-1907) is conserved at the Orsay Museum in Paris.

'For the Sports' stamp series from Germany

The German Post has issued a set of four stamps dedicated to the popular sports in Germany. With this series of stamps, the Federal Ministry of Finance and the German Sports Aid Foundation are getting additional revenues devoted to the promotion of sports. The Sports Aid supports young talents in the sports boarding schools.

The two first stamps illustrate a goalkeeper and a striker from the women’s football. The women's and girls' soccer has developed rapidly in recent years. This success is primarily due to the remarkable success of the German women's national team. It won seven European titles and two world titles. In 2011 the third Women's World Cup will be held in Germany from 26.06.2011 to 17.07.2011.

The third stamp is dedicated to the Gymnastics Championships 2011 in Berlin. From 04 to 10 April 2011 found in, the European Championships in gymnastics for men and women will be held in the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin with participants from 38 countries. A total of twelve titles will be awarded in men’s and women’s jump, uneven bars, balance beam and floor and the men on the floor, pommel horse, rings, jump, parallel bars and high bar.

The last stamp commemorates the Hockey Championship in Mönchengldbach 2011. From 20 to 28 August in Mönchengladbach the European Men’s championship and the European women’s championship at once will be held in Germany with men participants from Belgium, Germany, Britain, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Russia and Spain and women participants from Azerbaijan, Belgium, Germany, England, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands and Spain.

Europa 2011 stamps from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina (Croatian post Mostar) has issued two commemorative stamps dedicated to 2011 Europa theme. This year the theme is "Forests".

By resolution of UN General Assembly 2011 was declared as International Year of Forests. The aim is, through various activities, to raise awareness about the need to strengthen the sustainable management, preservation and development of all types of forests for the benefit of present and future generations.

During the International Year of Forests a great emphasis is given to sustainable forest management as a necessary basis for all human activities. Forests and woodlands represent a great potential for the mitigation of climate change consequences, help to maintain biodiversity, provide a supply of fresh water and reduce risk of damage caused by natural disasters. The big challenge is to find solution for global problems in forest preservation and environmental protection for the benefit of present and future generations.

Celebrating the International Year of Forests is an opportunity to educate the public about benefits provided by forest ecosystems. UN Forum for forests (UNFF) was established in 2000, the main international organization of forestry, which determines the direction of forests at the global level, and all UN member countries and specialized agencies are part of it.

South Africa issues SumbandilaSat Postage Stamps

To mark the launch of South Africa's second locally-built micro-satellite, SumbandilaSat, the South African Post Office has issued a set of five stamps and a commemorative cover on 1 April 2011.

Launching the stamps at the South African National Space Agency's facility at Hartebeesthoek in the Northwest Province, Post Office Chairperson Vuyo Mahlati said the stamps can be used to send any standard-rate envelope to an address in South Africa. The stamps cost R2,50 each.

The layout of the stamps uses photographs from the South African National Space Agency and the University of Stellenbosch. They reflect the topics 'development', 'launch' and 'tracking'.

A total of 100 000 sheets of the stamps, with 10 stamps per sheet, have been printed. There will be no reprint.

Sumbandila Satellite was launched into space on the evening of Thursday, 17 September 2009 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The naming of the satellite was the result of a competition held among high school learners. Entries were received in various languages, but "Sumbandila", a Venda language entry, was ultimately chosen. The name means showing the way and freely translates into English as "pathfinder".

Sumbandila is the result of a three-year development programme done by the University of Stellenbosch engineering faculty on behalf of the Department of Science and Technology in 2005.

Old and Historic Trees on South Korean Stamps

This is the third installment of the "Old and Historic Trees of Korea" series.

The stamps illustrate a group of Japanese black pines at Sancheondan, Jeju. It is said that during the tenure of King Seongjong of the Joseon Dynasty, Lee Yak-Dong, an altar was built around the Japanese black pines, where the religious rituals dedicated to the mountain spirit had been held. The Japanese black pine is also called sea pine because it grows near the beach. With an average height of 29.7m, the pines live about 500-600 years. The Legend tells that when God came down to the human world, he took a rest near such big tree and this belief led the Japanese black pines to be regarded as being sacred and thus protected.

Ginkgo tree at Yogwang-ri, Geumsan, is also illustrated in the series. Many years ago the governor of Jeolla Province built a pavilion under this ginkgo tree, and named it "the gingko tree pavilion". After the pavilion became dilapidated, the village inhabitants built a new, hexagonal pavilion. This ginkgo tree is about 1,000 years old, 24m high and 12.93m in circumference. With its broken branches, the village inhabitants made dining tables and 37 coffins.

Stamp dedicated to the Pope's visit to Croatia

Croatian Post has released a commemorative postage stamp dedicated to the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Croatia, which will occur on the 4 and 5 of June this year.

The motif of the stamp is a photograph of Pope Benedict XVI at the inaugural homily held on 19 April 2005 on St. Peter's Square in Rome, taken by Kai Pfaffenbach, a photographer for Reuters.

The stamp itself was designed by Ariana Norsic, a designer from Samobor.

The stamp has a face value of HRK 3.10 and was printed in 500,000 copies in nine-stamp sheets.

With this stamp Croatian Post is continuing the tradition of issuing a commemorative postage stamp for each visit of the Pope to Croatia. Following the stamps issued in 1994, 1998 and 2003, this will be the fourth such edition.

New Stamps to Honor Russian Regions

The Russian Post has recently issued three stamps dedicated to the Novgorod, Tambov and Tumen regions of the Russian Federation.

The Novgorod region was found in 1944. The stamp features the main dome of St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod, the Ilmen lake and The Novgorod Museum of Folk Wooden Architecture "Vitoslavlitsi", found in 1964.

The Tambov region was found in 1937. One tenth of its territory is occupied by forests. The stamp illustrates the monument to the Tambov Muzhik, the sugar factory "Nikiforovski", apples grown by the Michurin Research Institute of Gardening and the Tsna river.

The Tumen region was found in 1944. About 90% of its territory is attributed to the Extreme North regions. The Tumen region contains the main part of Russian oil and gas reserves. The stamp features The Kremlin of Tobol, tundra and the Tumen region's oil pumping units.