07/12/2020

“PALACE OF WESTMINSTER”

ROYAL MAIL PHQ STAMP CARD SET

PHQ Set 474

(postcards that reproduce the Royal Mail’s stamp releases)

Stamps issued – 30^th JULY 2020

(As always, I have my copies used with the appropriate stamp applied to the front of the card and cancelled first day of issue with a special hand stamp)

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

VIEW FROM OLD PALACE YARD

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 474 (1)

I really liked this set, but then I like the Houses of Parliament building, the Place of Westminster, and I particularly like the Elizabeth Tower, otherwise known to many as ‘Big Ben’ which is one of my favourite London landmarks. With the quality of the photographs taken here I think the palace and the tower have never looked better.

RIVER THAMES VIEW

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 474 (2)

ELIZABETH TOWER

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 474 (3)

My favourite card from this set 

COMMONS CHAMBER

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

                        Ref: PHQ 474 (4)

This is a great postcard for anyone who collects politics as a theme

CENTRAL LOBBY

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 474 (5)

LORDS CHAMBER

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 474 (6)

NORMAN PORCH

Stamp Design from the stamp Miniature Sheet

(Sheet Issued alongside the stamp set)  

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 474 (7)

CHAPEL OF ST MARY UNDERCROFT

Stamp Design from the stamp Miniature Sheet

(Sheet Issued alongside the stamp set)  

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 474 (8)

ST STEPHEN’S HALL

Stamp Design from the stamp Miniature Sheet

(Sheet Issued alongside the stamp set)  

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 474 (9)

ROYAL GALLERY

Stamp Design from the stamp Miniature Sheet

(Sheet Issued alongside the stamp set)  

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 474 (10)

STAMP MINIATURE SHEET

PHQ Card with the left side of the stamp sheet attached

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 474 (11)

Another example of a stamp sheet which is too long to appear on a single card, so you have to use two copies of the miniature sheet PHQ card to obtain a complete sheet cancelled first day of issue.

STAMP MINIATURE SHEET

PHQ Card with the right side of the stamp sheet attached

Published by

ROYAL MAIL

Ref: PHQ 474 (11)

04/12/2020

CANEWDON CHURCH

Unnamed Publisher

Ref: 39596

This postcard was posted in 1917, although the year part is a bit indistinct and the 1 looks to be upside down almost. I know this church well as it is on what was once my local beat as an officer. I spent many hours patrolling Canewdon. I once got the chance to climb up onto the top of the churches tower, which was accessed by one of the most slim and restricted set of steps I have ever climbed up.

Now, the church has many stories and has a long history which includes a bit of folklore and mystery around a legend that if you ran backwards around the church three (or possibly four) times you would disappear! As the myth also explains that this was to be done naked, I suspect disappearing afterwards would be the best option! (some of the stories and myths include doing this on a certain night, and Halloween, more properly known here as ‘All Saints’ Eve’, was a popular inclusion). Now, I admit that I have no idea why anyone would want to disappear in such an unusual way, especially as I never heard as to where these supposed unusual people disappeared too. The area, including some of the other villages that surround Canewdon have a history which involves myths and legends of witchcraft and supernatural incidents, which to be fair is not unusual for small near isolated villages around the country. What always amazed me though was that people would try and do this. On more than one occasion I would catch someone attempting to disappear, and these people always seemed to believe the naked aspect was important! It got quite bad and eventually on Halloween nights a police car was parked up at the Church and people were kept away. So, whenever I see an image of this church, I always get some amusing flashbacks and interesting personal memories (and no, I never met anyone who admitted doing the run and not disappearing, but then I never met anyone who did disappear, but then I wouldn’t have had would I? – after all, it is just a myth, isn’t it?).

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

The stamp used here has been cancelled with a ‘ROCHFORD. S. O’ double ring cancellation. Rochford was my main police station, the one I patrolled from (it was sold off by Essex Police a few years ago now and there is now no longer a police station in Rochford – this was due to the cut-backs that occurred in the early to mid-2010’s).

03/12/2020

COVID-19

SPAIN – POSTAL STATIONERY POST CARD

Official Spanish Postal Authority Postal Stationery Post Card

Original retail price 5 euro

“LA TARJETA DEL CORREO”

I have been working on my Covid-19 themed collection today, doing some research around dates and the situations re lockdowns and the general pandemic position of countries where I have received basic mail through the post, so I suppose a Covid-19 themed posting was always likely today. This postal stationery postcard was released in Spain and is an official postal release. I like the fact that the text blocks are placed so that the card can be looked at which ever way round it is placed. You have hands high-fiving upwards or hands grasped together downwards, clever.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTAL STATIONERY POST CARD

MINT UNUSED CARD

This has a pre-printed postage stamp printed directly on the card in the top right corner. This has the same artwork as appears on the front, although the text blocks are slightly different in format although the same again which ever way up the stamp print is looked at.  

REVERSE SIDE OF A SECOND COPY

USED FIRST DAY OF ISSUE

This second copy from my collection has been cancelled with the special first day of issue cancellation used on these postal stationery post cards. This cancellation follows the design of the stamp as it can be read from either way up. This also has a large local registration label applied and also has the circular Madrid hand stamp which also has the same first day of issue date – 1^st October 2020.

29/11/2020

DAVE PROWSE ….. R.I.P.

David Charles Prowse MBE

1^ST July 1935 – 28^th November 2020

A bodybuilder and weightlifter who became an actor on both British television and film and who is undoubtably best known for being the actor in the Star Wars Darth Vader costume. Prowse also entered the area of British cult following when he portrayed the ‘Green Cross Code man in many British road safety advertising films aimed at children.

DARTH VADER

STAR WARS THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

Published by

CLASSICO SAN FRANCISCO

Ref: 105-570

Autographed on the front by:

DAVE PROWSE

 (Physical actor in the Darth Vader costume)

JAMES EARL JONES

(Actor who provided the voice of Darth Vader)

I had the pleasure of meeting Dave Prowse a number of times at various Sci-Fi conventions and signing events. It was at such an event in the early 1990’s in Basildon when he signed this postcard for me. Dave Prowse was of course the actor in the costume, but he did not provide the voice. The voice work was done by an American actor called James Earl Jones and he has also signed this postcard (top left). This double signed postcard is one of the highlights of my signed Star Wars postcard collection.

MY PHOTOGRAPH

DAVE PROWSE

Basildon Leisure Centre

Signing Event early to mid-1990’s

STAR WARS A NEW HOPE

DARTH VADER

Published by

FILM FREAK PRODUCTIONS (Netherlands)

Ref: FF09

Autographed on the front by:

DAVE PROWSE

 (Physical actor in the Darth Vader costume)

Another postcard from my signed Star Wars postcard collection. This one is from a set of Stars Wars postcards which has an interesting story. The company were to issue a set of 55 different images, and these were all printed up at the same time. Information on the reverse side states that this is from a set of 55, but, any future collectors are going to wait for a long time trying to put together a full set as one of the cards was not released. It was in fact cancelled and withdrawn after copyright was not approved for its release. As the cards had already all been printed up and were ready to go it was too late to change the information on the reverse side and too late to design, choose and print up a replacement card. So, only 54 postcard designs were ‘actually’ released. So, if you are collecting this numbered Film Freak series and are missing one numbered card then look no further, you have them all as there are only 54 cards in all (information which will be useful to future collectors – I can not remember which number is missing, but when I dig out my mint set I will have a look and record it here. At the time I did place all the information in my Card Chat article in Picture Postcard Monthly, but this was some years ago now)   

28/11/2020

COVID19

FRONTLINERS

Postcard Released in INDIA

Unnamed Publisher

Used with Special COVID-19 handstamp on the front

(and also on the reverse side)

One of the many postcards which I have picked up from around the world which have been issued in relation to the 2020 Pandemic and the Covid-19 virus. This one has a nice cancellation on the front:

Stay Home, Stay Safe

Maintain Social Distancing

Bhubaneswar

19.08.2020

This is a loud and brash design, which is not unusual for many of the related postcards I have obtained from India.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

Same handstamp as appears on the front

26/11/2020

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American followers

HEARTY THANKSGIVING GREETING

Embossed Postcard

Unknown American Publisher

Ref: Series 252 E

This is a beautifully embossed postcard which was posted within America in 1912. I bought this from an antiques fair in America when I was there for one of my holidays (something very much missed at this time).

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

25/11/2020

DIEGO MARADONA ….. R.I.P.

Diego Armando Maradona Franco

30^th October 1960 – 25^th November 2020

Argentine professional football player and manager. Webpages I have looked at seem to state that Maradona was considered to have been one of the greatest players of all time (which I assume forgives him that hand ball goal against England in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, a goal which was called “The Hand of God” at the time – Argentina went on to win that championship).

VIVEZ A FOND VOS EMOTIONS

AGENCE FRANCE TELECOM

IL Y A UNE VIE APRES L’ACHAT

“Experience your emotions

France Telecom Agency

There is a life after purchase”

Published by

CARTCOM

Free ‘Rack Postcard’ from 2003

This is clearly not an image of Maradona (I think the player is too tall to have been considered), but I wanted to depict a football themed postcard to go with this posting and one which was not identifiable as another well known player or team etc. This card’s image seemed to fit the bill.

Photograph

Diego Maradona

Photograph

Diego Maradona

The Hand of God

FIFA World Cup 1986

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

22/11/2020

TOUR EIFFEL, PARIS

1926

By

ROBERT DELAUNAY

Published by

TUSHITA FINE ARTS

Series:

PARIS VILLE DES ARTS

Ref: TFA 7850

Being unable to travel I am travelling through my postcard collection. Now, I admit that despite having collected Eiffel Tower postcards for many years I have never visited the city of Paris so have not seen this famous landmark for real. We have some plans being worked on at the moment which I think will take a year or two to finalise, but when we have done all this I plan to pay a visit to Paris and will visit the top of the tower.   

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

Two barcodes?

21/11/2020

NATIONAL POSTCARD WEEK

16^TH – 24^TH JUNE 1984

Design by

GILLIAN RICE

Official UK National Postcard Week Postcard

Printed by

J. ARTHUR DIXON

I have had this postcard for many, many years, in fact I have had it since the year it was produced, so that’s 36 years! It has also always appealed to me, possibly this is because of the use of a reproduction of the main design included as a stamp like image top right with the details of the National Postcard Week shown as a cancellation like inclusion. All in all, I liked this piece of artwork, very clever, and, also easy on the eye. Quite a few were issued, and it has never been an extremely hard to find postcard, but as the years have moved on, I do see far fewer than I used to.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

17/11/2020

THE LILLIPUTIAN CORONATION

A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW

Published by

C. W. FAULKNER & CO., LTD., LONDON, E. C.

Ref: Series 994

This postcard was posted in 1913 and depicts an interesting cartoon like image of children. The Lilliputians were of course an island nation of ‘very small’ people from the book ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ first released in 1726, although the children depicted are in dress of a period more in vogue with the date of the postcards usage. A coronation is mentioned although not whose. I do not know if one appears in the original story, but if connected to a real event then the closest royal UK coronation was that of George V in 1911 (22^nd June) and this card could well have been released that year.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

16/11/2020

REPUBLIC OF CHINA TAIWAN

2 SETS OF FOUR POSTCARDS

COVID-19 Themed cards and stamps

Maxi-Cards

UNKNOWN PUBLISHER(s)

From how the reverse side is the same basic design across the cards of both sets I assume that all eight cards are by the same publisher

(the front image appears reduced in the stamp box area on the reverse side of each card)  

Republic of China Taiwan Covid-19 stamp issue on maxi-cards. Depicted here are two sets of four maxi-cards. The first four images are from a set with the cards reference numbers running from ‘P002-01’ to ‘P002-04’.

The second set of four designs are not individually referenced and are clearly by a different artist although the card format is the same.   

Being a postcard collector, these are the type of items I like to seek out.

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Start of the second set of four 

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14/11/2020

THE WOLVERINE POSTCARD CLUB

Founded in

SEPTEMBER 1954

Celebrating 30 Years of Service

To Deltiologists

1984

‘30^th Anniversary’

Design by

ANN RUSNAK

Published by

THE WOLVERINE POSTCARD CLUB

Printed by

MAIL ORDER EXPRESS (Lexington, N.C.)

This has not been a good year for postcard clubs, nor philatelic stamp clubs, I should know as my own stamp club has not met since February (my other stamp club has completely folded). I’m not sure if the Wolverine Postcard Club was still running at the start of the year, possibly not as I can not find a webpage related to it, but if it had been I wonder if it would have survived. Even before the Pandemic hit postcard clubs were struggling with many coming to an end over the last 8 to 10 years due to rent prices for halls and other premises, and due to reducing membership and a lack of volunteers coming forward for key posts required to run such clubs. The Wolverine Postcard Club clearly did well for its first 30 years, and I believe it continued to exist for many more years. For all those clubs who had managed to continue into 2020 I hope they manage to restart when they are able to, which looks like it will not be before 2021 now.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

13/11/2020

CHILDREN IN NEED

CHARITY DAY

ART CLASS - DESIGN A POSTER

“Don’t Complain – You asked for a Bare Model!”

Design by

RUPERT BESLEY

Published to raise money for the Children in Need Charity by

REFLECTIONS OF A BYGONE AGE

Printed by

Adlard Print, Ruddington

Issued for the year 2002

Autographed Top Left by the artist

RUPERT BESLEY

The annual ‘Children in Need’ charity TV night commences tonight. I suspect things will be ‘very’ different what with the Covid-19 pandemic and the unfortunate timing with the second UK lockdown period. Still, Reflections of a Bygone Age have issued their 2020 fund raising postcard, which I have previously posted, which is another design by Rupert Besley. This card depicted here came out to raise funds for the 2002 Children in Need fund raising efforts. This one is nice because it is one of a handful which the artist hand signed which makes it that little bit special.   

11/11/2020

ARMISTICE DAY

‘WAVE'

From the installation

‘BLOOD SWEPT LANDS AND SEAS OF RED’

Barge Pier, Shoeburyness

12^th April – 25^th June 2017

Poppies and original concept by artist

PAUL CUMMINS

Joint Publication between the

SOUTHEND ON SEA BOROUGH COUNCIL

and the

IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM

Ref: PP01897

An appropriate posting today, one in remembrance of all who passed away during the wars of the twentieth and twenty first century fighting for their country.

This installation here was erected after the successful year long Tower of London installation (which I visited a few times – I own one of the ceramic poppies used), and it used poppies from that original installation. I did pay a visit to this Shoeburyness installation so was pleased to find this postcard on sale in the local library the following year.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them

10/11/2020

THAILAND

POSTAL STATIONERY POST CARDS

Official Postal Stationery Post Cards

Early in the pandemic, the Thailand postal authority gave a free postal stationery postcard to everyone to use during the early lockdown. This was to promote maintaining contact between family and friends. Stamp and postal history collectors (and dealers of course) created cachets that could be applied to these cards to physically tie them to the covid theme, because it was plain unadorned cards that were given out free. Some extremely nice philatelic creations were made, and I thought these two depicted here were the best I saw.

These are posted with a cancellation dated 30th April 2020

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07/11/2020

WARNING

SHARKS

NO SWIMMING

SOUTH AFRICAN ROADSIGN SOUVENIR SERIES

NOVELTY ‘PEEL-OFF’ STICKER POSTCARD

Published by

POST-A-STICKER

Printed in

SOUTH AFRICA

Ref: RS03

One rather interesting aspect of our current weird times in 2020 is an increase in shark attacks! I do not know why, but I read a report on one of the news apps that said there had been an increase of people being followed, nudged and attacked by sharks around the world. Having been fascinated with shark attack stories since I was at school, I found this ‘very-interesting’. Reading it brought into mind this superb sticker postcard I have in my collection. Maybe they need to peel this off and ‘actually’ use this on troubled beaches.

07/11/2020

GREETINGS FROM

GEORGIA

THE PEACH STATE

Published and sold in

CRACKER BARREL

(OLD COUNTRY STORE)

Printed by

SEEK PUBLISHING

Ref: GA08

Congratulations to Joe Biden on winning the US Presidential Election

This is a lovely maxi-card with a US 33c swallowtail postage stamp applied to the front and cancelled 2006. I have picked this particular ‘LARGE LETTER’ location postcard because as I have been watching the CNN news channel over the past three days Georgia was one of the locations that became more and more important as votes were counted, especially post-in votes. Georgia was the first important republican state where Biden overtook Trump in numbers, and although it was Pennsylvania that gave Biden his required 270 points, it was Georgia which first indicated that the initial election day Trump leads could be overturned.

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

I have not eaten in a Cracker Barrel, but we had intended doing so when we were due to be in Florida last month. That was not to be, sadly, but when we do go it is on our list of places to try out.

07/11/2020

GEOFFREY PALMER … R.I.P.

Geoffrey Dyson Palmer OBE

4^TH June 1927 – 5^th November 2020

British actor known for his sitcom roles in ‘The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin’, ‘Butterflies’ and ‘As Time Goes By’. His film appearances include ‘A Fish Called Wanda’, ‘The Madness of King George’, ‘Mrs Brown’ and the James Bond film ‘Tomorrow Never Dies.

Postcard depicts a scene from 'Tomorrow Never Dies'

GEOFFREY PALMER

Scene from

‘Tomorrow Never Dies’

UNICEF

PADDINGTON BEAR POSTCARD PACKAGE

JOURNEYS AROUND THE WORLD

“BANGLADESH”

Each package (which comes in an exclusive different outer envelope for each separate ‘country’ sending) contains the following:

An A5 sized large photograph image postcard (this has the receivers address printed on it)

A smaller photograph postcard

sticker sheet (the original sending came with a booklet – notebook – which has slots for some of the stickers on each separate sheet sent out)

4 x ‘Fun Facts’ cards

MAIN PACKAGE ENVELOPE COVER  

I have done well this time as this sending only arrived this morning (it is the first time I have got the selection on the website page on the day of delivery!). This little sending contains what I think is the best small postcard so far received. It depicts a superb Tiger image (see below). 

LARGE A5 SIZED POSTCARD

“GREETINGS FROM”

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

Each separate sending has a different message on it from Paddington

POSTCARD

Published by

UNICEF

Unique postcard sent out as part of this ongoing charity money raising subscription

‘PADDINGTONS TRAVELS’

I think this might be the best of the small Paddington Bear postcards that I have so far received, but then I have always collected tiger themed postcards. 

REVERSE SIDE OF ABOVE POSTCARD

FUN FACTS CARD

These come with each sending and have information printed on one side and an image of Paddington Bear on the other along with the country in questions translation for the sayings:

PLEASE

HOW ARE YOU?

HELLO

THANK YOU     

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STICKER SHEET