Author Archives: VSC

Diwali (Canada 2026)

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Canada Post unveils Diwali stamp celebrating the arrival of the Festival of Lights
New stamp showcases traditional torana and diya, honouring one of the world’s most widely celebrated festivals

BRAMPTON, Ontario – Canada Post is issuing a new stamp marking the arrival of Diwali, a major festival observed by Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and other communities in Canada and around the world.

The stamp features an original illustration of a woman’s hands as she strings together marigolds and mango leaves to make a traditional torana – an ornate garland to be draped across the entrance of a home or temple. Like other auspicious decorations that feature prominently during the holiday, toranas are intended to welcome guests and invite Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, to bestow good fortune on those who enter. Part of the string forms the outline of a diya, a clay oil lamp that is an important symbol of Diwali. Diyas are often displayed during the festival to commemorate the triumph of light over darkness.

Also called the Festival of Lights, the holiday celebrates the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. While communities observe Diwali on different days and in different ways, the festivities often include fireworks, gift exchanges between family and friends, and the giving of food to those in need. This year, Diwali begins on November 8.

The stamp is one of several annual issues that showcase events of importance to Canada’s culturally diverse population. Others include yearly stamps celebrating Eid, Hanukkah and Christmas. Canada Post has issued a new Diwali stamp each year since 2020.

About the stamp
The new Diwali stamp issue was designed by Kristine Do and illustrated by Radha Joshi Raul. It was printed by Colour Innovations and includes a booklet of six Permanent™ stamps and an Official First Day Cover [below]. The cancel location is Brampton, Ontario. [It’s very faint on the illustration and probably the actual OFDC, but it is touching the upper left corner of the stamp. —VSC]

The stamps and collectibles will be available at canadapost.ca and at select postal outlets across Canada beginning October 19.

Scott Stamp Launches Postcard Series

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Scott Stamp LLC launches Scott Postcard Series

Scott Stamp LLC is introducing the Scott Postcard Series, a continuously expanding collection of individually numbered postcards featuring landmarks, wildlife, Americana, transportation, postal subjects, scenic destinations and other themes.

Each postcard carries a permanent four-digit series number, beginning with No. 0001. New designs will be introduced regularly, allowing collectors and postcard enthusiasts to build their own collections over time.

Individual postcards will be offered for $1 each, with selected designs also available in themed sets and special collections.

The first special release is the Scott Postcard Series Charter Set of 10, a selection of postcards from among the earliest designs in the series.

The Charter Set features 10 subjects, including the Troy, Ohio, courthouse; National Postal Museum; Golden Gate Bridge; Point Judith Lighthouse; Old Faithful; and several additional scenic and Americana designs.

Only 150 complete Charter Sets will be produced, priced at $9.99 per set. Selected designs will also be available individually.

Unlike the artist-created postcards accompanying Scott Posted subscriptions, the Scott Postcard Series is an independent product line. The two programs are launching simultaneously but will maintain separate identities.

“The Scott Postcard Series gives us an opportunity to create postcards that people will want to collect, but also ones they’ll want to put in the mail,” Bigalke said. “We’re starting with a relatively small group of designs, and the collection will continue growing as we visit new places, attend events and develop new subjects.”

The Scott Postcard Series and available sets can be viewed and ordered here.

Scott Stamp LLC Announces Postcard Publication

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]

Scott Stamp LLC announces new quarterly magazine, Scott Posted
New publication celebrates postcards, mail, people and places

TROY, Ohio — Scott Stamp LLC, publisher of Linn’s Stamp News, Scott Stamp Monthly and the Scott postage stamp catalogs, has announced a new publication: Scott Posted, a quarterly magazine debuting in January 2027.

The announcement of Scott Posted was made Oct. 1 during a World Postcard Day meetup attended by a small group of Postcrossing participants at Scott Stamp LLC’s offices in Troy, Ohio.

A new magazine celebrating the joy of sending
Scott Posted will explore the worldwide community of people who connect through postcards and the mail. The publication will feature Postcrossing, postcard meetups, mail art, travel, artists, collectors and the stories behind the postcards people send and receive.

Unlike Scott Stamp LLC’s existing publications, which primarily serve stamp collectors, Scott Posted will focus on the broader culture of correspondence and postal connections.

“There’s something special about opening your mailbox and finding a postcard that someone took the time to select, write and send,” said Jay Bigalke, president and CEO of Scott Stamp LLC. “Through Postcrossing, postcard meetups and social media, we’re seeing an enthusiastic community of people who genuinely enjoy using the mail. Scott Posted is being created for them.”

The inaugural issue, scheduled for January 2027, will feature the cover theme “The Joy of Sending.”

Each quarterly print issue will include a pack of 10 postcards featuring artwork by established artists and creators in the postcard-mailing community. Subscribers will receive four magazines and 40 postcards over the course of a year.

An annual print subscription is priced at $49.99, while the digital edition will be available free to everyone.

The publication will also provide a dedicated home for coverage of Postcrossing meetups, postcard artists, mail-related projects and other community activities. Much of this coverage, which has previously appeared in Linn’s Stamp News, is expected to transition to the new magazine. Linn’s will continue covering postcard-related developments of particular philatelic interest.

“Stamp collecting and postcard sending have a great deal in common, but they aren’t necessarily the same hobby,” Bigalke said. “We see an opportunity to serve both audiences with publications that reflect their particular interests, while encouraging them to discover more about each other.”

Scott Posted is also inviting participation from the postcard community. Artists, postcard designers, meetup organizers and others interested in being featured in the magazine or having their work considered for its subscriber postcard packs are encouraged to contact the editorial team at scottposted@scottstampllc.com.

Subscription information is available at scottstamp.com.

Ornamental Birds (Netherlands 2026)

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[from the press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Ornamental birds, colorful and elegant

Issue date: October 14, 2026

Coinciding with Stamp Day, an international event, PostNL will issue a pane of 10 different Ornamental Birds, which are birds kept and bred by people as a hobby for their beautiful feathers and shapes. They are usually galliformes, an order of birds that live near the ground and usually cannot fly far or high. This makes them suitable for keeping in parks or gardens. Ornamental birds also include a number of species of waterfowl, pheasants, pigeons, cranes, and finches. Ornamental finches and pigeons are kept in aviaries. The stamps feature ten ornamental birds.

The stamp sheet was designed by Sandra Smulders. ‘”First, I carefully researched which birds belong to the ornamental birds,” she said. “Then I looked for the very most beautiful ones, ensuring that the selection naturally fit together well on the stamp sheet, while maintaining as much variety as possible.”

Stamp Day commemorates the founding of the Universal Postal Union, which establishes the rules for international postal traffic between member states. Since 2009, PostNL has celebrated this day with the issuance of a stamp sheet based on Dutch stamps from the past. However, starting this year, PostNL has decided to stop relying on old stamps.

Note: PostNL does not sell directly to collectors in North America. Its website refers to a company called Nordfirm, which says it sells Dutch new issues at face value. The Virtual Stamp Club has no connection to this company.

Collectors may also wish to contact the U.S. firm Bombay Stamps, which can also obtain first day covers upon request, with lower shipping fees. The email is sales@bombaystamps.com Again, The Virtual Stamp Club has no connection to this company.

Disney Winnie The Pooh (UK 2026)

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
New Royal Mail Stamps Celebrate 100 Years of Disney Winnie the Pooh

Issue Date: 14 October

  • The main set of six stamps features designs of Disney Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Owl, Eeyore, Tigger, and a touching scene of Pooh alongside Christopher Robin
  • A further four stamps, presented in a miniature sheet, show designs of Disney Winnie the Pooh and friends at a birthday picnic in the Hundred Acre Wood
  • The stamps and a range of collectible products are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/winniethepooh and by telephone on 03457 641641

Royal Mail is marking the 100th anniversary of one of children’s literature’s most cherished characters, Disney Winnie the Pooh, with a new set of Special Stamps.

The stamps mark a century since the publication of A. A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, on 14 October 1926. Featuring the much-loved illustrations of E.H. Shepard, the main set of stamps capture Pooh and his friends before the bear adopted his now-iconic red shirt.

The stamp issue comprises 10 stamps, six featuring designs of Disney Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Owl, Eeyore, Tigger and a touching scene of Pooh alongside Christopher Robin. Each character appears in full colour alongside their idiosyncratic signatures.A further four stamps are presented in a miniature sheet and show Disney Winnie the Pooh and friends at a birthday picnic in the Hundred Acre Wood. Drawing on existing Disney artwork as inspiration, a brand-new composite illustration was commissioned by Royal Mail, bringing Disney Winnie the Pooh and his friends together in a specially created scene.

Since first appearing in print in 1926, Disney Winnie The Pooh has become one of the world’s most enduring fictional characters. The gentle stories of friendship, adventure and imagination have captivated generations of children and adults alike, securing the silly old bear’s place as a beloved literary icon.

David Gold, Director of External Affairs and Policy, Royal Mail, said: “For 100 years, Winnie the Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood have captured the hearts and imaginations of readers around the world. This delightful stamp collection celebrates A. A. Milne’s timeless stories and the iconic illustrations of E.H. Shepard that have introduced generations to the adventures of the world’s most famous bear. These stamps will evoke fond memories for many and, we hope, inspire new readers to discover the enduring charm of Winnie the Pooh.”

Disney Winnie the Pooh:
Disney Winnie the Pooh’s many adventures with his animal friends in the Hundred Acre Wood – Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Rabbit, Owl, Kanga and Roo – were the creation of writer A.A Milne, with illustrations by E.H. Shepard.

Winnie-the-Pooh was first published in 1926, and two years later, more stories followed in The House at Pooh Corner.
The books’ instant popularity soon inspired toys and board games, garden ornaments, bookends and nursery china.

The stories were retold on gramophone records and radio and were adapted for television and the stage. Then, in 1966, four decades after his initial appearance in print, Pooh made his debut on the cinema screen in a short, animated film by Walt Disney that was the first of many films to bring the exploits of Pooh and friends to an ever-wider and devoted audience.

Disney Winnie the Pooh, according to his good friend Christopher Robin, is the “best bear in all the world”, and as he reaches the grand age of one hundred, that is how the world thinks of him, too!

The stamps, and a range of collectible products, are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/winniethepooh and by telephone on 03457 641 641. A Presentation Pack including all 10 stamps is priced at £18.90. The stamps go on gener9.3al sale from 14 October.

[from VSC:]
Related collectibles include Mounted Gold Ingot stamps (£29.99), Gold Ingot stamp (£49.99), various coin covers (gold, shown below, £2,150; silver, £80; brilliant uncirculated, £39.99), a Prestige Booklet (£27.76), regular first day covers (Tallents House and Bearwood, Leominster postmark, addressed at £13.60 and unaddressed at £9.30), and a FDC for the Prestige Booklet (£6.05).

Amazon Has Non-USPS Contingency Plan

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The e-commerce giant Amazon was so worried it wouldn’t reach a new contract with the U.S. Postal Service, reports Business Insider, that it drew up a plan for delivering without the USPS. Although it did reach a deal last April, Amazon has used that plan to expand its own delivery network. It now aims to be able to service nearly every addressable ZIP code — 99.9% of them — by itself and by a another delivery service by 2029.

2027 U.S. Speculation

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We won’t hear the basic list of 2027 U.S. issues for several weeks, but it’s always fun to guess and never to early to speculate. In 2027, thanks to a rule change, we don’t have to worry about whether three years has elapsed since a person died. On the other hand, with people stamps, intellectual property rights carry as much weight as merit, unfortunately.

These are my opinions. I have no information from USPS personnel about next year’s program except “I think you’re going to really like it.”

Sure things include:

  • Lunar New Year (Year of the Goat or Ram)
  • Love
  • Priority Mail
  • Priority Mail Express
  • U.S. Flag
  • Non-Religious Christmas

Educated Guesses and Good Bets

  • First Lady Rosalynn Carter (born August 18, 1927, died 2023)
  • Singer Tony Bennett (born August 3, 1926, died 2023)
  • Baseball player Willie Mays (born May 8, 1931, died 2024)

(Stamps for these three people could not have been issued earlier, under previous rules. I think these stamps were in the works before the rule change. Why not Dolly Parton? Because there’s presently a disagreement between her nephew and her manager, raising a question about who controls her estate and rights.)

  • 1777, June 14, the Stars and Stripes is adopted as the flag of the United States

Not as certain:

    • Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic
    • Various American Revolutionary War battles

<lihttps://www.dragoncards.biz/>LaFayette arrives to help train American troops (June 13, 1777)

  • Articles of Confederation signed (November 15, 1777)
  • Continental Army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge (December 1777)
  • US celebrates its first Thanksgiving, in honor of winning a battle (December 1777)
  • Actor Sidney Poitier (born February 22, 1927)
  • Singer Harry Belafonte (born March 1, 1927, died 2023)
  • Civil rights activist Coretta Scott King (born April 27, 1927)(I think one of these three will be the Black Heritage issue — or someone completely out of left field)
  • Playwright Neil Simon (born July 4, 1927)
  • Author Mary Higgins Clark (born December 24, 1927)

Why aren’t I more certain about Lindbergh’s flight? In later years, he had political views that many would now find unsavory, such as support for Nazi Germany. In today’s political climate, I’m not sure a stamp honoring Charles Lindbergh would fly. (sorry)

So those are some of my guesses. What are yours?

— Lloyd de Vries

Poll: Living People on U.S. Stamps?

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