[press release]
Spring bloomers in nature on stamps 
They are delicate plants, often with soft colours, which mainly bloom in spring: exotics. Originally they did not come from our country, but they have since acquired a firm spot in Dutch nature. Ten of these exotics have now been depicted on stamps by PostNL.
Colourful spring bloomers
Exotics are plants that used to be planted as ornamental plants on country estates, in monastery gardens and in the grounds of manor houses. These later feral plants are often spring bloomers with striking colourful flowers.
Sensory and associative
The ‘Experience Nature – Exotics’ stamp sheetlet was designed by graphic designer Frank Janse from Gouda. His concept focuses on the sensory and associative aspects of experiencing nature. Janse: “They are all beautiful, high-quality photos. But I didn’t want to limit myself to beautiful pictures of beautiful flowers. The bulbs and tubers also had to make an appearance. For this I edited old botanical drawings, depicting the plant from head to toe – from bulb or tuber to stem, leaves and flowers.”
The beauty of nature
With the new stamps, PostNL shines a spotlight on the diversity of nature in our country. “It’s much greater than we sometimes realise at first,” says Stephan van den Eijnden, PostNL’s commercial director for Mail. “These exotics are a good example. Some of them we all know, such as the snowdrop or the lesser celandine. Others are much more modest and we only notice them if we are looking out for them. Now that they are in bloom, you have the best chance of seeing them!”
Buiten-Beeld
After mammals (2 January) and exotics (25 February), PostNL will release another two other stamp sheetlets in the ‘Experience Nature’ series, with butterflies, trees and leaves taking the spotlight. All of the photos on the stamps are from Buiten-Beeld, the Dutch image database for nature photography. An individual ‘Experience Nature’ stamp sheetlet costs €8.70. The complete series costs €34.80, including a storage folder.
Availability
The ‘Experience Nature – Exotics’ stamp sheetlet consists of ten different stamps marked with ‘Nederland 1’, the denomination for items up to 20g in weight destined for mail in the Netherlands. The stamps are available from 25 February 2019 from all PostNL sales points, the post office counter in Bruna stores and online at postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels. The stamps can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number +31 (0)88 – 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.
5342 (55¢) Flag coil (Ashton-Potter printing), serpentine die cut 11 horiz., microprinted “USPS” at lower flag grommet
tz Israel west of the Jordan River and is one of the rainiest areas in Israel, and even has occasional snowfall during the winter months. These conditions allow plants such as the Wild Peony featured on the stamp, which are typical of the mountains in Turkey and Lebanon, to grow on Mount Meron, the southernmost point of their dispersion. Hiking trails are marked around the summit and along the slopes, leading visitors among the mountain’s many delightful natural and archeological treasures. Important prayer sites lie at the foot of the Mount Meron range, the most significant of which are the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai which is sacred to the Jews and the grave of Nabi Sablan, a sacred prophet of the Druze people.
Negev Desert as well as the Sinai Desert. More than 40,000 rock drawings have been discovered on Mount Karkom and in the immediate area. These were carved by humans and include figures such as the Long Horned Deer that appears on the stamp. Many of the rock drawings show humans with their arms outstretched toward the heavens as if in prayer. The aridness of the area surrounding the mountain (which does not allow permanent inhabitance) along with the existence of the many rock drawings have led researchers to conclude that Mount Karkom served as a sacred place of worship and prayer, visited by caravans of merchants passing through the area and groups of believers who travelled there from distant lands. Prof. Emmanuel Anati, who devoted many years to researching the site, identified Mount Karkom as the Mount Sinai noted in the Bible, however this opinion is not accepted by most researchers in the field.
The St. Louis Stamp Expo will be the site for the Single Frame Champion of Champions competition, beginning with the March 27-29, 2020 show. The announcement was made recently by Mike Ley, president of the American Association of Philatelic Exhibitors (AAPE), which sponsors the competition. The agreement is for three years.
and cooperation from the show committee. The agreement may be extended after the initial three years, or the competition moved to another show at the request of either party.
Australians are fast adopting international shopping traditions with Black Friday and Cyber Monday combining to form the busiest online shopping week in the country, according to the latest research by Australia Post.
General Manager Parcel & Express Services, Ben Franzi, said the research shows a continuing shift in the timing and channels shoppers use to make their key purchases.
Royal Mail has revealed the images of the Marvel Super Hero stamps issued to mark the UK’s celebration of Marvel’s iconic comic stories.
Editor Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby created a Super Hero revolution when they devised a new world of characters in the early 1960s, including Hulk and Thor.
The 1980s, in particular, saw US comic publishers heavily recruiting British writers and illustrators, who increasingly worked on the American publications and began to inject darker storylines to widen the appeal of the characters. One such artist is Alan Davis, who 
designed the new Special Stamps, and has worked with Marvel since the early 1980s and first illustrated Captain Britain in 1985.
Stamp illustrator, artist, Alan Davis, said: “I really can’t take all the credit for producing these stamps. The speed of production required in US comics makes it necessary to separate the creative disciplines into four individual jobs. Writer, penciller, inker and colourist. My primary focus is writing and pencilling.
The stamps and a range of collectible products are available now to pre-order from 
Doctor Strange
Thor
met Kree hero Captain Mar-vell. After her DNA mixed with his during an explosion, she gained super powers and took the name Ms Marvel. Following the original’s death, Carol took on the mantle of Captain Marvel to honour his legacy. Marvel Studios’ Captain Marvel is in cinemas from 8 March, 2019.
Spider-Man
Black Panther
Peggy Carter
Union Jack
Iron Man
The Board of Directors of NAPEX is pleased to announce the composition of the jury that will judge the exhibits at this year’s show.
traditional choice for wedding bouquets, corsages and boutonnières. In the days of the Victorians, the gifting of a gardenia conveyed a tender message to one’s beloved for those too shy to do so in person.
For added convenience for use on wedding invitations and stationery, the stamps are available in booklets of 10, with five of each design, or coils of 50 offering 25 of each design. A two-stamp souvenir sheet is available for collectors, along with strips of four and 10 stamps from the coil. An Official First Day Cover featuring both stamps is cancelled in Flower’s Cove, N.L. The stamps were designed by Andrew Conlon and Lionel Gadoury of Context Creative, with art by Chantal Larocque, inspired by a photo by Natasha V. The booklet, souvenir sheet and Official First Day Cover were printed by Colour Innovations and the coils printed by the Lowe-Martin Group.
OTTAWA – Étant donné le nombre de timbres floraux utilisés par les futurs mariés sur les faire-part, il semble tout indiqué que Postes Canada ait choisi pour son émission annuelle une fleur traditionnellement associée à l’amour. Portant un parfum enivrant, le délicat gardénia blanc crème a longtemps orné les bouquets de mariage et de corsage ainsi que les boutonnières. À l’époque victorienne, les grands timides l’offraient pour exprimer leur tendresse à la personne aimée.
The Happy Birthday stamp joins the definitive Greetings stamps, which are also issued in the My Own Stamp sheet format.
