Here we have one of my older Mexican postcards showing a street in the small city usually known as Taxco but more formally named Taxco de Alarcón, the administrative center of a municipality located in the Mexican state of Guerrero. Taxco is located in the north-central part of the state, 36 kilometers (22 miles) from the city of Iguala, 135 kilometers (84 miles) from the … Continue reading Street in Taxco, circa 1939
In 1880, Chao Muen Samuhjairaj submitted a letter to propose the opening of a post office in Thailand to King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V). The King agreed and appointed His Royal Highness Somdetch Phra Chao Nong Ya Tho Chao Fa Bhanurangsi Swangwong Krom Luang Bhanuphandhuwong Wordej as the first Director-General of the Post Department because of his experience in the distribution of a daily newspaper … Continue reading Evolution of the Thai Post Box
I recently blogged about a card received from Lviv during the current war. This is one that came to me seven and a half years ago using the Postcrossing system. Ironically, this card is also a product of the Farion line published in Lviv. Lviv (Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the sixth-largest in Ukraine, with a population of 717,510. It serves … Continue reading Postcrossing #UA-1314549: Greetings from the City of Lviv
Greenview is a village in Menard County, Illinois, United States. The population was 778 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. Greenview was laid out in October 1857, by Menard County pioneer Willian Engle, on land originally owned by Charles Montgomery in section 23 of township 19 north, range 6 west of the Third Principal Meridian. It was … Continue reading New Year’s Day 1913: Postcard from Greenview, Illinois U.S.A.
I do not have very many postcards cancelled on either New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. The oldest that I do have are a few postcards found over the years all on the Ganzachen 1899 New Year 1900 green 5-pfennig Reichspost postal card. I have one unused copy and five that were posted from different cities in the German Empire on either December 31, … Continue reading New Year’s 1899/1900: Postcards from Germany
This is an interesting card bearing a ½p green Great Britain KEVII stamp which I recently bid for and won in an eBay auction for just £1.50 (plus another £2.30 shipping to Phuket). What makes this unusual — and potentially worth somewhat more than I paid for it — are the auxiliary markings: “Contrary to Regulations – 53” and a To Pay 1p handstamp. It … Continue reading Christmas Postcards: Shepton Mallet, England – “Contrary to Regulations”, 1909
Despite having a family history rooted in southwestern Russia with ancestors on my father’s side (wealthy landowners with ties to the aristocracy up until the 1917 Revolution) and strong connections in the Voronezh and Samara oblasts, I have come out in support of Ukraine during the ongoing conflict. I have a number of close friendships with people in the capital city of Kyiv and dotted … Continue reading Lviv, Ukraine: My Ukraine
This card from Monaco bears two different scenes — the port at Monte Carlo and the changing of the guard on Palace Square. The stamps, used in 1972 but dating to the early 1960s, feature the Rainier III Swimming Stadium at the port and the Prince’s Palace lit up at night. Port de Monaco Port Hercules is the only deep-water port in Monaco and has … Continue reading Monte Carlo, Monaco: The Port & Changing of the Guard
The Niagara Whirlpool is a natural whirlpool within the Niagara River located along the Canada–U.S. border between New York and Ontario. It is in the Niagara Gorge, downstream from Niagara Falls. Its greatest depth is 125 feet (38 m). It is estimated that the whirlpool formed approximately 4,200 years ago by the upstream erosion of the Niagara Escarpment by the Niagara River. Niagara Falls is … Continue reading Niagara Falls, Ontario: Canada – The Niagara Whirlpool
The Leaning Tower of Pisa (torre pendente di Pisa) is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of Pisa Cathedral. It is known for its nearly four-degree lean, the result of an unstable foundation. The tower is one of three structures in the Pisa’s Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo), which includes the cathedral and Pisa Baptistry. The height of the tower is 55.86 metres (183 feet … Continue reading Pisa, Italy: The Leaning Tower
Postcards to Phuket 