Glenelg Tram

This is a  H Class Adelaide tram. They were built in 1929 by Pengelley and Co, specifically for the Glenelg line and commenced operations on 14 December 1929. In 1930 the 376 tram (the one in the postcard) was fitted with a Simens Schukert pantograph. Incredibly, 4 of the cars remained in limited heritage service until of 2009, nearly 80 years after they were introduced. They have many of the characteristics of American interurban streetcars of that period an respect a classic Tuscan Red and cream exterior colour scheme. In 2000 five H-class were specially refurbished with the intention of retaining these cars for special weekend and holiday operations. 

There is no stamp on the card, except an imprinted "postage pre-paid" as seen here. The stamp in the front is also imprinted and it's an Australian 1878 horse driven tram. The real stam was issued in 1989.

Thank YOU, Agnieszka !

Country: Australia

Description: Glenelg H-Class Tram on Jetty Rd.

Photo: Ron Ryan
Location: Mosley Square, Adelaide

Hopi Pottery

Today another great card came in my inbox as a result of October 50 RR. It shows a set of Hopi pottery: wedding vase and a butterfly bowl (white ones) and stunning red polychrome vases. On the left, a Hopi Wedding Belt and a Sash belt (worn by Kachinas in various dances and ceremonies) frame these beautiful artworks.
The forever stamps are from a series just released (26 sept), called Celebrity Chefs. The card got 3 of them: Felipe Rojas-Lombardi, Joyce Chen and James Beard. You can read more about them and their contribution to cuisine here.

Thank YOU, Meredith !

Country: United States

Description: Hopi pottery

Photo: Paul Markow

Publisher: Smith-Southwestern

elegant blue & white

Since China invented the porcelain there was always a fascination towards those fine & elegant products. Traditional blue and white porcelain is regarded as one of the most unique forms of Chinese ceramics, highly collectible and often used for decoration. This kind of porcelain came to represent the mainstream of Chinese porcelain during the Ming and Qing dynasties when porcelain was produced. Different quality products were made: exquisite works for imperial court and simple ware for common people’s daily use.

Some details of technological  process... Firstly patterns with cobalt blue pigments are applied to a plain ceramic body, upon which a clear layer of glaze is added. At the end the item is put in an oven at high temperatures. The card showing a decorated dish is the light version of a MaxiCard since identical stamps were issued in September 2014. And the the postal stamp used to mail this one is the same with the one mentioned in an earlier post of this blog.

Thank YOU, Wenwah !

Country: China / Hong Kong
Description: Dish decorated with floral design in underglaze blue, Qing dynasty

As internationally as it can be

A week ago I've received this official postcard from Singapore. Nothing special so far. But at a close look I discovered that the building is from Japan (Kyoto) and the publisher (LAVERTON) is from China. The washi tape used for decoration bears french words "c'est délicieux" & "à bientôt". International!

The card came with 2 beautiful stamps (2103) from Singapore vanishing trades.

The 30c shows a Songkok maker. They came predominantly from Sumatra or of Sumatran descent. Songkok is a traditional Muslim head gear worn when attending prayers at the mosque or at religious events and festive celebrations.

The 20c shows a lantern maker. They painted famous legendary figures over oiled paper stretched over interwoven ribs of delicate bamboo.

Thank YOU, Kit !

Country: Difficult to say... Japan (place), China (publisher) and Singapore (stamps)

Description: Painted view of a Kyoto pagoda

Publisher: LAVERTON (China)

Guniujiang Nature Reserve

Situated in Anhui province, between county towns of Shitai and Chizhou, the Guniujiang Nature Reserve is also known as “the last piece of virgin forest in the East China area”. The main peak (shown in the postcard) is 1727,6 meters and in the shape of a bull falling from the sky, hence the name Guniujiang (guniu and jiang mean bull and falling respectively in Chinese). In ancient times it was called West Huangshan Mountain, now it is a national nature reserve and a national geological park.
The nature reserve is divided into four scenic zones: the Prominent Peak, Queer Peaks, Shuanghekou and Longmen (Dragon Gate). Now some major scenic spots in the Longmen Scenic Zone have been developed and opened to the public, including the Yanjia Village, Lover's Valley, Longmen Pool and Four Overlapping Waterfalls.

The entire area hosts over 1.300 plants and at least 1.000 species of animals and it is known as the "green natural museum and the treasure house of wild animals and plants in East China".
There are 3 glued stamps and one imprinted.
The green 10 fēn (ND 2002) shows a globe and a tree and as a sign of environmental protection of forests.
The 3 yuán (ND 2006) shows Greeting Chinese characters.
The 80 fēn imprinted stamp shows a lotus(?) flower.

Thank You, Zhoufan !

Country: China
Description: Guniujiang peak
Location: near Chizhou

Hello Ski Fans !

I love ski and everything related to it (including postcards). I've started this passion 2 years ago and I'm still an intermediate. Every time I think of snow & skiing I got a very pleasant feeling, even if the season didn't come yet.

This Austrian postcard feature 3 people skiing. I have no detail about location, but it could be in Reutte since the publisher is from here. The 1-piece costume and the oldish skis place the photo around 1990. Beside the fact that all skis are made by Fischer (a very well-known Austrian ski equipment manufacturer) I couldn't find any other information.

The stamp (ND 2012) features a Swallowtail Butterfly and a neat AirMail Sticker with 1 Europe value. Those unit values (as the forever stamps in US) are useful because you don't have to bother with postal fares anymore.

Thank You, Tanja !

Country: Austria (but sent from Belgium)

Description: Austria Ski Greetings

Publisher: Franz Milz Verlag