Portugal - 2010 - Second Quarter

Continuing with our catch-up, let's look at the 2nd quarter for Portugal.

06-Apr - Pão Tradicional (2nd series)

In the 2nd series of CTT's celebration of traditional bread in Portugal, our mouths will water with the sight of these juicy samples of bread: 32 cents shows a Broa (cornbread from Entre-Douro-e-Minho), 47 cents show Padas (a tradition in Beira Litoral), 68 cents show Broa de Avintes (cornbread from Douro Litoral), 80 cents show bread from Alentenjo, and, finally, the souvenir sheet shows bread from Extremadura (Carcaça, sold mainly in cafés, and the famous Mafra bread).

22-Apr - Vultos da História e da Cultura

CTT celebrates 4 figures of Portuguese history in 2010. Francisco Keil do Amaral was an architect during the 20th century, famous for projecting Parque Eduardo VII, which lays in front of the emblematic Marquês de Pombal rotunda. Alexandre Herculano was a historian in the 19th century and is famous for introducing romanticism into Portugal, as well as being, along with Almeida Garrett, a reformer of portuguese theatre. Fernão Mendes Pinto was a traveller and author from the 16th century and is the author of the world famous book Pilgrimmage (Peregrinação). Finally, Gomes Eanes de Azurara, born in 1410, was a famous chronicler, including the Chronicle of the Seige and Capture of Ceuta.

30-Apr - 50 Anos do Jardim Botânico da Madeira

Hiding behind the breathtaking beauty that is the Botanical Gardens of Madeira is the highly significant scientific importance of this 50 year old garden. For 50 years these gardens have been a center for the study and conservation of flora and vegetation of Madeira and other arquipelagos.

07-May - Europa 2010 - Livros Infantis

As is tradition in Portugal, the Europa theme is celebrated with a stamp from each of the Portuguese territories (Continent, Madeira and Azores). The 3 themes are the following: "Macaco de Rabo Cortado" (the Monkey with the Broken Tail), "Donzela que foi à Guerra" (the Lady that went to War), and "Lenda das 7 Cidades" (the Legend of the 7 Cities). A very colorful set of stamps to celebrate Children's Books in 2010's edition of Europa stamps.

10-May - Visita de Sua Santidade, O Papa Bento XVI a Portugal

With the objective of commemorating the Pope's visit to Portugal in May 2010, CTT issued a set of stamps in honor of Bento XVI and other great Popes of the Church, Paul VI and John Paul II.

17-May - Elevadores Públicos em Portugal

The hilly nature of many Portuguese cities showed how useful and important public elevators were. Today only 8 remain and all are presented in this interesting stamp set. Bom Jesus of Braga (€0,68) is the oldest of all elevators, inaugurated in March 1882. The Lavra in Lisbona (souvenir sheet, left) was opened in April 1884. The Glória came next (€0,47) in October 1885. In Nazaré an elevator was built in 1889 (€1,00), followed by the Guindais in Oporto in 1891 (€0,57), that was closed down in 1893 but rebuilt on occasion of the 2001 Cultural Capital event. The next 2 are in Lisbon: the Bica (left side souvenir sheet) opened in 1892, and the famous Santa Justa (€0,32) opened in 1902. Last but not least is the Santa Luzia in Viana de Castelo opened in 1923.

31-May - Campeonato do Mundo de Futebol

The World Cup is held in Africa for the first time ever and CTT could not ignore this important world event with high hopes for the Portuguese nation.

07-Jun - Teatro em Portugal (1st series)

A new series from CTT, Theatre in Portugal is being celebrated, starting with some of its greatest representatives from the end of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period: Gil Vicente (Auto da Barca do Inferno), Sá de Miranda (a Renaissance artist), António Ferreira, Luís de Camões, D. Francisco Manuel de Melo and António José da Silva.

21-Jun - Queijos Portugueses (1st series)

For all you cheese lovers out there, this one's for you! CTT provides you with a juicy offering of Portuguese cheese from all across the country. We have Rabaçal (a mix of sheet and goat's milk from near Coimbra), Serra da Estrela (made of sheep's milk), Azeitão (made from sheep's milk near Setubal), Cabra Transmontano (Goat cheese from Trás-os-Montes) and São Jorge (cow's milk with a spicy taste from Açores).

24-Jun - 100 Anos da Implantação da República - Bustos da República

In the year that Portugal celebrates its 100 year as a Republican state, CTT celebrates this occasion with a number of sets throughout the year. In this issue, the theme of this miniature sheet are Busts (Scupltures) of the Republic.

30-Jun - Emissão Conjunta Roménia-Portugal

In this joint issue with Romania, both countries demonstrate their common tradition of designing ceramic tilework (azulejos).

Portugal - 2010 - First Quarter

Next stop: Portugal! The CTT issue A LOT of stamps every year, sometimes too much, but in most cases they are always beautiful. Let's have a look at the first 3 months of 2010.

22-Feb - Aqui Há Selo

The object of this series is based on a competition done each year in which people submit their works of art to be shown on a stamp. The stamp on the left is a heart-warming image of abandonment of animals, from the winner of the senior class (over 18). The stamp on the right is from the winner of the junior class (under 18) and depicts "Viriato o Lusitano", a figure of Portuguese history who fought against the Romans.

01-Mar - Bicentenário dos Nascimentos de Frédéric Chopin e Robert Schumann

The 200th Anniversary of the birth of 2 great classical musicians is celebrated with this beautiful set. Fryderyc Chopin was born in Poland and Robert Schumann was born in Germany, and both exported their music to the 4 corners of the globe.

08-Mar - Transportes Públicos Urbanos (definitive - 4th series)

In the 4th series of Metropolitan Public Transports, CTT celebrates transportation in Lisbon: Carris (the bus),  the modern Tram, Subway, Passenger Boats and the Trains of Sintra.

This set also includes a 3 self-adhesive stamps issued on March 24th.



08-Mar - 2010 Ano Internacional da Biodiversidade

A stunning set to commemorate the International Year of Biodiversity. We are presented to a number of beautiful animals: Tuna (an important inhabitant of the seas that helps to balance the eco-system), the Gulper shark (a vulnerable shark due to its slow reproduction rate), the Panda (this inhabitant of China is regarded, by many, as the symbol of the fight against the extintion of species), and, finally, shown in the 80 cent stamp and the souvenir sheet, 'Mata Atlântica', or Atlantic Forest, part of the Brazilian Amazon.

22-Mar - Pedras Preciosas na Arte Sacra em Portugal

A fine piece of art, this set presents a number of religious jewelry that exists across the nation. The maritime discoveries of the 16th century and the discovery of gold in Brazil in the 18th century further helped expand and diversify the large quantity of precious metals that exist in a number of museums and in the church in Portugal.

Netherlands - 2010 - First Half

And now to complete the review of the first half of 2010:

12-Jan - Pers. Postzegels (III): Waddenvereniging


9-Feb - 100 jaar Rijksoctrooiwet


9-Mar - 75e Boekenweek


23-Mar - Jubileumpostzegels 2010


29-Mar - Weken van de Kaart


27-Apr - Zomerpostzegels


27-Apr - Vuurtorens


For the time being it is not possible to get a good description of the stamps in English, but I invite you to see the following page with some additional information (only in Dutch): Filahome.com

Unfortunately, TNT's website is only available in Dutch and information on the stamps is scarce even in Dutch!

Netherlands - 2010 - Mooi Nederland

Now we have a look at the first half of 2010 for TNT in the Netherlands. The first half was marked by the Mooi Nederland sheets (Beautiful Netherlands), so let's start with those!


Mooi Nederland: Haarlem - Jan. 12

A beautiful city west of Amsterdam that I had the pleasure to visit, with a little city center that has an open market every Saturday.


Mooi Nederland: Middelburg - Jan. 12

A city in south Western Netherlands close to Goes and the border with Belgium. As with most of the Netherlands, the old city center was bombed during the 2nd World War but the reconstruction brought back its historic heritage with houses along canals, similar to cities like Amsterdam. Middelburg is also the birthplace of painter Peiter Gaal.


Mooi Nederland: Maastricht - March 29

Located in the southeastern tip of the Netherlands in the province of Limburg, Maastricht is widely known for its history, culture, local folklore and education. The city is the home of the violinist, conductor and composer André Rieu.


Mooi Nederland: Arnhem - March 29

Situated in eastern Netherlands, along with Nijmegen, it forms one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country.


Mooi Nederland: Leeuwarden - June 22

Capital of the Northern province of Friesland, the area has been occupied since the 10th century. Famous natives include stadtholder William IV of Orange, graphic artist M.C. Escher and dancer-spy Mata Hari.


Mooi Nederland: Verzamelvel / Sheetlet - June 22

Summary sheet with the 5 stamps from the Mooi Nederland series of 2010.

Macau - 2010 - First Half

Now let's have a look at Macau during the first half of 2010.

2-Jan - Ano Lunar do Tigre / Lunar Year of the Tiger

This is the third series of the Chinese Zodiac, continuing the theme of combining the different forms of the Tiger and the distinguishing characteristics of Metal, Earth, Fire, Wood and Water.
This colorful series also includes Maximum Cards of the 5 single stamps.


1-Mar - I Ching, Pa Kua VII

The 7th edition of the series that started in 2001 is once again designed in the format of a hexagon to symbolize the special characteristic of "Pa Kua". This year the symbols of Kua included are: Dun (Escape), Xian (Intimacy), Lü (Strange land), Xiao Guo (Errors), Jian (Marriage), Jiang (Adventure), Gen (Stillness) and Qian (Fame).


8-Mar - Centenário do Dia Internacional da Mulher / Centenary of International Women's Day

Issued to commemorate the Centenary of International Women's Day, which was on March 8th. In thise block of 4 stamps, you see a group of women of different cultures together.


1-May - Expo 2010 Shanghai, China

Macau's Pavilion, "Jade Rabbit the Imperial Lantern" was erected inside the China Pavilion Zone and the replica of Pawnshop "Tak Seng On" was built in the expo's Urban Best Practices Area. The Pavilion takes the shape of a rabbit lantern standing on traditional Portuguese cobblestones, symbolizing Macau's blend of Eastern and Western cultures.
All these characteristics are reflected in this stunning stamp set comemorating Expo 2010.


21-Jun - 60º Aniversário do Banco da China, Sucursal de Macau / 60th Anniversary of Bank of China Macau Branch

The branch was established June 21st, 1950, and gradually became the largest financial institution in Macau.
In this block of 4 stamps, the design has woven together the emblem of Bank of China, the Lotus, Macao Heritage sites, modern architecture and also the true love knot, ribbon and number 60, etc.


The blend included in Macao's Expo 2010 pavilion is evident in all aspects of life in Macau, including in Philately, where we continuously see a beautiful mixture of Oriental culture with a Western/Portuguese scent.