The theme of the 2010 Winter Olympics was “Sea to Sky”.  The concept linked the Whistler’s snow capped ski slopes with a scenic coastal city of Canada.  The use of the winter mascots: Miga, Quatchi and Sumi, all received some criticism because some people thought that they looked like they were “too Japanese” or even called them “space creatures”.  Instead, these mascots were chosen because it was believed that they would appeal to both children and adults. Miga is a sea bear, Quatchi is a sasquatch, and Sumi is an animal guardian spirit, all mythological characters.

Each postage stamp has the 2010 Winter Olympic Games emblem on it as well. The “Inukshuk” is constructed of rocks and serves as a trail marker in Canada. The 2010 version is called an Ilanaaq, which means “friend”.

The Chunghwa Post Co, Ltd. (the official postal service of the Republic of China), has already issued two sets of stamps to welcome in the tiger on December 1, 2009.  There was a competition to choose the artist for this particular stamp design.  The stamps depict beautiful brushstrokes and show how majestic the tiger is.  It also features traditional Chinese calligraphy and showcases the tiger in several different poses.

It will be fun to see other “Year of the Tiger” postage stamps that will be released from around the world.  Keep stopping by Stamp Center for more “Year of the Tiger” information in the future, as more stamps are released.  Stamp Center has a wide selection of previous Lunar New Year postage stamps available from around the world.  Stop by and check them out!

Stop by Stamp Center today to see our amazing selection of Christmas themed postage stamps.  We have over 1100 Christmas stamps, some older, some newer, from locations from around the world.  Stamp Center offers free shipping to our US customers and $4.50 flat rate shipping to our international customers. You won’t be disappointed!

Since then, Thanksgiving Day parades have been celebrated each year in towns both big and small across the United States.  The most notable of course is most likely the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade which is held and broadcast on television each year in New York City.

On September 9, 2009, the United States Postal Service issued a strip of colorful commemorative postage stamps that pays tribute to this much loved American tradition.  The set includes four nostalgic images that showcase a marching band, giant helium balloons, and crowds of spectators.

Stamp Center has the Thanksgiving Day Parade postage stamps in stock and ready to ship out.  We offer free shipping to our US customers and only $4.50 flat rate shipping to our international customers.  Consider us for all of our philatelic needs.

Stamp Dealers are a great resource for purchasing postage stamps.  They have extensive knowledge about their products and often times have entire collections available to purchase.

Stamp Center is a stamp collecting dealer that provides stamp collection values, stamp collection appraisals and also sells new issue foreign stamps from countries around the world.  Stamp Center is also able to locate those hard to find rare postage stamps for you that will make your collection complete.

Not only does Stamp Center strive to find some fantastic stamps to add to your collection, we also love to save our customers money.  Effective October 13, 2009, all orders shipped out to our customers in the United States and Canada will be sent out for free!  Our foreign customers will also enjoy our reduced flat rate shipping which is only $4.50!

Be sure to check out all of the amazing postage stamps that are available from countries near and far which are listed at Stamp Center.

In 1995, the United States Postal Service began producing the now popular postage stamp series called the “Legends of Hollywood” which has honored many of Hollywood’s beloved actors.  In September of 2009, Gary Cooper became the 15th person to be honored with a postage stamp in that series.

Frank James Cooper, otherwise known as Gary Cooper, was born on May 7, 1901 in Helena, Montana.  Cooper began his film career as a stunt riding cowboy extra for a movie studio.  He earned a good living for that time, $10 per day, plus a box lunch, or even more, if he fell off the horse in a spectacular way.  It did not take long for Cooper’s acting talents to be recognized by studio executives.  He first began doing silent films, but as soon as sound films became available the world was graced with the voice they so craved.  Cooper eventually performed along side many Hollywood starlets and became one of Hollywood’s most desirable leading male actors.

This is the second postage stamp that Gary Cooper has appeared on thanks to the United States Postal Service.  The first was in 1990 as part of the “Classic Films” stamp set which featured The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, Stagecoach, and Beau Geste, which showcased Gary Cooper.

 The Twilight Zone is one of the stamps that are featured in the set.  Rod Serling was the creator and narrator of the show.  He is also credited with writing many of the imaginary and often bizarre stories that kept American’s on the edge of their seats.   Each episode always ended with an unexpected twist, which made you come back each week for more.  The Twilight Zone initially ran from 1959 through 1964.  Since the original series, there have been several other short lived Twilight Zone revivals, the latest being in 2003.

One of the things that set The Twilight Zone apart from other television shows of that time period is that Serling was able to using his writing as a vehicle of social awareness.  At the time, many subjects were censored on American television.  Though these science fiction writings, important issues; such as nuclear war, were showcased under the radar of the censors.

Lassie (otherwise known as “Pal”), was always trustworthy, loyal and the best friend around is one of the stamps in this commemorative set.  Lassie first came to be as a much loved short story which was first published in the Saturday Evening Post.  In 1940 it was made into a novel called “Lassie Come Home”.   The story was soon transformed into six other films produced by MGM.  Lassie debuted on television in 1954 and remained a favorite for 19 years.  Throughout the television series, each of the dogs that played Lassie were direct descendants of the original dog, Pal, and that tradition still continues on in the year 2009.  This exceptional television show received two Emmy Awards during its 19 years on American television.

Lassie is joined by many other icons of television that will certainly put a smile on your face.  Look for more fun information about those soon.

The Newfoundland Pony is credited with making life easier for European settlers as they established a new life in Newfoundland dating as far back as the 1500’s.  These fantastic ponies are a descendant of seven different types of horse breeds that were interbred and eventually evolved into the Newfoundland Pony.  The Newfoundland Pony was used for many hard labor jobs like hauling, plowing, and transportation.  They are considered extremely intelligent, strong, obedient, and courageous animals.

With the onset of modern day machinery, the Newfoundland Pony has become obsolete.  The island once boasted a population of over 12,000 ponies.  Sadly, today there are less than 400 ponies in existence worldwide.  Only 225 of those ponies are of breeding age and many have been removed from Newfoundland.  In an effort to avoid extinction, preservationists are working to try to bring up the numbers of these amazing creatures.  Currently, the Newfoundland Pony still remains as a critically endangered species.

The Canadian Horse which is also part of this stamp set is known as the “Little Iron Horse”.  These horses arrived in Canada in the late 1600’s under adverse conditions.  They are strong, tough, tolerant of inclement weather, and easy to take care of.  They too almost reached extinction, but preservation efforts have helped to save the breed.  There are only 2500 Canadian Horses in existence, which still classifies them as “critical” on the American Livestock Conservancy list.

Besides the fact that the design of the stamps are superb; they have an added delightful feature.  The stamps sport the wonderful aroma of dark French chocolate!  It is reported that the scent is expected to last for 2 years.  These postage stamps look so much like the real thing that you will certainly be tempted to take a bite!  These stamps have been such hot sellers in France that some post offices have experienced lines running outside of post offices with people scrambling to get their hands on these treats.  La Poste even built a temporary post office to launch these postage stamps.  There are ten stamps in the set with different noteworthy scenes shown.

The good news is that there is no need to travel all the way to France to pick up these deliciously smelling French chocolate postage stamps.  Stamp Center has them in stock and ready to ship out to you.  They make a fun addition to any collection!  Warning…they don’t actually taste like chocolate!  Come on America, we need some chocolate stamps too!