From Russia - With Love, Traditional Items from Russia

Armastusega ... Venemaalt

From Russia ... With Love

Samovar - (see below)

Wooden Spoons

The Scar Cap

Fur Hat

Vodka

Accordion

Caviar

Balalaika - a three stringed Instrument 

Matrioshka - or babushka doll is a Russian nesting doll 

Barankas - bread roll very similar to bagels

Birch

Bear

Sunflower

This is a Postcrossing Meet-up Postcard and signed by 6 people from Finland who got together in Estonia and mailed a card from Russia! - so the stamp is from Estonia and it is postmarked in 2011

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A samovar is a heated metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water in and around Russia, as well as in other European countries, and in the Middle-East. Since the heated water is usually used for making tea, many samovars have an attachment on the tops of their lids to hold and heat a teapot filled with tea concentrate.

Though traditionally heated with coal or charcoal, many newer samovars use electricity and heat water in a similar manner as an electric water boiler. Antique samovars are often displayed for their beautiful workmanship

                                         

Novelty Postcard from Ely, England, Lift the Shoes

I should like to hear the patter of your feet at Ely.

You can see where, at the bottom of the shoes, you 'untuck' the flap and then when you lift the feet,  there is a piece of paper folded like an accordion with 12 images from Ely on each fold.  

Postmarked in 1912 with a Great Britain King George V stamp mailed to Martha's Vineyard, Mass. USA 

Here is a scan of what the images look like on the folds ...

Great Britain stamp 1911

King George V with Lion

One Penny 

Postage Revenue

Mice on Main Street in Greenville, South Carolina

Mice on Main
Main Street, Greenville, South Carolina

Inspired by the book "Goodnight Moon."
Jimmy Ryan of Christ Church Episcopal School proposed the idea of placing the mice downtown for children to hunt.  He raised the funding and commissioned Zan Wells, a local sculptor, to make the individual mice
Main Street retailers have hints to help find all 9 mice.

Steven Faucette Photography

postmarked in 2011 with a 29 cent 'Sage' stamp

Mount Etna and Catania in Italy

Monte Etna (Mount Etna)
Sicilia (Sicily)

all the lava is covered in glitter!

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Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently standing 3,329 metres (10,922 ft) high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m (69 ft) lower now than it was in 1981. In Greek Mythology, the deadly monster Typhon was trapped under this mountain by Zeus, the god of the sky.

Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is in an almost constant state of activity. The fertile volcanic soils support extensive agriculture, with vineyards and orchards spread across the lower slopes of the mountain and the broad Plain of Catania to the south. (see next postcard)

Catania

Porto Turistico
Teatro Vincenzo Bellini
Duomo

Foto: Mario Tornatore

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Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse, with a population of around 299,000 people.

It is known to have a seismic history and past, having been destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake in 1169, another in 1693, and several volcanic eruptions from the neighbouring Mount Etna volcano, the most violent of which was in 1669. (see above postcard)

Today, Catania is one of the main economic, touristic and educational centres in the island, being an important hub of the technological industry, thus gaining the nickname of the "European Silicon Valley".

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both are postmarked in 2011 with a MIlitary Postal Unit 'Free Mail' machine stamp

Avenida 9 de Julio, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Argentina
Buenos Aires: Avenida 9 de Julio.

Vistas de Cuidades Argentinas No 35
(City views of Argentina)

This postcard is unused and from the late 60's.

NOTE:
I was sent this message from someone named JB ....

I should point out that the Mirafiori building (which would be in the middle-right of the photo) is missing. Since ground was broken on same in 1961, my guess is that the postcard was made in the late 1950s, rather than late '60s.
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Avenida 9 de Julio
Buenos Aires
Argentina

vista nocturna (Late evening view)
Fotografia: Ricardo Gona
This card was written in 1997 but was never mailed.

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Avenida 9 de Julio is a wide avenue in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Its name honors Argentina's Independence Day, July 9, 1816. The avenue's unusual width is because it spans an entire city block.

The avenue was first planned in 1888 with the name of Ayohuma; but because it was opposed by affected landlords and residents, work did not start until 1935. The initial phase was inaugurated on 9 July 1937 and the main stretch of the avenue was completed in the 1960s. (Look at how young the trees are in the top postcard!)  The southern connections were completed after 1980, when the downtown portion of the tollway system was completed.

Mount Titano in San Marino

Repubblica de San Marino

Veduta del Monte Titano
View of Mt. Titano

postmarked in 2011 with a San Marino stamp

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San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino,  is a state situated on the Italian peninsula. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over 61 km2 (24 sq mi) with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino.

The country's highly stable economy mainly relies on finance, industry, services and tourism and is considered to have one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe, no national debt and a budget surplus.

Mount Titano is a mountain of the Apennines and the highest peak in San Marino. It stands at 739 m (2,425 ft) above sea level and is located immediately to the east of the capital, San Marino. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.

The Legend of the Dogwood - 1959 and 2009

Legend of the Dogwood in Florida

An old and beautiful legend has it that, at the time of the Crucifixion, the dogwood was comparable in size to the oak tree and other monarchs of the forest.  Because of its firmness and strength it was selected as the timber for the cross, but to be put to such a cruel use greatly distressed the tree.  Sensing this, the Crucified Jesus in his gentle pity for the sorrow and suffering of all said to it: "Because of your sorrow and pity for My sufferings never again will the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a gibbet.  Henceforth it will be slender, bent and twisted and its blossoms will be in the form of a cross - two long and two short petals.  In the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nailprints - brown with rust and stained with red - and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see this will remember."

postmarked in 1959 with a 3 cent Liberty stamp

 The Legend of the Dogwood


There s a legend, that at the time of the Crucifixion, the dogwood had been the size of the oak and other forest trees.  So firm and strong was the tree that it was chosen as the timber for the cross.  To be used thus for such a cruel purpose greatly distressed the tree, and Jesus, nailed upon it, sensed this, and in His gentle pity for all sorrow and suffering said to it: "Because of your regret and pity for My suffering, never again shall the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a cross.
Henceforth, it shall be slender and bent and twisted and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross ... two long and two short petals.  And in the center of the outer edge of each peal there will be nail prints, brown with rust and stained with red, and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all those who see it will remember".

unused, from 2009

Varied Industries Building, St. Louis World's Fair in 1904

Official Souvenir Post Card

Varied Industries Building

Samuel Cupples Envelope Co. 

The back has a stamp from the Ladue (a very wealthy suburb of St. Louis) post office with the date Sep 4, 1904, and a USA 1 cent stamp from 1904 of Livingston - but there is no writing or address on it.

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Hold Card to Light

Official Souvenir Postal card

Varied Industries Building

When you hold this postcard up to the light all the windows and the circles on the sidewalks light up, including the little buildings on the right.

Samuel Cupples Envelope Co.  St. Louis, Mo. Sole World's Fair Stationers. 

unused

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The Palace of Varied Industries from the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 was a hexagonal building and covered about thirteen acres.  Each of the building's entrances had two towers and in the center of the building were large open courts. 

Varied Industries included all exhibits related to furniture, interior decorations, jewelry and toys.  The building held many examples showing the growth in production of artistic wares.  

United States of America stamp issued in 1904

Livingston 1746 - 1831 

Postage One Cent

Featuring the Minister to France, Robert Livingston, from the Louisiana Purchase Exposition set 

Toucans Postcards

Onecan - Toucans

by Spike Milliagan

(Great Postcard! - very clever :)

unused, from 2011

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Brasil
Colecao didatica

Tucano - Rhamphastos toco
Mede ate 60 cm, cabendo 16 cm so ao bico.
Sao aves da mata, alimentam-se de frutas e tambem de animais pequenos como sapos e passarinhos.

Tucan - Rhamphastos toco
Measures until 60 cm., belong 16 cm only to the beak.  They are birds of the woods, like to eat fruits, but also little animals as frogs and young birds.

unused, from 1987

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Toucans have been known to plunder nests of smaller birds, taking eggs and nestlings. This probably provides a crucial addition of protein to their diet. However, toucans are mainly fruit eaters, and as such play an extremely important ecological role as vectors (agent for transporting seeds) for seed dispersal of fruiting trees. Often when eating small fruits, toucans will throw their heads back and allow the fruit to roll into their throats before swallowing.

Singing in the Rain with Gene Kelly

Singing in the Rain

unused, bought in 2010

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Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American comedy musical film starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor, and Jean Hagen and directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly also providing the choreography. It offers a comic depiction of Hollywood, and its transition from silent films to "talkies."

Although it was a big hit when first released, it was not accorded its legendary status by contemporary critics. It is now frequently described as one of the best musicals ever made, topping the AFI's 100 Years of Musicals list.

I love this movie!

Stop Climate Control - Or Be a Fishhead?

Stop de klimaatverandering voor ze jou verandert. 

(Stop climate change before it changes you.)

back:

Het klimaatprobleem wordt steeds groter.  En dat betekent een hoop nattigheid.  Laten we die evolutie nu stoppen, voor we allemal kopjeonder gaan.  Met kleine aampassingen in ons dagelijks leven kunnen we echt een verschil maken.  De Climate Impact Trducer van WWF helpt je daarbij.  Surf snel naar wwf. be, doe mee en red het klimaat.

Voor het te laat is.

(The climate problem continues to grow which means a lot of trouble concerning water.  Let us stop this evolution now before we're all sinking.  With small changes in our daily lives we can make a real difference.  The climate impact producer of WWF (World Wildlife Fund) will help you do that.  Quickly surf to the website, wwf. be participate and save the climate. 

Before it is to late.)

This is a Boomerang card from Belgium.

unused, but from 2008

"The Baths", British Virgin Islands

Inside the caves

The Baths

Virgin Gorda

British Virgin Islands

postmarked in 2008 with a British Virgin Islands 35c 'World Cup Chamion 1982' stamp

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The Baths

Virgin Gorda

British Virgin Islands

Large, house-size boulders form luminous grottos filled with magnificent sea pools, lit by filtered sunshine.  These giant boulders, caused by volcanic eruption, are strewn up and down this quiet cove.

Photo: Richard Spenceley

postmarked in 2008 with a British Virgin Islands 'World Cup Champion' stamp

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At "The Baths", the beach shows evidence of the island's volcanic origins, which deposited granite that eroded into piles of boulders on the beach. The boulders form natural tidal pools, tunnels, arches and scenic grottoes that are open to the sea.  The largest boulders are about 40 feet (12 m) long.

We have been here with a tour and the guides said many model shoots for magazines are done there because it is so beautiful.  I believe it!  It is an amazing place.

USS Constellation in 1937 and 2011

U.S.S. Constellation Dressed for Queen Elizabeth's Birthday during visit of H.M.S. York.  Newport Rhode Island in 1937

unused 

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 Baltimore, MD

USS Constellation

Photo by Tom Wachs

unused, from 2011

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USS Constellation constructed in 1854 is a sloop-of-war (warship with a single gun deck). It is the last sail-only warship designed and built by the U.S. Navy.

From 1855-1858 Constellation performed largely diplomatic duties as part of the US Mediterranean Squadron.
She was flagship of the USN African Squadron from 1859-1861. In this period she disrupted the African slave trade by interdicting three slave ships and releasing the imprisoned Africans.

After the Civil War Constellation saw various duties such as carrying famine relief stores to Ireland and exhibits to the Paris Exposition Universelle (1878). She also spent a number of years as a receiving ship.

Constellation became a training ship in 1894 for the Naval Training Center in Newport, Rhode Island where she helped train more than 60,000 recruits during World War I.

Decommissioned in 1933, Constellation was recommissioned as a national symbol in 1940 by President Franklin Roosevelt.

Constellation was again decommissioned on 4 February 1955 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 August 1955 — about 100 years and 2 weeks from her first commissioning. She was taken to her permanent berth in Baltimore, Maryland and designated a National Historic Landmark on 23 May 1963.

She is the last existing American Civil War-era naval vessel and was one of the last sail-powered warships built by the U.S. Navy.

In 1994 Constellation was condemned as an unsafe vessel. She was towed to drydock at Fort McHenry in 1996, and a $9-million restoration project was completed in July 1999.

On 26 October 2004 Constellation made her first trip out of Baltimore's Inner Harbor since 1955. The trip to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, lasting six days, marked the ship's first trip to the city in 111 years.

Today tours are regularly available, self-guided or with the assistance of staff.

Million Dollar Home in California - Shack

$ 1 Million California Ocean View Home
$ 1 Million can buy you a home with a beautiful ocean view in California.

This was postmarked in 2011 with two USA 29 cent stamps.

 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio

Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame and Museum
Cleveland, Ohio

Designed by architect I.M. Pei, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a spectacular, sculptural building that expresses rock's raw power.  It is the ideal home for the museum's dynamic presentation of the living heritage of rock and roll and its enduring impact on global culture.

This is an oversized postcard that is in the shape that you see it
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Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

From the collection:
Keith Moon's platform shoes
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From the collection:
Elmore James' National guitar, c. 1948

all three postcards are unused and from 2011


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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was created April 20, 1983. However, it had no home. The search committee considered several cities, including Memphis (home of Sun Studios and Stax Records), Cincinnati (home of King Records), New York City, and Cleveland. Cleveland lobbied hard to be chosen, citing that Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed is widely credited with promoting the new genre (and the term) of "rock and roll", and that Cleveland was the location of the first rock and roll concert. Civic leaders in Cleveland pledged $65 million in public money to fund the construction. A petition drive was signed by 600,000 fans favoring Cleveland over Memphis, and a USA Today poll which Cleveland won by 100,000 votes. The hall of fame board voted to build the 150,000 square foot museum in Cleveland.

Elvis Presley Mug Shots

Elvis Presley 1970's Mug Shot

unused, bought in 2011

Stories I found online about this mug shot of Elvis:

1:
Date Arrested: 1956
Charges: assault

The Story:
Memphis filling station manager who accused Elvis of assaulting him on October 18, 1956. According to witnesses, Elvis stopped by the station drawing a crowd which prompted Hopper to ask Elvis to leave. Hopper then hit Elvis in the back of the head. A fight broke between the two, and the attendant, Aubrey Brown, jumped in. Both men were fired and Elvis was cleared of all charges.  (This can't be it, his hair is from the 1970's)

2:
The photos were taken when Elvis was in Washington DC visiting the FBI headquarters.  In some reports, the photos were taken as part of the tour, perhaps as a souvenir; in other reports, the photos were to be used for Elvis's Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs "Special Assistant" badge that he obtained from Nixon on December 21, 1970.  The photos were probably taken when he returned to Washington on December 30 and toured the FBI building.  However, there are obvious problems with the latter claim.  If the photos were to be used in any offical capacity, Elvis would not have worn his glasses.  And if the photos were actually mug shots, certainly the glasses would also have been removed.  (There is no claim that Elvis was arrested during this time period, and his appearance clearly tells us the photos were taken in the early 70s.)  The "T70" could refer to the year 1970, but again, I think mug shots include more specific information pertaining to the arrest.

Finally, the photo used for the BNDD badge is not this photo, so again, the claim that this photo was to be used for the badge don't seem reasonable.

3:
Elvis Presley -1970 Memphis. This photo was taken just for fun. Elvis was a law enforcement nut!

Two Postcards of Will Rogers

This (postcard) is a copy of a well known photograph taken at the hight of Will Rogers' career.
World Citizen Ambassador of Good Will
unused
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Will Rogers says ...
"Live your life so that whenever you lose, you are ahead."
Will Rogers

Will Rogers' folksy and timeless wit and wisdom have captivated generations.  Enjoy his humor, and explore his life at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore Oklahoma, the Will Rogers Birthplace Ranch, Oologah, Oklahoma, and the Will Rogers State Historic Park, Pacific Palisades, California.

postmarked in 2010 with a USA 28 cent stamp

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William Penn Adair Rogers (better known as "Will" Rogers) (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer and actor and one of the best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s.

He traveled around the world three times, made 71 movies (50 silent films and 21 "talkies"), wrote more than 4,000 nationally-syndicated newspaper columns, and became a world-famous figure. By the mid-1930s, Rogers was adored by the American people. He was the leading political wit, and was the top-paid Hollywood movie star at the time.

His earthy anecdotes and folksy style allowed him to poke fun at gangsters, politicians, government programs, and a host of other controversial topics in a way that was readily appreciated by a national audience, with no one offended.

One Rogers quote:
When I die, my epitaph, or whatever you call those signs on gravestones, is going to read: "I joked about every prominent man of my time, but I never met a man I didn't like." I am so proud of that, I can hardly wait to die so it can be carved.

Rogers died in 1935 with aviator Wiley Post, when their small airplane crashed near Barrow, Alaska.

M&T Stadium and Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore 

M&T Bank Stadium, completed in 1998, is home to football's Baltimore Ravens.  It is located between Russell Street and Sharp Street, just west of Federal Hill and the Inner Harbor.  Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home since 1992 of baseball's Orioles, is visible just to the north.

Photo: James Blank

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here is the stadium you see at the top of the above postcard . . .

 

Baltimore, Maryland

Oriole Park
Camden Yards

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Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball ballpark located in Baltimore, Maryland. Home field of the Baltimore Orioles, it is the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s, and remains one of the most highly praised. The park was completed in 1992 to replace Memorial Stadium.

**Both postcards are unused and from 2011

China's Imperial Garden

Jardin Imperial, situado en la parte
norte del Palacio Imperial
Foto de Gao mingyi

translated from Spanish:
Imperial Garden located in the
north of the Imperial Palace

So this postcard, published by the China Intercontinental Press, is made in China, written in Spanish, and mailed from Finland to the United States!

postmarked in 2011 with a Finland, Aurora borealis stamp

Turks and Caicos Islands, Salt Industry

 Turks & Caicos
1952 - 1962
Salt industry
Salt Cay

postcard of the 80 c stamp

postmarked from within the US in 2011 with a USA Liberty Bell stamp

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It was Turks and Caicos salt that George Washington needed to preserve the food for his army during the American Revolutionary War and that the Canadian and American fishing fleets used to salt down their catches.

As late as the 1920s and 1930s, before a combination of competition, costs, mismanagement and the lack of a deepwater harbor brought the salt industry in the Turks and Caicos Islands to an end, as many as half a dozen sailing ships at a time would be anchored off Salt Cay awaiting cargo. The salt had to be ferried out to them over shallow water.

Ruins from the salt operations remain on Salt Cay. The island is now popular with tourists looking for uncrowded beaches and activities like whale-watching. Scuba diving and other water sports also attract visitors.

Vatican City

 

S. Pietro (Saint Peter)

Tiber, Sistine Chapel: Creation of Adam", St. Peter's Dome and Square

Photographs by Giancarlo Gasponi

postmarked in 2011 with two Mozart stamps 

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Vatican City  is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of just over 800.

Citta' Del Vaticano (Vatican City) stamp 2006

Mozart 1756 - 2006

The World in Words - World Map

 The World in Words

Each continent is in its proper shape with the names of the countries that make it up!
What an amazing postcard!
postmarked in 2011 with the four Russia stamps you see below from 2003, 2008, & 2010

Here is a postcard to show an actual map for comparison, unused from 2010