Saturday, November 30, 2013

Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Spitsbergen

Scenery of Midteehuken

postmarked in 2013 with a Norway stamp

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Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago. Constituting the westernmost bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea, and the Greenland Sea. Spitsbergen covers an area of 39,044 km2 (15,075 sq mi).

Svalbard is about midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota

Crazy Horse Memorial
World's largest mountain carving in progress
Black Hills of South Dakota

"My lands are where my dead lie buried." - Crazy Horse

Blasting continues on the largest sculpture in the world, which will look like the scale model when completed.  Crazy Horse's face was finished in 1998. SInce then work has focused on the horse's head.

postmarked in 2013

The sender told me that this will probably never be finished because they are making too much money in donations.  As long as they work on it slowly, they can still raise money.  The sad thing is, by the looks of the postcard they are selling now in the gift store, I would say she is right.  Below is a postcard they printed in 2000 - 13 years ago. (I think it took 14 years to make all of Mount Rushmore.)


Crazy Horse Memorial
Now in Progress - open year round - Black Hills, S.D. U.S. Hi-way 16/385
Blasts like this continue on the largest sculpture in the world, which will look like the scale model when completed.  Crazy Horse's face was finished in 1998 when work began on the horse's head (Photos by Robb DeWall)

postmarked in 2002 - photo was taken in July 2000

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Thanksgiving Greetings, Before and After

BEFORE:


Thanksgiving Greetings
(with embossed turkeys, fruit, grapes, flowers, and flag)
- - -
AFTER:


Thanksgiving Greetings
All the food, dishes and the pilgrims (and his sword) are embossed.


Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Pietarsaari Jakobstad - Suomi Finland

Pietarsaari Jakobstad
Suomi Finland

the sender writes:
Hello!
I live in the small town of Pietarsaari, (it's the Finnish name of the town, the Swedish name is Jakobstad)
It's on the west coast.  To the top left you can see the town church.  Top right is the old fire-station, not it's used as a theatre.  Down to the left is a picture from the 'shopping street" in the town centre, and the last picture is from the town part called Skata, it's the old part of town with three houses.

postmarked in 2013 with a Finland 'Moomin' stamp

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The town was founded in 1652 by Ebba Brahe, the widow of the military commander Jacob De la Gardie, and was granted city privileges by Queen Christina of Sweden. The Swedish name literally means Jacob's City or Jacob's Town. The town was founded at the old harbour of the parish Pedersöre and this name lives on in the Finnish name of the municipality, Pietarsaari, literally Peter's Island.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Tahoua Market in the Republique De Niger

Republique Du Niger
marche de Tahoua
Tahua market

postmarked in 1976 with a Republique De Niger Ostrich stamp

the sender writes:
Dear Mom and Dad,

Nigers atmosphere is much nicer and officials are friendly and helpful.  Agades is hot and dusty and very tourist conscious.  Much prefer to be in open country.
Love, Dave.

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Tahoua is a city in Niger with a population of 99,900 (2004). The city is primarily a market town for the surrounding agricultural area, and a meeting place for the Tuareg people from the north and the Fulani people from the south. Phosphates and gypsum are mined there as well.
Niger (Republique de Niger) stamp 1959
Autruches (Ostriches)
Protection de la faune (from the series, Wildlife Protection)  60 F

Monday, November 25, 2013

Christian Concert for Operation Christmas Child - Samaritan's Purse


Join Us for an Unforgettable Celebration Event and Concert
Orlando Florida Orange County Convention Center
Saturday, April 6

Samaritan's Purse Presents 100 Million Reasons to Celebrate

Fanklin Graham invites you to an unforgettable evening as we thank God for blessing 100 million children with Operation christmas child shoe box gifts.  Worship with great music, enjoy inspiring messages, and hear amazing testimonies from past shoe box recipients.

with Franklin Graham, Ricky Skaggs, Michael W. Smith, The African Children's Choir, The Tommy Coomes Band and Matthew West

postmarked in 2013 with a machine stamp

*When my kids were young and at home, we went shopping together and filled boxes every year.  I still do the boxes, but now without my helpers.

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Samaritan's Purse is a Christian humanitarian organization that works worldwide to assist people in physical need alongside their Christian missionary work. The organization’s president is Franklin Graham, son of Christian evangelist Billy Graham. The name of the organization is based on the New Testament Parable of the Good Samaritan, in which Jesus uses a parable to teach people the second great commandment - how to "love your neighbour as yourself".

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Operation Christmas Child is a 'global Christmas gift exchange' project operated by Samaritan's Purse. Each November it opens thousands of locations, typically at churches or schools, to collect shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies, personal items, and other gifts. These boxes are then distributed as Christmas gifts, accompanied by Christian literature. From 1993 through 2012, some 100 million gift boxes have been handed out in more than 130 countries.


Sunday, November 24, 2013

Georgetown, Guyana

Aerial View of Georgetown, Guyana
Capital of Guyana
The Garden City

unused, from 2012

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Georgetown is the capital and largest city of Guyana. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.'
- - -

Here is one more postcard ...

Guyana
Seawall Bandstand
Georgetown

V.R.I. erected by public subscription 1903 as a memorial of her late Majesty Queen Victoria died 22nd January 1901

unused, from 2011

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Doctor Who: Time and The Rani

Doctor Who
Time and The Rani
1996

This postcard is unused.

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Time and the Rani is the first serial of the 24th season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 7 September to 28 September 1987. (Doctor Who first appeared on BBC television on 23 November 1963.)

This story was the first to feature Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor. It also features the last appearance of the Sixth Doctor, also portrayed by McCoy for this episode only. The Sixth Doctor was originally portrayed by Colin Baker, who refused to return for this episode.

(on a side note:  Sylvester McCoy also played the wizard Radagast the Brown in Peter Jackson's film adaptations of The Hobbit.)

Plot:
While in flight, the TARDIS (a police box time machine and spacecraft) is attacked by the evil Rani, (played by Kate O'Mara) a renegade Time Lady. The TARDIS crash-lands on the planet Lakertya. On the floor of the console room, the Doctor begins his sixth regeneration. In his post-regenerative confusion the Doctor is separated from his young companion Mel Bush and tricked into assisting the Rani in her megalomaniac scheme to construct a giant time manipulator. Lost on the barren surface of the planet, Mel has to avoid the Rani's ingenious traps and her monstrous, bat-like servants, the Tetraps. She joins forces with a rebel faction among the Lakertyans, desperate to end the Rani's control of their planet. The Doctor must recover his wits in time to avoid becoming a permanent part of the Rani's plan to collect the genius of the greatest scientific minds in the universe, of which she has captured many including Einstein, in order that she can create a time manipulator, which would allow the Rani to control time anywhere in the universe, at the expense of all life on Lakertya. The Doctor manages to foil her plan and free the Lakertyans of her evil control. The Rani escapes in her TARDIS, but it has been commandeered by the Tetraps, who take her prisoner. The Doctor takes all the captured geniuses on board his TARDIS so that he can return them home.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Marigot from Fort St. Louis in Saint Martin

St. Martin - St. Maarten
Marigot

Antilles - West Indies
Saint Martin - Sint Maarten

Marigot vu du Fort St Louis
Marigot from Fort St. Louis

Photos: Philippe Poux

This is postmarked in 2013 with a St. Maarten stamp.

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Marigot is the main town and capital on the French side of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.

Originally a fishing village on a swamp for which it was named, Marigot was made capital during the reign of King Louis XVI, who built Fort St. Louis on a hill near Marigot Bay.
Saint Martin (St. Maarten) stamp 2011
Maho Beach, 170 C
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Maho Beach is a beach on the Dutch side of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, in the country of Sint Maarten. It is famous for the Princess Juliana International Airport adjacent to the beach.
Arriving aircraft must touch down as close as possible to the beginning of Runway 10 due to the short runway length of 2,180 metres (7,150 ft), resulting in aircraft on their final approach flying over the beach at minimal altitude.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Zwaanendael Museum in Lewes, Delaware

Zwaanendael Museum, Lewes, Delaware

The Zwaanendael Museum is an adaption of the ancient Town Hall in Hoorn, Holland and was erected by the State of Delaware in 1931 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the founding of the first Dutch settlement on Delaware soil.

This postcard was printed in 1978, but the buyer wrote that they bought it on a class trip in 1982.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The Winter Palace at Night in Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Winter palace

This is postmarked in 2013 with a two Russian stamps from the series: Historical Centre of Saint-Petersburg.  One of them is of this palace.

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The Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia, was, from 1732 to 1917, the official residence of the Russian monarchs. The storming of the palace in 1917 as depicted in Soviet paintings and Eisenstein's 1927 film October became an iconic symbol of the Russian Revolution.

The palace was constructed on a monumental scale that was intended to reflect the might and power of Imperial Russia. The green-and-white palace has the shape of an elongated rectangle, and its principal façade is 250 m long and 100 ft (30 m) high. The Winter Palace has been calculated to contain 1,786 doors, 1,945 windows, 1,500 rooms and 117 staircases.


Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Advertising Milk 'Cut-Out' postcard from Finland

Kovat Kundit juovat. (Tough guys drink)
Maitoa (Milk)

Maa-ja metsatalousministerion osittain rahoittama hanke.
(Agriculture and Forestry, partly funded by the project.)

This is an advertising postcard from Finland with a punch-out glass of milk.

It arrived in great condition and is postmarked in 2013 with a Finland 'postcrossing' stamp.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Quapaw Baths (Supervision vs Regulation) in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

Wuapaw Baths, Under Government Supervision, "The House with the Big Dome"
J.M. Callahan, ernest F. Woodcock, Co-Managers, Hot Springs National Park, Ark.  

Genuine Curteich Postcard

I have another card just like this only the word Supervision was crossed out and replace with Regulations and the worlds "We Bathe the World" were added on the back. 

Both postcards are unused.

- - - - - - -

This is still open today.  Here is what is on their website:
Quapaw Baths & Spa offers guests a unique way to experience the acclaimed thermal mineral water in our four large capacity soaking pools and new Private Bathing Area. Our expertly trained and experienced therapists provide relaxing massages, facials, and revitalizing body polishes designed to leave our guests completely rejuvenated.  Stop in the Quapaw Retail Shop, which features gift cards, organic body care products, and other items with an environmentally conscious theme.


Sunday, November 17, 2013

Coati Babies from Belize


Belize
Three baby coati - a very social mammal found in all districts of Belize

2009 Muzamanzie  Photographs

unused

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Coatis, a member of the raccoon family, are mammals native to South America, Central America, and south-western North America. Some other names for them are: Brazilian aardvarks, Mexican tejón or moncún, hog-nosed coons, pizotes, Panamanian gatosolos, crackoons and (my personal favorite-) snookum bears.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain


Tenerife. Valle Orotava Platanear.  (Orotava Valley)
Espana (Spain)

postmarked in 1911 with a Spain 'King Alfonso XIII' stamp

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Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands; it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² (785.47 mi2) and 908,555 inhabitants. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year.

Tenerife hosts one of the world's largest carnivals.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Camels from the United Arab Emirates

UAE (United Arab Emirates) - Camel Family

postmarked in 2013 with two UAE 'Arab Postal Day' stamps

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Often camels are born white and will turn brown as they are growing up.

The two surviving species of camel are the dromedary, or one-humped camel (as seen above), which inhabits the Middle East and the Horn of Africa; and the bactrian, or two-humped camel, which inhabits Central Asia. Both species have been domesticated; they provide milk, meat, hair for textiles or goods such as felted pouches, and are working animals with tasks ranging from human transport to bearing loads.
 

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Cable Cars in San Francisco, California

San Francisco
Cable car turntable at Powell and Market Streets.

Photo by Ken Glaser Jr. 1987

postmarked in 2013 with a USA 'Liberty' stamp

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The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last manually operated cable car system. An icon of San Francisco, California, the cable car system forms part of the intermodal urban transport network operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway. Of the twenty-three lines established between 1873 and 1890, three remain (one of which combines parts of two earlier lines): two routes from downtown near Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf, and a third route along California Street. While the cable cars are used to a certain extent by commuters, the vast majority of their 7 million annual passengers are tourists. The cable cars are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

To reverse travel direction, the single-ended cable cars require manually operated turntables to rotate the car around. There are three outdoor turntables to do this: at Market & Powell Streets (shown above), Taylor & Bay Streets, and Hyde & Beach Streets, with a fourth one located inside the car barn on Washington and Jackson Streets.
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Here is one more postcard of a cable car...


San Francisco
Cable Car
California
postmarked in 2013 with a USA 'Justice' stamp
 

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe


Abercorn Street, Bulawayo
"The J.H. Series"
Published by John Hamiltin, Salisbury.

At the time of printing, this was Rhodesia, now it is Zimbabwe.

unused

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Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare.

It is a multicultural city with most residents able to speak at least three languages (including English, Ndebele, Xhosa, Kalanga, Sotho, Nambya, Tonga and/or Venda).

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Map of Poland and Coat of Arms of the Provinces


Polska
Poland

Rzeczpospolita Polska
Mapa Polski z terytorialnym podzialem na 16 wojewodztw od 1999 roku.
Herby wojewodztw.

translation:
The Republic of Poland
Polish map of the territorial division into 16 provinces since 1999.
Herby provinces

unused, from 2010

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Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe.

The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi), making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. It has a population of over 38 million people.

The administrative division of Poland since 1999 has been based on three levels of subdivision. The territory of Poland is divided into voivodeships (provinces); these are further divided into powiats (counties), and these in turn are divided into gminas (communes or municipalities).

Poland currently has 16 provinces, 379 counties, and 2,478 municipalities.

The current system was introduced pursuant to a series of acts passed by the Polish parliament in 1998, and came into effect on 1 January 1999. Previously (in the period from 1975 to 1998) there had been 49 smaller provinces, and no counties.

Monday, November 11, 2013

The Flying Tigers of World War II


National Postcard Week
May 5-11, 2013

Boyd A. Shumway
14th Air Force
11 Bomb Squadron
"The Flying Tigers"
World War II

The Flying Tigers of the 14th Air Force helped drive the enemy from the skies over China and was effective in halting the Japanese ground and naval forces in Japan's attempt to capture China.  The Flying Tigers played a significant role in achieving victory in the pacific theatre in World War II..

My Father, Boyd A. Shumway was 26 years old when he was assigned to the 14th Air Force, 11th bomb squadron, 341st group during WWII.  He flew with the Flying Tigers in the China-Burma-India Theater.  He few 50 Mitchell twin-engine bomber.  He said the roughest missions were night strafing in mountainous areas.  He left China in January 1944, arriving back home in December of that same year.  His oldest child was born while he was in China and he saw him for the first time when Bob was 9 months old.

card by karin Gilbert

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Strafing is to attack repeatedly with bombs or machine-gun fire from low-flying aircraft.

- - -

There is a Movie based on the Flying Tigers:
Flying Tigers is a 1942 black-and-white war film, starring John Wayne and John Carroll as pilots in the mercenary fighter group fighting the Japanese in China prior to the U.S. entry into World War II.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

El Fuerte de Samaipata in Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Samaipata (Santa Cruz)

Fuerte De Samaipata - Bolivia
Fotot: Federico Arispe R.

unused, from 2013
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El Fuerte de Samaipata (Fort Samaipata), also known simply as "El Fuerte", is an archaeological site and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Santa Cruz Department, Florida Province, Bolivia. It is situated in the eastern foothills of the Bolivian Andes and is a popular tourist destination for Bolivians and foreigners alike.

The archeological site at El Fuerte is unique because it has buildings of three different cultures: Chanés, Incas, and Spaniards.
- - -

Santa Cruz
Samaipata
Bolivia Sud (South) America

El Coro

unused, from 2013
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At the top of the stone hill is are 12 seats carved into the rock known as the Coro de los Sacerdotes (Choir of the Priests).
- - -
Santa Cruz
Samaipata
Bolivia Sud (South) America

El Jaguar

unused, from 2013
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There are many animals carved into the rock at Fuerte De Samaipata. 

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Exit Certificate of the Former GDR (East Germany)

The sender writes that this is an Exit Certificate (a final one) of the former GDR

postmarked in 2013 with two stamps from Germany and the signatures of four people from a Postcrossing meet-up

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The Inner German border was the frontier between the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany) from 1949 to 1990. Not including the similar but physically separate Berlin Wall, the border was 1,393 kilometres (866 mi) long and ran from the Baltic Sea to Czechoslovakia.

It was formally established on 1 July 1945 as the boundary between the Western and Soviet occupation zones of Germany. On the eastern side, it was made one of the world's most heavily fortified frontiers, defined by a continuous line of high metal fences and walls, barbed wire, alarms, anti-vehicle ditches, watchtowers, automatic booby traps and minefields. It was patrolled by 50,000 armed GDR guards who faced tens of thousands of West German, British and U.S. guards and soldiers.

The inner German border was never entirely sealed in the fashion of the border between the two Koreas and could be crossed in either direction throughout the Cold War.  The post-war agreements on the governance of Berlin specified that the Western Allies were to have access to the city via defined air, road, rail and river corridors. This was 'mostly' respected by the Soviets and East Germans, albeit with periodic interruptions and harassment of travelers.

From 1945 onwards, unauthorised crossers of the inner German border risked being shot by Soviet or East German guards. The use of deadly force was termed the Schießbefehl ("order to fire" or "command to shoot").  A regulation issued to East German police on 27 May 1952 stipulated that "failure to obey the orders of the Border Patrol will be met by the use of arms." From the 1960s through to the end of the 1980s, the border guards were given daily verbal orders (Vergatterung) to "track down, arrest or annihilate violators.

It is still not certain how many people died on the inner German border or who they all were, as the GDR treated such information as a closely guarded secret. But estimates have risen steadily since unification, as evidence has been gathered from East German records. As of 2009, unofficial estimates are up to 1,100 people, though officially released figures give a count from 270 up to 421 deaths.

The fall of the inner German border came rapidly in November 1989, along with the fall of the Berlin Wall.




Germany stamp 2012
175 Jahre (175 Years)
The "Göttingen Seven" (Professors) 55

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The Göttingen Seven were a group of seven professors from Göttingen. In 1837 they protested against the abolition or alteration of the constitution of the Kingdom of Hanover by Ernest Augustus and refused to swear an oath to the new king of Hanover. The company of seven was led by Friedrich Christoph Dahlmann, who himself was one of the key advocates of the unadulterated constitution. The other six were the Germanist brothers Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm (famed fairy tale and folk tale writers and storytellers; known together as the Brothers Grimm), the jurist Wilhelm Eduard Albrecht, the historian Georg Gottfried Gervinus, the physicist Wilhelm Eduard Weber, and the theologian and orientalist Heinrich Georg August Ewald.

The protest's impact forced the king to take action, and the seven defiant professors were questioned before the university court on December 4. Ten days later, the seven were relieved of their posts at the university.  The university recalled the dismissal as a great loss to the university.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Simandlbrunnen (Simandl Brunnen) in Krems, Austria

 Krems
Simandlbrunnen (Brunnen is Fountian)

postmarked in 2013 with an Austrian art stamp

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Simandl is the joking name of a wife who henpecks her husband.
The legend tells that in 1528 in Krems lived Handl Simon who was beaten so much by his wife, that his name became the proverbial meaning.

- - -

Krems is a town of around 24,000 people in Austria and is approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) west of Vienna.
Austria stamp 2012
from the series: Paintings
150 Geburtstag Gustav Klimt 170
(The 150th Aniv. of the Birth of Gustav Klimt 170)
Fritza Riedler 1906 Belvedere Wien 


Thursday, November 7, 2013

Dogon People Dancing in Mali

Mali
En pays Dogon, les danses elles-memes ont garde leurs caracteres parfaitement originaux. 
(In Dogon country dances themselves have retained their original character perfectly.)

This was postmarked in 1983 with two Mali stamps.

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The Dogon are an ethnic group living in the central plateau region of the country of Mali, in the West of the Continent of Africa.  They are best known for their religious traditions, their mask dances, wooden sculpture and their architecture. The past century has seen significant changes in the social organization, material culture and beliefs of the Dogon, partly because Dogon country is one of Mali's major tourist attractions. 
Mali (Republique Du Mali) stamp 1980
Butterfly Series
Hypolimnas mishippus (Danaid Eggfly, Mimic, or Diadem Butterflies) 70 F
- - -
Mali (Republique Du Mali) stamp 1982
Masks
Cimier (Sogoninkun) Bamanan 200 F

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Aerosmith: Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, Steven Tyler, Joey Kramer and Joe Perry

Aerosmith


shown are:  Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton, Steven Tyler, Joey Kramer and Joe Perry

unused, bought in 2012

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Aerosmith is an American rock band. Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many subsequent rock artists. The band was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970. Guitarist Joe Perry and bassist Tom Hamilton, originally in a band together called the Jam Band, met up with singer Steven Tyler, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarist Ray Tabano, and formed Aerosmith. In 1971, Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford, and the band began developing a following in Boston. They were signed to Columbia Records in 1972, and released a string of multi-platinum albums.

Aerosmith also became a pop culture phenomenon with popular music videos and notable appearances in television, film, and video games. Their latest album, Music from Another Dimension!, was released on November 6, 2012.

Aerosmith is the best-selling American rock band of all time, having sold more than 150 million albums worldwide, including 66.5 million albums in the United States alone. They also hold the record for the most gold and multi-platinum albums by an American group.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Greetings from the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

Greetings from the Smithsonian
Large Letter postcard from Washington, D.C. - 

With more than 142 million objects in its vast collection, the Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest complex of museums and research facilities, with 16 museums and galleries as well as the National Zoo.

postmarked in 2007 with Liberty Bell 'Forever' stamp