Two USA Challenger 25th anniversary postmarks
1) A special pictorial cancellation is available through Houston's main general post office (GPO) on Franklin
Street for all mailed-in requests to commemorate and honor the 25th anniversary of the loss of space shuttle Challenger
and its STS-51L crew.
The cancellation was designed by artist Detlev Van Ravenswaay.
Requests should mailed to the address below with proper postage affixed (44 cents for covers; 28 cents for postcards;
or 98 cents First Class International) and it is recommended that stamped return addressed return outer envelopes
or packaging is provided by the sender.
Challenger 25 Years Station
c/o Postmaster
USPS GPO
401 Franklin Street
Houston, Texas 77201-9998
Due to anticipated volume, it may take up to a few weeks for postal personnel to process all of the requests.
2)The Hudson Valley Stamp Society in New York has also designed a cancellation for the 25th anniversary of the
loss of shuttle Challenger.
Send your requests to:
Challenger Center Station
Postmaster
PO Box 9998
Suffern, NY 10901-9998
50th Anniversary Alan Shepard's Flight Postmark
A special pictorial cancellation will be available through Houston's main general post office (GPO) on Franklin
Street for all mailed-in requests to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Mercury-Redstone 3, the first American
manned spaceflight by Alan Shepard, on May 5, 1961.
Once available, requests should mailed to the address below with proper postage affixed (44 cents for covers;
28 cents for postcards; or 98 cents First Class International) and it is recommended that stamped return addressed
return outer envelopes or packaging is provided by the sender.
Update: Seems this postmark was replaced with a different one. See below
First American in Space 50th Anniversary Station
c/o Postmaster
USPS GPO
401 Franklin Street
Houston, Texas 77201-9998
50th Anniversary of First Manned Spaceflight - German Postmarks
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight, the following pictorial postmarkers will
be used in Germany:
German Postal Service (Deutsche Post):
* Date: 10.4.11
* Place: 44797 Bochum;
* Reference no.: 05/069
* Text: "Aktionstag '50 Jahre bemannter Raumflug Sternwarte Bochum" (Day of Action on the Occasion of
the 50th Anniversary of Manned Spaceflight - Bochum Observatory)
* Send your covers to:
Deutsche Post
NL Brief
Sonderstempelstelle
53253 Bonn
Germany
* Date: 12.4.11
* Location: 10117 Berlin
* Reference no.: 06/078
* Text: "50 Jahre Bemannte Raumfahrt/Juri Gagarin (1934-1968) Erster im Orbit" (50 Years of Manned Spaceflight
- First in Space)
* Send your covers to:
Deutsche Post AG
Niederlassung Brief
Sonderstempelstelle
10770 Berlin
There will be the opening of an exhibition on the topic at the Russian House of Science and Culture at Berlin the
same day. (Russischen Haus der Wissenschaft und Kultur, Friedrichstraße 176-179, 10117 Berlin)
* Date: 12.4.11
* Location: Garching
* Text: "Vor 50 Jahren Juri Gagarin 1. Mensch im Kosmos" (50 years ago - Yuri Gagarin - First Man in
Space)
Cacheted covers with that cancel at €2 from: Ralf Schulz, Postfach 1219, 02962 Hoyerswerda.
Nordkurier private mail company:
* Date: 12.4.11
* Location: Neubrandenburg
* Text: First Day of issue cancellation "50 Jahre Erster Mensch im Weltall/Juri A. Gagarin" (50 Years
First Man in space)
50th Anniversary of First Manned Spaceflight - Czech Postmarks
n the Czech Republic, the following items are being planned:
* an A-Post franking label will be used in the town of Znojmo (the label will carry the name Gagarin)
* Official Souvenir sheet of the Czech Post with a pictorial postmarker (800 printed)
* 28.4.11: slogan cancellation to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the visit of Gagarin in Czecheslovakia (the
country was the first country Gagarin visited after his flight)
No prices are known yet; further information can be obtained (in German, Czech or Russian) from Julius Cacka at
julius@atlas.cz.
50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight - United Nations
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On 12 April 2011, special first day hand-cancellations for the "50th Anniversary of Human Space Flight"
stamps will be available at United Nations Headquarters in New York; the Palais des Nations, Geneva; and the Vienna
International Centre.
50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight - Austria
Pictorial postmarker:
* Date: 12 April 2011
* Place: 1020 Wien (Vienna)
* Text: "50 Jahre bemannte Raumfahrt" (50 Years of Manned Spaceflight)
* Send your covers to:
Österreichische Post AG
Zentrale Stempelstelle-Philatelie
Fleischmarkt 19
1010 Wien
Austria
A special post office will be open on this day at the Zeiss Planetary Vienna, Oswald-Thomas-Platz 1, 1020 Wien
(located on the Prater amusement park, right next to the giant wheel).
50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight - Belarus FDI postmark
First Day of Issue Cancellation.
Ink: black
Used: During 12th April 2011 on Minsk Post Office.
50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight - Italy postmarks
Date: 12 April 2011
Place: Torino Filatelie.
Text: “50° Anniversario del primo vuolo umano nello spazio” (50th Anniversary First Man in Space)
Ill.: Gagarin portrait with space helmet, planet Saturn, Vostok spacecraft.
Send your covers to: Poste Italiane
Spazio Filatelia di Torino
Via Alfieri, 10
10121 Torino
Italy.
There is another pictorial postmarker in the city of Palermo:
* Date: 12 April 2011
* Place: Palermo 48
* Reference no: 406
* Text: "Anno della Lingua è Cultura Italiana/Jurij Gagarin 1 Uomo nello Spazio 1961 2011" (Year
of Italian Language and Culture/Yuri Gagarin - 1st Man in Space)
* Send your covers to:
Poste Italiane
Filiale di Palermo 1
Servizio Commerciale/Filatelia
Via Roma 320 Palazzo Poste
90133 Palermo
Italy
50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight - China FDI postmark
* Date: 24 - 30 March 2011
* Place: Beijing
* Pictorial postmarker: 50th Anniversary 1st Man in Space Yuri A. Gagarin (in Russian)
* Image: two circular stamps, launching spacecraft, stamp with an image of planet Saturn, figure "50"
above a triangular stamp.
Another Italian Postmark
AS.IT.AF, Italian Astrophilately Society pays hommage to its late Member Paul Calle
An exhibition will be devoted to the astrophilatelic stamps and covers produced by Paul
A special postmark will be used, reproducing his self-portrait, made available by Chris Calle
More info at http://www.asitaf.it/news_view.php?prog=5&sid=&lang=2
50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight - Russian Postmarks
Russia issued a series of identical postmarks for the 50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight with only the city
named changed. The above example was issued for Moscow. See Russian Postmarks for a list.
50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight - Romanian Postmarks
two pictorial postmarkers used at Sibiu and Miercurea-Ciuc:
* Date: 12.4.2011
* Place: 550450 S,ibiu 1;
* Text: "50 de ani de la zborul lui I.A. Gagarin/Primul Om i Cosmos/1961-2011" (50th Anniversary Flight
of Yu. A. Gagarin/First Man in Space 1961-2011"
* Ill.: Gagarin portrait in pilot's suit (inspired by the Romanian stamp issued in 1961).
* Date: 12.4.2011
* Place: 530 300 Miercurea-Ciuc 1
* Text: "12 aprilie Ziua Cosmonauticcii/50 de ani de la primul zbor al unui în cosmos - Vostok 1/Iuri
Alexeevici Gagarin (1934-1968)” (Cosmonautics Day/50th Anniversary 1st Man in Space/Vostok 1/Yuri Alexeiewich Gagarin
(1934-1968))
* Ill.: Portrait Gagarin in cosmonaut's helmet, Vostok spacecraft
Yet Another Italian Postmark
* Date: 7.5.11:
* Place: 04100 Borgo Faiti (LT);
* Reference No. 644
* Text: "50th Anniversario Primo Volo Umano nello Spazio/Dalla Vostok 1 una voce: La Terra è blu, è
bellisimo" (50 Years first Manned flight into space/A voice coming from Vostok 1: Earth is blue, and it is
beautiful)
* Send your stamped covers to:
Poste Italiane
Filiale di Latina
Servizio Commerciale/Filatelia
Piazza dei Bonificatori 1
04100 Latina
Italy.
A 50th Anniversary of Alan Shepard's Flight Pmk
Note the simulated USS Lake Champlain pmk. The actual ship was scrapped some time ago.
50th Anniversary Alan Shepard's Flight Postmark
Per the latest USPS postal bulletin the cancel was extended to 60 days and the actual cancel used is different
that the original posted above
Unusual 50th Anniversary Alan Shepard's Flight Postmark
Lollini announced that this was the first colour postmark on a First Day Cover. It appears to be printed and
may be a specially ordered postmark?
50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight - Liechtenstein Postmark
The Duchy of Liechtenstein is having an exhibition on the 50th anniversary of the first man in space. Their
postal service uses a pictorial postmarker to commemorate the event:
Date: 14 Sept until 30 Oct 2011
Place: Vaduz
Text: "Ausstellung 50 Jahre bemannte Raumfahrt" (Exhibition 50 Years of Manned Spaceflight)
Ill.: Vostok 1 spacecraft.
Postal Services are selling printed covers for 2,20 sFr. ea.
For a purchase or for sending your own covers (using Liechtenstein stamps!) use this address:
Philatelie Liechtenstein, Postfach 1000, 9490 Vaduz, Fürstentum Liechtenstein.
50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight - French Private Cachet
A private cachet was issued by a local stamp dealer for the Strasbourg Philatelic Exhibition.
Date: 20 to 24 June 2011
Place: Strasbourg Philatelic Exhibition
50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight - Another Italian Postmark
Reference no.: 1574
Date: 25 September 2011
City: 13044 Crescentino
Text: "Mostra Filatelica - 50° Anniversario Primo Uomo nello Spazio" (Philatelic Exhibition - 50th
Anniversary First Man in Space)
Ill.: Earth, Vostok spacecraft.
Send your stamped covers to this address:
Poste Italiane
Filiale di Vercelli
Servizio Commerciale/Filatelie
Via F.lli Ponte, 9
13100 Vercelli, Italy
Curiosity Mars Rover Postmark
A special postmark is available at the Pasadena (Calif.) Post Office for the successful launch of NASA's Mars Science
Laboratory with its Curiosity rover on Nov. 26, 2011.
Send your stamped envelopes to be canceled for launch to:
Mission to Mars Station
c/o Postmaster USPS
600 South Lincoln Avenue
Pasadena, California 91109-9998
Requests will be honored up to 30 days after launch.
Polish FDI Postmark
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General Note: Much of the above information was first reported on collectSPACE